Sombo News

Russell Dodds senior Coach at the Bedford Academy is certainly doing a good job of promoting Sombo and the British Sombo Federation. He has already organised a Sombo Competition early this year and has another planned for July. This course was attended by 25 of his students; a lot of them were juniors. British National Coach, John Clarke, and English National Coach, Colin Carrott, both gave the instruction. Well done Russell keep up the good work.

You cannot keep a good man down and that is certainly the case with 60-year-old British national Full Contact Sombo Coach Allen Clarkin. He has run one very successful Level 1 Full Contact Sombo Course and now has another planned for Sunday July 8th. Allen has been involved with

Martial Arts for over 40 years and has a lot of contacts which hopes to bring into Combat Sombo; he tells me he has several clubs in Wales which want to get involved, plus he wants run a Championship Belt Competition for Full Contact Sombo. Now that would be something.

Robin tells me the entries are better than expected for the British on May 5^th. We were expecting an extremely low turnout of about 25 because of the cost of travelling and accommodation but the numbers have already reached 60 and the closing date is not until May 3^rd so things are looking up. Robin also tells me that CLOSING Date means closing date, none of this “I am a top class Judo player and do not need to book on time.”

Commonwealth Sombo/Full Contact Sombo is on May 17^th at Dumfries, this will be a good competition. It will be open to all affiliated country; with regard to UK: if you belong to a BSF recognised Sombo Association you can compete for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England or the Channel Islands so starting booking your accommodation now.

The proposed Commonwealth Sambo Association led by a Russian

Judo player (What’s Russia got to do with the Commonwealth?) has caused a lot of controversy on the International Scene as this new group sort to usurp the power of FIAS Commonwealth countries by placing Judo men in charge of Commonwealth Sombo. Within GB the BSF is recognised by all 5 sports Councils and is run by Sombo people for Sombo people. Most importantly it is not run for profit!

Yet out of something that had a dubious beginning some good has come -

The formation of the Commonwealth Sombo Championships, this will decide whether there is a demand for Commonwealth Sombo. It is a shame the BSF has to fund it rather than the Russian who wanted it; also Northern Ireland Sombo federation Chairman, Chris St John, has made contact with Terry Watt, an extremely good Judo man and someone who is genuinely interested in Sombo.

More and More people are approaching the BSF for courses and competitions - this year Britain will see a good contingent of Sombo Players from the Liverpool area; Sue King from Mushin Academy has been pushing Sombo in the area and her members have joined a BSF Association. Well done Sue!

Look out for our advert in Combat and some of our features.

Martin Clarke

BSF President

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

Letters from the past...

When my Mother died in June 2004 we sold them her house to Pete Wise a 2^nd Dan in the YJC it seemed somewhat appropriate. Pete was recently clearing out the loft and found some old paper work.

The first piece which I have attached was a lesson plan from Nobby Clarke dated about 1963, although there is no date my father had not become a Professional Judo Coach at that time and it looks as though he scribbled a lesson plan on some works paper. The interesting point is that you could still use the lesson plan today but the most fascinating was that he used part of the lesson as a self defence session using throws as the basis of his techniques.

I cannot remember him doing this but in those days there was very little Jiu Jitsu about so it made sense that he utilised his knowledge of Judo to make inroads into Self Defence. My father was strange in a lot of ways, he would bring new ideas into Judo, once everybody was doing it he just forgot the idea - like self-defence Judo, another was kata. He was the first to introduce kata into Kent, who would have believed that.

He was very inventive in his outlook on Judo as was my mother; she was doing Judo to music back in the 1960’s and laughed at. I learnt a lot from the two of them and when I found pieces of paper like this and look at what I teach and believe in I realise as a youngster I must have absorbed a lot of their knowledge.

Another piece was the programme on Terror Kampf dated 1968; this was a self defence system from Germany and what I remember of it my mother gained her 1^st Dan in this art. From what I remember it was just another form of Jiu Jitsu with one difference: they would wear black gloves. Valerie remembered learning some of this art which she said was mainly using your hands to grab and twist ears, fingers, hair and other body parts to inflict pain. I have looked on YouTube; it is still going but seems to have another name - Anti-Terror Kampf.

The Young Judo club Philosophy when it started was:

“This Young Judo Club is open to all, free from strife, animosity or petty jealousy and functions in the true spirit of Judo.”

