www.Longfei-Taiji.co.uk	Longfei Taijiquan Association of Great Britain
		Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 3

Boxing with the best: a seminar with Tommy Thompson

On 4 April a seminar was held with the legendary boxing advisor Tommy Thompson for the students of the UK Quan Fa Academy and Longfei Taijiquan Association. Ten of the club's students travelled up to join Simon Watson and his students for a two-and-a-half-hour training session with the man behind the pads for the likes of Prince Naseem Hamed to single out one of a long list of all time great boxers.

From the start the seminar, based on Tommy and business partner Rakesh (Rocky) Sondhi's TVP course, went over in fine detail the intricacies of the basics of boxing. Touching on three of the 15 points of their syllabus all students were quickly reminded what it is like to be a beginner again. Rocky's very descriptive teaching along with Tommy's illustrative demonstrations of techniques, plus the added bit of sarcasm, made it easy to absorb what was being asked of us, without overloading one's brain with new techniques and names. One by one Tommy worked his way round the group during the session, correcting techniques (including pad holding techniques). Every one came away feeling they had learned something to add to their martial art.

TVP stands for technique

variety and predicability,

or more accurately, the lack of it

We want to make you an

unpredictable fighter

	      Rocky

The TVP course which stands for technique, variety, predictability is aimed at doing just that. The 15 points encourage the practitioner to learn the craft of boxing using the practices devised and laid out by Rocky and Tommy employing a variety of methods. Once the muscle memory is laid and you can perform them correctly it works on making you unpredictable as a boxer. This, Tommy said, was what makes a boxer great, often referring to Prince Naseem Hamed's ability to relax and yet hit with immense power, stick like glue to his opponent and use his footwork to great ability. He was also keen to point out that the key to his success was that he was so unpredictable in the ring. While I don't think any of us came away feeling "unpredictable" we all could see what Tommy meant in his simple yet concise explanation, and the seed of something new had been planted in our martial brains - something more to think about.

There are plans to get Tommy and Rocky down to Hertfordshire from Nottiingham again in 6-8 weeks time to continue the TVP sessions. For now though, those that attended will be training their newly-added angle of looking at martial practice the seminar has given them. I'm sure if you ask any of them they will recommend you book a place for the next one. I think David summed it up when he said that training with Tommy blew him away, for £30.00 you really couldn't get any better tuition with a deeper well of knowledge in the beautiful science that is boxing. If you get yourself on one seminar this year, make sure its this one.

Paul Woodger

Longfei Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 3 Table of Contents