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Tom Nicholson Interview with MAI Magazine Part 2
Picking up from where we left on Friday. Today we bring you the second part of Tom's interview with Martial Arts Illustrated Mag.
For those of you who missed the first part you can read it here .
MAI: What was your greatest tournament achievement?
Tom: Two memories stand head and shoulders above the rest - the first being the Irish Open in 1997. That was my last competition as a junior and I won Gold for light continuous, Gold in Special Technique and Silver in Patterns (traditional forms). That earnt me Best Overall Competitor for that weekend. I also won European Bronze in Benidorm in 2001 representing the England team. That was a great tournament for us - a moment I’ll never forget. I’m returning to the Irish Open with my own team (Proaction International) in early Feb, so I hope to bring you some reports then.
So are you still involved in competition?
Yes, but on a different level. I will be competing in my BJJ, but as for TKD, I am concentrating on coaching right now. We have some awesome guys coming through, and we’re hoping for big things from the clubs. I also promoted ‘MAtournament’ last year which was a closed club event for charity - we had over 200 competitors and raised over £5K for the two chosen charities. We’ll be running that event again this year, and this time inviting a few friends along too.
And you say you’ve moved in to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lately?
Yeah, but this one’s for me - not for teaching. I’m training privately with Zé Marcello, who was mentioned in your pages last month. Zé is amazing. He was world champion in 1997 and still has such great passion for his art. To share a training mat with him and the likes of some of his students is a real honour and BJJ is nothing like anything I’ve ever done before. I plan to enter my first competition in March, so we’ll see...
What’s it like starting over again in something so completely different?
To use one of Zé Marcello’s words ‘ammaazing!’ Every time I open my gym bag I see my white belt - that hasn’t happened for a long time. It reminds me to think, train and act like a white belt in the training hall. It reminds me to train and teach with the passion a white belt has - the desire to learn and soak up the information and techniques like a sponge. It reminds me of the passion martial arts has instilled in me over the years - I love it.
And what about your teaching - you’re doing this full time now?
Yes, that ‘little once per week club’ I started back in 2003 is now a full time business with eleven instructors (three full time), over 500 members, and operates across three counties (Proaction Martial Arts). I teach three days a week (plus 1.5 hours on a Thursday) and I’ve never been happier. We completely shut down for two weeks at Christmas, plus I train with the world’s highest ranked officials in ITF at least once every year at the ITF International Instructors Courses. I’m fortunate to have a fantastic team of instructors. They’re all great and bring so much to the classes. I believe we have a great atmosphere and culture within all the classes and it’s largely down to our great team.
How did the clubs grow like that?
I have had my own business in the past and am happy to say that things have gone pretty well for me. This is what I feel I can really offer martial arts school owners nowadays - my USP if you like... I have applied my business knowledge and processes to my clubs and they’ve thrived. Don’t get me wrong - I NEVER let my standards slip - my instructors will tell you that. I keep my standards high and the person at the front of the class needs the knowledge and the passion to make it, but some of the business techniques and marketing I have applied have paid dividends. I could teach these skills to anyone.
Instructor training - is that what you offer?
Not just that, the whole school package. My CIT programme is being re-written this year. This is something I’ve done every other year since the clubs began, and I’m sure this one will be better than ever. But, the training is intensive. To give you an idea, I had 18 sign up for my latest CIT, but only 6 have made it to the end. The others haven’t left - they just haven’t made it yet. They have opportunities to ‘freeze’ their learning, and many, I’m sure, will be back on later courses, but it’s not a ‘walk in the park’ course - only the best will make it through. The new course will take a shorter time, but will be even more intense!
Don't miss the third and final part of this exciting interview where show talks about his plans for the future.