Members are told:

To Brag Little to Lose Well

To Crow Gently if in Luck

To Pay Up To Own Up

To Shut Up If Beaten

Are the Virtues of a Sporting Man?

Author: Arthur Wendell Holmes.

Also found was a letter from a school in Edenbridge asking for details of felt from Bowater’s? Dry felt was used in the making of paper and my father realised that this heavy felt would make the ideal covering for his old feathered mattresses he had when he started the Young Judo Club in 1957. 

When schools started doing judo they would use their old gym mats but these would slide all over the place and covering them with felt would keep then together. In those days the old straw filled tatami came from Japan and was expensive. I believe it was Milom who made the first reasonably priced Form Judo Mat with canvas and frame.

Mother Margret Clarke started teaching Judo in Schools about 1961 Father Nobby started in 1965.

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ 
Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

As the crowd roars....

"As the crowd roars, cage fighters aged 8 and 9 do battle... even after one breaks down in tears (but police say they won't take action against it)

• Police will take no action against the organisers of 'barbaric' cage fighting
• Organisers defend event as 'perfectly legal'
• Jeremy Hunt condemns the contests"

Read more: Parents of cage-fighting boys aged 8 and 9 could be jailed for childcruelty  (21/09/2011)

This is the headline in the Daily Mail, let’s be honest it’s not the best way to promote a Sport - or is it a Sport?

I have to agree with most of what is said about cage fighting in general in that it is, “Hard, Tough, Barbaric and Spectacular.” I personally have no great love for it but if grown men or women want to do it by all means let them participate, after all they are grownups. I am told it is becoming more regulated and a lot safer which is only a good thing. Children – NO! They need to be protected until they are old enough to make their own decisions.

I watched the competition mentioned above and did not see any kicking and punching unlike others I have seen on the internet but to suggest, as some did, that this was no worse than kids doing Judo or Wrestling is absolute rubbish; many of the techniques I saw being applied - neck cranks, arm/leg locks, strangles etc would never be allowed in either sport. Remember, Judo and Wrestling have had nearly a century of rule development to make the sports safe, eliminating the most dangerous of techniques.

The supporters of this Kiddy Bashing tell us is that is just like MMA. Is this supposed to mean something - a mish-mash of fighting styles with no governing body or one set of rules? Well that has now finished, SPORTS ACCORD which is the controlling body of all world sports has asked FILA  (International Federation for all Wrestling Styles) to take over MMA which is now called FILA Grappling MMA. In Great Britain the governing body is the British Wrestling Association and I would recommend everyone to join this legitimate organization.

Let’s be honest the reason they did this in a cage was to create an image that it was something different from the normal forms of grappling, a crowd puller hence a financial success.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt today condemned cage fighting among children as young as eight as 'barbaric' and expressed shock over an apparent lack of restrictions on the activity.

I totally agree yet he, along with his government, allows the British Taekwondo Board of Control to teach children as young as three to kick and punch, surely that is just as barbaric.

The fighting in a cage symbolizes wild animals fighting; caged because they’re a danger to the onlooker, a spectacular not unlike Romans watching gladiators fight to the death. Do we really want this type of blood lust instilled in our children?

For those who are not content with traditional grappling sports by all means develop your own system but make sure it is safe with codes of conduct and ethics.

Yet I think Kids Cage Fighting will get bigger because there is money to be made organizing events, starting clubs etc and you will always have parents trying to live through their children doing things they cannot or will not do.

As for me I will stick to the traditional styles.

Martin Clarke Sambo Grandmaster 8^th Dan Judo

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/
 Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

Who really cares about child abuse in martial arts?

I have written several articles showing my concern about children under 5 doing kicking and punching arts but nobody would listen except SportEngland. SO, WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT CHILD ABUSE?

Here is what SportEngland had to say:

Dear Martin

Thank you for your recent email about ‘Kiddie Cage Fighting’.

We have shared your concerns with the Child Protection in Sport Unit (part of the NSPCC) who are one of our National Partners who support National Governing Bodies of Sport. We fund recognised sports with matters relating to safeguarding and child protection.

