Fred Rado

Carl talks to Fred Rado; French Ambassador for Pancrase and Savate in the UK, 18 February 2001

Carl Fisher : Thanks for taking the time to come down Fred. Just to start off I believe you've been over to Japan recently, can you tell us a bit about that please?

Fred Rado : Yeah, I went there to 10 days, I came back a couple of days ago. I went to do a Savate seminar and at the same time there was Pancrase Proof 2001, so I went there just to see the show and have a chat with all the people and see how we can promote it in Europe.

Carl Fisher : How is Pancrase going in the UK?

Fred Rado : It’s OK. We are starting a lot to do with the promotion work, now we are looking at the federation and we're starting a European ranking. So when we want to have a representative from each country and they are in charge of the ranking per country, so it will be easier to send fighters to Japan.

Carl Fisher : How many clubs are there in the UK now?

Fred Rado : There is only one, but we are looking for people interested in setting up Pancrase, and they can contact me for more details.

Carl Fisher : What are the weight categories you use at the moment?

Fred Rado : The last event I did, I was just trying to match people with the same weight. Basically with just +/- 3 kilos between them, but on match events we do under 70, 80, 90 and over 90 kilos. We never do more weight division, at the moment it isn't popular enough to do more than 60, 65, 70 kilos.

Carl Fisher : Where is the club in London?

Fred Rado : We train here at the Sobell Leisure centre on Tuesday evening 8.30 - 10.30 and Saturday afternoons from 2 - 4.

Carl Fisher : Do you have any seminars lined up to spread the word of Pancrase?

Fred Rado : Yes, next weekend I'm going to Belfast, and I'm busy fixing Savate seminars and Pancrase seminars. The way I teach and the way I compete I use both techniques and mixing and matching techniques can be very useful and can be adapted to your own style.

Carl Fisher : When did you first come over to England?

Fred Rado : 1996. First I am a musician and I used to work with a band and it was easier to play here, I used to run clubs in France and so I started here.

Carl Fisher : How was the year 2000 for you?

Fred Rado : 2000 was busy but we started with Pancrase and Savate in London. We had a problem with Savate so we had to move to a different venue, the club was closing down you know. It isn't easy because you have to move all your timetables and change people's classes. Response from Pancrase was good from audiences and fighters, the atmosphere was good. We plan to do more this year. We had one pro-event, that was good for the fighters and the audience, everyone loved it. The Savate was very high but not really busy enough.

Carl Fisher : Are you going to concentrate more on amateur Pancrase?

Fred Rado : No because the formula for both is different for people so you have to watch an amateur one and then a pro one and I think we have to keep them both. Its good for the pro one to have the amateurs, they show each other what to expect and if you like it you can go straight to the pro one. A lot of people come here and want to fight one the pro one but I teach them first because you don't have any strikes to the face and it’s a bit easier to start with. Basic contact and you have to work hard on your skills, it’s a good step.

Carl Fisher : What is your current training program?

Fred Rado : Well I've just had surgery on each knee and they're just starting to get right so I'm starting to put a bit of pressure on them and they seem OK.

Carl Fisher : So you're just getting back from that really?

Fred Rado : Yeah, in Japan I did a lot of training and they seemed fine, but one of them is still a bit "dodgy" - but I'm not telling you which one (haha) - you have a 50% chance of finding it straight away, but I would like to compete in the Kick-boxing or Thai-boxing, just to be back in the ring, just to feel the sensation again.

Carl Fisher : What was it like in Japan?

Fred Rado : A lot of training and business meetings to see how we can promote Pancrase in Europe. All the top fighters working for the show were there training and we saw how they worked. I did a Savate seminar and a Savate defence seminar - because as you know they are different. Everyone was pleased, and I had a good report from the audience.

Carl Fisher : So it was beneficial for you, and there's good things coming to the UK?

Fred Rado : Yeah, Yeah.

Carl Fisher : Is the UK ready for Savate yet?

Fred Rado : We are starting now with the British Federation. We are in charge of the British Team, we're ready to compete, we did it last year and we went to the World Cup in June and we have plenty of work to do, but Savate is new here and we just have to work at it.

Carl Fisher : With the Savate, do you just have the club in London?

Fred Rado : No we have 300 in numbers in the UK.

Carl Fisher : Who do you admire in Mixed Martial Arts in the UK?

Fred Rado : at the moment in Mixed Martial Arts the people with big potential are Danny Rushton, Mark Weir, Gary Saunders…People in the UK are working harder training and have more experience through competitions.

Carl Fisher : Are you a believer in cross-training then?

Fred Rado : Yes, you always need to cross-train, just as you need to do a proper program to be best at your own sport. You need progression and you have to plan for the whole year, and that's the mistake often made, someone will work on a strength program another on a speed program but working together it's best, some people think they are training hard but if they are not cross-training they are putting too much stress on their bodies and end up with injuries.

Carl Fisher : Plans for the future Fred?

Fred Rado : The future is to promote Savate and pancrase and hold plenty of seminars. For me, just to be back in the ring, if I have time for that. I've done it a few times lately but I haven't been happy and I've told people the next time I step in the ring I want to be ready.

Carl Fisher : Thanks for your time Fred and the best of luck to you.

Fred Rado : Thank you Carl.

Carl Fisher ADCC Europe

 

 

Home | SFUK Forum | back to interviews