Archive
 December 2006

We at SAS Survival would like to point out that it is not all fun and games running courses and we take ourselves very seriously indeed. Here are a few piccies from 2006 to prove it.
 
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

 

 

 

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF XMAS PRESENT?  CHECK OUT BOB'S NEW 3 DVD SET 'SAS FIGHT SECRETS'  NOW ON E-BAY...
 
WHY NOT GET YOUR LOVED ONE ONE OF OUR POPULAR RECREATIONAL COURSES AS A PRESENT...WE NOW SELL XMAS VOUCHERS FOR OUR NEW COURSES.
 
Corporate Fun Day with Business Pursuits 18th Dec.
 

We rounded off the year with another corporate fun day organised by Business Pursuits in the grounds of Micklefield Hall. A surprise present from their boss our team of raw recruits found that the luxury five star hotel was a basha, and the haute cuisine would have to be cooked over a hexy stove. However thoughts of luxury were soon dispelled, and by the time they had got their war-paint on and had been issued their own personal weapons, they were now beginning to look and think like SAS Troopers.
 
The first part of the day was spent teaching the use of the combat survival tin, shelter building, and camouflage and concealment - in particular how to construct an OP (Observation Post).
 
After lunch they were issued with weapons and taught marksmanship, patrolling and contact drills. They were then split into two teams. One team became a hunter force and began to track down their enemy, who, unbeknownst to them, had managed to get themselves into a defensive position and were lying in ambush. Luckily the hunter team had remembered their anti-ambush drills well, and were able to fight their way to their ERV (Emergency Rendezvous). They were now being hunted but were able to turn the tables on their pursuers with an ambush of their own.  The final exercise of the day involved the two teams trying to locate a cache which they had to return to their own lines. By now the teams were giving no quarter and the battle raged back and forth until finally one team managed to emerge victorious!

Before! 

 

After !

  

 

Film Stars at SAS Survival!
 
Bob recently attended the premiere of feature film ‘One’ directed by Robbie Brown. Bob played a gangster and advised on some of the action sequences, in particular the unarmed combat. Also starring in the film was none other than Tommy Walsh, well known presenter from TV’s Ground Force.
 
Along side him playing his henchmen, were Paul, and Karl and Andrew Spour. Could this be the start of a new acting dynasty? – Redgraves and Richardsons watch out! (Should any casting directors be reading they are all available next year to play the Broker’s Men in Cinderella).
 November 2006
 
Special Forces Survival Weekend 19th November

 
We ran another Special Forces Survival weekend this month. This covered the basics of the combat survival tin, shelter building, and firelighting, before moving on to more military skills such as camouflage and concealment, patrolling and section attacks. Feeling they were ready to take on a small mission and put these skills into practice, they were briefed as to the nature of their task – an assassination to be carried out under cover of darkness. Despite being their first attempt they did an excellent job, managing to locate the target, putting out a CTR (Close Target Reconnaissance) and successfully sniping the target. Furthermore, despite having a huge amount of green tracer whizzing about their ears from the defending force, they managed to conduct a fighting withdrawal to their ERV (Emergency Rendezvous). A truce was then called and they made their way back to the campfire for a well deserved fish and chips.
 
As we sat around the campfire the temperature was dropping to a lovely minus 2 degrees. A special Mention in Dispatches must go here to the boys from Team WMD/6 Mil who did a valiant job getting wood with each other so we could all keep nice and warm.
 
Day two started with unarmed combat and was followed by exercises in ambushing and anti-ambushing and then attacking and defending a position.
 
Well done to all on the course. It was also nice to see a few old faces from previous courses such as John and Danny as well as an old soldier like Steve and his mate Dan.
 
Thanks once again to team WMD/6 Mil for playing such excellent baddies and particularly for bringing along a couple of attack dogs.
 
We would also like to thank Duncan Clark for coming along to assist on the course and look forward to working with him in the future (and thanks for the post-chips mince pies!).

'Let slip the dogs of war!'

  

 

Bob and Paul on Kerrang! Radio 13th November
 
Once you give a man a drama degree you cannot keep him away from a microphone. So it was that Bob, along with Paul, made another appearance on Tim Shaw’s Asylum on Kerrang! Radio. The evening was an eventful one, full of err… shall we say very colourful characters including the Alien, Frankenstein’s monster, and a giant gorilla all of whom attacked Bob and Paul. Thankfully we are pleased to announce they managed to defend themselves to the standard one would expect, and should the world be invaded by any of the above monsters we will know who to call. The whole event was filmed by Yvette Fielding and her production company, so we can see the whole event in glorious moving pictures.

