Testimonials
"Boeido techniques become natural reactions and are highly effective."
M.W. - Ex Royal Marine and serving Metropolitan Police Officer with SCO19
"Over the past 12 years, Boeido has not only saved my life in countless live situations, but has also brought a higher level of satisfaction, and a deeper appreciation to my life. There is honestly not a more reliable and practical self-defence system, or a more effective instructor out there."
"Boeido focuses on real techniques that really work in real situations."
A.Y. - Door Supervisor and Martial Arts Instructor
"Adrian Blake is a practitioner and instructor of the highest level. His Control and Restraint teaching is second-to-none, and I cannot recommend him highly enough to anyone who wants to learn how to defend themselves in real-life situations."
J. D. Prison Officer, and Control and Restraint Instructor for HM Prison Service
"Chief Instructor Adrian Blake is a teacher of many years - having studied and taught a number of both hard and soft styles he is incredibly knowledgeable. Enjoying both hard competition and the stillness of his T'ai Chi - he is very much the Yin and the Yang."
Ben Loyd Holmes - Founder of BMAI, multi-style Martial Arts Instructor, Bodyguard, and award-winning Actor and Producer
"Having worked with many martial artists and studied a good number of different styles, I can absolutely recommend Boeido as a highly effective, reality-based system, and as an avid martial artist and teacher, believe me when I say there's a lot to be said for that!"
James Embree - Boeido student, accomplished Martial Artist and renowned Stunt Double for Jason Statham, Daniel Craig, and Brad Pitt
"Boeido as a Martial Art is an extremely effective form of self-defence. I have a deep respect for the instructors and the path of hard but humble training they open up for anyone, whether novice or experienced martial artist. I am proud to be associated with the club and privileged to train and share knowledge with them."
Shihan D.Carr - 5th Dan, Chief Instructor of Ashtead Ryukyu Kempo Karate
"I studied Boeido through my adolescence and into early adulthood and it's served me in a huge amount of ways. It instilled what you'd expect from martial arts training: discipline, confidence, a sense of camaraderie and respect. But what sets it apart from the variety of other styles I practised over the years was it' modern outlook and 'real' ethic.
It's taught me, through the Boeido philosophy, to be aware of my surroundings, avoid confrontation and generally, to be smarter. Equally as important is that it's given me the necessary skills to defend myself or those around me, or to finish a conflict quickly whilst keeping myself as safe as possible, always keeping in mind that we live in a 'modern' world. Everything you could ever wish for from a style.
There are, however, two other elements set this style apart for me... The first is the incorporation of T'ai Chi Chuan, practised at the beginning or end of the lesson. What seems like a slow-moving, flowery 'dance' is actually an ancient and devastating form of martial art, and a founding system of Kung-Fu (it translates into 'Grand Ultimate Fist). As an internal style, it helps to heal and can be meditative, but its external applications are based on detailed practical cornerstones of self-defence - biomechanics, pressure points and nerve line manipulation, as well as chin-na joint locks and breaks. It allows to you put your body in different positions where physical strength doesn't matter as much, stances in which you're less likely to be hurt, and develops your own foundation and structure for mounting simultaneous defensive and offensive responses.
It trains you to 'be like water'... but it does take exactly that: training!
The second element that sets Boeido apart from other styles is Si-Gung Adrian Blake. In life you can try to learn basic skills or try to learn complex skills, but you won't actually learn anything without a great teacher. Adrian, through his own years of training, life experiences and attainment of knowledge created this style. It's his curriculum. Not only that, he's also (among many other things) a professional teacher. To learn from a man like him, someone who can cultivate and amass information and skills and effectively pass them on, is something that I haven't taken for granted. His wealth of knowledge is matched with his generosity of time and he's helped shape me into a different person through Boeido. I call him Si-Gung which loosely means 'teacher of teachers'. He's one of very few men I know that I could also label as 'master'. If you ever have the opportunity to work with him, I'd say, without hesitation, to take it."
Matt Payne - Boeido Si-Fu. Instructor and practitioner.
