The intent behind my KORA classes—and, in truth, all my teaching—is simple and direct:
to enable my students to disable their attackers as quickly as possible, ideally within two seconds.

That might sound like a bold mission statement, especially when my students only train with me once a week. And yes, it is ambitious. But clarity of purpose is essential when you’re teaching something as serious as self-defence.

The Roots of My Intent

My perspective comes from experience. Back in the mid-1980s, I taught a year-long combatives course to members of my Special Missions Unit (SMU). During that time, I trained and taught every single day—including shooting practice. I hardly missed a day, even through Christmas or leave periods.

Why? Because my role didn’t come with a quick reaction force waiting in the wings. If things went bad, it was up to me and my partner to get ourselves out. Those lessons were reinforced by hard experience—and by seeing what happened when others weren’t so lucky. That time was well spent, and it continues to shape how I teach today.

From Full-Time Combatives to Coaching Civilians

In the years that followed, I worked as a volunteer sports coach, teaching Boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA. Those arts are high-risk, highly specialised, and demand an intense level of commitment. Most of my athletes trained six days a week.

Now, fast forward to 2025. The core of my KORA students are recreational martial artists—people who train primarily for practical self-defence, not sport or competition. My secondary roles involve training other teachers and leading research into combative methods, but that’s a story for another time.

Why Intent Matters

When you have a tough coaching task, you need a clear intent. Without one, training can drift aimlessly.

That’s why, at the start of every school half-year (January and September), I dedicate a full hour to revisiting our intent. We break down the what, why, and how of our objectives, translating them into actionable, realistic training goals.

Students are, of course, free to pursue their own ambitions—becoming instructors, entering competitions, or simply staying fit—but our shared intent stays the same:
to disable an attacker as quickly as possible.

Staying Focused and Evolving

This intent acts as our filter—a way to assess and adapt techniques, strategies, and ideas from other arts and coaches. If something aligns with our purpose, we use it. If it doesn’t, we move on.

That’s also why you’ll rarely see me—or my students—caught up in martial arts politics. We simply have more important things to do.

And the results speak for themselves. Students who trained with me years ago still demonstrate the mindset and capability we built together. With intent as our compass, we can plan, adapt, and achieve.

This is the way.

OSONS