Weekly Blog
Street Fighting by Jimi Brockett
I can’t remember my first fight, I think the first real memorable one was when I was 8 or 9 and it was just another day living just outside of Manchester, England in a small town called Rochdale a blue collar working mans old mill town.
By the time I was 11/12 wondering how many fights I’d get into in any given day was part of a normal day for me and by the time I was 13 I was traveling to places to find fights in rival towns. Then during one fight a knife was pulled on me and I crapped my pants... almost literally.
What felt like a moment in time was frozen and the fear that ran through was deep. Before than moment it was all fun and game but this new angle stopped me in my tracks.
The next day the Karate Kid movie came out (the first one peeps) and I was mesmerized. It literally stopped me in my tracks and instantly made me want to learn martial arts so the next time I was in a situation like before I’d know how to defend myself. I had no idea then what it would end up teaching me about every important aspect of my life.
The first discipline I found was called Full Contact English Karate which turned out to be more like kick boxing but started me on my martial arts journey from there over the years I took more and more disciplines from judo, jiu jitsu, Wing Chun, Aikido, Boxing but it wasn't until I found Muay Thai that I realized I'd found my home.
One of the most important things I learned as a teenager was the ability to not have to street fight anymore. It's probably the one thing that kept me alive back then. The discipline, dedication, hardwork and commitment were just a few of the other keys aspects I learnt.
I think now as a 47 year old student I look back fondly of all the training and learning I've done over the years and feel blessed from what I've gained from martial arts.
Now it's basically my therapy, my social and my second family. I get to kick and hit shit realy hard and is so gratifying and therapeutic I barely think about working out. The workout my body gets is holistic and is not the reason I do it but a bonus from training.
