In the counter attacks section you say “Develop a feel for your opponent’s approach to fighting and attempt to counter”, I just wanted to point out that one of the things that I learnt (and Paul was kind enough to show me) was that I was being very predictable in my empty hand pacing and combos; and it was costing me. Would you say that’s another thing that needs to be taken in mind, along a similar vein to varying the verticality of combinations?

Perhaps this kind of thing should be put in a different section, so newbies can find it easily? Very useful stuff!

It is also worth noting that Rapid Arnis London finished 2nd on the medals board, behind Urban Martial Arts (who, ironically, are led by Rapid Arnis instructor Jon Broster), and joint-place with Filipino Self Defence (who are led by Rapid Arnis instructor Scott Marshall). In other words, it was a good weekend for the Rapid Arnis posse

My apologies for the late reply – i didn’t notice that you’d posted up a question till just today!

With regards the most physically demanding art, it’s difficult to say: In my opinion, it depends very much on the personal goals of the fighter, and the training regime set out by his instructor. These will, naturally, be appropriate to what context the person will be operating in.

When i was in Bristol, Kevin O’Hagan was the man to train with. I studied combat jiujitsu with him before moving to London, and i can safely say that this man was the catalyst for my commitment to martial arts and combatives. When it came to his MMA lads, i’ve never seen anyone work as hard as them, and i’ve never seen someone push them as hard as Kev. He was by no means a slave-driver, but he sure knew the difference between what the fighter thought his potential was, and what the fighter’s actual potential was. He’s also a very precise technician, and even though he pushed his guys to their physical limits (and beyond), he would also give them a thorough education to go with it.

I know i’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent there, but in conclusion, you are just as likely to find gyms that demand very little from their fighters, as you are gyms that demand a superhuman level of commitment and physical conditioning. On the whole though, competition-level boxing, muay thai, and MMA seem to have the highest physical demands.