The new Jimmy Young and Terry Wogan?

We are looking forward to more appearances in the future so watch this space.
 
Anyone interested in Tim Shaw’s asylum should check out the Kerrang site here:- http://www.kerrangradio.co.uk/

October 2006

Bob on Kerrang! Radio 29th October

Bob was invited back to Kerrang! Radio to make a guest appearance on the Tim Shaw show. Bob talked about his time in the SAS, chatted with Paul Ross, demonstrated some self protection and let off a thunderflash in the studio! Is there no limit to this man’s talents?

You can visit their website here:- http://www.kerrangradio.co.uk/ 

 
Mike Peers 40th Birthday 15th October.
 
Mike Peers recently celebrated his fortieth birthday and by means of a treat his wife booked him and his friends on a weekend with SAS Survival. However this was no ordinary wife – she had gone to the trouble of creating a pack for all the group along the lines of, ‘You have been selected to join the worlds most elite fighting force…’, and came with mission briefs and locations – well a list of local hotels anyway.
 
The weekend began with the basics of shelter building and how to use the contents of the Combat Survival Tin. This was followed by instruction on fire lighting and included a demonstration by Bill on how to use rubber strips to light fire. Em then took the group on a walk around the fields and woods pointing out various natural foods that were available. This was followed by a tasty soup of freshly picked mushrooms and nettles with a secret ingredient added by one of the team – chicken paste from the rat pack!
 
Patrolling and contact drills were next on the agenda and once the instructors were happy the group were competent they were given a night exercise to do. This involved putting a CTR (Close Target Reconnaissance) on a target who would then be assassinated. This was a difficult task in the dark but the group managed to take the target out and despite coming under enemy fire managed to escape back to their ERV (Emergency Rendezvous).
 
Day two began with the teams being split into two opposing forces. During the course of the morning Mike was captured and taken away for interrogation. He proved to be a very capable and switched on bloke and after several failed attempts to escape, he eventually managed to get back to his own side. His team then launched an attack on the enemy base and despite a solid defence they managed to winkle the defenders out. This victory was short lived however as the enemy forces managed to regroup and with a devious pincer movement managed to put the defenders in a hopeless position.
 
Well done to everyone on the course – we can assure Mike’s wife they all passed the test with flying colours.

Many happy returns Mike!

 September 2006 
 
Stag-do for Karl Gallagher 3rd Sept.
 
It is nice to know that when some people have spent some time in the service of their Queen and country there is an irresistible urge to get the DPM’s on again and take to the field. So it was that we hosted a stag do for ex-soldier Karl Gallagher and his mates – some of whom were also ex-military.

 

 
Despite some pretty persistent rain on day one, the group quickly gelled together excellently and with a fine example of teamwork had managed to put up an a-frame basha.
 
As was one of our Special Forces Survival weekends so we concentrated on basic survival techniques particularly snares. It was a pleasant surprise to find some of the participants had some knowledge of trapping already and it gave us an excellent opportunity to swap ideas.
 
We concluded the first day’s instruction with patrolling and weapons skills and after fish and chips the group adjourned to the pub.
 
The second day saw everyone rousing for breakfast. Here, special mention must go to Karl’s dad Mick – also and ex-soldier - who managed to show the younger lads that there was still plenty of life in the old dog yet, and the zest with which he threw himself into the course made him one of the stars of the weekend.
 
The day continued with the group splitting into two groups to practise more infantry skills. During this phase one of the groups turned traitor and snatched Karl, taking him away for interrogation. With great cunning he managed to convince them he would defect to their side. Shortly thereafter he managed to lob a grenade into the group creating various startled expressions, and in the confusion manage to escape back to his original team. Using intelligence he had gathered they managed to hunt down their enemy and attack their harbour area. They then withdrew drawing the enemy into a well laid ambush.
 
Well done guys and good luck Karl – we wish you a life of wedded bliss.

(Mick and Karl)

Airsoft Courses and Events.
 
SAS Survival are now running courses for people who play Airsoft.
 
