The Gatherings Gavin Richardson

My fellow Martial Artists, I would like to take the opportunity, if I may, to tell you all about a martial arts event we have here in the UK 4 times a year. They are known simply as The Gatherings.

The Gathering of the Masters started years ago at two different locations and under two different sets of instructors.

Let’s start with Neil Kirkland, and his Adaptive Martial Arts UK & Ireland group.

Around 2010, Neil started holding seminars with his good friend Sensei “Mad Robbie Woodard” in Welwyn Garden City (By London) and at his own dojos in Cambridge.

The plan was simple, get some instructors together to teach inclusive seminars for all abilities and share some knowledge. As with everything, it started off small and between Neil and Robbie the number of participants started to grow.

More instructors were invited to share their knowledge as the seminars grew in size and popularity.

As the Welwyn Garden City venue being used was a function room in a bar, it made sense that after the training and a shower, and some fresh clean clothes, all would meet back up at the venue for a sit down meal and some singing and dancing with a few drinks at the bar.

Further north we were doing exactly the same thing at Tony Pillage’s dojo over in Coventry.

About every 2 months, gangs of us would turn up and just train together, with a different instructor on the mat every hour or so.

Classes would typically start with a good warm up followed by an hour of boxing training with the ‘Bomber’ Errol Graham, then a pressure point session with Rustle Stutely, before a session on old school Ju-Jitsu with ‘The General’ — Sensei Tony Bailey.

We would cover all kinds of stuff from Ninjutsu to Western boxing and everything in between!

Then later in the evening, we would all get together for a drink or 6, a session of war stories and piss taking, general banter and bonding with fellow instructors from all over the UK.

Slowly, these classes were opened up to the general public, but at the start they were for the instructors and top students only. This was our selfish time to take the teachers hat off and just be a sponge for the day. To absorb as much as we could and have good laugh while we did it.

It was years later at the British Martial Arts Awards that I first met Neil Kirkland. While sharing a pint he said that not a lot of people wanted to go down and train with his guys as they all have different needs and some people found it difficult to adapt their system to suit the guys who needed a bit more help.

I volunteered there and then and within a couple of months I was down in Cambridge working with his guys and making a whole new set of friends. The class went unbelievably well and over the course of the day about 40 or students went through the first part of my “Be your own Bodyguard” program.

Due to the success of the sessions, we decided to open it up and do it again later in the year but this time we would push it as an open seminar and invite other instructors along to help share their knowledge and skills with a new set or students and colleagues.

The Gatherings were starting to grow.

One of the main differences we have with these get togethers is the way we spend the profits or more to point the way we don’t spend them.

Right from the very beginning we all agreed that there would be no profit kept by any one of us! If there were hall hire fees etc, they should be covered but everything else we raise, we give away.

The money has been used for various causes from cancer treatment, helping maintain transport for the members of Adaptive Martial Arts UK & Ireland, as well as paying towards a holiday for one of our young men after major open-heart surgery… and the list goes on!

As well as the special guest instructors we have a team of regulars — people who give their time and knowledge for free to help make these events what they are. These guys are not the little fella teaching at the end of the street, these are the best instructors in their particular fields.

Sensei Ken Culshaw

Kenny started his training in 1967 under Sensei John and Soke James Blundell. He also trained with Professor Robert Clark at the Lowlands and Stanley house Liverpool. He formed Welham Martial Arts in 1996. When it comes to Ju-Jitsu Kenny is the man to go to.

Steve Tappin

Escrima Concepts: In 1965 he began his journey in martial arts with his family and their friends, who ran their own Boxing and Catch Wrestling gyms in Islington, he also attended a few clubs in the East End intermittently for years. He also wrestled and boxed in secondary school. He continued this training for many years, mainly with family and his own friends. He learnt many street techniques from some men who fought in WW2 and Korea during his teenage years. Around 1972 he joined a Karate Club in Holborn ran by Sensei Charles Mack. He often regretted not staying longer there. In 1976/7 He went to Grandmaster Brian Jones’s London Clubs, where he was introduced to unarmed full contact free-sparring and Escrima. This started him on his journey to learn all he could about weapons to unarmed transition in Escrima. In 1978 he continued his journey concerning an assortment of medieval and ancient weapons, including training with shields and companion weapons.

This eventually brought him in contact with his mentor and trusted friend John Waller, his son, Jonathan Waller and some of John’s interpretation team of the Royal Armouries (Leeds). He first met John Waller in the Tower of London. They founded The European Historical Combat Guild (‘The Guild’). Steve has been an international instructor since the early 90s travelling the world training, teaching and giving demonstrations on Escrima and The Guild’s teaching for a large Martial Art Organisation. Steve, previously worked the doors and other security work, on and off for 15 years. In 2003 Steve concentrated on only teaching Escrima Concepts, and now has clubs in Western Europe where he teaches with his son Wayne Tappin, often aided by his instructors.

