Ever since Dennis started martial arts training, he had an ambition to go to Japan and, after saving hard for six months, in 1973 he finally realized his dream; he spent six glorious but extremely tough months training every single day in Japan – the home of traditional karate – as well as visiting as many dojos and training in as many styles as possible. On this pilgrimage he met and trained with the very best of the best, developing himself and his skills to an extremely high level.
When Martin returned from Japan, he was almost immediately offered a job as a bodyguard for the Miss World competition – guarding Miss Israel – which he eagerly took. His evolution from hard man on the doors to a close protection officer began and he quickly set about learning the basic skills needed to become a respected bodyguard.
Martin says that close protection is one of the most interesting aspects of his career so far, and also the most fun. “It is a completely different type of security from working on the doors, with the priority on protecting the VIP rather than on self-protection. It’s fast. It’s mobile. While you can talk to punters on the doors to defuse situations in close protection you are moving with the VIP. You can’t stop and explain politely and patiently why someone can’t get an autograph,” he says.
At first, as a bodyguard he had to get used to seeing things in a completely different way than when working the doors, as he was now working with the paparazzi and the media and, for his international contracts, he would be expected to know exactly what was going on in the news around the world. But as time went by he got used to it and it has now became part of the job. “Ultimately, however, you have to be prepared to use violence if necessary to protect your VIP, but only if you really have to. But as a bodyguard your objectives are ultimately to try to avoid it at all costs.” he says.
For Martin, the feeling of doing a good job and being a professional is the most enjoyable thing he finds about the work and describes his world of bodyguarding as protecting people against life’s predators. He says that “sometimes you have to be as hard and as devious and as cunning as the wolves that are preying on your client, so you can ultimately defeat them”.
According to Martin, the skills required by a bodyguard are many, with planning operations one of the most important tasks, along with the ability to research, use information effectively and gather intelligence. Everything must be done to ensure the safety of the VIP and it’s all about looking for possible trouble in advance so that it can be avoided. Fighting is the very last resort, and if it comes to that Dennis says, then the operation has failed: “The very last thing you want is to have to drag your VIP through a fire-fight.”
Over the years Martin has worked on VIP protection for several Arabian royal families and international diplomatic personnel, and once he and his team looked after a client who, intelligence had informed them, had a government assassin after him. Apparently the alleged assassin was arrested at Heathrow Airport carrying an Armalite rifle and a contract from a foreign government. Martin also worked in London throughout the IRA bombings of the 1970s and had a few close shaves when venues he was attending were blown up either just before or just after his arrival.
“The most important thing for anybody working in VIP protection is to have the correct mindset. Mindset is the basis of everything,” says Martin, who uses the concept called the “Vital Pyramid” as his philosophy of protection. “The base of the pyramid is mindset, everything rests on that. Mindset is about situational awareness, preparation and planning, threat evaluation. Above that are tactics, then skills and finally kit at the tip. But if you’ve got a good mindset you can actually avoid most problems; which is the intention of VIP protection.”
Another reason why Dennis stresses so much importance on mental preparation is that close protection needs a very different attitude for self-defence. “You are no longer protecting yourself, but working to protect complete strangers, some of whom you won’t even know or like. The natural instinct of self-preservation must be overcome so that if danger threatens, the VIP is protected at all costs, even if it means putting yourself in harm’s way.”
As a bodyguard, Martin continually trained hard and made a real effort to learn more techniques and to improve his skill-set. One of the most influential training methods which Martin learned is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which he first learned about from Marcus Wynne while on a training course in the US. Neural-based training teaches you to develop a mental state and is highly effective in training for self-protection. Among other important techniques, which he not only mastered but has integrated into his own training programmes, are the WWII Combatives and the GUN (Grab, Undo, Neutralize) method.
