Personal Profile:

DAVE BRIGGS, MSMA

I was born on the 24 January, 1968 at Kings Mill hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. I was the first of two boys born to my parents. My childhood was a fairly happy one, although from as young as I can remember, I never really got on with Father. He was a very impatient man who continually criticized any effort I made to attempt anything, no matter how menial. Fortunately his work took away from home much of the time, so any contact with him was usually short. At such a young age, this attitude severely damaged my self-esteem and confidence to say the least. My school work suffered an unfavourable change of direction, and my general attitude towards authority was to be affected quite dramatically.

My martial arts training, which I began at the tender age of seven, gave me at least a little respite from his demeaning behaviour. It was my escape to a place that gave me a sense of belonging and personal gratification. Like many young, impressionable children, I looked up to my instructor, in total awe at his ability and the way he projected an almost 'super-human' image. I vividly remember day-dreaming about standing there, in front of my own class of students. I never thought I would ever actually achieve anything close to this stature, not a kid like me. As far as I was concerned I just didn't have what it took to reach that stature.

Right from an early age I was always a bit of a loner and this didn't help me when I entered the education system. During much of my school years I was the victim of intense bullying, by children, younger, as well as older than myself. It was a very harrowing time for me. Looking back on it now, I can appreciate how children can get to such severe depths of desperation and helplessness. Because of the negative influence my father had had on me, I had been literally forced into a victim status. As a result I hated school, English was the only subject I enjoyed, especially writing stories. I was often disruptive in class, frequently being disciplined by teachers for various infringements.

The bullying continued until the age of about fourteen. To say that I was miserable with such consistent behaviour would be an under-estimation. I was constantly playing truant from school and I had withdrawn into myself, avoiding contact with anyone outside my immediate family. I had finally reached a point where I felt that I could take no more. I literally exploded. I retaliated against many of my antagonists. In the space of a few short weeks I faced many of my adversaries - with brutal effects. I very nearly ended up being expelled from school for fracturing another boy's skull. Ironically, the English teacher, who was aware of the bullying situation, spoke up for me and got me a reprieve. Having such a turbulent time during the last years of my schooling took a toll on my education. I finished school as a relative 'under-achiever' (oh how I wish I could get those days back).

After being the victim of bullying and torment for so long, I transformed into something I never thought I could be, a person with confidence. This dramatic turn-around very nearly sent me to the other extreme. I got to the stage where I wouldn't take any kind of antagonist behaviour directed towards me. By the time I was eighteen I was fighting regularly, nearly every weekend. Fuelled by displaced anger, I became an aggressive and almost uncontrollable individual. The only thing that I adhered to, discipline-wise, was my martial arts training. Fortunately (for me) I un-knowingly managed to channel the majority of my aggression into my training. I firmly believe today that without the self-discipline and positive influence given to me by my involvement in the martial arts, I would have no doubt that my future would have been a dark one to say the least.

Throughout my teenage years I had numerous incidents involving the police, all aggression related episodes. It wasn't until I was faced with the possibility of going to prison that I realised I had to take control of my life. It was at this point that I stopped drinking, which was also a definite contributing factor to my displacement of anger, and started to steer my life in a more positive direction (much to the pleasure of my loyal mother). I really began to focus on my martial arts. It was the first time in my life that I felt that I was actually accomplishing something worthwhile. This remarkable change of attitude was the beginning of a journey that has brought me much knowledge and life enhancing attributes.

To date I have studied a myriad of styles, systems and disciplines. These have included different styles of Karate and Kung Fu, Ju-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Judo, Thai, Western Boxing, JKD Concepts, Wrestling, Shootwrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and elements of Kali.