1 - 5 Modules
The 1 - 5 Modules within the Fighting Fit Freestyle system was an evolutionary process through Bob Jones' experiences and martial development. Below is a brief explantion of the history of Fighting Fit - Freestyle and eventual development of BJC Freestyle-Modern.
BJC MUAY THAI™ Fighting
The 1 - 5 system was originally developed by Bob Jones to help enhance the training of full contact Muay Thai fighters. Every weapon (hands, kicks, elbows & knees) was grouped into sets of five techniques to simplify drilling procedures and create a better system of communications between trainer and fighter during a contest.
The system was developed in 1995 to prepare Ben Hamilton (Heavyweight) and Michael Kenna (Welterweight) who were competitors at 'The Crowning', a kickboxing event held at the then Glasshouse in Melbourne.
This system was then adopted to enhance the training procedures of BJC students within both Zen Do Kai and BJC MUAY THAI™ .
BJC Shoot-Fighting
Well before the introduction of Brazillian Jujitsu on Australian shores, Bob Jones began the full contact ring sports known as Shootkarate and Shootwrestling. The term 'Shoot' mean to take your opponent down off their feet by means of a throw or takedown.
Shootkarate rules allowed contestants to compete without gloves in a 'Boxing Ring' using hand strikes (closed fist or open hand), kicks, elbows and knees. Hand , elbow and knee techniques could not be used to strike the head. They could also at any opportune time 'Shoot' their oppponent and even follow through with what Bob termed as a 'Bunker Shot', which is to use only one well timed hand strike to the chest of the felled opponent. The term was used by Bob in reference to how WWII war planes would drop bombs on bunkers - when an opponent was 'Shot', their first instinct is to protect themselves while on the ground, they would create their 'bunker' by closing in both arms protecting the face and chest area. The more dominate open would have to step over, rip open the arms/bunker and drop a shot on the chest of their felled opponent to score a crowd pleasing and high scoring shot.
Shootwrestling rules saw two contestants using all of the above with the exception of hand strikes. However, when the dominant contestant shot their opponent, rather then strike their opponents 'bunker', they would seek to follow their opponent to the ground in an attempt to make the person submit. Once on the ground, dominance was sought by using immobilisation techniques soon followed by submission techniques such as anti-joint locks, chokes or strangulations.
Bob saw the benefits of this type of training and promoted the system on regular self defence segments on Bert Newton's Good Morning Australia program.
BJC MUAY THAI™ , Shootkarate and Shootwrestling all rose in popularity amongst the higher ranks of the BJC, helping them to enhance their class training drills and 'fite nite' shows around the country saw eager and regular contestants compete using either Thai or Shoot fighting rules.
Each system was advancing at a rapid rate using training drills to suit their system of fighting.
Martial Arts Marketing
It was in 1997 that Bob Jones began to work on a 'door to door' martial arts marketing project. However to kick start this project, he sought to develop a new BJC system where students would learn a martial art without forms or patterns. This new system became known as 'Fighting Fit'.
The first 'Fighting Fit' club was opened at Tullamarine Primary School by Michael Kenna with the help of Barry and Michelle Greenwood and some eager BJC students. The Tullamarine club was successful established with students who were introduced by the marketing program. The second 'Fighting Fit' club was soon opened in Bundoora at Parade Seconday College by Joe Defrancesco.
Fighting Fit consisted of three programs:
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Kidz Fit
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Fighting Fit - Freestyle; and
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Fighting Fit Kickboxing
All programs had grading systems established where students would more through 5 coloured belts being Yellow, Orange, Blue, Green, Brown before progressing through the 10 Black Belt degrees. Each coloured belt stage became known as a 'module' where students would learn a mesh between muay thai and the shoot fighting systems perviously discussed. After Black Belt, students would then learn 'Lull Before the Storm' - the one and only Fighting Fit form.
Although 'Fighting Fit' had a strong following by those that had established it or joined during it's inception other BJC instructors did not feel the need to adopt another Bob Jones Martial Art. However, it remained constant with Fighting Fit students continuing to persist and develop themselves. BJC MUAY THAI™ also continued to flourish especially in our country Victoria areas, but the shoot fighting systems began to decline in popularity at fite nites.
Insurance Hassells
In 2002, Bob Jones wrote and published his book 'Let The Good Times Roll' and it was in this same year that a series of world-wide disasters occured.
Terrorism and vandalism were at the media's forefront with the September 11 attack on the New Yorks World Trade Centre and the fire that threatened to destroy Australia's Capital Territory, Canberra.
These events amongst many other disasters had an impact on insurance that saw almost any disaster as possible and inevitably inflated their rates to astronomical proportions.
