| Paddy
Durkin
"Durkin on the other hand
comes out of his corner with the kind of look of religious mentalist you meet
on the tube in London. Un-nerving...." - MB 5 report Durkin's
is the story of what you can do if you have the hunger to cross train anywhere
you can find it, and teach yourself from tapes and experimentation. From pavement
scraps to a silver medal at the International Grappling Championships in Florida
and representing a 4th degree Gracie Black Belt in England. 25
October 2003
In
his own words..... My
D.O.B is 15.2.69. I am 34. My height is 6'3" and my weight fluctuates between
13.5 and 14 stone. My
club is called Ainsdale
Combat Club, it is a building built at the back at my house, by me and the
lads who train here. There are a number of different coaches that have helped
me.
My first lesson about grappling was whilst working as a doorman in Southport.
Me and a Manchester guy where in seeing eye to eye. A straightener as we went
to it. As the scrap started I landed a good left jab; almost a fight ender as
I teed up for a big right hand. I was taken down with what I now know as a double
leg. I went down heavily and i still remember the wind being taken out of me.
For about the next about 15 minutes. I was rolling around standing up getting
taken down again. It was only my stamina and I think what Jamie O'keefe describes
as biting fighting that enabled me to wear him out. As often happens me and the
guy became friends afterwards. He told me he was a wrestler and had wrestled in
the British championships on a number of occasions. He
started coaching me in my boxing club, but I went to prison about a month later
and never saw him again. His name was Pete Go. I hope he's doing well. Good luck
to him - this was in 1992. Yes, before the first UFC. I knew from my street fights
you had to know grappling aswell as stand up but I went back boxing and forgot
about grappling. It wasn't until i think about 1999 when a friend brought around
some UFC tapes and said to me "why dont you have a go at this I think you may
be good". I always got the Martial arts mag searching for a coach but none where
close to me. One fella told me to go to a judo place. So I started in southport
around this time, also I bought some instructional tapes and grappled with boxers
I was coaching, Paul Lawler and Richard Hughes. There
wasn't anyone at the judo club that could give me a go, I was told about Aspull
in wigan. The coach there would teach me submission. so me Paul Lawler and Richard
Hughes went down there. Roy
Wood is the coach there and a master of catch wrestling. He wouldn't teach
me submission until I could take someone down and control them. He mainly taught
freestyle now. Whilst training there I met Joey Kelly and Paul
Cahoon. These two started to help me. Paul was busy travelling but still showed
me some good stuff. Me and Joe Kelly started to work on submission on a daily
basis. Joe
then told me to give Shane Rigby a call to get more coaching. I rang him and he
started to coach me at atherton near to mancheter. He is a brilliant wrestler
and coach, you should seek him out if you can. Again shane was a busy and put
me into one of his submission coaches. He is one of the best blokes and coaches
you will ever meet. Jack
Mountford is da man. Jack is assisted by Darren Morris and he is the nearest thing
you will ever meet to the incredible hulk. Him and shane have both helped me,
a real lot. The
first MMA competition I entered was run by the grappling styles international
at Stoke, it was called the National Grappling Championships. It was the submission
fighting class. No striking to the head and no striking at all on the ground.
I was beaten by a judo lad in the final with a rear neck choke when I went for
an ankle lock, I was pleased with my first medal though. After this I went to
Andy Jardines gym after this and he recommended N.H.B. I
fought in Millennium Brawl 5
where I fought Danny Brennan and almost knocked him out straight away with a cracking
left hook. but he got in a good knee and bust my nose he got around the back and
choked me out. In
april 2002 I fought in Millennium
brawl 6 - the cage. I fought one of Ian Freeman's students Rob Walton. it
was a 15 min draw. After
this I continued training with a bad cauliflower ear, it started in the bout and
should of been rested. when I got it right after the operation, I injured my back.
but when I got that sorted, I dedicated my self to training like never before.
I still trained bits with Jack Mountford, Roy Wood and Darren Morris. I have also
trained with Allan Carlisle and Matty
Clempner these are also both great coaches and trainers. Anyone who thinks
that groundwork is radically different or interior to BJJ should seek Allan Carlisle
out.
Training
for the International Grappling Championships on Kissemee Florida on Sept.
