Christopher Allen TMA

**SnickersUK** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 9:04am

Hi All,

I have been sprawling the forum for a while but this is my first time posting. I have been incredibly impressed by the investigation work carried out by individuals on the forum to weed out fraudsters that damage the reputation of martial arts.

I am very suspicious of a teacher in my local area who seems to talk the business but from what I have seen in his videos doesn't live up to it. He seems to have many students and I am genuinely worried about what he is teaching them with regards to how they may approach a self defence situation. I know from my own personal experience how people can be brainwashed in to believing they can defend themselves and make a bad situation worse...

Here is a link to his website with his qualifications http://www.ukma.org/instructors.asp

http://www.youtube.com/user/TringMartialArts

I'm interested to know what peoples first impressions are?

Cheers,

SnickersUK

**Asriel** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 11:04am

This is a better video for getting an idea of how they're training and it's not good

http://www.youtube.com/user/TringMar.../1/tJTVnYFTtWY

**SnickersUK** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 11:24am

http://www.corporatemartialarts.com/Staff.asp

6th Degree Oriental Martial Arts
5th Degree Master of Tai Chi
3rd Degree Black Belt in Kickboxing
3rd Degree Krav Maga Instructor (self defence)
1st Dan Black Belt in Judo
Appointed Persons First Aid Training (expires 2012)
Enhanced CRB Clearance

Christopher has represented the UK on three seperate occasions, achieving a Bronze Medal at the European Kickboxing Championship in 2005.

Anyone able to verify this?

**Larus marinus** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 2:28pm

Originally Posted by SnickersUK

http://www.corporatemartialarts.com/Staff.asp

6th Degree Oriental Martial Arts
5th Degree Master of Tai Chi
3rd Degree Black Belt in Kickboxing
3rd Degree Krav Maga Instructor (self defence)
1st Dan Black Belt in Judo
Appointed Persons First Aid Training (expires 2012)
Enhanced CRB Clearance

Christopher has represented the UK on three seperate occasions, achieving a Bronze Medal at the European Kickboxing Championship in 2005.

Anyone able to verify this?

Right... initial thoughts...

6th Degree Oriental Martial Arts - meaningless without further elaboration

5th Degree Master of Tai Chi - I don't think that Tai Chi generally uses 'degrees' of rank (though I note that he doesn't actually say 'black belt' or 'dan'). Can't say for certain that some schools/orgs don't though.

3rd Degree Black Belt in Kickboxing - meaningless without further elaboration

3rd Degree Krav Maga Instructor (self defence) - should be checkable

1st Dan Black Belt in Judo - There is a Christopher Allen listed in the BJA's database, but according to the records, he is a 2nd Dan.

Link: http://www.britishjudo.org.uk/techni...e=&number=3241

Might be the same person - may be the case that the website hasn't been updated in ages. The 'about the instructors' page seems to be the same now as it was in 2008 - http://web.archive.org/web/201008161...nstructors.asp If he's a 2nd Dan now, that's something really good and a plus point for his school. The sort of thing that folks would want to know...

Bronze Medal at the European Kickboxing Championship in 2005 - anyone know which KB org runs this? Google is inconclusive.

**Larus marinus** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 2:47pm

Re: the krav

According to
http://www.ukma.org/kravmaga.asp
Mr Allen has lineage in KM under Moni Aizik and has split off from Commando Krav Maga to form his own group.

Now, I know very little about internal Krav Maga politics - but according to the British Krav Maga Association, to say that Mr. Aizik isn't particularly well thought-of by them would be an understatement...

See:
http://www.realitybasedtraining.co.u...-commando.html

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 3:27pm

Moni Azik, Commando Krav Maga - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

Commando Krav Maga - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

Combat Krav Maga vs Krav Maga - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

**Larus marinus** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 6:02pm

So, I searched commandokravmaga.com for Christopher Allen's name and I found something rather disquieting on the forums...

From
http://www.commandokravmaga.com/foru...8b165530f27f43

BobH
Certified CKM Instructor

Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Tring, hertfordshire UK

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:06 pm Post subject: What training should I do for a CKM Course???

