| |
 
The teacher
and the student.
Grand Master Sken
awarding
Neil Holden
the rank of Instructor
Title : Kru
For
Muay-Boran
Self-Defence
And
Muay-Thai
Combat-Sport
|
|
Neil Holden.
Founder
- Warrington Kickboxing Studio :
A gym that has over
28 years produced several National, two European
and
two World Amateur Champions!
Muaythai
( Thai-Kickboxing ) :
( including Muay Boran Techniques - Ancient style
Thai martial arts system )
World Class - Trainer of
Champions,
Certified Instructor ( 10th October 1992 ) by
Grand-Master Sken ( Thailand ).
S.I.M.T.A. Sitnarong International
Muay Thai Association.
Kickboxing
( Japanese 'K-1 style' Kickboxing )
:
Black Belt ( 6th
Dan ), Shihan / Master Grade.
Certified by The
.W.K.A...World
Kickboxing Association.
Kudo: ( Japanese
M.M.A. system ) :
Black Belt ( 2nd
Dan ), Nidan Grade.
Certified by Grand Master Takashi Azuma
( Japan ).
________________________________________________
 Born
in the historical city of Chester, as
a young boy Neil
was always very talented at the various
sporting activities that he participated
in at school such as football, distance
running and athletics.
When he was ten, Neil
began
training at the Bolton Martial Arts Centre,
initially learning Japanese Ju-Jitsu and
Kickboxing.
Neil then
moved onto Thai-Kickboxing, with his first
Muaythai session being taught by one of
Master Sken's
senior Instructors, Phil
Nurse, at a small club in the town
of Westhoughton.
It was here that his many years with Master
Sken's the Sitnarong Camp began.
( Pict : Neil 1992,
age 20, ripped at 6ft 4in and just 75kgs
with 5% bodyfat ).
|
|
|
Since
those early days Neil
has dedicated his adult life to the martial arts
and has now been training in various martial arts
for over
30 years!
When Neil was 18
the opportunity arose for him to train full-time
as an Assistant Instructor at Master
Sken's headquarters, that at this time
was based in Bolton.
The Senior Instructor of this gym was Sandy
Holt a European Champion and a very successful
trainer himself.
Neil left home and spent just over a year
as a 'live in' student, ( this
is known in Japan as being an Uchideshi
), staying at the Bolton gym in a very basic dormatory
type bedsit area which enabled him, to train in
the mornings, afternoons and evenings.
During
this time Neil's
training and sparring partner became his
good friend Steve
Reilly, who
later went on to become a
European Champion.
Steve
also opened his own school and is now the
and Head Coach of the very successful
Horwich Kickboxing Studio.
(
Pict : Steve Reilly, European Champion )
|
|
|
 Master
Sken's
syllabus included Muay-Boran
methods for Self-Defence as well as teaching
the Combat-Sport side of Thai martial
arts, known as Muay-Thai.
Muay-Boran was recently popularised
by the martial arts hit movie
ONG BAK.
( Pict : Neil performing
a Muay-Boran technique, Jumping Side Kick,
1991 )
|
|
|
The
Martial-Art of
Muay-Boran
has many distinct regional styles that have evolved
over time. Muay Thasao, is a style from 'Northern
Thailand' and has an emphasis on speed, especially
swift kicks. It is also known as "Ling-Lom"
which means Windy Monkey.
As Master Sken was
born in the North of Thailand, Neil
was taught techniques from "Ling-Lom"
style Muay-Boran which were part of the Master
Sken's Sitnarong syllabus.
At many Sitnarong Muay-Thai demonstrations Neil
would often partner up with one of Master
Sken's senior Instructors ( Kru-Yai ) Phil
Nurse to perform the ancient Muay-Boran
techniques. One in paticular often used at the
demonstrations was "Tai
Khao Phra Sumeru" - running up your
opponents traditional, ( wide ), martial arts
stance, ( horse stance ), leaping onto their shoulders,
wrapping your legs around their neck and finishing
them with downward elbow strikes to the top of
the skull!