The NSPCC have expressed their concerns about this type of activity happening (they refer to is as ‘mixed martial arts’) and following a documentary which was shown on Channel 4 a couple of years ago entitled ‘Strictly Baby Fighting’ issued the below statement to all press and media / LAs which is still relevant and one which we in Sport England endorse:

Mixed martial arts is not recognised as a sport by any of the UK Sports Councils or the Department of Culture Media and Sport. It has no single governing body that the Sports Councils can intervene with or that the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) can engage in dialogue with to raise the serious issues highlighted by this programme.

There are a number of sports and recreation activities that children and young people are involved in that fall outside of the regulated Governing Body structure. This can often mean that standards fall short of that which we would expect to see in place, and may encourage practice that can compromise the welfare and safety of young people. In the absence of regulation by a Governing Body local interventions are the only means of raising the standards of operation of these activities. All Sport England County Sports Partnerships and many Governing Bodies of sport operate club accreditation programmes that promote and recognise best practice in providing sport for children and young people. Information on this can be found at www.clubmark.org.uk and on the CPSU’s website at www.thecpsu.org.uk .

Specific concerns in relation to safeguarding should be referred to local Children's Social Care services. There may also be the opportunity for local interventions by Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

Local Education Welfare Services have a responsibility under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and 1963 and the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968, to investigate and monitor employment undertaken by young people of compulsory school age. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that it is safe and legal, and that it does not damage or interrupt their education. This would apply to children taking part in a “professional” fight (i.e. where spectators have paid to watch).

The Licensing Act 2003 requires authorisation for regulated entertainment or of entertainment facilities to be obtained, and this would include an indoor sporting event or boxing or wrestling entertainment. Before granting the license the applicant will be required to demonstrate how they are promoting the four objectives of the Act, which includes the protection of children from harm.

Local letting policies have been established in a small number of local authority leisure services to promote best practice in the provision of sporting activities for children and young people. Within the safeguarding policies of these leisure services departments, provision can be made for clubs and associations seeking to use facilities to demonstrate minimum standards in relation to safeguarding. Where non-affiliated or unregulated sports clubs seek to hire facilities this approach to letting can be an effective means of introducing minimum operating standards, raising standards of practice, and addressing some of the worst aspects of youth sport highlighted in the programme.

Should you have any further questions / concerns about this please contact Jayne Molyneux, our Strategic Lead Children at jayne.molynuex@sportengland.org or Young People or the CPSU (via the website address above).

We are still looking into your previous email regarding children in martial arts and will respond as soon as possible.

Best wishes

Richard

Richard Clarkson

Senior Grants Manager
SportEngland

Creating sporting opportunities in every community

Sport England, 3rd Floor Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4SE

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ 
Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

Kiddie Cage Fighting - disgusting!

Some weeks ago I wrote an article about a 4 year old getting his Black Belt; I went on to write how dangerous it was for children under 5 to any Martial Art especially those that involved Punching and Kicking. 

Teaching this to the very young, I felt, was a form of child abuse my article got the response: "That it is down to the Governing Body to decide was is a fit age to start martial arts." 

That is a cop out what if the Governing Body does not have the expertise and what if the martial art has no overall governing body? Interesting enough much is being done and said about "CLUB MARK" being the way forward for sports, they make a great deal about Health & Safety, Child protection, Codes of Conduct but they give Club Mark to club who have under five (pre-school) doing Martial Arts?

In last week’s Sunday Mirror the middle pages were given over to "Kiddie Cage Fighters" where Children as young as four are taught to beat the living daylights out of each other. 

You can find my own article here.  I even found an organisation who would teach 1 year olds. Below is an article from the international pages of, The Telegraph:  

Violent 'cage fighting' craze reaches children

Parents of young cage fighters insist the sport is not dangerous and that it teaches children to respect their peers

By Tom Leonard in New York

4:54PM GMT 28 Mar 2008

Children as young as six are taking up the controversial sport of "cage fighting", alarming medical experts and sports officials.

·       The violent sport, also known as "ultimate fighting”, combines martial arts, wrestling and boxing but with few rules often looks like little more than a brawl.

The Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, has described it as "human cockfighting" but the popularity of the sport, which usually takes place in a cage, has spread to young American children.

Egged on by parents who regard it as character-building, the children fight two minute bouts in small cages. They are required to wear head gear and padding.

They can kick, punch and grapple with each other but are not allowed to use elbow blows or hit to the head when the opponent is on the ground.

