Martial Arts training for me started in 1963, soon after I’d been mugged by a group of guys at Glenelg in Adelaide. I didn’t cop much physical damage – but they did get cash of me. I determined that I needed to train in something that gave me a multi-opponent capability. Then I was going to hunt them down and avenge myself. I started off going along with my Dad, who had CORE CONCEPTS OF BAC FU DO KUNG FU been a pretty handy boxer in his day (twice Bantamweight champion of the British Army many years ago) and who was now training in Judo at the Kangaroo Judo & Karate Society in Adelaide. The Sensei was a former British Army NCO, Moss Hollis, who had a background in unarmed combat, Judo, Ju Jutsu and Karate.

The instructor’s attitude was “If it doesn’t work, we won’t use it” and constantly sought out better ways of doing things – and didn’t care where he pirated something from, as long as it was useful. His pragmatic outlook had a huge influence on my own development over the years. However, after training in the Japanese arts for some years, I began to realise that they weren’t really for me.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Kung Fu in the late 60s. I trained in Choy Lay Fut, Northern Shaolin, Monkey Boxing, Hung Gar etc. at that time, then afterwards to Wing Chun and White Crane. What sort of things did you take into consideration when you developed your own style, Bac Fu Do? “What skills do I really need to survive violent encounters?” “What skills do I have now and what do I need to work further on?” “What’s the best way of developing those skills?” Then, having identified a skills gap, I’d look around for someone who was very good in the aspects that I needed to develop. I also did a bit of time in the Australian Army and this contributed to a certain mind set. I looked at things from the perspective of “Who am I likely to end up fighting?” – and, in those early days of Australian martial arts, that meant other styles of martial art, boxers, wrestlers and members of the general public.

I’ve met quite a few martial artists who go along to a boxing or wrestling gym and become boxers or wrestlers – in other words, they actually adopt boxing or wrestling tactics. I think that’s the wrong way to go – you are NEVER going to beat any sort of experienced combatant by trying to use his own tactics against him. You’ve all seen these shows where some idiot trains for a couple of weeks in Muay Thai or BJJ or whatever, then takes on a Master level practitioner. Thats a certain path to serious brain injury. My own theory is that you suss out what your opponent can do do - then figure out how you can beat him by applying tactics that you have spent all those years perfecting. NEVER, fight the other guy’s fight!!

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