Great classes yesterday, I taught the hourglass in the KORA sword class and some basic striking and hitting in the KORA Serak class.
The hourglass comes jointly from my training in the Spanish short sword and the Ilustrisimo sword. I use it to teach the student basics and also faints or enganios. Always grateful to the anciano for taking the time to share his art before his passing.
In the Serak class, we covered the training punch and why its use and also the understanding are critical for progress. It’s not what outsiders think at all.
Both transmissions were from private one to one lessions, and I continue to see their value every day.
In the 11am Sera class, we covered jurus 1, 2 and 3, ably taught by Xin, who unpacked each jurus for our beginners and showed some foundational stance work.
Quotes from me during the classes I taught yesterday,
KORA Sword & Dagger class: “Mess this up, and you will be picking your nose with your elbow”.
KORA Serak Class: “Flow but slow, to 1,2,3 to go”.
Next week is week three, so I will teach Dagger in the sword & Dagger class and then clinch hit in the KORA class, using Serak movements. Always laying proven foundations for the students to progress.
For those in the KORA sword class, part of this very nice video (around the 3 min mark) shows what they call in Spanish sword, the hourglass, sometimes called the X or half X in FMA. I don’t like to use the term half X because it misleads the student; we want our students to operate with a tighter angle, like the hourglass.
We have a five-count and then add in the baits and switches, from memory, the Ilustrisimo people have the same concepts.
Interesting to me is that Ilustrisimo Sword has this as well. Exactly the same, two unique, distinct sword systems, same five count.
A very nice video and very much worth watching all of it.
A quick glimpse into how we develop timing using focus mitts. These pads give students a safe way to build confidence and get comfortable striking real targets—an essential step in skill development.
It’s just one of the hundreds of methods we use to train safely and effectively.
The goal is simple: help students strike with full power while protecting their training partners. By training this way, they’re better prepared for real self-protection situations—where accuracy, timing, and confidence make all the difference.
I’ve been receiving a lot of emails lately asking what happened to our Facebook page. Unfortunately, the answer is simple—and a bit disappointing. The page is now gone, along with my personal profile and our discussion group.
Meta determined that our content didn’t meet their community standards. I submitted an appeal, but it wasn’t successful. It’s frustrating news—not just for me, but for our followers and for everyone who has benefited from the non-profit training we provide.
That said, it’s not the end. Going forward, I’ll be sharing all training updates right here, so please stay tuned.
We get a lot of questions about what KORA is. A quick dip into Copilot shows this:
Richard Killick is the founder and head instructor of Killick Off Road Arts (KORA). It is a research‑driven martial arts organisation. It is known for its blend of Southeast Asian, European, and “closed‑door” traditional fighting systems. He is widely recognised for his hands‑on teaching style. His historical research is also notable. He developed KORA as both a training method and a community.
🥋 Who is Richard Killick?
Founder, Head of Research & Director of Training at KORA He established KORA to preserve lesser-known martial arts traditions. The focus is on studying and teaching these traditions. These come from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Europe.
Experienced across Eastern and Western martial arts His background spans striking, weapons systems, grappling, and historical European martial arts (HEMA).
Known for a research‑first approach KORA isn’t just a martial arts school. It’s a research group focused on exploring how traditional combat systems were used. These systems are reconstructed and trained.
🔺 What is KORA?
KORA stands for Killick Off Road Arts, a name that reflects its ethos:
“Off Road” → unconventional, outside mainstream martial arts
“Arts” → a blend of physical practice, cultural study, and historical research
Core characteristics
Closed‑door martial arts focus These are systems traditionally taught privately or within families.
Weapons training Including knives, sticks, improvised tools, and historical European weapons.
Striking & grappling Influences from Southeast Asian kickboxing, savate, and indigenous arts.
Scenario‑based training Emphasis on realism, pressure testing, and understanding context.
📚 Public Presence & Community
Richard Killick maintains an active presence through:
KORA’s website and blog, which includes training reflections, research notes, book reviews, and class updates.
Workshops and group classes, including annual research reviews and outdoor training sessions.
Social media, where his posts often highlight KORA’s philosophy, training clips, and historical insights.
🧭 Why he’s notable
Richard Killick has built a reputation for:
Bridging traditional martial arts with modern training methods
Reviving and preserving lesser‑known combat systems
Creating a strong, loyal community of practitioners and researchers
Offering a uniquely British, historically grounded approach to martial arts
For someone like you—organised, detail‑oriented, and with an interest in culture and leadership—his structured approach to teaching might be intriguing. Additionally, his creative method of community‑building could be particularly interesting for you.
I receive numerous enthusiastic requests to demonstrate our Spanish dagger system so people can better understand what we do.