Experts say the child version of the sport is growing along with the popularity of the adult equivalent, now showing on cable television and even in a new film, Never Back Down.

Last month, CBS became the first of the big television networks to announce a deal to broadcast prime-time fights. Regardless of any psychological harm, medical experts believe young bodies cannot withstand the pounding.

"It's dangerous from a physical standpoint," said Dr Lisa Thorton, a paediatrician with the University of Chicago Hospitals.

"It can cause significant injuries to the neck and bones, and if they're being taught that fighting is a way to solve problems that is obviously very negative for any child."

Joe Miller, administrator of the Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission, said cage fighting used a lot of arm and leg twists to force opponents into submission. "There's too much potential for damage to growing joints," he said.

However, parents of young cage fighters insist the sport is not dangerous and – like conventional martial arts – teaches children to respect their peers.

Jennifer Swinehart, whose sons – aged 10 and 14 – are members of the Garage Boys Fight Crew in Joplin, Missouri, said: "It's wonderful. They build such good character and good friendships, and that's what you need to further yourself in life."

Tommy Bloomer, father of two more of the Garage Boys, said the sport was no more dangerous than youth wrestling.

He said: "We're not training them for dog fighting. As a parent, I'd much rather have my kids here learning how to defend themselves and getting positive reinforcement than out on the streets."

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

Four Year Old Black Belt - disgusting!

Yes, it was reported in a national newspaper that a four-year-old was graded to Black Belt at age four after starting Taekwondo at the age of two-and-a-half.

Now a Black belt is a level of competence issued by an organisation and yes different organisations have different criteria, so you can have black belts of different standards.

But this Black Belt is taking it a step to far, over the last 20 years we have seen a major increase in children being awarded black belts much to the dismay of sensible martial arts practitioners. 

Some organisations offer their junior members a junior black belt, a practice started 40-years ago by an organisation called the Kent Junior Judo Association who could grade a 15-year-old to junior black belt. The recipient wore a Black belt with a green stripe through the middle on reaching 16-years of age they would automatically become a senior green.

This in its self was quite a good idea but note the age. Judo, out of all the martial arts, seems to have a more uniform approach to Dan grades status. Even though there are several different organisations, most will not grade to Dan Grade below 15-years of age and most combine competition and traditional theoretical knowledge to obtain the grade.

So why grade babies and children to black belt? Money and power is the answer...

Instructors can make a considerable amount of money from kids' gradings and Kids’ classes. How many more students will this baby’s instructor get because of this grading and at 24-years-old is a black belt examiner? 

But above of all it is about power, a large majority on becoming black belts suddenly become aware that they stand out from the crowd because they have achieved what the public think is the ultimate martial arts accolade, suddenly people look up to them and what is worse most believe their own hype. 

Now they start to have power either within their own organisation or they create one of their own. If they are with a reputable organisation they will have constraints and controls placed upon them. Yet many believe they have the answer to everything and create a new association and a new style. 

How many times have you read of someone creating the Ultimate Martial Art! 

Suddenly someone who was a 1st Dan a few years ago suddenly becomes an 8th Dan Master and of course they go on some well known names' courses have their photo taken with them, sometime later they publish the photo saying they have trained with so and so to give kudos to their style. 

Now if they say they are 8th Dan PingBangdo Karate a style they invented that is what they are but if they say they are graded in a traditional style like Shotokan then they can be checked. 

My own style of CombatSombo which I introduced nearly 30 years ago was just a different approach to a Martial Arts Self Defence System.  

I wanted a system which suited my jacket wrestling background i.e. Judo, Free-Style Wrestling and Sambo, although I created a grading system I never gave myself a grade, how could I who would award it so if asked what grade CombatSombo am I the answer would be the FOUNDER.

Sometimes these new styles group together to form a co-op, large numbers again give them KUDOS and they think respectability. Yet the way to respectability is high technical ability and high moral standards.

So back to this four-year-old baby doing Taekwondo, my own feeling taking children this young is a form of child abuse, at the age of two-and-a-half the child can barely walk let alone do hard physical exercise and what of the damage the parents and instructor are doing to the child? The child body is far from developed its bones are still soft as is the rest of the body, so things like excessive stretching can be dangerous and lead to early arthritis (this has been a problem with young gymnasts), striking and kicking pads can be dangerous to hands and joints and competition against other children can be dangerous beyond belief.