The first course will take place Sunday 1st October. The course will look at infantry tactics and in particular those used by British Special Forces. Topics covered will include the following:-
  • camouflage and concealment
  • patrolling
  • contact drills
The emphasis on the day will be training and would be suitable for people or teams who want to bring authentic military tactics to their Airsoft gaming. Because it will be mainly a training day there will be no scenario based missions as such, but there will be opportunities to put the tactics learned into practice.
 
If you are interested in taking up Airsoft as a hobby then you can find a wealth of useful information on the ASCUK website -

  

Endurance Course - 3rd March 2007.
 
We are running another SAS endurance course. This is a three week event and commences on the 12rd March 2007 which covers the endurance phase of SAS selection. The course is open to men and women but participants must be aware that they must be both mentally and physically tough.
 
 If you are interested we suggest you get in touch now and we can advise you on how to build up to the event.
 
 If you would like to walk in the footsteps of the SAS but do not fancy three weeks of torture, then we offer courses walking the Fan Dance – the infamous route March over Pen - y – Fan (24 kilometres to be completed within 4hrs 15 mins). We will not expect you to complete this in the time required for selection - that will be your choice - but nonetheless it is still a very hard walk even when done at a stroll.
 
 August 2006
Endurance 2006
 
Well...it's over. For this year at least.
 
We took three poor souls down to the Beacons and subjected to the very same selection test (Endurance phase) as the 21,22 & 23 SAS had completed 2 days earlier.
 
Day one saw us lose our first man. He completed the Combat Fitness Test but said he wasn't able to carry on!
 
Day Five...after tremendous effort and blistered and swollen feet our second man decided to call it quits and only 16 days left!
 
Day Ten and the instructors decided to take the last man off the hill. Not because of his fitness or the state of his feet but his map reading needed a little more work.

  

  

(We also have lots of pictures of feet but they are too hideous to put on this website!)
 
Wedding bells at SAS Survival!
Two of our instructors have finally decided to make honest people of each other and get married. Em and Andy have been colleagues of Bob for many years and play a crucial role on SAS Survival courses. Both share a passion for the outdoors and also Thai Boxing and it was this that brought them together (you could almost say it was love at first fight!...Sorry!) The reception was held at Em’s parent’s farm in South Wales and was a splendid do with recitals and readings, and plenty of homemade food.
 
 All of us wish them well for the future and look forward to working with them for many years to come. 

Blending into the foliage. 

 

Still trying to hide behind some sort of shrubbery!
 
No 'Doubt No Fear' for Deutsche Bank and Business Pursuits.
 
Bob and Dave took a trip to London this month to do a short No Doubt No Fear seminar for Deutsche Bank. The seminar was part of a day of corporate events organised by Business Pursuits and covered the basic principles of self protection such as being aware of one’s environment to avoid trouble, and also some simple but effective ways of physically dealing with an aggressor.

 

 

 

 
Article on Bob in Martial Arts Illustrated and Arena Magazine.
Bob has recently been interviewed by Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine and is now featured in their current (September 2006) issue. In the interview he talks about his background in the martial arts, and who were his mentors. In addition he talks about his time in the military, particularly the SAS, and how this influenced his martial arts and his philosophy in life in general. He briefly touches on how he became involved with NLP and also on his forthcoming biography of John McAleese.
Bob was also asked to outline the principles behind NLP for Arena magazine (September 2006). He was interviewed by Steve Beale who bravely took part in a mini-selection for the magazine last year.
 
Anyone interested in Bob's martial arts can visit the 'No Doubt No Fear' section on the Recreational Courses page of this website (click here) or his Thai-boxing website here - http://www.phrayapichai.com/ 
You can also find out about his NLP work here - http://www.mindworkstechnologies.co.uk/

July 2006

Endurance Course commences 7th August.
 
This week has seen the start of our Endurance Course. This recreates the Endurance phase of SAS selection, which is one of the most physically and mentally demanding selection courses in the world and includes the infamous Fan Dance and Long Drag. As far as we are aware, we are the only civilian company to offer this course so if you wondered if you were tough enough to pass selection, thinking of joining the forces and want to get some training in beforehand, or perhaps an endurance athlete who fancies a different sort of challenge, then get in touch. However, we cannot overemphasise how gruelling this course is so applicants must be very fit and mentally prepared. If you think you are up for it contact us and we can advise you how best to prepare yourself.
 
We also wish the guys currently on the course all the best!
 
Stag do - Steve Snowden 15th-16th July.
 
