Fighting Falcons School of Martial Arts

To do this review of the most excellent martial arts club justice I have to provide a bit of background: I have studied Lau Gar Kung fu and kickboxing for 28 years. I am also a former city centre police officer, so I knew how important it was to give my children the same opportunity to learn to defend themselves and look after their fitness and personal safety as I did ... a key life skill - believe me, there are a lot of very nasty people out there. So as soon as my boy was old enough he began training in Lau Gar. After about 5 years it became apparent that my boy was more interested in the fighting and sparring aspects than the traditional sets, forms and "static" training. So I needed to find a club that would satisfy this interest and focus much more on the fighting side of kickboxing. I remembered "Flash" Gordon Mitchell from his days as the Andover Lau Gar instructor and his team performing so well in tournaments. I knew he was running the Fighting Falcons so my son and I gave it a go. Now we have signed up and are loving it! The actual syllabus that Gordon has carefully created is appropriate to real life situations (having been in many as a police officer) and is a very effective system... it takes the best from Kickboxing styles and other practical martial arts in a JKD (Bruce Lee's style) kind of style and philosophy. It also makes use of all the fighting ranges which is key these days with so many idiots watching MMA and trying to copy dangerous choke holds for the purpose of crime or for other nefarious reasons. The coaching is absolutely superb from all instructors we have come across: Gordon, Brandon, Jon, Callum. Particularly impressed with the coaching and how well these guys interact with the kids. I really like the tactics that are drilled. I like the fact that these drills teach getting in the mindset and manipulating the mindset of your opponent for tactical advantage rather than simply throwing kicks and punches. The club is well organised and the enthusiasm of all who train here is very refreshing. We travel over 40 miles round trip to train here so that should hopefully illustrate how good it is. In summary, this is an example of the very best kind of martial arts club anyone could choose. And please remember one more very important thing, "Dont concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory."
Feb 26th, 2019

Both my sons attend both Tidworth sessions and Andover sessions....both run exceptionally well...my boys have been going 3 years and they have come on leaps and bounds....the instructor's are great with the kids but firm when need to be....be under no illusion, it's a professionally run martial arts school who take the classes very seriously.
Jun 16th, 2018

Jun 27th, 2017

My son has been attending Fighting Falcons since he was 4 and a half years old and I can give nothing but praise to head coach Gordon Mitchell and his assistant Dan East on how this has helped his development, both physically and mentally, as well as improving his motor skills and an applied sense of discipline. He participates in the youngest group, The Peregrines, which encourages a fun factor for children new to martial arts that ensures the children come back time and time again. A combination of games, as well as structured learning and execution of pad drills, tag sparring and plenty of stretching adds variety to each and every session. The improvement in individual children, plus the award of merit badges gives each and every child a sense of achievement. The overriding theme with this club is the family atmosphere that Gordon has created with the different entry levels for children and adults - Peregrines, Kestrels and Falcons all seamlessly interacting with each other and the more senior members visibly mentoring the younger ones. Additionally, having now expanded and moved to new premises, the club has a much larger mat area, with a plethora of equipment and more room for spectators. This was ably demonstrated at the Christmas Challenge & Awards Event where the club hosted and internal tournament for the Peregrines (for most, it was there first taste of competing) and then the Kestrels and finally some excellent demonstration fights by the seniors who have earned honours at international level. A fantastic day finished off with food, fun and games. The club has won many awards, both at individual representative level and as a club, but never one to sit still on past success, Gordon is now expanding his classes further in 2014, both at youth and senior level, as well as increased participation in the competition circuit. I look forward to seeing the club grow and my son being involved in this journey and I would encourage anyone looking to join a martial arts club in Andover to definitely give this a try first and also take a look at their web site for more detailed information.
Sep 8th, 2013