Name:

Simon Mackay

Hometown:

Cardiff

Occupation:

IT Guy

Club:

Risca

Hobbies/sports:

Most of my Hobbies range with the mood I am in, at the moment I am quite into writing spoken word poetry and painting canvas to put up on my walls in my house.

However previous endevours have been musical attempts and physical things like rock climbing.

It really does depend on my mood as long as I can express my creativity I'm happy!

Why you started TBD

Well I have been doing martial arts since a young child when an inner ear problem lead to me having balance issues. I was refereed by a children s hospital to a Judo club and never looked back. I won many a competition and represented my country at international level. When I reached my early to mid teens due to private issues to stop my martial arts training. Worst mistake I made so after rediscovering my thirst for training I decided to put in the effort from the missed time and found as many clubs that I could to try and find the club that had the physical attributes that I was interested in! Having found many clubs and actually got suckered into a "business" organisation mistakes where made and my enthusiasm abused and exploited. Until one day in work I stood in the hallway and my boss advised me that the gentleman coming down the corridor did martial arts. So I engaged him in a conversation and he turned out to be Chief Instructor Alun Williams. Alun advised me he had a seminar coming up and if I would be interested I should pop along. Having just completed some pressure point seminars with a few friends I thought that maybe they also may enjoy it. Turned out that it wasn't for them but it was very much for me! They did not continue, I am still continuing and growing with the organisation! 

For me I made the right decision TBD has been such a great experience helping me gain confidence, un-learn bad habits. (Believe me there are a lot of people out there selling crap that they convince you will work but never actually test in a real environment!) and also to be part of a martial arts family that know how to have fun and are forever growing with great new faces. The Enthusiasm never drops!

What you most like about TBD/club: 

The fact that I can be apart of something that is growing and growing healthily. Its not an evil penny pinching organistation, it is not an EGO based club (despite its achievements on the whole) and it is so welcoming. 

Considering every week we show up and get roughed up by men and women to the degree of aching at the end of the evening. I could not find a nicer bunch of people!

Aims/Ambitions:

My Aim/Ambition is a very slow one but simple.

1. Get my Black belt in TBD

2. I plan to resist my Judo to re-get my black belt as an adult this time.

3. Get qualified in Total Combat Fight System as an instructor

With these 3 Aims completed I plan to open a club that teaches real old school Judo that I enjoyed as a child to youngsters, TBD to the teens and older members and TCFS and Advanced TBD to the serious adults.

This to me will complete my package the martial arts that I represent mixing in Silat and other martial arts that I enjoy like Koshijutsu and Kyushojutsu.

So simply my personal aim is to open a club but a club that means something and is not about the money but about enjoyment. I have no plans for world domination a small club in the suburbs will do me, my family and my friends just fine! :)