Shihan Keith Priestly

The greatest thing about Keith (apart from the fact that he is one of the top-shelf martial artists and instructors in the land) is his humbleness and his humour — a trait of his Yorkshire roots, no doubt!

There is probably no honour or championship that Keith has not already won or had bestowed upon him! Yet, none of these are of any importance to him nor does he go around listing them or displaying them like some proud peacock. He is what can only be described as a ‘true salt of the earth’ type, who has taken his own martial arts journey to another level and now I believe, is helping others to achieve the same.

As a martial artist, there is no doubt that, he is 'old school' — tough as nails and dedicated to teaching the arts realistically and traditionally. This is shown in the fact that for the past several years Keith has been leading and taking a team of his up and coming students to train, study and fight in Japan - where they themselves have achieved many honours in their own right! His dojo in Bradford, Yorkshire - Fight Club 1 - is a testimony to his teachings by the calibre of martial artists and students it is producing.

Keith’s journey into the arts started many, many years ago — with Judo. His teacher, Mr Rodwell, was a Judoka. He joined a school — Bradford Shotokan Karate Club — run by Brian Nicholson, who had just come back from Japan, his standard was very high and demanding. Keith was soon into the fighting side of it, and began competing .Titles soon followed. When his instructor retired, he told him to take over the dojo.

After a few years of teaching, he delved into other forms of the arts. Kendo was his next venture but, after 4 years the instructor closed the club. So, he looked into another - Kickboxing. He met Bob Sykes at a local tournament, fought him, lost, but knew thats where he was going. His club turned into a kickboxing school, which became very successful and toured Europe. It was in Italy, where he met Sosai Kimura, a Kyokushin instructor from Japan. He asked Keith if he would go to Japan to train with him? Japan was always a dream, it became a reality and now he leads the England and Euro team — taking a team every year to Japan.

Peter Holmes

Peter started training 1978 in Judo and Kung fu. Then went on to Tang Su Do with Master Mark Adlington, he is now a Karate-jitsu 6th Dan with the Dragon Society .

Sensei Robbie Woodard

Robbie started his martial arts journey in 1965 studying Judo. He moved into Karate in the early 70s with Sensei Charles Mack and Steve Tappin then under the guidance of Sensei Enoida down in London studying Shotokan Karate. He was awarded his 9th Dan by the late and great Master Brian Jones.

Sensei Tony Bailey (The General)

Tony has been studying Martial Arts, mainly Japanese Arts for 41 years so far. He diversified with a little Chinese Kung Fu for a couple of years, but has mainly stuck to the Japanese arts, as they were his earliest experiences and suited him . He has Black Belts in several systems and teaching grades in a few, but he mainly sticks to teaching the Ju Jutsu syllabus he founded in 1994 called Mizu Ryu Ju Jitsu!

It’s not just the martial arts in which Tony has classical training! He is also a professional Classical and Flamenco guitar performer and teacher!

Tony is a complete martial artist. Not only is he thoroughly versed in the combative arts — he is also highly skilled in the healing arts, holding a Master & Teachers Degree in Usui Reiki! He is also a Coach Ambassador for Fighting For Autism - something very close to his heart.

Sensei Neil Kirkland

Neil started Shotokan in 1979, then went and trained Kick Boxing and Karate with Pat O’Keefe through the 80s He met Robbie when he went to run a pub in Welwyn in the late 90s. Neil moved to Cambridge and started Wing Chun, which is where he met the late Grandmaster Brian Jones.

Nasser Butt

Nasser Butt is an award winning martial artist and author.

He has been studying and practicing Chinese Martial Arts for over 35 years — comprising of Wing Chun, Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Wudang Boxing!

Nasser trained directly with Erle Montaigue from 1999 until Erle’s passing in 2011 and was his North England Representative. Erle had officially ranked Nasser to the level of 5th Degree and considered him as one of his handful of “real students,” and “most highly trained instructors in the UK,” as well as a personal friend, whom he allowed to document and film his teachings.

He is regularly invited to give seminars around the world and is also the founder and editor of the multi-award winning online martial arts magazine, Lift Hands, with a readership of over 25K in 105 countries around the world.

Nasser has been teaching martial arts for two decades and is the founder and Chief Instructor of Fa-jing Ch’uan Internal Chinese Boxing School based in Leicester, where he teaches Erle’s ‘System’ or as he likes to call it — “Move to Survive” — with students attending regular classes and seminars from across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA.

In 2020, along with his friend Peter Jones — Chief Instructor of Foundations and the highest ranked UK Instructor and personal friend of Erle Montaigue — they formed The Guild of Internal Martial & Healing Arts dedicated to the authentic teachings of Erle Montaigue and the Neijia.

