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”
Tag Archives: KORA
Ilustrisimo vs KORA: Hourglass Sword Comparison
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 toContinue reading “Ilustrisimo vs KORA: Hourglass Sword Comparison”
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.
FMA Life – Lineage Holders – Brandon Ricketts – Kali Ilustrisimo
For those in my weekly sword & dagger class, this will be of interest to you. Some of the subjects we discussed during class this weekend.
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”
Understanding the Spanish Dagger System for Self-Defense
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 leftContinue reading “Understanding the Spanish Dagger System for Self-Defense”
Mastering KORA Savate: Techniques for Effective Low Kicks
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 focusContinue reading “Mastering KORA Savate: Techniques for Effective Low Kicks”
Principle Driven Skill Development
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 martialContinue reading “Principle Driven Skill Development”
Killick Off Road Arts 