It all started over twenty years that is the association that has seen a group of Kiwis lead the way in close protection and close combat in New Zealand and around the world. The Todd Group’s Tank Todd learnt his close protection and close combat from the best past and present. Tank was instructor qualified […]
Captain James Trevor Stewart (retired) #23214 6th Field Regiment N.Z. Artillery 3rd Echelon 2nd N.Z.E.F. Born 9th December 1914 in Auckland. From 1928 to 1931 was in the Cadet Battalion at Auckland Grammar School finishing up as Corporal. In 1932 at the age of 17, he enlisted in the territorial force in the 1 8th […]
This interview is conducted by Shidoshi Stuart Campbell with Simon J Gaunt, now a resident of New Zealand and one of the few students of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu to be graded to Judan (10th Dan) in this country. Stuart – Firstly congratulations on being graded to Judan. What does this grading mean to you personally? […]
Paul Kingi was born in Dannevirke and began his involvement with strength and fight training while at school in the fifth form. It was weight training first, and then boxing and anything remotely related to combat sports or power training. From school he went directly to America and played American Football and began power lifting. […]
As a fighter and internationally recognized instructor it has always been important for me to continue to learn, study and progress in whichever arts I study. My opinion is based on the fact that as an instructor I realize that I don’t know everything, and though through years of training I may have mastered all […]
Capoeira (pronounced Kapo-way-ra with soft vowels and a rolled ‘r’ ) is a fighting art integrated with music, dance-like movement, gymnastics and theatrics. It was created by Africans, taken to Brazil and forced to live under a brutal system of slavery. Capoeira is practiced and expressed in a performance of the entire art form. In […]
Back in Porirua once again to defend his title on a night packed full of action was Rex “Rumble” Redden. Fighting from the Boonchu club, this time it was top Tasmanian Daniel Shearing who was called in to take the test. The tall blonde Tasmanian, shorts slightly ragged hinting at the time he has spent […]
In my last article I discussed two legendary ‘Lost Legions’ of the Roman Empire. Such legends often have a habit of eclipsing reality. In this article I shall discuss the facts behind two archetypal lost legions, one Roman and one modern: the VIIII Hispana, which supposedly met its end in the wildes of Scotland; and […]
Stories of the ‘lost legions’ of ancient Rome still fascinate people today. In a world mapped to the last square metre by satellites and GPS it is spine-chilling to imagine a time when whole armies could march into the mist never to be seen again, a time when the world beyond the borders of civilisation […]
This is a subject that I have considered for over the last two decades has needed addressing with professional honesty and integrity for the sole purpose of stating the facts and with no hidden agendas or professional envy or jealousy influencing the facts. First let’s begin with the instructors, or are they qualified self defence […]