SPagnol
strength
Combat Classes
Dates and Times
Tuesdays 18:00-19:30 hrs (adults, open class)
Fridays 17:00 - 19:00 hrs (adults, advanced class, invitational)
Location
TrainInsane Gym, Burmarrad Industrial Estate
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Pricing
€15/session or 11 sessions at €150 (10+1 free)
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What do these classes involve?
In general a session will be divided as such: Warm-up, physical conditioning, technique drills and application, and sparring.
What’s the target?
My intention here is to help the student develop decent combat skills through application and respect to our teammates.
Breathing efficiently, strength development, stable yet dynamic footwork, distancing, efficient movements, being able to take hits, overcoming fear and panic, utilising the body’s mechanics, using the environment… these are things that we focus on.
What will I get out of taking a Spagnol Strength Combat Class?
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Many nice bruises, and the satisfaction of knowing you can take much more than you believe you can ;)
From a practical perspective, all combat training, if done right, is a positive way of releasing stress, becoming fitter, expressing your emotions and blowing off steam, all in a focused and open environment.
Eligibility
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This class is open to any adult who would like to learn, but please let me be frank: you will be participating in combat sessions - applied combat sessions - meaning that you will go through hard physical exercise, you will get hit many times, and you have to expect bruises, cuts, and pain.
This is not meant to discourage you in any way - it’s the reality and I want to prepare you. If your intention is to learn how to fight without taking any hits yourself in the process, then, honestly, look elsewhere.
A self-assessment medical sheet needs to be completed before participating, and any prospective students with medical conditions needs to come clean about them before starting.
Combat Training Philosophy
We live in an age of variety, perhaps too much of it.
Many years ago, if you wanted to learn how to fight, things were simple: you joined the local boxing gym.
Nowadays, unless you already have a background in combat or a yearning to learn a specific style, the options are vast. What should I learn: boxing? Kickboxing? Krav Maga? Karate? Judo? Kung-fu? Jiu Jitsu? Wrestling? Maybe the several options available disheartens you from actually beginning your path into the fighting arts.
My intention with this class is to teach combat, in its general, applicable, useful sense. No matter how vast the choice of fighting arts out there, one look at their competition fights, and you realise that the majority of the techniques and applications in these fights are similar.
So, what we practise in these sessions is that competition style of fighting, including punches, kicks, throws, defence, and grappling. The emphasis is on sound technique and a lot of application via sparring and situational practice.
There are no special dresses that we wear, no gradings, no belts, nor certificates to be earned, no master-student divide, no special rituals, no tournaments or shiny trophies, no egos - just a pure and honest will to learn, and hard training.
Is it MMA, I hear you ask? In a sense, yes, because it is a blend of many different fighting arts, but without the constraints of being an MMA fighter. My honest wish is that each student gradually develops their own particular fighting style by learning, applying, questioning, and re-applying, playing to their mental strengths and to their own particular body’s advantage.
Who leads the sessions ?
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I was never a competitive fighter, I am just a guy in love with the art of combat.
My foundation lies in amateur wrestling, almost 25 years ago, from which I then expanded into the disciplines of boxing, Wing Chun kung-fu, kickboxing, and recently Baji Quan kung-fu.
I spent most of my youth in self-induced hard training, spending between 5 - 7 hours a day drilling techniques, physical training, and practising with teammates.
My goal for all this effort? Well, none… I just genuinely love training and combat!
I accumulated a lot of knowledge and body awareness over the years, and I still find myself fascinated by the subject today, spending 8-10 hours daily training my clients, and then still always looking forward to my own personal practice.
What you will get is an instructor who genuinely loves what he does and wants to get the most out of you, and has enough knowledge to make you a decent all-rounder when it comes to combat.
Can I help you get in the ring and fight professionally? No, not really, because I don’t specialise in any particular competition style. My training will help you develop very strong foundations and techniques which you can then transfer to a specific Martial Art if you so wish.
Obligations
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There is only one obligation here: leave your ego at the door. Martial Arts are not to be used to dominate, control, or feel better than others, they are to be used to live in unity with nature.
"Before I started with you, I was in strong [lower back] pain every morning, but now I feel absolutely no pain and I'm stronger than ever... I had been looking for a good trainer for years, but I found nothing before I start training with you, all other trainers they just wanted my money that's it. That is why I will recommend you to every person I know"
"I have been training with Matthew for a year as his coaching is fantastic.
Apart from the enormous mental benefit I have gained, Matthew has vast knowledge on how to bring the best results on the body by using amongst many others, martial arts and combat techniques.
Recently he added combat classes which, as expected, are amazing.
Time flies with a lot of practice on techniques, sparring, injuries' prevention and self-defence. Every class is hands-on and goes a step further making us better at what we can do.
What I have gained so far from these classes is not only knowledge on combat and additional comfort that I am training with the best coach out there.
This is how I also challenge and improve myself as a person by respecting the counterparty at the same time. In every class there is something new to discover and to get impressed at.
Matthew is not isolating or teaching us only one martial art or combat technique. Instead, he backs us up with elements from all so that we become holistic fighters.
Briefly put, Matthew is like a Swiss knife, he knows and is great at all of them and most importantly, he knows how to transmit his knowledge and motivate us in the most effective way."
STELLA
“I first got to know Matthew very well when we trained Wing Chun together under the same instructor, and have always known him to be a fantastic sparring partner.
His combat classes are physically challenging and rewarding. Combat training and sparring in an open environment away from ego and style or lineage competition is just much more fun.“
MARK
