Unified Fighting Systems

Unified Fighting Systems A modern system of martial arts incorporating kickboxing, self defence, Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. We also cover grappling and MMA.

And if you want personal development too we cover philosophy, mindset and self defence law. Jeet Kune Do is the art passed down by Bruce Lee to my teacher, Richard Bustillo, to me. I have been lucky enough to train with all the top names in JKD and many in the world of Eskrima. The current programme covers kickboxing, grappling arts, Eskrima (weapons) and close quarter self defence including the trapping arts from Wing Chun/JKD and Panantukan.

We have survived. The rain has arrived. The longest summer in living memory is over and now we can get done to training ...
30/08/2026

We have survived. The rain has arrived. The longest summer in living memory is over and now we can get done to training without the threat of heat exhaustion every night. Thank goodness for that.
I would like to make a note of some of the days that occurred from the May bank holiday weekend until now.
Sarah and Milosz’ brown belt test. With temperatures in the 30s, these two worked their socks off and passed with flying colours.
The fan dance with Sarah and Ellie as part of the TRDG clan. Not so hot, but super tough terrain. My proudest moment of the year so far.
The ‘Battle Ready’ seminar. With a great crowd and an excellent atmosphere, it set us up very nicely for the ‘When World’s Collide’ seminar on Saturday 5th September. I still have 3 spaces left, if anyone wants to join us. JKD and FMA with a surprise in the middle.
Thursday 13th August. The hottest night of the year and still hosts of you came to train. I was so proud of you.
Training with Danny Guba again in the Doce Pares system. It’s great to be a student again.
Carrying on from there. The TRDG Autumn Camp. Taking part in the two-day event and observing the marvellous trio of Katie, Sarah and Ellie at close hand. These three are such a credit to themselves and to UFS.
I have four people training privately with me at the moment: James, Gretchen, Sally and Max. It is a joy to see the progress they are making after each session. I have two spaces left for private lessons if anyone would like to join them. You get me, one-on-one or as a pair and we cover anything you want. You’ll be amazed how quickly you improve.
Which were your highlights of the summer?
I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of you return from your holidays and adventures.
See you in class.
Andy

Always someone trying to make a point.In today's 'wtf was that all about?' Tonight I'll share a dog-walking story that h...
27/08/2026

Always someone trying to make a point.
In today's 'wtf was that all about?' Tonight I'll share a dog-walking story that happened to me today that could have escalated very quickly, but didn't. Why it didn't and how it could have.
Most fights happen in the mind, not in the street.

Do you know where the word ‘talent’ comes from? In Biblical times it was a form of payment. A talent was a coin. These d...
25/08/2026

Do you know where the word ‘talent’ comes from? In Biblical times it was a form of payment. A talent was a coin. These days we recognise talent for something that someone has. David Beckham’s right foot. Agatha Christie’s storytelling. Elvis Presley’s voice. Paul McCartney’s songwriting. Name your favourite, but all of these examples don’t give the whole story.

Talent isn’t enough.

Beckham trained until his feet bled. Christie never stopped writing and plotting her ideas. Elvis could sing, but he became a master of music. McCartney learned how to craft a song and kept doing it.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching videos from talent shows. X Factor. BGT. The Voice. When these shows started, we looked out for the terrible auditions. Now it is about uncovering talent. This was the subject of the latest episode of ‘Ted Lasso’. Find the hidden gem. The example they used was Susan Boyle. Someone who exploded into world fame and she worked at it too.

As we near September, we will see lots of new people start. September and January are the two big months for new starters. And in there, there will be some very talented people. They will mix with the quiet ones. The steady ones. The grafters. And those people will usually stay far longer than those who think you can survive on talent alone.

Just look around the club members and pick one of two of the present students. There isn’t one of the very best who doesn’t sweat every week. Some do have some talent. Some persevere with very little. But they become uncommon people because they know that work will overcome talent every time.