During one of the hottest weekends in the summer heatwave we hosted Steve Snowden’s stag party. Despite the heat they soon got down to being formed into an elite fighting unit by setting up a defensive harbour area in the woods It was apparent they were going to be a good team as they worked together excellently to establish their position.  After setting up home, it was time for a quick bite to eat (rat packs!) and then it was straight into weapons handling, patrolling, map reading and camouflage and concealment. Following another quick break they were then taught how to patrol as an infantry section and how to mount a section attack. They were then split into two teams to practise jungle patrolling and ambushing. Finally they were given a quick overview of unarmed combat and then it was fish and chips followed by a quick visit to the local pub before the business of war started in earnest on the following day.
 
Day two saw our special forces teams really getting down to business, as one of the teams launched a surprise ambush and in a spectacular snatch, Steve was whisked away to be interrogated. However, Steve was as cunning as a fox and after lulling his guard into a false sense of security managed to break free. Unfortunately in the dense forest he didn’t get far, but it wasn’t long before his team came to rescue him. There followed a tense game of cat and mouse as each team tried to hunt down the other resulting in some frantic fire fights.
 
To finish off the day Steve then lead the entire group in section attacks on the instructor’s team. Steve led them with a cool authority and the attacks were pressed home with great effect.
The debrief was followed by people throwing themselves in the river to cool off!
 
We would like to thank Steve, Kev and Bill who came down to give us a hand playing baddies.
 
SAS Survival would also like to wish Steve and his wife a blissful future!

  

The team after a dip in the river.

  

All tied up and no place to go! Good luck Steve!

  

'SAS Fight Secrets' DVD.

  

Bob has recently put together a DVD of self protection and unarmed combat techniques.
 
 A well known and well respected martial artist throughout the country Bob
has taught self-protection to members of the public and the armed forces. He was recently proud to have instructed the Ghurkha Regiment in unarmed combat prior to deployement. 
 
Having been involved in the martial arts since he was a boy, he has studied a wide range of disciplines including karate, boxing, escrima and Thai Boxing. 
However, despite this vast knowledge, it was his time serving with the SAS which taught him that the simplest ways of dealing with trouble are always the best. In the DVD he talks about Situational Awareness – being aware of your environment so you can spot trouble and deal with it before anything nasty happens and if a confrontation is unavoidable how to deal with it quickly, simply and aggressively. Don’t forget ‘S.A.S.’ also stands for ‘Speed, Aggression and Surprise’!
 
 There are no complicated moves to learn in this DVD nor any secret mysticism, just simple, straightforward, common sense advice and techniques which can be learnt by anyone in a short space of time.
 
To get a preview of the DVD visit Youtube at 
http://www.youtube.com/ and search for ‘SAS Fighting Secrets’.
 
You can also visit Geoff Thomson’s website and view the discussion about the DVD here:-
 
Bob has also written extensively about the subject and was guest columnist for the magazines ‘Traditional Karate’ and ‘Combat’ and occasionally writes for ‘Martial Arts Illustrated’. You can download his book ‘No Doubt No Fear - Ultimate Self Protection’ from this website.
Special Forces Survival weekend 8th - 9th  July.
The aim of the course was to teach a mix of survival skills as used by the SAS as well as more obvious military skills such as weapons handling and patrolling
 
We started with lectures on the principles of survival and included Paul teaching how to put up various types of basha, Andy lecturing on the contents of the Combat Survival Tin, how to make a fire, and followed by a lesson on how to make a basic spring snare.
 
After a quick lunch the clients were then taught principles of camouflage and concealment, map reading, weapons handling, marksmanship, patrolling and contact drills.
 
After the traditional dinner of fish and chips we felt that they were now starting to look like real SAS Troopers capable of putting their newly acquired skills to use in their first mission. This was to take place when night fell and involved putting a CTR (Close Target Reconnaissance) on an enemy camp and assassinating one of their high ranking officers. After painstakingly gathering intelligence about the enemy they managed to assassinate the officer and mount an assault on the camp. Despite fierce opposition and lots of green tracer coming their way they managed to fight through the enemy position.
 
Day two started with more survival skills but this time with a focus on the urban environment as Bob gave a brief lecture on self protection. This class focussed on situational awareness so as not to put oneself into harms way, and dealt with pre-emptive strikes and unarmed combat against an assailant with a knife.
 
