KORA Grading Plan

Following a recent review and some excellent questions from students, we have clarified the progression structure within KORA.

Going forward, both the KORA Weapons System (9am class) and KORA (10am class) will follow three developmental stages:

• Beginner
• Technician
• Senior (equivalent to what many martial arts would refer to as a black belt level)

Beyond Senior is the rank of KORA Teacher. This is not simply a technical grade but recognition that an individual has earned permission to teach and represent the system. It remains the highest rank within KORA.

As always, progression is entirely your choice. Some people enjoy working towards ranks and testing, while others simply train for personal development, enjoyment, and skill. Both approaches are equally welcome. If you are interested in progressing through the ranks, please let me know.

Formal testing will begin at the Senior level. For those aspiring to become a KORA Teacher, there is an additional requirement: practical experience in full-contact competition. This can be in any full-contact discipline, including striking or grappling arts.

The aim is to recognise not only technical knowledge, but also the ability to apply skills under pressure and to pass them on responsibly to others.

Thank you all for your continued support, training, and enthusiasm. It is a privilege to share this journey with you.

Improve Your Combat Skills: Insights from Sparring

We regularly film our sparring sessions for review. This week, we’ll be analysing this exchange in detail and discussing the lessons learned in class next week, examining both the successes and areas for improvement.

The taller fighter is playing a patient waiting game, looking to work from behind the timing and make effective use of his guardian hand. Meanwhile, the fighter in grey is taking his techniques out for a run, testing tactics and searching for the right opportunities to get the job done.

Sparring isn’t about winning every exchange—it’s about learning, adapting, and developing the skills needed to perform under pressure.

If you’d like to improve your timing, tactics, striking, grappling, and overall fighting ability, why not join us at KORA? New students are always welcome in our Pencak Silat, Sword & Dagger, and KORA Combat Essentials classes.

Train smart. Train with purpose. Train at KORA.

Explanation of the latch and cork screw in KORA

Just a slightly longer video explanation of the latch and cork screw in our dagger defence. I made a mistake and reached for the weapon arm; I should have stayed close to my ribs. I don’t use much strength when demonstrating this technique, mainly to protect my training partner.

In real life, I try to rip my attacker’s whole shoulder away, and it works very well. It sounds like a chicken leg being ripped off.

I hear a lot of people have now rediscovered this from my shorter video. That’s great, I’m here to educate and share.

If you teach it to your local HEMA class, be cool and note where you got it from. If you like the video, please like and subscribe.

Learn Pencak Silat and More at KORA

KORA New Class Poster

New students are always welcome, with the best intake points being the January and July sessions.

We teach these arts in separate classes:

• Pencak Silat
• Sword & Dagger
• KORA Combat Essentials

If you’re interested in joining, these are the ideal times to begin training and get fully embedded in the syllabus.

Research Resource

Mark V. Wiley is a martial artist, author, and researcher with nearly five decades of training across traditional martial arts, internal cultivation systems, healing arts, and contemplative disciplines. He is the founder of Integrated Eskrima, a lineage holder in orthodox Ngo Cho Kun, and the creator of Inner Life — a practice-based system exploring embodied development, integration, and lived transformation.

Mark V. Wiley has a great page here:

What the Body Reveals Over Time | Embodied Martial Arts Practice

Refining Skills Through Clinch Work Training

Very enjoyable training yesterday. I was really pleased with the effort everyone put in, and I hope you all found it rewarding as well.

Here’s a link to a mash-up of a small section we covered on clinch work.

I’m going to start filming a lot more of my teaching for several reasons. Some videos will stay private for class members, while others will be shared publicly. One of the main reasons is to improve and review how I teach the material, something I’ve always done over the years.

Always learning, always refining.

Get Real Skills with Our Unique Training Method

We do things differently, and that changes everything.

This isn’t just training, it’s a better way to learn:

✔️ Smaller groups

✔️ Real understanding, not just repetition

✔️ Practical skills that actually work

If you’re serious about improving, you’ll feel the difference.

Join us.