HAIROJIN

As a child I was born (1955) into what would be classed as poverty today; I was not very old when I discovered the harsh truth that having a strange name and weakness in my left side made me a target for bullying. Being brought up as a catholic I came into contact with priests on daily basis.  As a teenager a came into contact with a priest called father Gillespe, who was very Irish, very earthy and had been a keen amateur boxer. I confided in him that I felt I could not fight my way out of a paper bag. Over the next 9 months (aged about 14) Father Gillespe trained me in the basics of boxing. Going to a boxing club was not really on the cards for me at that time, as I still needed to build my confidence.

Note:  Boxing techniques are used within Hairojin

At 16, the same as many young men of my era I discovered Bruce Lee.  It is difficult to put into words how special his influence was on me and millions of others. I, and no one else in the UK at that time, had seen anything like the way he fought.  There was no martial arts films, no ninjas, some judo and karate was barely heard of.  He was the business! If you want some idea of what it was like it was a bit like the first time you ever saw a sports car when all you had seen up until then were bicycles. I then went and studied Wu Shu kung fu, not for long (about 3 months); as it was really expensive for those days and it was very acrobatic and not at all what I wanted; so only studied for a sort time. In 1982, having spent the previous 8 years training with weights, I walked into a Tae kwondo demonstration at my local leisure centre.  It was love at first sight, I was hooked after 30 secs, for the next 4 ½ years I studied under Lyn Evans (3rd degree black belt) and Master Rhee Kee Ha (then 8th degree now 9th Degree).  Eventually representing Swansea in the Welsh open gaining medals for destruction and sparring. 

I continued training in TKD until I joined the Prison Service attaining Blue belt red stripe.

 

Note: Master Rhee was the student of Master Rhee Ki Ha the founder of TKD (1955) and had the most destructive reverse punch I have ever witnessed. (He used to leave his knuckle prints in concrete pillars just for fun). The kicks from TKD form the basis of many of Hairojin’s kicks as do many of the hand strikes and for those beyond blackbelt its patterns (katas) are used to train solo.

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In September 1986 I joined the Prison Service and after basic training was posted to HMP Parkhurst.  As part of this training we learnt basic judo and some jujitsu techniques.  I must admit at the time I wasn’t that impressed and was of the view (which I later discovered was completely incorrect) that you can’t throw what you can’t grab hold of and TKD could solve all combat situations. As the Service progressed a form of physically restraining prisoners was developed called ‘control and restraint’ the foundation of which was jujitsu and was cleverly put together by Tom Starling (Prison Service) who unfortunately I never met. Tom was a sixth Dan black belt in Jiu Jitsu.  I trained in these new techniques and eventually became an instructor for the Prison Service. 

 

Note:All the strikes and locks from C&R, including use of baton, and other arrest techniques are incorporated into Hairoijn; If the techniques work on refractory prisoners they will work on most people;

 

 

Whilst training at the gym at Parkhurst and studying to be a C&R instructor I met Webb Sensei (Judo, Aikido, Hwrangdo), Brooks Sensei (Judo, Atemi Jitsu, Bo-jitsu, jo-jitsu, Yawara jitsu and Tanto jitsu ).  Both these men were to have a profound effect on my life and martial arts career. I discovered that Sensei Webb was the senior student of Sensei Brooks.  Sensei Brooks, ex Rhodesian Special Forces, had learnt his skills whilst he was in the military and honed them Japan after he had left Rhodesia. Webb Sensei (who was also a C&R instructor) studied the works of the famous Michael Euchanis (The first non-Korean senior black belt in Hwrangdo).  Webb Sensei also studied judo and weapon systems with Brooks Sensei.  Webb Sensei’s Aikido skills were mostly learnt from books, videos, experimentation and his expert knowledge of anatomy (Hospital Senior Officer HMP).  Despite this knowledge not being gained in a traditional manner (which I would always recommend) his natural flare, dedication, sincere practise and love of martial arts made him a formidable exponent of aikijitsu and Aikido.  I judge this not on my personal affection for Webb Sensei, which is great, but two clear tests: One, he moved like an Aikidoka; Two, as his senior student I have visited and participated with several Aikido and Aikijitsu schools who were complimentary of my (and my students) Aiki skills.  The Tomiki Aikido school offered me associate membership as a brown belt (even though I had never had a formal lesson and it was a different style to what I had learnt (Sensei Webb and I had studied the works of Ushieba Sensei, Shioda Sensei and Aiki Jitsu) and Shin-Gi -Tai offered me a Blue belt after training with them 8 or 9 times).  

One of my students and co instructors Court Sensei (3rd degree Wado Ryu karate) carried on working with Shin-GI- Tai and obtained his 1st Degree after only one year’s training (Sensei Court and I did our 3rd Degree in Kempo Jujitsu together, which is unusual for student and teacher, he also honoured me with a 2nd Degree blackbelt in Free Style karate).

 

After training hard for 5 years with Webb Sensei and Brooks Sensei (4 – 6 times per week) they gave me my first-degree black belt in combined arts (Ketsugo) and some years later my 2nd degree.

 

During my time at Parkhurst I also had the opportunity to practice my skills against and learn from other martial artists Mr Kenny Pugh (Boxing), Sensei’s Ferguson, Ings and St Clair (Shotokan), Sabum Hocking (Hapkido), Sensei Paul Davies ((Judo (ex-British squad) and wrestling) (Brooks Sensei and Davies Sensei awarded me a brown belt in judo and Atemi jitsu) and others.

 

Webb Sensei’s gifts to me were many including his friendship but the two I am most grateful for were his time and his teachings on the psychology of combat.

All the martial artists in this section were generous with their friendship, skills and encouragement and I will always be in debited to them, for they taught not for money or ego but for a desire to pass on their gifts and knowledge; without them Hairojin would not exist. 

 

Note: The large variety of techniques, variations, methods of sparring and training techniques in Hairojin are directly the gift of the martial artists at HMP Parkhurst.  Their greatest gifts however, to the practitioner of Hairojin, are not techniques but the knowledge that the techniques are practical for real combat and have been tested against many other styles of combat.