- Taking your Taiji and Bagua skills and putting them into practice.
Through free sparring and positional sparring.
We will learn technique by drilling, as well as the WTBA Foundations San Sau Partner form, then testing it out in sparring.
We will only practice practical fighting methods, or things that relate directly to fighting.
The aim is to focus on the foundations of combat, the simple stuff that will work. - Healing of the mind and soul.
Often people think that only the forms and qigongs are for healing, but in so many ways the combat training heals you.
For example, if your emotional baggage is from some kind of violent assault, that trauma you hold inside might still be there because you're are scared.
By putting yourself into these rough situations and learning how to break free of them, toughening yourself up, you can let go of this trauma.
We have seen this happen many times.
Aside from that, even if you don't have any trauma, this area of your training will make you so much calmer within yourself.
You want to get the yin calmness, you need to train the Yang! It's all about balance :-) - Location Near Cardiff UK.
Fighting Dragons Karate Kickboxing Association
57b Thomas St, Abertridwr, Caerphilly CF83 4AX
(Above Spar Supermarket)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/diq1e16FcYWYFeUQA - Dates: July 27th till August 1st 2025. (6 days Training)
9am till 5pm each day with a three hour break.
If coming in from a long distance, you'll probably need to be in the area on the 26th. - Cost of training.
Full 6 days £250.
Per day £50
Are you ready willing and able?
This is combat camp, where you learn how to fight.
"When we train in combat, we do so with the highest care taken for safety, as we don’t want any of the long-term injuries associated with Boxing or MMA. Even if this means not being the number 1 ultimate fighting champion, we will still be able to protect our family from 99.9% of people out there, while keeping our health."
We will also practice grappling, both stand up and on the ground. You need to be in relatively good shape to get thrown and shoved about.
Of course if you're unable to do a certain area of training, you can focus on the things you can do.
Both beginners and advanced martial artists are welcome.
You do not need to be studying with the WTBA to attend, the workshop is open to everyone.
We will start with a warm up each morning, then we will work through the
Foundations of Combat from the Erle Montaigue System, a break for lunch, then a cool down stretch and
Qigong to finish. Only simple practical fighting methods will be taught, no fancy form type
applications, the stuff that works to get you out of trouble on the street or in your home.
There are a lot of similarities between MMA ring fighting and self defence, but you need to understand the differences to make sure you have the best chance to protect your life and that of your family's.
What will be taught
- Taiji Boxing
This is attack defence from all types of strikes using the hands & arms - Stand up grappling
That's clinching, throwing, trapping and controlling to land strikes. - Ground fighting
As with everything in the WTBA, fighting from the ground will be for self-defence, no the ring.
Fighting on the ground means getting back to your feet as soon as possible in a street fight, but in order to get back to you feet you need to know how to ground fight to get the other guy off you first. - WTBA Foundations San Sau.
This is a partner form similar to the Taiji Large San Sau, but only uses simple practical fighting methods. Where the Large San Sau helps you to open up your techniques to those less common situations, the Foundations San Sau is foundations, the techniques that will most likely get you out of trouble in the most common situations.
Aside from the different techniques used, both forms teach us about flow, timing, moving in harmony with the opponent, flow and moving from your centre.
Since it's a set patten, it's unlikely you'll get punched in the face, this means we can train this form without gloves, making sure that the student gets comfortable fighting without gloves as well. - Where do the techniques come from
Most of what we teach is from the Chinese Internal Martial Arts Taijiquan & Baguazhang, this is our base. Over the years however Erle and now Eli have included some very useful techniques from other styles such as Wrestling.
How does self defence differ from MMA.
- How you hit is different when you don't have a glove on.
- Where you hit is different when you don't have a glove on or a set of rules to follow.
- We have to be aware to not damage our hands, learn to attack and defend against the illegal areas such as the groin, eyes, neck, back of the body and back of head.
- We have to learn how to fight someone of a much larger size.
- We generally don't want to be on the ground in a self defence fight, so we never take the fight to the ground, if we do end up on the ground we train to get back up as soon as possible. However, we still need to practice take downs so that we can play to part of the attacker.
- We have to learn to fight multiple opponents.
- Use and defence of weapons.
Highlights from camp 2023.
The gear you will need
- WTBA official training gloves, or something equivalent, Eli will need to check any non WTBA gloves to be used in sparring.
- Mouth guard.
Other things you might want.
- Forearm Guards
To make sure you can keep up with class if you bruise easily. - Elbow Pads
These will allow you to get a bit more rough with elbows when grappling, not needed, but a nice addition.
Eli has some available, or if you want to buy your own set, ask Eli, as most suck. - Shin guards
We won't be focusing on kicks, but we might try them at some point just to change things up, so if you have a set, bring them, or if you think you're going to get really into fighting, then buy some and bring them, just make sure they are thick and cover the foot as well. But if you are just trying out fighting and think you might not use them, you don't need them for this camp. Ask for advice if you think you might need these.
Please make sure you get ready for this!
For those who sign up before May, you will get three months of prep videos to get you ready for training, just one short video per week.
You don't want to pull a muscle on day one and then not be able to keep training.
The training will be tough, you've got plenty of time, get on your kick bag, push ups, pull ups, whatever you can to make sure you're up to it. If you have a training partner, then go through anything you know.
Of course you should also listen to your own body at the camp and make sure you don't over do it.
Location:
Fighting Dragons Karate Kickboxing Association
57b Thomas St, Abertridwr, Caerphilly CF83 4AX
(Above Spar Supermarket)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/diq1e16FcYWYFeUQA
Hotel Recommendations.
If you are coming alone but would like to keep the cost down, you can get
paired up with another student to share a room.
Please let me know if you would like to be paired up.
I’ll try are pair you with someone of the same gender and someone you know.
Best Hotel
Premier Inn Corbetts Lane, is only 7 minutes by taxi to the venue.
About £77 per night, can be spilt between two people.
If most people stay here, you'll be able to share a taxi to the venue each day.
It's only about £7 each way with Uber, split between up to 4 people.
Any questions
please let me know.