So, keep enjoying Susan Boyle and everything else that moves you to tears and keep loving the work. It may be that others are admiring you too.

See you in class.
Andy

Getting back to normalIt was so good to see faces we haven't seen for a few weeks on Tuesday. Plus, the rain was most we...
20/08/2026

Getting back to normal
It was so good to see faces we haven't seen for a few weeks on Tuesday. Plus, the rain was most welcome yesterday.
All classes on tonight.
Tuesday was fun. Let's keep that up tonight.

Cold or hot, most of these folks are there regardless. Great people. Excellent mentality. They know their stuff.Classes ...
16/08/2026

Cold or hot, most of these folks are there regardless. Great people. Excellent mentality. They know their stuff.
Classes as normal tonight.

A special plan devised for the classes tonight. May or may not involve a Ninja Turtle
13/08/2026

A special plan devised for the classes tonight. May or may not involve a Ninja Turtle

The suddenness of it allOk, who loved the eclipse last night? Who wasn’t bothered? Who never even noticed it? I loved it...
13/08/2026

The suddenness of it all

Ok, who loved the eclipse last night? Who wasn’t bothered? Who never even noticed it? I loved it. I watched it with a few friends in the garden at Katie’s pub, The Lilacs. Sabat was with me, but he was far too interested in the pork scratchings. I remember the last one in 1999. I was in the French Alps that day. So, two memorable days and yet, I will never see another. The next one is scheduled for 2090 and by then even the youngest UFS students will be older than I am now. All of which feels incredible.

I am reminded of Brandon Lee’s last interview, given when he was making ‘The Crow.’ This was his quote:
“How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”

It is taken from the Paul Bowles book, ‘The Sheltering Sky’ and is also on Brandon’s grave, that he shares next to his father in Seattle.

What is so pertinent about the quote was that Brandon was killed in a shooting accident on set about a week later after he did the interview.

Four years ago, I was messaging Jeff Gonsalves on his way back from Thailand. Twelve hours later, James Taylor called me to say that Jeff had died in the early hours of the morning. That suddenness catches you by surprise and I was not ready for it.

That last line in the quote. ‘It all seems so limitless.’ It really does, but a lunar eclipse will remind you of your mortality and how pointless most of the drama in your life really is. Get on with living and doing the things you love. Let other people’s dramas exist in their world and not yours.

Stay cool.

See you in class.
Andy

You've impressed meThis must be one of the longest summers ever. It began with 30C + at the end of May and ever since it...
11/08/2026

You've impressed me
This must be one of the longest summers ever. It began with 30C + at the end of May and ever since it has been up and down, flirting with total carnage ever since. We’ve had some cool days, but we have had very few wet days. So much so that we are now in a drought. I read the other day that this is the first time since 2011 and when you consider that we hit 40C in 2022, that is some amazing fact.
And yet, despite it all, you have kept showing up. Week in, week out. Plus 30C or not. You keep showing your face and that, my friend, is impressive. Last week was a great example. Both Tuesday and Thursday were busy. In August. That is a rare thing. Plus, we’ve had enthusiastic new starts, taking on everything and enjoying the training. People who join in the summer tend to stay a long time.
As I keep saying, having so much choice, we are not limited to kickboxing or fitness classes. The grappling can be technical or sweaty and mean. We can train the weapons, JKD or sometimes take a pew and learn philosophy and history. I really do try to make each night unmissable. And should you miss a class, I want those who did attend to talk about the things we did.
For example, on Sunday it was bag work night. Recently in the kickboxing class, we were working on the unstoppable jab. The seniors have been working on knife drills and close-quarter stick sparring. New fitness drills have been introduced. Plus, the grading material has been learned for next month’s gradings. You never know what’s coming next.
Throughout it all, you keep turning up. Some people are on holiday, but they always show up straight away afterwards. So, here’s a note from me to you.
Thanks. For being committed. For being the uncommon. For wanting to learn. For being willing to sweat. For loving these arts that move me every day. For being part of our home.
See you in class.
Andy

