Play Fighting
The Serious Business of Learning to Fight
Reflecting on my journey in martial arts, there’s one lesson that stands out: how we train often mirrors how we live. My first foray into full-contact fighting was in boxing, and while I had an outstanding coach, the mindset was all-out sparring. It was a ‘go hard or go home’ mentality, where relentless force and raw power were the primary measures of success. For years, I imported that mindset into my own teaching, believing that pushing limits was the only way to truly test one’s mettle.
But now, after decades on the mat, facing my own struggles, and seeing students through theirs, I know better. I know that real progress isn’t always about going all-out. It’s about resilience, creativity, and learning to adapt in ways that strengthen us, inside and out. This realisation was the birth of something I call Challenge Play—a research-informed, dynamic approach to martial arts that weaves together skill, mindfulness, and a powerful way to approach life itself.
The Epiphany: Moving Beyond Tradition
In the early days of my career, I followed the traditional method because that’s all I knew. It was about hard work, yes, but it was also about competition and ego. I saw many talented fighters burn out, lose confidence, or give up entirely because they felt they couldn’t keep up with the brutal pace. Even more troubling was how this mindset bled into life outside the ring, where many carried the same aggression and stress into their everyday interactions.
I remember a young man in my early years as a coach. He had incredible potential—sharp, quick, and driven. But as he trained, he grew frustrated. Every time he sparred, he felt he had to ‘win’ or somehow prove himself, even in training. That tension weighed on him, and I watched as his once-joyful spirit became burdened by the constant pressure to be ‘the best.’ This was a turning point for me. I realised that I didn’t want my school to be a place where students came to win; I wanted it to be a place where they came to grow.
A New Paradigm: The Birth of Challenge Play
Challenge Play emerged as a response to this realisation. Drawing from research in skill acquisition, neuroscience, and education theory, I began developing a method that values exploration over brute force and personal growth over ego-driven performance. I wanted to create a safe yet stimulating space where students could test their limits without fear of failure—a space where they could experiment, fail, adapt, and ultimately thrive.
Imagine a training session where the goal isn’t to ‘beat’ the other person but to understand your own body, mind, and reactions more deeply. One day, we might focus on varying the speed of jabs and observing how different timings affect balance and power. Another day, we might work on footwork, not to dodge punches, but to cultivate a natural sense of movement that flows with ease. Each exercise has a purpose beyond technique; it’s about developing presence, adaptability, and a deep-seated confidence that goes beyond physicality.
The legendary comedian and actor John Cleese on the state of play - what he says here aligns perfectly with my Challenge Play approach.
The Science Behind Play: Why Challenge Play Works
What makes Challenge Play unique isn’t just its innovative approach but its grounding in research. Neuroscience tells us that play-based learning activates neural pathways associated with creativity, problem-solving, and emotional regulation. When we engage in playful, low-stakes practice, our brains are primed to retain information better and respond more fluidly under pressure.
Challenge Play leverages these principles to create an environment where students don’t just ‘train harder’ but train smarter. We incorporate the principles of constructivist learning, where students actively build their understanding through experience. Rather than following a rote model of ‘show and copy,’ students in Challenge Play are encouraged to experiment, reflect, and refine their techniques based on real feedback from their bodies and minds.
A core component of this approach is what we call Present-Defense—the art of staying mentally engaged and fully present in the moment. This is more than mindfulness; it’s a structured method for developing the inner calm needed to respond effectively in high-pressure situations. Present-Defense is an antidote to the reactive ‘fight-or-flight’ state many people fall into when confronted with stress. Instead, we teach students to harness their breath, center themselves, and cultivate an inner stillness that guides their actions with clarity and purpose.
Lessons from the Ring: Why All-Out Sparring Falls Short
There was a time in my early twenties when I thought all-out sparring was the only way to test and improve skills. My mentor, South African boxing legend Willie Toweel, had trained me hard, and I was surrounded by other fighters who shared that same unrelenting drive. I remember a fellow boxer, Michael, who could dismantle world-class fighters in the gym but would crumble under the lights of a competition. Watching him lose not for lack of skill but due to overwhelming nerves left a profound impact on me.
Toweel was an incredible coach, and I owe much of my approach in Crazy Monkey Defense to him, but he was a product of his time. He would yell, ‘Relax, stay calm,’ from the corner, but without the tools to teach Michael how to calm down, the words fell flat. This memory haunted me for years, as I realised that even the best fighters can fall apart if they lack the inner tools to manage pressure. I knew there had to be another way—a way to teach not only techniques but the inner resilience needed to perform under any condition.