Having had another brew our SAS patrol were then given orders for the day’s mission. They were tasked with meeting an agent who gave them the location of an enemy cache. As they patrolled through the forest the humidity and dense green foliage immediately gave the whole exercise the feeling of being in the jungle! En-route fought through various ambushes managing to get close enough to the cache to put out another CTR and launch an attack. The enemy troops, realising they were up against well trained Special Forces quickly ‘bugged out’ and despite managing to regroup and mount a counter attack they were soundly beaten by a well disciplined and motivated force.
 
Cheers to Dave Manning and Carl Greatrix from Airsoft Armouries and team WMD for playing baddies and especially for being patiently dragged through the undergrowth for three-quarters of an hour!
June 2006
 

New course starts in August!!!

If you really want to know what it's like to do the Endurance phase of SAS Selection then why not enrol on our 3 week Selection Course. This is being run by ex SAS personel and is not for the squeamish! We already have two people signed up.

If you have 21 days free starting 7th August and want to see if you really are tough enough email us NOW!

May 2006 

Stag-do for Andy Sims 27th - 28th May

Recently we held another stag weekend for Andy Sims. The participants arrived on Saturday morning in what can only be described as wet, horrible rain. However, they were determined this would not break their spirits, and began preparing their harbour area, digging shell scrapes and putting up bashas. Once their homes for the weekend had been squared away, they were given lessons on how to use the ration packs by Andy (time for a well earned, warming brew!) marksmanship by Paul, map reading and navigation by Bob and camouflage and concealment. Eventually the weather did relent, and the sun came out in all its glory. Karl then took our trainee SAS troopers through infantry drills. This included formations, setting up fire teams and culminated in the team storming an enemy position. Two of the team had the heroic job of ‘posting’ grenades and riddling the enemy trench with automatic fire. Karl was very impressed with the speed at which they picked up the training – and as a former Paratrooper this is a compliment not to be taken lightly.

As night fell, our fledgling SAS patrol were ready for their first mission, and were tasked with putting a Close Target Reconnaissance (CTR) on a suspected enemy base which had been set up in their area of operations. All went well until the team were ‘compromised’ and soon the air was filled with green tracer rounds and explosions. Under the expert guidance of Karl they finally managed to 'bug out' of the area.

 

The sunshine stayed with us on day two, as did the hostilities. The enemy troops, bent on revenge, attacked the SAS patrol and captured one of their men (James Mack). Fortunately for them, ‘Mack’ was made of stern stuff and did not utter a single word under interrogation!
 
Finally the SAS, under the leadership of Paul, fought their way through various ambushes and enemy patrols to where he was being held, and liberated him. Still under enemy fire they managed to fight their way out of the area even managing to set up a quick ambush on some of the pursuing enemy.
 
SAS Survival would like to say well done to the lads as they performed admirably, particularly in light of the rain on Saturday morning, and cheers to Jon Badley for getting the lads down to do the course. We would also like to thank the guys from Airsoft Armoury in Cannock (and their team Worcester Mad Dogs – WMD) who supplied the weapons and pyros and who played excellent baddies! Many Happy returns to Dave Manning whose birthday it was this week! You can find their websites here - http://www.airsoftarmoury.com/ and here http://www.teamwmd.co.uk/

 

The 'SAS' with Team WMD and SAS Survival Instructors

  

We would like to wish Andy Sims and his fiance all the best for their wedding day and a happy future together.

 

All the best Andy!

 

Stag-do for Steve Ludnow 6th - 7th May

 

The first day of our two day event was to teach our raw recruits the skills they would need in the event of any combat situation arising. Mac and Dai instructed them in patrolling, ambushing, anti-ambushing skills and contact drills, whilst Bob, Andy, Em, and Dave took them through camouflage and concealment, unarmed combat, sentry stalking, map-reading and navigation, and how to use ration packs! They were a bunch of quick learners and by the end of the day managed to navigate their way to the bar whilst avoiding being ambushed. 

  

The glorious weather we had on day one continued into day two, but in spite of this, things were soon to take a sinister turn. As the teams were reviewing their training they came under attack from rebel forces. In the ensuing battle Steve was taken prisoner and whisked away to be interrogated. Despite the fiendish attempts of the rebels, Steve manfully refused to divulge any information and still kept enough of his wits about him to glean valuable information about his captors. This information would prove useful as Steve managed to escape and reach friendly patrols that had been sent out to search for him. Using the intelligence from Steve, they decided to wipe out the rebel base. Patrolling through the forest they were met with counter patrols and ambushes, but after a series of vicious firefights they achieved their objective and won the day!

