Four Friends
Created by Andy 3 years agoHere I present to you four friends that went on a stick-fighting journey. On the far left is Glynn Daniels. The person with the shockingly bad hair is me. The person on the far right is Paul Daniels. The one in the short shorts is Tony Reeve. The photo is from November 1990 and this was the first UFS stick-fighting team. We all lost in the first round, but at the time we were all fighting brothers. We were on a journey together.
I had first met Tony in 1988 when he joined my UFS club. I'd heard about him years before though as he'd become a karate black belt at the age of 16. Hugely impressive. So when he joined the club I was nervous at first but he turned out to be a lovely guy. We clicked very quickly. He was a massive Bruce Lee fan with a yin-yang tattoo on his calf. Richard Bustillo commented on it every time he saw it.
Tony was part of the seminar clan as well. Along with Clive Whitworth, and others, we would go to Edinburgh and London and attend every JKD seminar there was. These were wonderful days. Miles on the road and hours in training.
Tony and I would pick apart the Dan Inosanto and Paul Vunak videos, disagreeing over some things and agreeing on most. Our desire for knowledge was immense.
After eighteen months of losing at every tournament Tony became our first winner, taking the lightweight title at Ollie Batt's Cambridge Open. It was to be a catalyst that led to huge competitive success. Tony was not to be a part of that though.
He was to remain an important part of UFS in those competing years being a superb cornerman for kickboxing fights. A calm head while I'd be manic energy.
He followed his desire into the fire brigade and we lost touch for some time as sometimes happens. We reconnected because of Facebook and I'm so pleased we did.
I've never known anyone so devoted to family as much as Tony. He and Alison were lifelong sweethearts. Amazing in these times and I feel desperately sad for her and the girls, Amy and Lucy.
For all that, I remember those early JKD days, the laughs we had, the journeys we took, the adventures we had. Tony, you were a privilege to know. I'll miss you probably more than you ever realised.
I had first met Tony in 1988 when he joined my UFS club. I'd heard about him years before though as he'd become a karate black belt at the age of 16. Hugely impressive. So when he joined the club I was nervous at first but he turned out to be a lovely guy. We clicked very quickly. He was a massive Bruce Lee fan with a yin-yang tattoo on his calf. Richard Bustillo commented on it every time he saw it.
Tony was part of the seminar clan as well. Along with Clive Whitworth, and others, we would go to Edinburgh and London and attend every JKD seminar there was. These were wonderful days. Miles on the road and hours in training.
Tony and I would pick apart the Dan Inosanto and Paul Vunak videos, disagreeing over some things and agreeing on most. Our desire for knowledge was immense.
After eighteen months of losing at every tournament Tony became our first winner, taking the lightweight title at Ollie Batt's Cambridge Open. It was to be a catalyst that led to huge competitive success. Tony was not to be a part of that though.
He was to remain an important part of UFS in those competing years being a superb cornerman for kickboxing fights. A calm head while I'd be manic energy.
He followed his desire into the fire brigade and we lost touch for some time as sometimes happens. We reconnected because of Facebook and I'm so pleased we did.
I've never known anyone so devoted to family as much as Tony. He and Alison were lifelong sweethearts. Amazing in these times and I feel desperately sad for her and the girls, Amy and Lucy.
For all that, I remember those early JKD days, the laughs we had, the journeys we took, the adventures we had. Tony, you were a privilege to know. I'll miss you probably more than you ever realised.
Pictures
The first UFS stickfighters Nov 1990.