Can anyone help? I've signed up for the CKM Training course in October in the UK, I currently train in Kickboxing and am running 3 times per week, mainly to shed excess weight and am in the gym doing strength exercises such as squats, power cleans, back work etc. can anyone give me any advice as to how I should adapt my training to suit the CKM course??

From
http://www.commandokravmaga.com/foru...6e9f1cde55addf

BobH
Certified CKM Instructor

Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Tring, hertfordshire UK

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:06 am Post subject:

I too reallly enjoyed the course and can't wait to see the photos and get my courses off the ground, thanks to all who took part!!

Chris Allen
UKMA

From
http://www.commandokravmaga.com/foru...e5db02fd39c0d9

BobH
Certified CKM Instructor

Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Tring, hertfordshire UK

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:16 pm Post subject: slagging off ckm

Hey I agree with you it aint right , especially when CKM is so successful - personally I think its jealousy!

Only the other day I was sent an email annomously from someone claiming I was a fake and that I had upset a lot of people - ooeerrr!

All I can say is, that I've just closed off my second public CKM course and have now got 40 students on board so I must be a fake right?!

Let these other people burn themselves out, we'll get on with teaching!

Chris
_________________
Christopher Allen
Chief Instructor / Director
UK Martial Arts Ltd

So, if I'm reading this correctly, he went on the CKM training course in October 2008, was teaching CKM and had 40 students by December 2008 and is now a 3rd Degree blackbelt in Krav? That sound like a rather quick ascent to anyone else here?

(screencaps of the forum posts in context have been taken for posterity)

**searcher66071** · Posted On: 8/16/2010 9:40pm

Snickers-if you want this to go any further, you need more information on his qualifications. I watched most of the videos on his youtube account and they are sad at best(and I am being generous with calling it sad). I just do not understand how this guy has any students at all. We need more information on him before anyone can go forward.

Initial impressions are that he is a fraud, but more infromation is needed.

**Larus marinus** · Posted On: 8/17/2010 5:55pm

Okay, so I looked into Mr. Allen's Tai Chi qualifications, with regards to being a 5th Degree Master of Tai Chi under Shihan Jon Alexander (9th Degree) and a registered instructor with the 'Alexander Tai Chi Foundation and National Council for Oriental Martial Arts'.

I discovered this cached version of a page from zenshinbudokai.co.uk:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=uk

(screencap included below as the Google cache is transitory)

I would appear that Mr. Alexander offers intensive, 'fast-track' courses in various arts, such as KATANA, GOJU KARATE, BOJU, SAI, KYUDO, TAI-CHI-CHUAN, WING-CHUN, KICKBOXING, FREE STYLE KARATE, FILIPINO ARTS and TAI-CHI SWORD.

Note the blurb:

Originally Posted by the above site

Just imagine
YOU

could become a
Professional, Fully Qualified Martial Arts Instructor
running your
OWN

Part/Full Time Martial Arts Academy
in your area.
YOU

could be earning a living and
providing a valuable public service by this time next month.
?WHY?
stick in that boring, repetitive
mind numbing job one moment longer than you need to.
The Martial Arts World needs your expertise and experience.
YOU

could be the Founder and Chief Instructor
of the next World-wide Martial Arts style.
TAKE ACTION!
BE DECISIVE!

This is another, older site associated with Mr. Alexander, pulled from the Internet Archive, which makes much the same claims:
http://web.archive.org/web/200801241....uk/index.html

Screenie (from 2008):

Though I'm sceptical that one can really become proficient enough to instruct any MA from a intensive, fast track, 1-4 day course, I have no proof whatsoever that Mr. Allen obtained his qualifications in this manner and is not, in fact a long-term student of Mr. Alexander who has indeed 'worked his butt off' for years to learn his chosen art.

I do note, however that on the archived copy of the martial-arts-teacher-training.co.uk site from 2008, Mr. Allen is listed in Mr. Alexander's own black belt registry as holding Tai Chi Chuan - 1st Degree at that point in time.
EDIT: Link...
http://web.archive.org/web/200801241...structors.html

(screencap with Mr Allen's entry highlighted)

First degree to 5th degree (plus a '6th Degree in Oriental Martial Arts', also awarded by Jon Alexander) in two years or so seems rather quick to me, assuming that the 2008 website was up to date - but that's merely my non-expert opinion, based on what I have in front of me at present.