GD Kickboxing

GRAND MASTER SKEN TRIP 24th JULY 2010

My instructor, Wayne Timlin, had arranged for Grand Master Sken to come down and teach a 4-hour seminar in Swindon. The day started with Andy Phillips, David Coles, Shaun Lawie, Gary Lucas and myself driving to Swindon in Andy’s Ford Galaxy, with enough food and luggage for a 2-week holiday!

When we arrived there was a Muay Thai class going on in the hall.  This was taught by a local instructor that uses the hall, and many of his students were staying on afterwards for the Sken seminar.  My instructor explained that Master Sken was already here, which caused an air of excitement.

The resident Muay Thai club finished their class, and it was finally time to go in and register our attendance.  Gary Lucas and I had both trained with Master Sken before, so we knew what to expect.  Master Sken came out and casually walked around chatting with different students here and there, and then the lesson started.

We all sat down in lines and Master Sken talked for about 20 minutes.  Whenever Master Sken would stop and talk to us as a group, it would be a nice mixture of good old-fashioned worldly advice, tips on training and stories from his life, mixed-up with lots of humour.  We would train for around an hour at a time, with a break of up to 5 minutes at the end of each hour to get some water.  During his teaching, Master Sken showed us, and got us to copy, many different combinations and techniques, which included kicks, punches, knees, elbows, take-downs and clinch work.

Master Sken is now 55 and I have never personally seen anybody move as well as he does!  Everyone was amazed and in awe of everything he did.  Every movement was exact and precise.

4 hours after the seminar had started, it came to an end, and we were all well and truly sweating!  After the teaching finished, Master Sken presented each student with a signed certificate.  He even stayed on, so that everyone could get photos with him and autographs.

Master Sken is not only an amazing martial artist, but the type of person most people aspire to be like.  His seminars are inspiring, and I recommend that if anyone gets the opportunity to train with him, or to even just go and watch, they should grab it with both hands!