After going to Japan, martial arts instruction was a natural progression and once he became involved in close protection it became important to him to be able to pass on his knowledge and skills to others working in the security business. According to Geoff Thompson, “Dennis Martin is the most credible instructor of real self-defence in the world today.” He set up his own company, CQB Services, which, back in 1985, was one of the very first commercial companies to offer VIP close protection training in the UK.
CQB is a military term used to describe close quarter battle – the skills of fighting at close quarters, either armed or unarmed. In the US it is known as CQC or combatives. Martin says it is very important that all the different disciplines are trained together in order to counter attacks with a long gun, a pistol, an edged weapon, an impact weapon, a chemical weapon or bare hands. Martin says, “In the past, the unarmed combat teacher would teach one thing, the shooting instructor another, the baton instructor would teach something different and then in a real situation you had to quickly choose which technique to use. The objective of any trainer is to cut down choice which then increases reaction times and so CQB is best taught as a coherent whole – an integration of everything.”
The security industry in general and door supervision and close protection in particular have changed enormously since Dennis Martin started working the doors in the late 1960s. Even though he is no longer operational in close protection he is still one of the most respected doormen in Liverpool. He continues to work the door today at a hotel in Liverpool, but now more for enjoyment as well as to keep his hand in: “If I am teaching martial arts and CQB for door staff, then I must also do the job too, to maintain credibility!” Over the years he has adapted his techniques and approach to the changes in modern society, saying, “there are now more knives and other weapons on the streets of Liverpool than there ever has been, and drugs now fuel the hot-heads as much as alcohol. And, of course, there is the danger of infection by AIDS and hepatitis though blood contact. Now neck restraint used aggressively as a “preemptive” manoeuvre is a more effective than a knock-out punch, which might not keep a guy down high on drugs! Today, on the doors in Liverpool, you have people off their heads on alcohol or drugs, and a large percentage of these people are predators and are not happy unless they spoil someone else’s night. These people think they are hard men. And so the door crews are there to look after and protect the general public against these idiots. It’s actually the door staff who are the real hard men!”
Martin still lives a tactical lifestyle and is always be aware of what is going on around him. He is always alert for trouble – and of ways to avoid it – and has recently spent a lot of time working and teaching in South Africa where murders, rapes and car-jackings are commonplace. “Because of the social and political situation in South Africa, the training courses which CQB Services provide are highly valued,” says Martin.
Dennis Martin is hard, in the strictest meaning of the word – physically and mentally tough, durable, intense. He trains hard, he works hard, he lives hard, and teaches others how to become hard enough to deal with the modern world and work in the security industry. While over the years he has developed the techniques and skills required for working in the most high-risk areas of the world, he has never lost sight of where it all began – a
karate dojo. He believes that discipline is the biggest factor in martial arts, particularly karate. It is also important in society. Training in karate does a lot for young people because whether you want to train for sport or as an art, it is great for self-development and discipline. It may not provide a skill-set you can use in daily life, but as a sport, art and for conditioning, traditional martial arts training is ideal
Martin reckons that he will continue to work the doors and further develop his training techniques, as well as write, give seminars and, of course, keep up his own training. Add to a wide range of fighting skills the correct mindset, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, situational awareness, years of experience and the will to use everything you have as a protector rather than a predator, and you have the embodiment of a really hard bastard.
BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHTING
The Ultimate Violent Sport
GYPSY KINGS AND BARE-KNUCKLE KNIGHTS
By Tel Currie
BARE-KNUCKLE, COBBLE- OR street-fighting has been around since the year dot but is most commonly associated with the gypsy community. Of course, not all cobble-fighters are of travelling stock but travellers have settled financial and domestic disputes in this noble way for centuries. The top man in the unlicensed game has long been known as the “Guv’nor”, and the travellers hail him as “King of the Gypsies”.
The most common method is what is known as a “straightener” where no kicking or butting is permitted and a mutually agreed “fair play man” acts as a referee. The fair play man is usually somebody who has been a fighter themselves and has respect from everyone involved. No gloves are worn on the cobbles and commonly the fight continues until one side calls “best” (gives in) or is simply unconscious. The “all in” method is even more savage and has no rules at all. “All in” fights have been known to be fought to the death!
