Improving Combat Skills: Insights from Recent KORA Classes

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 toContinue reading “Improving Combat Skills: Insights from Recent KORA Classes”

Training Safely: The Role of Focus Mitts in Self-Defence

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 withContinue reading “Training Safely: The Role of Focus Mitts in Self-Defence”

Sesepuh Ulin Sera dan Serak di Belanda

A fantastic video from our group line. Pencak Silat people demoing and training together in harmony, as it should be. Very nice indeed. Look under the martial arts lessons tab if in the UK and interested.

KORA Facebook Page

Hi all, 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 itContinue reading “KORA Facebook Page”

Discover KORA: The Unique Martial Arts Organization

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 isContinue reading “Discover KORA: The Unique Martial Arts Organization”

KORA’s Successful Year: Safety and Self-Defense Skills

2025 has been a highly successful year for KORA. There have been clear improvements in student skill, confidence, and overall training quality. I have noticed positive developments in my own teaching approach as well. During the first half of the year, the primary focus was on improving intention and awareness. This was within the trainingContinue reading “KORA’s Successful Year: Safety and Self-Defense Skills”

Martial Arts Journaling: Enhancing Learning Through Reflection

For most of my years studying and researching martial arts, I’ve kept detailed notes. Sometimes I took notes during training. Most often, I reflected quietly afterwards. Writing by hand helps me learn and remember. For the past four decades, I’ve kept a handwritten journal. Later, I typed everything up to store digitally. The video belowContinue reading “Martial Arts Journaling: Enhancing Learning Through Reflection”

The Importance of Intent in Self-Defense Training

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 clarityContinue reading “The Importance of Intent in Self-Defense Training”

Continuous Improvement in Martial Arts Education: A Proven Method

In our school year, every class must give 100% to achieve genuine growth. There’s still time to move ahead and make progress. I divide the year into two terms: January to August, and September to December. After forty years of experimentation, I’ve found this structure to be the most effective. It allows my students toContinue reading “Continuous Improvement in Martial Arts Education: A Proven Method”

Mastering Doble Carrera: Enhancing Sword Movement

I taught something important in the sword class yesterday. It was a drill and a must-have movement. I initially dismissed this until looking at some of my 2005 Spanish short sword notes. Doble Carrera, or what we call Flamenco footwork, in our system. The ability to move is enhanced if you are already moving, evenContinue reading “Mastering Doble Carrera: Enhancing Sword Movement”