And there is myself, Gavin Richardson, I only started my training in 1984 so just under 40 years in the dojo! I'm the new kid on the block. My background has been traditional karate for over 20 years (Shotokan).

I was the first person in the UK to be graded to black belt at GKR Karate. I've done about 18 years functional Jeet Kune Do with Mo Teague and about the last two years doing our Tai Chi with Nasser Butt.

At each Gathering, we will have a different set of instructors with us. People have been kind enough to travel from all over the country to work with our students. Right up from the top of Scotland to the bottom of Cornwall and everywhere in between. The format has now been pretty much established although the venue changes for every event.

For most of us, the Gathering starts the night before as we like to travel down the day before and book into the hotel where we can eat, drink and catch up with each other. Otherwise, it’s an early start and a drive across the country to the venue. Training usually starts around 09.30 and we all do an hour on the mats. With about a 30minute break for some lunch. There is no real timetable to speak of, we just take turns at the front.

We usually knock off and bow out around 6.00pm. Sometimes we’ll just keep going, it all depends on the vibe and energy levels. Then it’s back to the hotels for a shower and some fresh clothes. Before meeting up for a nice meal and a well-earned drink…or two.

The evening will then consist of loads of laughing and general piss-taking while we relate old stories or discuss who did what wrong during the day (an ongoing source of amusement is reminding Lord Keith Priestley about his ooooopp moment, an involuntary sound he made when The General Tony Bailey gave him a love cuddle once), or listening to the tales Mad Robbie tells and trying to figure out why he isn’t in a padded cell!

Training itself is tailored to the students, we generally have a good mix of newer guys and seasoned black belts from all kinds of styles and systems, so everyone in the room gets well looked after. Also, because we keep the numbers to about 50 or so, by the time we all go home we all know each other’s names.

You can learn all kinds at our Gatherings, from unarmed combat work under Steve Tappin and his Escrima Concepts group to pressure point work from our very own master of pain, Pete (Pedro) Holmes.

Full Contact karate is looked after by Sensei Keith Priestley, while the legend that is Sensei Ken Culshaw shares his Ju-Jitsu knowledge with us. Nasser Butt is the goto man for all things Tai Chi and Neil Kirkland will put us through our paces while showing us how a lot of what we do has been adapted for people with special needs.

One of my strong points is that I seem to be able to blend different systems into another new combination. So, lots of my classes will involve pulling 3 or 4 completely different moves or combinations from the others and putting them together into another way of doing things with my own added flavour of nastiness and pain infliction.

With working the doors and spending time as a body guard all over the place I've built up a good repertoire of principles and techniques that work well when faced with real danger. So I have a variety of subjects I can call upon to deliver a good and challenging class.

One of the most important people backstage is our very own Christine Batcheler who generally organises all of our hotels and admin for the day.

Last, but most definitely not least, is the star of every get together we have, young Carl (Carlos) Clements. A young man who has overcome adversity we cannot begin to imagine, but is always smiling and ready to give you a great big man hug.

Moving forward, we are planning to hold 4 Gatherings a year. Top, Middle, Bottom and side of the country.

For 2022 we kick off the New-Year at Neil’s place down in Cambridge on the 15 January. Then later in the year we will head to Leicester, to Nasser’s dojo, then onto Basingstoke with Tony Bailey before finishing the year towards the end of November back at Welwyn Garden City with big Robbie.

New instructors are always welcome and if you have something to share get in touch. If you would like to be part of any of the Gatherings coming up in 2022 just drop me an email at gavin@pbagroup.com or find me on facebook. For some unknown reason I have officially been made the unofficial face of the gatherings. So keep an eye out for videos and posts announcing new dates and venues across the UK.

Our goal moving forward is simple, share some knowledge, bring good people together and raise a few quid for different charities along the way.

I really can’t tell you how much fun we have at these get togethers, or how important it is to meet up with old friends, especially with the way the world has been lately with lock downs and restrictions all over the place.

Too many people think training in the martial arts is about going to a class and getting sweaty for an hour or two then going home again. That’s only a part of the story! Real understanding comes from sitting and talking to the people who have been there and done it before. Listening to the old school relive past experiences and absorbing their wisdom.

I learnt years ago that people who talk, repeat what they know, people who listen learn… so although I can talk the leg off a donkey at these times I like to just sit back with a drink and absorb as much as I can. Plus if its Robbie telling one of his tales you won’t get a word in anyway, and even if you could you be laughing to much to talk!

To give you an idea of what we get up to, try to imagine a room with some of the most experienced and wellknown instructors in the country, people with an average of 40-50 years’ worth of martial arts experience each in a big circle with a beer in hand singing “Itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini” at the top of our combined voices… with Christmas hats on.

The Gatherings — THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

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