SFUK Open Mat

[levo]

The SFUK/Leicester Shootfighting Open Mat I ran at the weekend was a BIG success.

Carl Fisher's report from www.Maxfighting.com -

"Open Mat - the way forward for MMA in the UK

In any sport or pastime, people will always want to train with leading lights in their respective fields and that is the reason we have seminars in the UK. However, many seminars are beyond the price range for many and can be quite stuffy affairs; most people prefer a more relaxed and friendly affair, that are conducive to more productivity and technique retention and the Open Mat sessions are just that. Nathan Leverton was the brainchild behind the first and most definitely not the last one of the best training sessions I have attended this year. The event was well attended with over seventy students travelling far as Ireland and France to attend and there were a few stars in attendance as well; rising MMA fighters Chris Millward and Danny Batten took to the mats all day and rolled with just about everybody; Lee Hasdell also gave his support to the event and helped out on the mats and with the hard task of drawing the raffle - superstardom does have it's stresses at times. Derby and Sheffield Shoot fighters were out in force, as were London Shoot fighters, BJJ Coventry, Trevor Roberts Applied Ju Jitsu, Leicester Submission Fighting and many others.

The session began with an hour of rolling with whoever was on the mat and took on the vibe of the old fashioned tea dances; one finds a partner for a roll for a few minutes, a quick break for refreshments and back on with a new partner. All too often we stick with the same person in training and we get to know their moves well in advance; here at the Open mat, was the chance to roll with athletes with higher skill levels, the only way to gain self improvement and I myself was shown many new techniques throughout the day. After the hour, the mat was divided into two areas; takedowns and leg locks and the attendees had the chance to cross over onto the two areas and take on board what was on offer and experiment with the techniques shown. The final hour of the day was given over to rolling, as the students attempted to put into practice what they had learned and the mats were still full at the end of the session and I am they would have stayed on until the sun went down.

Sessions like the Open Mat are very beneficial for everyone concerned, be they amateur or professional; the amateur should go up against a top level player to give them the chance to apply their fight strategies for real and the professionals can do well to attend just to keep their feet on the ground and help promote the grass roots level; we are still developing her in the UK and we should all strive to help each other out; let others know when the next seminar is on; spread the word around regarding the next foreign training trip. Talking to people on the day, I was impressed by the contacts we have both abroad and in this country and by being on these events are we able to find out what's on offer, so go and make a few business cards and get networking; I myself need at least a dozen more weekends this year if I was to fulfil all my offers of training and match attendances, a fact that I find refreshing and encouraging.

Nathan Leverton is to be congratulated for having the foresight and bottle to host such an event; seminars can be hellish to arrange, with people invariably letting you down at the last minute. Thankfully this was not the case here as everybody supported the event and made sure it was a success and now the die has been cast, I am sure that the SFUK Open Mat sessions will lead the way forward in the promotion of MMA training and I for one will be behind them all the way."

www.SFUK.net - Submission Fighting UK

www.Shootfighters.co.uk - Leicester Shootfighting