It goes without saying that the “all in” is the most brutal, savage form of organized street combat and is mostly saved for family versus other family disputes where pure hatred or revenge is the motivation. While unlicensed boxing is legal and includes gloves, bare-knuckle fighting is illegal so people get confused, thinking that any brawl is a bare-knuckle street fight. I have worked on the doors for many years and some doormen count a punch up with a drunk or simply slinging one out as a street fight. This is the only explanation for some of the ridiculous tallies of street fights some doormen claim. Depending on the interview, Lenny McLean claimed around 30,000 bare-knuckle fights! Sorry, but unless you are counting every drunk you turn away, that’s impossible! If you have witnessed a real, organized bare-knuckle fight – a proper street fight – you will realize that these figures cannot be true.
Also, so much money is staked on these fights that with that many clean wins, McLean would have owned his own island! Trust me, twenty to thirty organized bare-knuckle fights is a lot, even in a lifetime. Lenny’s unlicensed record was thirty fights, six losses, knocked out four times, stopped once in three rounds and outpointed once. That would mean he won thousands of fights against raw hard knuckle but was knocked spark out with gloves on – it doesn’t add up. I intend no disrespect, but it has to be said that some of what Lenny McLean said was far from the truth, and this has now even been admitted by McLean fans such my good friend Tony Thomas, whose book The Guv’nor: Through the Eyes of Others is a classic read. Unlike pro boxing, you can’t just look up fighters’ records in unlicensed or bare-knuckle fighting, so quite often a fighter’s more sensational accounts are mistakenly accepted as the truth.
I am fortunate enough to have lots of gypsy friends who are staunch, respected people, including good, solid families like the Frankhams, Stockins, Smiths, Frenches, Brazils and men like “Gypsy” Joe Carrington. These are proud people and don’t leave their crap everywhere; some of their caravans are like palaces.
There are some great bare-knuckle gypsy names that run down the years including Tucker Dunn, the Gaskins, Mark Ripley, Hughie Burton, Uriah Burton (known as “Big Just”), John-John Stanley, boxer Tom Taylor, Dan Rooney, John Rooney, Ernie McGinley, Henry “The Dentist” Arab, Henry “The Outlaw” Francis, Eli Frankham, Joe-Boy Botton, Bobby Frankham, Johnny Love, Joe Smith and, one of the best fighters I have witnessed, Louis Welch from Darlington, who could well be considered the modern-day “King of the Gypsies”. Mark Ripley from Kent is a man with an awesome reputation. Joey Pyle’s son Joe Jr, a man who was brought up surrounded by the fight game, calls Mark “one hell of a tasty bastard”. Joe Jr has seen it all and is not easily impressed. When you add that to the equation, Mark really is a bit special.
One man who you really wouldn’t want to fight on the cobbles is former British light-middleweight champion Andy Till. He is simply ferocious! He is no longer a light middleweight but he is one of the hardest men I have met and I know most of them! When Andy was British champion, he was also a milkman. He would do his roadwork at around 3 a.m. and then go on his round – that would kill most people for a start off! He was a good man and took his Lonsdale belt to his kids’ school to show all the children. Andy was a warrior in the ring, one of those you would have to near kill to beat.
On his milk round one day, he knocked on the door of a family with a bit of a reputation to collect the bill. For some reason, a row broke out. Then three big lumps who were brothers all sprinted halfway down the stairs and took flying leaps at Andy. Andy clumped each one right on the button while they were in mid-air. Each of the brothers thumped to the ground fast asleep after being knocked spark out. Another member of the family then went to fetch the milk bill money. If only they had done that in the first place!
