|
|
|
Featured shows...
|
An interview with Andre Daltrey by Gary Turner Part 1....
Andre Daltrey is a trainer and competitor that has helped bring kickboxing forward on the Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire borders. Having competed at boxing, he moved into kickboxing, progressing quickly to full contact competition and competed at the WAKO Kiev World Championships. As if this wasn't enough, he has built up a high quality stable of fighters, made a success out of being a full time trainer, and has around 10 shows that he has promoted under his belt. His last event achieved good coverage on Meridian Television, and we all know how hard it is to get our sport on terrestrial television. As if all this wasn't enough, the tireless Andre decided to take an extended trip to Thailand, to do the 'Thai training camp' experience, and ended up competing out there. This interview aims to give you an insight into Andre, his background and his methods, and also to show that training in Thailand is an experience we should all aspire to attain. This interview is in two parts, the first covering Andre's 'formative' years, with part 2 covering his Thai experience...
GT: Your career in martial arts started with boxing. What made you want to take up such a hard sport? AD: I started boxing as a way to get fit after having an accident, which left me inactive for nearly a year. A friend suggested boxing and kickboxing so I thought of I would give it a try - and I found it very rewarding.
GT: So what year was this, and where did you train? AD: It was 1989 and I trained at the Camberley Boxing Club, where I am still training today.
GT: You had many amateur fights. What was it like stepping into the ring the first time? AD: Well I had my first kickboxing bout before boxing and it was so nerve-wracking! But the good thing was it made me train so hard for it because I didn’t want to get hurt! I won with a 2nd round KO. Even now that fear of being hurt is with me before every fight I ever have.
GT: You even took a year off to train full time at Camberley Boxing Club as a sponsored fighter. Do you think many fighters go to waste, or fail to achieve their full potential due to other influences like jobs and families taking up their time? Would increased sponsorship of fighters help put Britain’s amateur boxers do better on the world stage? AD: Yes, I was lucky enough to get sponsorship from a local firm, which gave me the opportunity to train full time. I think a lot of fighters do drop out; some give up after losing their first fight. I personally think you don't lose you should learn from the experience. The amateur boxing seems to be improving at the moment and are being looked after better, which is why we (Team England) are doing well in the current commonwealth games.
GT: What record did you end with? AD: My boxing record is 14 fights 11 wins 3 losses (all by cuts to the eye) and 9 wins by KO.
GT: You then moved, concurrent with the latter end of your boxing career, into full contact kickboxing. Who did you start to train with, and why? AD: My early kickboxing career started with a guy called Paul Coope. He was a British Champion and a good boxer who taught at Camberley, he was a very good coach and had a lot of experience.
GT: As your career developed, whom else did you train with, and what were your reasons? AD: Paul gave up teaching kickboxing after a few years. I stayed at Camberley and worked on my boxing with Steve Fox. Also around that time we met each other and started teaching & training together. The thing I learnt most from you was how much fun you have with it all - and also your mental strength in competition, which I try to take on board. Training with you was like a breath of fresh air compared to some people who do it. When you think about it, no one is forcing us to fight, so we should try to enjoy it because one day all this will be our memories of our past.
GT: All the time, and still today, you remain loyal with your boxing coach Steve Fox, training with him at every opportunity. To what degree do you have to thank Steve with your abilities? AD: I have to say Steve fox has been the most influential person in my career. He has been like a father to me; he is quiet by nature and is not a person who likes the sound of there own voice. He is very calm in the corner and I have the utmost respect for him. As a trainer he is excellent on taking people on the pads. I think we have worked really well together over the years, and the times I have fought abroad without him there I always try to think of what he would say to me. I hope he is as proud of me as I am grateful of him of all his help.
GT: You have only a relatively small competitive kickboxing career. Yet is has spanned over a decade, you’ve been WAKO British Champion, you’ve competed (and were robbed of a semi-final place by a poor decision – I know, I was watching, I don’t think your opponent hit you once during the whole fight!) at the Kiev WAKO Amateur World Championships, and have even picked up a version of the World Title. More of the Thai trip later, but you’ve also just fought in Thailand. What motivates you competitively? AD: What motivates me is testing myself, there are so many people out there who for one reason or another are negative about others. When I first started kickboxing some people would say I wouldn’t be able to do this or that, well that’s all the motivation I need! I have proved myself at British, European & world level just by sticking at it & listening to sensible people around me, if I can do it I’m sure most people who put their mind to it could as well.
GT: What were your impressions of the WAKO World Championships in Kiev, Ukraine? AD: Well, firstly what a great team we had back then! Captained by Chris McNeish there was yourself and the others you see in the Team photo. All these people have gone on to be successful fighters. The conditions out there were terrible, no food, minus 15 degree temperatures at mid-day in bright sunshine! I was really pleased with the way I fought out there and I beat the world no 1 – George Araris – who is now a pro boxer and Brazilian cruiserweight & heavyweight champion. He also lost to Johnny Nelson on points for the WBO World Title a while back. I was robbed later on in the competition but it gave me a lot of confidence from being out there.
GT: You are one of those rare people in the South, a successful full time instructor, making a good living from the sport. What was teaching your first class like, and how have you developed your classes and personal training clients? AD: Teaching my first class was excellent! I really enjoyed showing students how to do different things and helping them improve. The classes are great for all levels, and with personal training you can tailor to the students ability and needs.
GT: Why should people use a personal trainer? What additional benefits are there over standard classes? AD: Well, if you have big classes like I sometimes do you can't always give individuals the personal time they need. That’s where the personal training works well. If you want to be a world class fighter you need attention – I mean can you see Lennox Lewis training in the local church hall with everyone else? No! Emmanuel Stewart is his personal trainer. Bruce Lee must have been one of the first personal trainers, a lot of his sessions were one on one or very small groups, I also make sure all my fighters have personal training so I know exactly what makes them tick. GT: Any students to watch out for in the future? AD: Yes Nathan Bye who has won titles already, Andy Jackson who won a Southern Area Title last year & Ian Stewardson who has been with me out in Thailand for 5 months. He also fought and won out there as well.
GT: You’re also known as a good cornerman, having assisted me in fights around the world and in my first K1 experience, as well as your own students. What do you think makes a good corner team? AD: Keeping calm! I can never understand it when I see three coaches all screaming at a fighter in the corner – and he just looks confused! Try and keep the instructions simple and get the fighter to understand you, then he will know what to do.
GT: You’ve run a few smaller, yet very successful shows, including the rare achievement of getting coverage of your last event on independent terrestrial television. AD: Yes, the shows have gone very well, the last one being my World Title fight and was shown on Meridian TV. Dave Bishop of D.B. Sports and Kevin Cross of the W.S.K.A. run the shows with me, and were brilliant last time by just letting me get on and concentrate on the fight....To be continued in Part 2... |
Andre Daltrey
Andre and Gary Turner sparring
Early
kickboxing training partners, David Grove, Andre, Ian Whiteling, Gary Turner
Andre and Steve Fox in Gary Turner's
corner, circa 1996