It was experiences like these that led me to explore the psychophysiological dimensions of training. My academic and research studies in mindfulness from an embodied perspective and human flourishing fueled my commitment to developing tools that would equip students not just to survive on the mat but to thrive in life. This journey eventually crystallised into the Challenge Play model—a structure that provides students with the tools to face their fears, manage stress, and build a foundation of unshakable confidence.
Building a Culture of Growth: The School of Crazy Monkey as a Community
Challenge Play isn’t just a methodology; it’s a philosophy that permeates our entire community. At the School of Crazy Monkey, we’ve built a unique culture where each student is encouraged to explore their potential without fear of judgment. Here, ‘winning’ is redefined. It’s not about being the best or beating an opponent but about personal growth, resilience, and showing up as the best version of yourself.
This supportive environment has transformed how students relate to one another. In a world that often values competition over collaboration, the School of Crazy Monkey stands as a sanctuary where camaraderie, mutual respect, and shared growth are paramount. Students aren’t just teammates—they’re allies in a journey of self-discovery, each learning from the other’s strengths and challenges. In this space, everyone is both a teacher and a student, and each person’s success contributes to the group’s overall growth.
A Glimpse into Challenge Play: Experiential Learning on the Mat
Challenge Play isn’t just a set of ideas; it’s a hands-on, experiential approach. On the mat, we use techniques like scaffolding to guide students through progressive challenges that are just beyond their current skill level. By operating in this ‘zone of proximal development,’ students can push themselves without feeling overwhelmed. It’s a model that’s as much about mental endurance as it is about physical performance.
Take a typical session: Instead of pitting students against each other in all-out sparring, we might set up scenarios where they experiment with defensive responses at varying speeds or under different constraints. One day, they might work on intercepting an opponent’s movement using minimal effort; the next, they might explore controlling breath and maintaining calm under simulated high-pressure drills. Each exercise is designed to challenge, engage, and encourage growth without pushing anyone to the breaking point.
Another key practice within Challenge Play is metacognitive reflection. Students are guided to step back and analyse their experiences on the mat. This self-awareness cultivates a heightened sense of control over their own learning process. It’s not about mindlessly repeating a technique but understanding why and how it works, how it feels in the body, and how it can be adapted to different situations.
Here’s an example of a Challenge Play drill. We did many on this day of training, with this one focused on developing fluidity in footwork.
Inner-Defense: The Inner Game of Martial Arts
At the heart of Challenge Play lies Inner-Defense, a practice that teaches students to cultivate presence and emotional regulation under pressure. In many ways, Inner-Defense is the cornerstone of our approach, teaching students to find their centre and act with purpose, not reactivity. It’s the antidote to the all-too-common martial arts mentality of ‘fight at all costs.’
Inner-Defense encompasses a series of mindfulness based exercises and breath techniques specifically tailored for martial arts performance, enabling students to remain grounded, clear-headed, and composed—even in the midst of a high-stakes confrontation. For example, the colour-coded Breath-Defense system I created introduces a structured approach to managing energy, allowing students to adjust their breath and emotional state in response to the demands of the moment. This isn’t just for the mat; it’s a life skill, enabling students to bring a centred, resilient mindset into every corner of their lives.
The Neuroscience of Play: Why It Matters
The science behind play supports everything we do in Challenge Play. Neuroscience shows us that play-based learning strengthens neural connections, fostering creativity, adaptability, and emotional regulation. When students engage in low-stakes exploration, they activate brain regions associated with learning and memory, making it easier to retain skills and respond fluidly under pressure.
By creating an environment of low-stakes experimentation, Challenge Play primes the brain for adaptability. Repeated exposure to controlled challenges strengthens the brain’s ability to handle high-pressure scenarios, improving both fight performance and real-life resilience.
The Greater Implications: A New Way of Life
Ultimately, Challenge Play is more than a martial arts method—it’s a philosophy for life. When students learn to approach challenges with curiosity, resilience, and a sense of play, they develop skills that transcend the mat. They become better equipped to handle life’s uncertainties with a calm mind, focused presence, and a resilient heart.
At the School of Crazy Monkey, my number one goal is to not just teach students how to fight. We are teaching them to thrive, to engage fully with life, and to approach every challenge as an opportunity for growth. We are a community of Mindful Warriors in the truest sense—committed not only to self-protection but to the art of living well.
In Conclusion: The Path Forward
The School of Crazy Monkey’s Challenge Play model is a revolutionary approach that transforms how martial arts is taught and experienced. Grounded in research, forged in personal experience, and refined through practice, it is a path that equips students not just to fight but to flourish. Through Challenge Play, we are redefining martial arts as a vehicle for resilience, adaptability, and lifelong growth. All while not sacrificing real development of a person’s fight performance. In the end, it is not about being the toughest on the mat—it’s about being the most adaptable, the most present, and the most resilient in all areas of life.