This effectively moved insurance companies to look at martial arts that relied on training activities such as 'sparring', a practice that in their eyes was 'high risk'.
As we all know BJMA instructors supervise these practices with professionalism, control and without injury to our students, but to the insurance 'pen pushers' this was an excuse to make more money and therefore rates were sent sky high.
Worse yet, martial sports such as Muay Thai, Boxing and even Brazillian Jujitsu could not even apply for insurance causing many local BJC MUAY THAI™ clubs to close their doors for risk of an accident occurring while they did not have public liability.
More turmoil came later for BJC clubs when the cost of student accident cover was also inflated and made unaffordable to the BJC Headqarters. Each club instructor would then have to apply for their own student accident cover on top of their public liability insurance.
Fighting Fit - 2003
Bob Jones did not want his clubs to close and advised the BJC MUAY THAI™ instructors that there was an alternative - Fighting Fit Freestyle.
After almost 7 years of laying dormant, Fighting Fit was about to flourish as Bob Jones with the assistance of Michael Kenna completed a 'new' Fighting Fit curriculum.
The new system would adopt and encapsulate the personal training techniques of Bob Jones and move into his desired direction in preparation for the next millenium.
He felt that it was time for a 'modern'* freestyle martial art, one that would be pure self defence, create a new awareness and would appeal to the attitudes of today's society.
Fighting Fit Freestyle would adopt the moniker of BJC Freestyle 'Modern', while Zen Do Kai with it's 30 year heritage and 9 forms (aka Kata) would be thought of as the BJC Freestyle 'Traditional'.
This time each body-weapon was divided up and allocated to a coloured belt 'module' and black belts would study Bob's new training techniques known as EPC (Enter, Pass, Control).
Module Explanations
The following are basic explantions for each coloured module within the Fighting Fit Freestyle system.
Module 1 - Yellow Belt
The White Belt has his/her identification card marked in ‘Ten' (10) individual squares, then add assessment date in the Yellow – Module 1 section as they achieve Yellow Belt .
This assessment identifies each practitioners boxing (hand) skills. After ten (10) one hour lessons , the student will have learned many things – I am concerned only with their offensive/defensive boxing skills at this point in their training.
Module 2 - Orange Belt
The Yellow Belt must have another ‘Fifteen' (15) lessons to prepare and test for Orange Belt .
This assessment is to identify a 25% improvement in their boxing skills. Plus the focus of this assessment is their understanding of ‘Clockface' – Orthodox/Southpaw offensive/defensive kicking drills.
Module 3 - Blue Belt
The Orange Belt must have another ‘Twenty' (20) lessons to prepare and test for Blue Belt . This assessment is to identify a marked improvement in their boxing skills. I expect a 25% improvement in the Clockface Kicking Drills. Plus the focus of this assessment is their understanding of grappling plus elbow/knee offense and defence drills.
Module 4 - Green Belt
The Blue Belt must have another ‘Twenty Five' (25) lessons to prepare and test for Green Belt. This assessment is to check the progression of their boxing. To check for a marked improvement in kicking drills. At least 25% improvement in grappling – elbows/knees. Plus the focus of this assessment is their understanding of their ability to ‘Enter' and set up the 1-5 throws.
PS. Whenever training without mats the throws will be set up just short of the opponents balance being broken.
Module 5 - Brown Belt
The Green Belt must have another ‘Thirty' (30) lessons to prepare and test for Brown Belt. At the brown Belt assessment the student is expected to have impeccable boxing attack and evasion skills. They will be meticulously checked on their clockface kicking drills.
There is expected to be a vast improvement over all the other coloured Belts kicking technique. There should be a marked improvement in their grappling – elbows/knees.
Again that 25% expectation of extra ability in their entering and set up of the 1-5 throwing techniques (same principle of mats/no mats applies). Plus the focus on this assessment is their understanding of their ability to apply the Fighting Fit 1 – 5 submissions (locks and strangles).
At this point of acquiring their Brown Belt, our student has clocked up exactly one hundred (100) training sessions and they have come up to their ‘Crossroads' .
‘This Stepping Off' time in their martial arts training must be accompanied by a serious lifelong commitment to themselves not to stray off the path (beyond this point you may stop training – but you can never drop-out).
One hundred training sessions at twice a week (allowing for approximately 25% missing sessions ie. Ill health, overtime, exam-studies, boyfriend/girlfriend etc) it will take the average student 15 – 18 months to make Brown Belt.
Approximately another 15 – 18 months is average time achieving three (3) individual Black Bars in readiness to attempt the Coveted Black Belt Grading.