 Training
as an Assisant-Instructor
under Master Sken,
Neil was taught
first hand, how to prepare fighters for
competitions, as well as the skills required
to be a cornerman.
Neil would be a cornerman 2nd, to Grand-Master-Sken.
A fantastic way to learn correct cornerman
skills.
( Pict Above : Grand Master Sken and
Neil Holden, corner team for Nigel Ashton
-
W.K.A. Northwest Area Welterweight Champion
).
|
|
|
After
Neil passed his Brown Grade at the Bolton
Gym, Master Sken began training Holden at
his newly relocated headquarters in Stockport.
Training
him specifically to be an Instructor, and
having him assist at two of his Sports Centre
clubs, ( Irlam and Eccles ), in Manchester.
Neil passed Master
Sken's Instructor Grade and received
his Red Band,
( the insignia of an Instructor ), on
the 10th October 1992
after teaching as an assistant for just
over a year.
( Picture: Neil with
trainer Phil Nurse ).
Neil then applied for a government scheme
which had been setup to help small businesses
start up, called the 'Enterprise Allowance'
and once he was accepted onto the scheme
he started his full-time career as a registered
professional martial arts Instructor, offering
Personal-Training and Group-Class Instruction.
|
|
|
 Initially
Neil was One-to-One personal training sessions,
based out of the BTBC gym in Bolton and
also at 'HnH' gym in Farnworth.
Then in the evenings he would travel to
the surrounding towns and coach group classes
at his network of clubs based at different
sports halls.
(
Picture: Neil's 1st Business Card, yr -
1992. )
Neil had several Sports-Centre clubs, teaching
Group-Classes in Chorly, Warrington,
Leigh, Irlam, Bolton, Westhoughton, and
Atherton.
|
|
|
It took several years of sacrifice and dedication
but eventually the
Thai-Kickboxing ( Muaythai / Muay-Boran ) classes
that Neil ran built up a considerable following
of members, with the largest attended classes
at the Warrington School, which he opened in 1992.
This was based in Bewsey and had 3 classes a week.
At
this time Neil entered a team from his various
schools into an Amateur level event in Leigh,
and all ten won their debut bouts!
This lead onto some of his students then competing
more regular and eventually progressing onto Professional
rules, ( without padding ), and more successes
followed.
 In
1994 Neil gained his first two Champions.
Rhys
Edwards,
who was renown for winning his fights
by stoppage, defeated the highly respected
Simon Chu
by T.K.O. for the S.I.M.T.A.
Light-Welterweight Title ( Muay-Thai Rules
).
and
Dave
Rathbone
defeated another highly regarded fighter,
called Peter Davis
by first round K.O. for the W.K.A. Welterweight
Title ( K1 Rules ).
Photo : Grand Master
Sken raises the hand of the new
Muay-Thai Champion - Rhys
Edwards!
|
|
|
It
was a great start to Neil's
career as a professional martial arts Instructor
and there were soon more of his students that
would capture Championships under his guidance.
 Picture:
Neil Holden,
Phil Nurse
and
Mark Matthews
One
of Neil's proudest moments was when Mark
Matthews won his first Pro. Championship
Title.
|
|
|
 Picture:
Peter Crooke, ( World Champ )
Mark Matthews
Kirkwood Walker ( World Champ )
and
Promoter Paul Hennesey with two I.S.K.A.
Muay-Thai title belts
and a winners cheque for £ 1'000.00.
|
|
|
Another
proud moment was when Mark
Matthews was the British Ranked #2 at Light-Welterweight,
and moved up a division and challenged the British
Ranked #1 Welterweight, Keiren Keddle, for the
I.S.K.A. British & Commonwealth
Title under Muay-Thai Rules.
Mark stopped his
opponent in round 4, in what was at the time one
of the most eagerly awaited contests on the U.K.
circuit.
A reflection of how significant a win this was,
is shown by the fact that Keddle followed this
bout with a tremendous come-back win of his own,
defeating the W.M.C. World Muaythai Champion,
Lee Chesters for the W.A.K.O. Pro. World Welterweight
Title under Muay-Thai Rules.
Grand
Master Sken - the teacher of teachers.
 Neil
is very proud to have trained under for
many years and be Instructor
Certified by one of the Worlds most
dynamic Instructors,
Grand Master Sken Kaewpadung.
Reneown as an International teacher of Thai
martial arts, that has trained many top
level coaches and several
European and World Muay-Thai Champions!
(
Pict : Grand-Master Sken)
|
|
|
On
arriving in the U.K. from Thailand, Grand
Master Sken initially focused on
training top level Muaythai fighters.
He trained World Champions
Humphrey Harrison and Oliver Harrison, European
Champions Sandy Holt and Phil Nurse,
and several British Champions including
William Hilditch, Junior Salmon & Carl
Thompson.
(
Pict : Grand-Master Sken's team of Champions
)
|
|
|
All
of which, following successes in Muaythai, then
progressed onto Professional Boxing with Carl
Thompson eventually becoming W.B.O. World Cruiserweight
Champion, and Oliver Harrison becoming one of
the U.K.'s leading Boxing Coaches.
Having achieved his goal of proving himself as
a 'Trainer of Champions', Grand
Master Sken switched his aims from producing
Muay-Thai Champions to instead producing Instructors
in both Muay-Boran as well as Muaythai for his
expanding association S.I.M.T.A.
( Sitnarong International Muay Thai Association
).
Teaching not only the traditional and spectacular
techniques rarely used in the ring, ( jumping
kicks / flying elbows etc ), but Self-Defence
methods too, where someone not only counters an
attack but also takes their opponent to the floor
and then follows this up with finishing strikes.
Techniques from Ling-Lom style Muay-Boran.
Grand-Master
Sken's Instructors could then spread the knowledge
of Muay-Thai as a Combat-Sport and Muay-Boran
as a Martial-Arts system for Self-Defence and
Personal-Fitness.
This produced a second generation of Instructors,
along with Neil Holden,
that are highly regarded on the circuit such as
Colin Heron, Darren Phillips, Steve Reilly, Howard
Hughes, John Craig, Richard Lewis, Craig Brown,
Dave Croft, David Eckersley, and Johnny Steele
all of who'm continued the cycle and went on to
produce Instructors and Champions of their own!
(
Pict : Grand-Master Sken with Instructors
Kay-Hampson, Phil Nurse, Howard Hughes,
James Clayton and Neil Holden).
|
|
|
Some of these trainers specifically operate within
the sport of Muay-Thai, while others have diversified
into other Combat-Sports such as 'K-1'
style Kickboxing and 'M.M.A.'
mixed martial arts. All of which is a credit to
Grand-Master Skens's teaching.
Master
Sken's early business Card :
 Master
Sken Muay-Thai
Such arts teach Modesty, Discpline and Respect
for others
MASTER KEN
( Sken Kaewpadung )
Master of Muay-Thai ( Kick Boxing
) Thai Weapons.
Founder of the
British Association of Thai Martial Arts.
International Referee and Judge.
Tae Kwon Do Master
( 5th Dan Black Belt )
|
|
|
Warrington
Kickboxing Studio - Established 1994:
Most Martial Art Schools are merely twice
weekly classes held in hired rooms. In 1994,
after many years of sacrifice and dedication,
Neil completed his
life long ambition and setup his own full-time
Martial Arts Academy.
|
|
|
PHOTO
: The leaflet from 1994, when the Studio was first
established.
This Amateur sports club is open to the community
seven days a week and runs excellent programs
for Children aged 6 onwards and Teenagers-Only
classes as well as seperate programs for Adults.
Helping members improve their self-confidence,
fitness ( and
weight loss ), andd giving them an activity to
pursue with regular training goals such as training
towards their Black Belt or competing as an Amateur
fighter.
Over the years the Warrington Kickboxing Studio
has raised thousands of pounds for various causes
and charities, most recently with the club supporting
Help-for-Hero's by fielding a team of Amateur
Kickboxers that competed at an event held to raise
funds towards this cause.
The logo used for Warrington
Kickboxing is the
Wolf and
the school is often refered to as the Wolf
Gym.
( Japanese name = Okami-Dojo
or Thai name = Kai
Mapa ).
 |
|
(
Many schools like to use a mascot, such
as Scorpions Gym in Newcastle, Golden
Cobra in Manchester, and Tigers Gym from
Leeds ).
|
 In
2001 Neil
took two of his leading fighters to compete
in Japan, Mark
Matthews
( Inter-Continental Champion : W.P.K.L.
)
and
Rhys Edwards ( British Champion
: W.A.K.O. Pro. ).
( Pict left : Mark and Rhys at the H.Q.
of
the All Japanese Kickboxing Federation)
|
|
|
It was
here that the Wolf-Gym
was given its Japanese name. Rhys
Edwards who was facing the Japanese Welterweight
Champion, was introduced to the ring as, "representing
England... and fighting out of.... the OKAMI
DOJO !!!"
( which is the Japanese
translation for 'Wolf Gym' ).
 The
Japan experience had a tremendous influence
upon Neil,
his system of teaching, and the way of
running the Wolf
Gym as a martial arts school.
Upon his return to England, Neil
revised his coaching syllabus to also
cover Japanese-Kickboxing ( K1 Rules ).
The Wolf Gym's Kickboxing syllabus soon
proved to be a success, and now consistantly
produces Black Belts
and Amateur Champions
of the highest standards.
( Pict Above : Neil working Matthews on
the Pads
at the H.Q. of the Japanese Kickboxing
Federation)
|
|
|
Further
training.
Neil
has continued training in the martial arts throughout
his career, always seeking to update and expand
his knowledge further.
This
has seen Neil eventually
gain the highly regarded 7th
Dan - (Shihan Grade)
in Japanese
( K-1 style ) Kickboxing.
As well qualifications to teach Thai-Kickboxing
( Muay-Thai Rules ) and Japanese Kickboxing (
K-1 Rules ), Holden
is also a certified Combatives ( Self-Defence
) Instructor holding Black Belt in
Kakuto ( Combat ) Ju-Jitsu
under Shihan Lee Hasdell ( 8th Dan ).
Neil
also trains people for the combat-sport of Mixed-Martial
Arts ( M.M.A. ) as he also holds a Black Belt
( 2nd Dan )
in the Japanese Mixed-Martial-Arts
system of KUDO
from Grand Master Takashi
Azuma ( Japan ). KUDO
combines 'modified' Japanese Kickboxing and 'modified'
Judo methods.
Neil
runs a once-weekly 'Combat class' specifically
focusing on KUDO
training as a supplement to the Kickboxing
classes at the Wolf Gym.
From this class three students have now also passed
their KUDO Black
Belts under direct examination from Grand
Master Azuma, and Brown Belt student, Alex
Charnock, who is a two times British Amateur
Kickboxing Champions ( K-1 Rules ) has also won
a COMBUDO British Combat Ju-Jitsu title.
(
Click
here further information on Kudo and Self-Defence
Combatives
)
Picture
:
Grand Master Takashi Azuma
9th Dan -
Daido Juku.
Shihan
Neil Holden
7th Dan -
Okami Dojo.
|
|
|
Neil
has built up a very professional team of Instructors,
that have to date trained over
60
Black belts, along with several National Champions,
two European and
two World Amateur Kickboxing
Champions.
Fighters from the Wolf
Gym have also proudly
represented their country at international level
on many occasions, in both Amateur and Professional
bouts against oposition from...
----------------------------------------Scotland,
--Ireland, --Wales,
-------------------
------------------ ------- France, --Belgium,
--Holland, --Italy,
--Turkey
---------------------NewZealand,
--United
States of America --and
Japan!
Neil
is also an established promoter, and over
the last two decades has raised many thousands
of pounds for various charities and good causes.
In 2013 Neil became only the second U.K. promoter
to ever promote an official
K-1 Kickboxing event.
This was the 2013 'K-1
MAX England Grandprix', K-1
being one of the biggest professional Kickboxing
events in the world.
|
|
|
Working
with various sanctioning bodies and promoters,
Holden was asked
to help re-organise the I.K.F.
activities in Europe and from 2007 to 2009
Neil was the EUROPEAN
DIRECTOR for the International
Kickboxing Federation, sanctioning
over 100 title bouts under 'K-1
Rules' and 'Muay-Thai
Rules'.
|
|
|
Warrington
Kickboxing Studio has been producing Champions
since it was established in 1994, ( over 28 years
ago ). Champions in both the Professional and
Amateur divisons.
Listed here are just some of the Championship
wins for members of the Wolf
Gym competing in
Amateur Kickboxing under 'K1 Rules'.
Amateur Kickboxing Circuit -
results ( 2007 - 2013 )
In
2013 members from Warrington Kickboxing Studio
captured
----------Three
-I.K.F. British Championships
and
----------Two
Commonwealth Championships!
In
2012 members from Warrington Kickboxing Studio
captured
----------Two
I.K.F. British Championships!
In 2011 members from Warrington Kickboxing Studio
captured
-
---------SixX
I.K.F. British Championships!
In
2010, members from from Warrington Kickboxing
Studio captured
----------Two
I.K.F. British Championships
-------That
is Fifteen I.K.F. Amateur Champions over 4 years!
In 2007, members from from Warrington Kickboxing
Studio captured
----------Five
I.K.F. British Championships.
Leading
fighter in the Amateur team, Graham
Sayer who was involved in his 6th international
contest, defeated Indian Champion, Rajeet Singh,
for the I.K.F. World Super-Middleweight
Title.
U.K.
Professional Muaythai Circuit - results :
Neil Holden has produced
several Professional Champions over the years.
Three standouts, that are today Instructors themselves
are Rhys Edwards,
Mark Matthews, and
Darren Collins.
Between the three of them under Neil's guidance
they captured 12
Pro. Championships Titles under both Muay-Thai
rules and K1 Rules.
| |
Instructors
Rhys
Edwards
4 x Pro. Titles
Mark
Matthews
6 x Pro. Titles
Darren Collins
2 x Pro. Titles
Between them they captured
12
Professional Championship Titles
in
Thai-Kickboxing ( Muay-Thai Rules )
and
Japanese Kickboxing ( K-1 Rules )
|
|
Rhys Edwards
( Pictured - Left )
Pro.
Regional ( Area ) Welterweight Champion ( S.I.M.T.A.
)
Pro. English Welterweight Champion
( I.K.B.O. )
Pro. English Welterweight Champion
( W.A.K.O. Pro.)
Pro. British Welterweight Champion ( W.A.K.O.
Pro.)
Mark Matthews
( Pictured
- Centre )
Pro.
Regional ( Area ) Super-Lightweight Champion (
I.K.B.O. )
Pro. Regional ( Area ) Light- Welterweight
Champion ( W.A.K.O. - Pro )
Pro. English Light- Welterweight
Champion ( W.A.K.O. - Pro )
Pro. British Welterweight Champion ( I.S.K.A.
)
Pro. Commonwealth Welterweight Champion ( I.S.K.A.
)
Pro. Inter-Continental Super-Welterweight Champion
( W.P.K.L. )
Darren
Collins
( Pictured - Right )
Pro.
Regional ( Area ) Super-Lightweight Champion (
W.A.K.A. - Pro )
Pro. English Light- Welterweight Champion
( W.A.K.O. - Pro )
All of which can only be a solid endorsement of
the Wolf-Gym's
Black belt Kickboxing
Syllabus!
From
readings Neil's background,
you can see clearly that he strives only for the
highest of standards, wether in his own training
over the last 30 years with the very best teachers,
or in his own teaching during a professional career
spanning more than 30 years. His knowledge with
regards to the Martial-Arts & Combat-Sports
and Ftness-Training is second to none!
If you train personally with Neil,
or train with any of his certified Instructors,
you know you are receiving the very best in professional
tuition.
Further reading : recommended...
( Click
here to see Neil Holden's Certificates
)
( Click
here to see some Warrington Kickboxers in action!
)
|