The Sunday Review – 34It all happens on WednesdayWe had an excellent week of training last week. Really good numbers, so...
09/08/2026

The Sunday Review – 34
It all happens on Wednesday
We had an excellent week of training last week. Really good numbers, some new folks joining us and we got to practice syllabus material for the September gradings. Tuesday was the busiest night, but I had to love Thursday because of the 20C temperatures. That hint of Autumn was lovely. Having said that, we’re going to bake for a few hot days this week.
We also have the partial eclipse on Wednesday. We haven’t had one since 1999, a day I will never forget. I was on my first IKAEF Summercamp with Jeff Espinous and Johan Skalberg and others in the French Alps. The location was stunning.
On the day of the eclipse, a group of us were riding quad bikes with someone we thought was an experienced group leader. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. During my second trip round a route of rocks, fields and mountain tracks, I managed to drive my quad bike over the side of the mountain we were on and see it crash 30 feet away, stuck in a tree and minus a wheel. Miraculously, I escaped with cuts and bruises, all minor and earned a certificate for being a ‘Quad Killer’. We never went back to that location again. I’m hoping for a quieter day this Wednesday.
The Fan Dance is history already now, but we did raise £1628 for the White Ribbon campaign, so thank you to everyone who contributed.
In the world of TV this week, ‘Ted Lasso’ returned to much fanfare, but I thought a rather low-key first episode. ‘Reacher’ also returns this coming Wednesday with the first 3 episodes being released at 8am, on Prime Video. Wednesday is looking to be some day. A great reminder to ‘Train like Rocky, think like Bourne and fight like Reacher.’
One short plug for the ‘When Worlds Collide’ seminar I’m teaching on Saturday 5th September. As a result of the great turnout on 6th June, many places have already been booked. As of writing, there are only 6 places left and the early bird price of £35 ends on Friday 14th August. If you’d like to attend, please let me know ASAP. We nearly sold out in June. I think we will this time. We’ll be covering Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts: the similarities and the differences. There will also be a certificate and a magazine for every student.
Have a great week.
See you in class.
Andy

A sign of things to come.Last night my dog was a di****ad. Most of the time he’s a star, but last night he decided it wa...
06/08/2026

A sign of things to come.
Last night my dog was a di****ad. Most of the time he’s a star, but last night he decided it was time to forget his name when I called it and ignore me when I did. He hasn’t been like that for a long time. So, one confrontation with an alpha male who decided he wasn’t quite as alpha as he thought when we ‘discussed’ it and a stressful stroll led to a different morning walk today. Dog passed with flying colours today.
What was the difference? We went on a different route. Today it was the woods and the streets. Sabat has a problem when we go to the same places every day. His enthusiasm never wanes, but he starts to believe that these places are ‘his’ and not for the sharing of others. Today’s walk was a pattern interrupt and it worked really well.
But something else was different today too. It was much cooler than it has been of late. So much so that I wore a hoodie for the first time in a while. And honestly, I loved it. Calm dog, cooler temperatures. A dream. Surrounded by trees, squirrels jumping from branch to branch and the birds singing.
It was like a scene from Disney. A sign that autumn isn’t far away. And with the autumn, the arrival of new students and their view of us. We’ve gone through the new fitness test a couple of times and we’re working for next month’s gradings. The summer, although not gone for sure, is passing by. Some people will be on their holidays, but September and all it offers beckons.
I know some people love the summer, but sweating from morning to night, through the night and repeating has never been my favourite. Being able to take Sabat out more because it’s not too hot for him is good. And there is a whole host of seminars to attend and host which is more get togethers and more learning and teaching. September is a false New Year and I’m looking forward to it already.
See you in class.
Andy

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AG's Martial Arts Centre, Tailby House, Bath Road
Kettering
NN168NL

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Tuesday 6pm - 9pm
Thursday 6pm - 9pm
Sunday 6pm - 8pm

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