We differ from many research groups in that everything we teach is based on direct personal transmission. We do not teach interpretations reconstructed from transcripts or historical fragments. That important work of rediscovery is best left to dedicated researchers. The material we carry was never lost; it simply fell out of common use and, for a time, was concealed from public view during my years living within sections of the local Spanish community where it had taken on darker applications.
We now live in times when understanding edged-weapon methods is an unfortunate but necessary part of realistic self-protection. By understanding the skill set, we can train to counter it, and ultimately protect lives. We do not present this material to glorify violence or for financial gain.
Our KORA Pencak Silat provides the ideal training framework through which we teach and explore this hybrid system, allowing us to contextualise and pressure-test the methods safely and responsibly.
In this video, we demonstrate how we train with the KORA dagger, drawing from Spanish methods, Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), and other traditional systems, such as Pencak Silat.
This is a sanitised version presented for historical research and educational purposes. Much of what was essential to know about duelling had already been established by the 1500s.
The core concept shown here was passed to me through direct transmission in the mid-1980s. The corkscrew motion featured is a fundamental and recurring movement across multiple blade traditions.
A little insight into how I like to teach KORA Savate in our group
We work with two versions of our low kick. One is a “scrap” kick that ranges from the opponent’s toenails up to the knees. The other is a more classic, chambered oblique kick aimed at the knee and thigh. We focus on attacking the undercarriage. That approach stems from our unique Basque influence. This influence is more earthy and “agricultural” compared to the polished Parisian style you see in the books!
The chamber is often overlooked. Still, I’ve found that it really helps to generate power. It usually gets a memorable reaction. Nevertheless, this style of Savate is tough on your own feet and legs during training. It is not everyone’s favourite. You can end up with feet that look like a ballet dancer’s!
The last bit of this video shows the two kicks. Namaste 🙏is something I say when the kick makes contact, mainly because it’s funny. It’s also called the Savate handshake in our system, because it happens a lot, LOL.
Russ Smith has written what is arguably one of the best “how to teach martial arts” books I’ve ever read. I’ll come back to the book itself later. I also want to discuss why I think you should buy it. But first, let’s talk about the challenge of teaching this complex thing we call martial arts.
My first experience of teaching Combatives wasn’t planned; it was a necessity. I had recently left the Army. I was working on a peace process in a nearby country. This was part of a joint venture group. We had access to a UK Tier One unit and two separate special surveillance units. Our own team, however, was a mixed group of civil servants, analysts, and support staff, including me.
The Tier One and surveillance units operated independently and were based elsewhere. After a particular incident, I was given the responsibility to train the remaining team members. My goal was to bring them up to at least a basic level of Combatives. This training was essential to help them survive in what had become a hostile environment. It was a real mixed bag of people. However, I had my own background in Combatives, judo, firearms training, and some tradecraft. I also had a newly earned assistant boxing coaching certificate. I taught in the same way I had been taught in the military.
Later, in a different job, I realised something important. If I wanted to continue developing my own martial arts skills, I needed consistent training partners. That led me to start a non-profit boxing and Muay Thai club. The primary aim was to compete, but just as importantly, it was to create a pool of committed training partners.
I was aware of my limitations as a teacher. Therefore, I searched London bookshops for a practical guide on how to teach martial arts. I never quite found what I was looking for. Instead, I learned through experience. I channeled my own teachers, people who made teaching look effortless. Gradually, I grew into the role over roughly forty years. If I have a particular strength, it’s that I’m a good planner and a problem solver.
This past Christmas, I was given Russ Smith’s book after seeing him interviewed on GM Dr Mark Wiley’s podcast:
The book is titled Principle-Driven Skill Development (Teaching 101), and it is a goldmine. It covers the who, the what, and the how. Importantly, it delves into the art of teaching, including how to break free from rigid, predefined instructional structures.
The book is full of excellent quotes. However, its real value is deeper. It gives teachers the knowledge that previous generations had to acquire through trial and error. Instead of stumbling along by luck and judgment, Russ Smith provides clear principles. These principles remove much of the guesswork from teaching.
You will benefit from this book if you are already a teacher. Your students will benefit too. Many of them will likely become teachers themselves. I would go as far as recommending that you buy it not just for yourself, but for your students too.
If you are a student reading this, I strongly suggest investing in this book as well. It will help you see the bigger picture of coaching and skill development. You will gain insight not only from a learner’s perspective but also from a teacher’s perspective.
I’m deliberately not giving away the content of the book in this review. I want people to buy it and engage with it themselves. All I will say is this: I highly recommend it.
Nevertheless, this style of Savate is tough on your own feet and legs during training. It is not everyone’s favourite. You can end up with feet that look like a ballet dancer’s!
Killick Off Road Arts 