Achievements – Sensei Dave Gentry BCAe

  • 8th Degree Black Belt RSK Kickboxing IMAF Kickboxing.
  • International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) UK Kickboxing Technical Director and Commissionaire.
  • NFPS BTEC Level 3 Qualified Self Defence Instructor.
  • 1st 4 Sport Certificate in Coaching Studies.
  • YMCA Qualified Gym Instructor.
  • Awarded the British Citizen Award for Education (BCAe) in January 2020, for his work in schools, educating youngsters in awareness and dangers of street/knife crime and the affects of bullying and also for his extensive charity work. Received at Westminster Palace, London.
  • On LONDON hall of Fame change from 8 to 16 times received.
  • Martial arts illustrated change from 6 to 20 times.
  • Pride of Britain Nominee for saving a young boys life, (see bio).
  • Hillingdon Borough Local Hero for saving a young man’s life, (see bio).
  • Inducted and received 12 London International Martial Arts Hall Of Fame Awards including Grandmaster Award.
  • Inducted and received 3 American
  • 5 Haider Martial Arts Academy Hall of Fame Award including life-time Achievement, Hero Award, Legend Award and Top Instructor Award
  • Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame Awards.
  • Inducted and received 6 Martial Arts Illustrated Hall of Fame Awards including Top Fighter and Legend Awards.
  • 15 Martial Arts Illustrated Award including Top Instructor Award
  • Awarded International Budo Spirit Award by IMAF Europe 2010.
  • Accomplished charity fund raiser completing The London to Paris Bike Ride twice, The London 100 Mile Bike Ride twice, The London Marathon Run in 4hrs 17 minutes, The Bupa London 10k run, The Birmingham Half Marathon Run, The Great North Run and The Great South Run. Raised thousands to various different charities.

dave

Martial arts began for me as a hobby and a way to keep fit; today it has become my career and my life. I am learning something new every day and enjoy every moment of not just the knowledge I have gained, but also the knowledge I am passing onto to others. Now I have the pleasure of sharing this hard earned knowledge to my students.

I have always since an early age excelled in most sports, winning countless trophies in football, cricket, athletics and softball. When I reached the age of 30 my biological clock was saying leave it to the younger guys. Being a sporting person most of my life I still needed to keep fit in some way. I had tried over the years many different styles of martial arts, Karate, Kung Fu and Ju-Jitsu but never really stuck to any until the arrival of Jean Claude Van Damme and the movie Kick boxer. That was it for me; I had to give this exciting new sport of Kickboxing a go, and joined the PKA (Professional Kickboxing Association) the founders of kickboxing in the UK.

At the level of Purple belt my Sensei asked me if I would be interested in becoming an Instructor through their rigorous training program, and ten months later passed my First Degree Black Belt and became a teaching Instructor with my own classes for the PKA. I worked my way through the ranks and am now currently a 6th degree Black Belt running the London Region of the PKA. To add to my knowledge of Kickboxing teaching I thought I should know more how the body works so took and passed the YMCA Gym Instructor course level 2, and the NFPS ( National Federation of Personal Safety) BTEC Level 3 Qualification in Self Defence. I have been training in Kickboxing for over 26 years and also have trained in Thai-Boxing, Ju Jitsu and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do to further my knowledge.

In 2014 Rock Solid Kickboxing was formed by myself to bring another level to my kickboxing knowledge and teaching.

I have appeared and modelled martial arts techniques in 3 books, The Kickboxing Handbook by John Ritschel, The Martial Arts Guide by Claire Bone and The Perfect Warrior by John Ritschel. I have written many articles for Combat Magazine, Action Martial Art Magazine in America and had my own column called Ask Dave in Fighters Magazine for a year, answering people’s martial arts technical and physical problems.

Through my work in promoting Martial Arts, in 2006 I was honoured to be inducted into the London Martial Arts Hall Of Fame where I received the Special Merit Award, and again in 2007 and 2008 receiving master of the year. In 2009 and 2016 I received Humanitarian of the Year by the board of directors of The London Hall Of Fame, of which to this date has been my proudest moments due to the significance of these awards. I was shortlisted for the CoOp Local Champion Award in The Pride of Britain Awards for saving a young boys life when he accidently hung himself by the neck from a washing line whilst playing action man, I pulled him off a minute from death, a memory that haunts me to this day but proud to say his parents still have their son.  In 2010 I once again was honoured with the True Spirit of Martial Arts Award again in the London International Martial Arts Hall Of Fame and in 2011 received Excellence in Martial Arts Also in 2009 I was inducted into The American Action Martial Arts Hall of Honours receiving Outstanding Dedication to Martial and again in 2010 and 2011. Significant in the fact that being inducted 3 times in The American Action Martial Arts Hall Of Fame I could possibly receive higher ranking award in the future, hopefully one day to move from being known as Master to Grandmaster. I have also received MAI ( Martial Arts Illustrated) Hall of Fame Awards for Top Fighter Award, Legend Award and Black Belt Hall of Fame Award.

I spend my days running kickboxing classes for children and adults, personal training clients in kickboxing from all walks of life and travelling round schools teaching my skills as part of students PE lessons to encourage youngsters to become active in sports. I also am heavily involved in doing seminars in knife prevention within communities, with the motto “carrying knives is not cool”. As a hobby I like to be involved in TV and films as an extra and have appeared in itv’s Fat Nation, big brothers little brother and sky one’s cirque de celebrite.  I have had parts in films such as Comes A Bright Day with Timothy Spall, Green Street 3 with former student Scott Adkins and had a fight scene in a film called Instant Death with legend Lou Ferrigno, alias The Incredible Hulk. I also travel the world participating in giving seminars in kickboxing to many foreign students, receiving many awards on my visits. Among those awards are Budo Spirit Award meaning “True Warrior” and also a special award for my continued work against knife crime.

Over the last few years I have taught many students including martial arts movie star Scott Adkins, actress Stacey Cadman and currently Lee Latchford Evans and have been lucky enough to train with some of the world’s greatest martial artists. I have trained students that have become British and World Kickboxing champions. At 49 years old I came out of active participation for one more time and one a gold medal at the TY-GA World martial arts tournament in a pad-work routine competition.

Train Hard !!!    Fight Hard !!!    Sleep Easy !!!

 

Clients and Associates

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Rock Solid Kickboxing

At Rock Solid Kickboxing, our professional teaching approach aims to give you all the knowledge and training to excel in kickboxing not only as a sport, but as a self-defence and life skill.

– Sensei Dave Gentry