Andy had some rowdy, loyal supporters as well. During a fight with a guy named Robert McCracken from Watford, the crowd tried to kill each other in one of the worst boxing crowd bust-ups ever seen. But if you want to see Andy at his best, watch the two fights against Wally Swift, a highly rated boxer, also from Watford, and you will see how hard Andy Till is. I think Andy could have been pretty untouchable on the unlicensed circuit but, although he came to a few shows, including ones I have organized, I don’t know if he was interested in doing it. Andy had been fighting since a very young age, so he may have fancied a well-earned rest by then. But he’s certainly not someone to take liberties with!
Without doubt one of the hardest men in a street fight is not a gypsy either but on the top rung of the “chaps” – his name is Vic Dark. Vic is a soft spoken, polite gentleman from the East End and now lives in Essex. Young Vic Dark was a member of the notorious West Ham ICF (Inter City Firm). A lot of hard men started in the ICF, like Carlton Leach, Cass Pennant, Steve Guy and Billy Gardner. Add Vic Dark, and just those few are positively lethal!
Vic is a black belt in a number of martial arts and a heavyweight lifter. But Vic doesn’t use karate or one particular fighting art, he mixes everything together into one awesome street-fighting technique so that I really don’t think anyone would get near him on the street. He is also extremely respected by the top so-called gangsters. He was a pallbearer along with young Joe Pyle, Roy Shaw, Jamie Foremen (movie star son of Freddie), Freddie himself and Ronnie Nash at the funeral of the “Boss of Bosses”, Joey Pyle Sr. That’s how highly Vic is thought of. He was also one of Reg Kray’s trusted inner circle in the nick.
Vic is someone I see as an ideal fighter. There’s no shouting and roaring; he’s a gentleman. He would rather have a laugh with his trusted mates than go fighting all over the place but take a liberty and God help you!
A couple of years ago, the authorities tried to get Vic put away for life after a contract killing. Every day he went to court there were guns, vans and helicopters everywhere. I wrote to Vic and gave him my support while he was on remand. When he got a not guilty verdict (quite right too!) he phoned me and sent me a message of thanks for the support. I will always support Vic Dark. A man among men!
One man from America, who has been called the “hardest man in the world”, is Randy Couture, a mixed martial arts fighter who I’m sure we
will hear a lot more of in the future.
The man who has been called the “King of the Gypsies” for many years is “Gypsy” Johnny Frankham. Johnny was not only a thrilling cobble-fighter, he was British light-heavyweight champion and had two blistering fights with Chris Finnegan at a packed Royal Albert Hall when the crowd and chairs became as much a part of the fight as Frankham and Finnegan. Johnny was usually asked to be “fair play man” in local fights because he had the respect of everyone and still does. As a ring fighter, he was extremely hard to hit, a bit like Kevin Paddock but, with respect to Kevin, of a lot higher calibre than the unlicensed fighters.
Another gypsy warrior who commands great respect is Les Stevens from Reading who was also a pro and took the great John Conteh the full distance, which took some doing in those days. John Conteh was one of the most underrated fighters this country has produced. I spent a couple of great fight nights in the company of these two legends. The real deals are always gentlemen; it’s the wannabes that are prats!
One ex bare-knuckle fighter stands out for various reasons; he was a decent fighter but far from the best and certainly not the worst. He was also a safe blower, that great occupation pioneered by men like George “Tatters” Chatham and wartime double agent Eddie Chapman, in the same era as the Irish charmer Peter Scott was stealing Sophia Loren’s jewels and breaking into any Mayfair pad that took his Raffles-influenced fancy. But this young cobble-fighter from Sunderland turned desperately to the cobbles and gelignite just to make ends meet. As he fought and felt the pain, there was no way he could have known that one day he would buy Darlington football club and clear their £5 million (US$7.5 million) plus debt in one swoop. He is worth £300 million (US$450 million), and he went from a four-year prison sentence to the Sunday Times Rich List by selling chipboard and worktops. He is, of course, George Reynolds.
The Mammoth Book of Hard Bastards (Mammoth Books) Page 48