27th 2003. I dropped almost all of my stroking training. My training week was
like this- Monday
2:00pm heavyweights session including squat, bench press, bent row-all with barbells,
curls and triceps pressdowns on cable. straight after a shadow wrestling drills
that consist of shrimping, shoots, sprawls, sit thrus, arm bar escapes e.t.c.
Monday
7:00pm Stand up striking and avoiding, avoiding takedowns with my stand up coach
Mick smith , a dan grade in okinawan goju-ryu, ex boxer, kick-boxer and sport
jiu -jitsu competitor. Tuesday
2:00pm the same shadow wrestling drills i have described, plus a technical grappling
session with Paul Lawler, Mick Smith, Joe Kelly and everyone else who is available.
The emphasis of this is moving and flowing and not using strength. Tuesday
7:00pm All out wrestling session, includes thorough warm up, includes pickups
shrimping bear crawls, shoots, sit thrus etc. Me in the middle wrestling for takedown
against all the class one after the other. drilling ground attack and defence
escaping or maintaining controle. Me on my back mounted trying to escape or on
side maintaining controle, alternating posistions etc. then we do some grapping. Wednesday
2:00pm I did a cardio session with joe kelly. He just times me and tortures me.
I do a workout he has worked out for me with contains cleans, rows, curls, bench
jumping, pressa ups and sprawls for 45 secs each exercse. Wednesday
7:00pm I come back and the tech wrestling session I have described. Thursday 2:00pm Thursday
2:00pm I come back and the tech wrestling session I have described. Thursday
7:00pm All out wrestling session, includes thorough warm up, includes pickups
shrimping bear crawls, shoots, sit thrus etc. Me in the middle wrestling for takedown
against all the class one after the other. drilling ground attack and defence
escaping or maintaining controle. Me on my back mounted trying to escape or on
side maintaining controle, alternating posistions etc. then we do some grapping. Friday
2:00pm bodyweight exercises including hindu squats, hindu push ups, dips etc. Friday
7:00pm tech wrestling.
International
Grappling Championships in Kissimee, Forida I
had the weekend off and I did this strictly for the 5 weeks leading up to leaving
for florida. As I've already leaving for florida. In the actual comp I won silver
in the heavyweight master class. I was beaten in the final on points. A I came
of the mats after defeating a czech in the first round a man put out his hand
and said" nice ankle lock". I just said thanks and walked over to my mate Paul
Lawler who had a carb drink waiting for me. After I won my other two matches this
man said to me "nice takedowns mate". I introduced myself and I turned out to
be Marcio Simas, a fourth degree Black Belt under Carlos Gracie junior. He gave
me his number and told me to go to his academy so he could coach me. I
went to his academy and trained vale tudo with marcios brown belt todd broadway
and Seth Petroceli. A winner in britain over Buster Ward (at
Cage Wars) . the class was full of top class fighters after Marcios came and
took the gi class BJJ. Marcio told me that I was grappling a bit loose and the
gi work would tighten me up. I trained privately with Marcios over the next few
days before coming back. I am going to be a representive for him in the england.
I am going back to train with him in november and compete in the state championships
that he is organising on the 11th october 2003.
I competed along along with my team of grapplers in the national championships.
Out of the six that enter this is what we won One
of my lads Paul Loff who has only trained for 6 months fought Gracie Barra black
belt Roberto Attalla. He wrestled
well. Roberto pulled out the stops and caught paul with an armbar, set up by a
kimura that Paul narrowly escaped. Paul and Joey Kelly also beat one of the SFUK
correspondents Carl Fisher. I am
now preparing to go back to Florida. What's
next for Durkin? I'm
definitely going to compete in MMA again. Talking to a promoter at the moment.
I am going to compete at submission wrestling though as well and I am continually
learning to become a better coach. Please could you mention my sponsors; S.E.S
ltd. wjich is a security firm , Steve Mawdsley is the managing director. Ed loftus
of The Park pub in Southport, Le Beau a beauty salon without this sponsor I couldn't
have gone to the USA. And finally Mick Hannaway he has done my corner for boxing,
submission and MMA. He only kept his gym open because he thought I could go big
in MMA. Thanks Mick.
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