SHARIF HAQUE

Sharif Haque spent many youthful years studying the traditional martial arts only to realize that these ancient art forms did not provide the level of personal protection they promised. Despite these schools being a perfect means of expressing creative energy, keeping fit and instilling discipline, they could not effectively deal with the threats that existed in the rough areas of London in which he grew up.

Sharif eventually sought the instruction of experienced, battle-tested veterans of the defensive arts including Geoff Thompson, Hock Hochheim, Joe Hubbard and many more. The accumulative military, police, security and real-life street experience of these instructors was/is an invaluable tool in learning what works and what doesn’t in a live confrontation.

The journey for seeking the true nature of survival – thus far – has also taken Sharif to the Philippines where he trained intensively for two months with the late grandmaster Ernesto Presas. Whilst there, he was ranked as a brown-belt in the stick, knife and hand-to-hand systems native to the Philippines.

As a registered instructor with the British Combat Association and with 20 years experience in the martial arts, Sharif has trained in several styles (to varying degrees) including: Goju Ryu Karate, Shotokan Karate, Wing Chun kung fu, Boxing,  Jujitsu, Filipino Arnis, Geoff Thompson's 'Real Combat System', Close Quarter Combatives, Muay Thai, PAC 'Jungle Fighting', Self Defence Shooting, and Filipino/CQC knife fighting.

Despite extensive training in the physical arts, Sharif's main areas of focus are psychological self defence and awareness tactics. The input for these subjects has come from his practice of conflict management skills, research into neuro-linguistic programming and practical psychology and having lived and worked in high-crime areas. 

"I've been fortunate enough to train with and be trained by some fantastic instructors in various aspects of self-protection,

but ultimately, I'm a normal person with no super-human talents. Having immersed my self in the subject of self-protection

I continue to develop a way that allows normal people to be like their own bodyguards and I feel

very fortunate to be able to share it"