To teach any child to Kick and punch someone is morally indefensible when a child is young they do not understand wrong from right, who can say this four-year-old doesn't start school and in an argument with another child knocks them out and may kills them with a kick and do not say that cannot happen! 

Those of us who taught in schools knew the playground can be a dangerous place at the best of time. In law the Criminal Age of Responsibility is 10 so should anyone be teaching children to Kick and Punch? 

To make some excuse that it is self-defence is not realistic, the only way to subdue your attacker by kicking and punching is to inflict a mass of pain and damage to their body that is why grappling is a far better introduction for children who want to learn Combat and how can a child or a baby defend themselves against an adult. I have copied a letter sent to me by the late Great Geoff Gleeson some 25 years ago, please read it and tell me the Martial Arts have advanced?

A Lot of Karate, Taekwondo styles etc are far more sensible concentrating on Kata where the student is taught the discipline of self control and perfection of techniques rather than learning how knock someone’s teeth out. The most experienced Striking art in the world is boxing and the Amateur Boxing Association has a minimum age of 11 before they can box so why is this baby being taught Taekwondo?

So you think what we need is Government intervention and we a Governing Body for Martial Arts which will be a legal requirement for all those that teach. 

NO, as these have been tried in the past and just become dictatorships. The martial arts needs room to move, invent and adjust, because martial arts continual change just imagine if there had been a Government body 30 years ago with absolute power there would be no Kickboxing, no Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no Vale Tudo, no Cage Fighting etc. 

New Martial Arts will come to the fore that is the nature of the beast what we need is more information. Do not just attack a rival because they have moved onto your patch and make it personal, tell your local paper, Council, MP, Church Hall, Schools etc and ask does this new club have:

1) Pi, PA, and PL Insurance?

2) Who taught them and where can they be checked out?

3) How long have they been practising?

4) Have they a Coaching Award?

5) Have they got a CRB check?

6) Have they got the right equipment?

Other things to watch out for, grading very young kids to black belt, is the instructor there all the time or does he get a student to teach, are they trying the hard sell like knocking at doors and wanting people to sign up before they have even seen a class in action, after a few months do they appoint a student to instructor level and the present instructor moves on...

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/ Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

Chris Dolman - the World's Greatest Grappler

Whilst at the Dutch Open this year I had the pleasure and privilege to meet up with an old adversary Chris Dolman. 

Chris had travelled down from Amsterdam to Dalfsen to visit me; we have seen each other for 19 years. I fought Chris in the final of the World Games Sambo in 1985 and lost to him on a leg lock, I was 35 and he was already 40.

Chris was already a famous Judoka, Olympic Free Style and Greco Roman Wrestler, and Samboist, and he had won World Medal in all disciplines. 

So he had made his mark by the time he was 40 but he was not going to stop there. After the World Games the new Sport of Bushido was capturing the World of Martial Arts and promoters were soon on to Chris to take on all comers. 

Bushido was the fore runner of cage fighting but done in a ring and people from all over were pitted in this limited rules matches. 

Chris first fights were against people like Geoff Capes the famous GB Shot Putter and World Strongest man Bill Kazmaier.  

He beat Capes on a leg lock (I know how painful they are) and Kazmaier threw in the towel after having his legs kicked to pieces.

Both of his opponents dwarfed him and were far stronger than him, but he proved that technique will beat just brute strength. 

His critics said he would never beat a good striker. Well once again he proved them wrong when he took on a striker from Holland.

Chris proved he could take a punch and a kick defeating his opponent in the last round with that famous leg lock. 

The Japanese got to hear about him and became a star attraction in Japan for over five years taking on all comers and beating them.

So, can I justify the claim World's Greatest Grappler? YES because I do not know anyone else who has reach World Standard in so many different Grappling Skills.

Here's some video's to give you an idea of his skill:




 




Point of interest for those who have read my book "Martin For Moscow" you will see I mention an altercation with Peter Adelaar, well Peter can be seen at the end of the Geoff Capes fight he is the very very tall Gentleman who pushes Geoff Capes.

Chris if you are reading this it has been an honour to have known and fought against you.

For more information on Sambo visit: http://www.britishsombo.co.uk/
Contact Martin Clarke at sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk