2010 A Preview- Friendship, Honour & Courage
January 17, 2010 | Latest Articles, MMA Newcastle, martial arts newcastle, wing chun newcastle, Training MMA Newcastle, Combat conditioning newcastle, Tradtional Wing Chun
Cyclone 2010 – A Look Ahead
The year of 2009 was a seminal year for our club and we have probably covered much of this within previous entries on this website however in order to write some thoughts and hopes for the year ahead I would suppose a bit of a look at 2009 wouldn’t go amiss.
The name change at the club was simply to reflect the way the clubs training had already been for a long time prior to the final switch. Cyclone Martial Arts will always have its roots in the Chinese Chu Sau Lei System which is a fundamental throughout everything we do, indeed in many ways 2009 was also a year for the resurgence of traditional martial arts within the MMA world with the likes of Lyoto Machida, GSP and Damien Maia all representing the skill discipline their original systems have given them. This to me is in many ways what Cyclone has always been about. Taking what a strong core system can give you whilst integrating innovation and modern training methods which are so evidently the correct way to become a skilled and proficient martial arts fighter in any circumstances.
The move to the Cyclone Gym has been massive progress for us, I would advise any serious martial arts club to take the plunge and take their own premises the gains far outweigh any negatives (like the rent!) We have really managed to push the level of our training both in terms of skill and physical strength or conditioning.
More and more of our guys are now wanting to fight in MMA or at least compete in something, 2009 saw five of our guys fight 4 wins, 2 losses and every single one showed skill, heart and put in a good performance, each one a home grown talent too, 2010 looks like seeing many more or our guys enter the MMA cage and put their skills to the test. We had planned to try and enter more grappling competitions etc too but time has been against us this year especially with us really being from a stand up fighting base but on that front 2010 should see that materialise.
February will see the Cage arrive and provide a safe environment for our MMA sparring sessions, even matted walls and a roped off ring have made a huge difference to the training we’ve been able to do at Cyclone.
One of the things almost guaranteed in 2010 is that we will lose one or two faces that were stalwarts in 2009 and gain one or two that will become them over the course of the year. It’s often a little sad to see some people disappear usually due to family or life changes but I suppose the loss of guys who are almost like family for a while is part of some kind of martial arts natural cycle, as I always say the key to becoming a good martial artist is not only talent but consistency. The fighters group are what the club breathes for hopefully we’ll pick up another three or four this year, some of 2009’s new guys like show massive promise for MMA talent and others in other areas. One thing I am very proud of at Cyclone is the fact our guys all look out for one another and help each other develop both on and off the mats.
The MMA season this year will start with Steve M’s second fight at the Tenth Legion show in Hull possibly followed closely by Tristan and Danny. Griff, Andy and Bobby are all looking to do stand up fights in the next couple of months too, if I’m lucky I’ll find the time to train for either MMA or K1 before the summer too.
So 2010 should be an interesting year for Cyclone Martial Arts, maybe you’ll come along as a new guy and become a core member and discover what it means to wear the T shirt. Last years’ said “Kung Fu Fighter Evolved” which still stands but this year’s T shirt will proclaim “Friends, Honour, Courage” which I think doesn’t do a bad job of summing us up.