 

Bob, Mac and the rest of the team at SAS Survival were very impressed with the way the participants picked up the skills and the spirit with which they entered into the weekend. Well done all!

 

 

 

SAS Survival would like to give a big thanks to the team at Airsoft Armouries in Cannock who supplied the kit for the weekend, did a brilliant job of playing rebel troops and literally made the weekend go with a bang! Anyone interested in getting involved with Airsoft can find their site here - http://www.airsoftarmoury.co.uk/ 
Also we would like to thank Jay-Jay’s army surplus store in Brecon for supplying equipment, and also Tim and Ian who gave us a hand getting the marquee up!
 
Finally, we would like to wish Steve and his future wife all the best for the big day and many years of happiness together!
 
The stag party with the Airsoft Armoury team.

  

Good luck Steve!
Bob on Kerrang! Radio105.2 (Tuesday 2nd May )

Visitors to 'Chez Bob' may have noticed a guitar lying around amongst the bergans and the war kit. As Bob is an aficionado of rock, this will come as no surprise and nor will his appearance on Kerrang! Radio’s 'Tim Shaw’s Asylum'. Bob will be talking about SAS Survival and no doubt offering pearls of wisdom. However, fear not, more observant visitors will have noticed the lack of strings on Bob’s guitar so there will be no renditions of ‘Stairway to Heaven’, and the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction will continue elsewhere!

You can visit their site here - http://www.kerrangradio.co.uk/ 
April 2006
 
Spring is in the air and it shows. We have already booked up 5 Stag-Do's for the coming months and many of our other courses are also doing well. We have been working hard on a couple of initiatives set up by some of our partner groups which involve working with young offenders from around the country. Last week saw Paul and Bob working alongside the Royal Gurkha Rifles teaching them vital skills in Unarmed Combat and Awareness Techniques that should serve them in good stead when they head off to Afghanistan in the next couple of weeks. We can't say more than that because of operational secrecy.

  
The Gurkhas are a great bunch of guys, highly motivated and aggressive - when they need to be! They were very good to us and the Major at the barracks presented us with an engraved tea set.  That means more cups of tea for Bob then!

 

 

February seems to have gone by in a blur...so much so that we didn't have an entry for the newsletter! We were very busy but as usual not so much with bookings but with administration of the new work coming up soon.

Bob has also run another successful course 'No Doubt No Fear' again in Leeds with Martin Dresner our representative for Unarmed Combat in the North. This course is so popular it is now booking up way ahead. If you are interested in effective self protection this one day course is just what you are looking for. If the Gurkhas are using us it must be good!

 

Bob has once again been working on yet another computer game...thought we would mention it...just so we could check out the nice costume!

  

Our new Map Reading & Navigation Course is up and running and will be taking bookings soon and the website may be changing format
March 2006 
 
Lost In The Woods   (Mar 11th-12th)
 
Last weekend we ran the first of our survival/bush craft courses of 2006. This was an introduction to basic principles of survival using natural materials found in the wilds. Topics covered shelter building, making fire, and finding and purifying water.
The emphasis was mainly on civilian rather than military survival, looking at each subject in detail.
It was great to see how the participants threw themselves into the weekend, Kev Evans and Paul Jones in particular joined in with great gusto. It was also nice to see Rob Pearce again. Rob is now a regular on our courses, managing too survive -7 degrees on our last survival course.

  

Rob makes fire!
 
The first exercise on day one, was building a two-man shelter, followed by putting up a ‘basha’. This was then followed by lectures on how to create a fire including instruction on how to identify the best types of wood to use.
Thankfully we had got the fire making skills under our belts as we awoke on day two to find ourselves in a winter wonderland (we suspect Rob is bringing the icy weather with him!).

Resisting the urge to build snowmen and have snowball fights, we contiued with day's lectures which included how to find, filter and purify water. The course concluded with making fire bows. The forest was filled with the sounds of whittling, followed by frantic bowing and finally the creation of fire from an ember.
 
We shall be running more of these courses throughout the year, as well as intermediate and advanced courses (keep checking the Lost in the Woods section on our Recreational Courses page).
January 2006
Unarmed Combat Course Leeds - Jan 11th
 
Our first course of the year was a return to Leeds where Martin Drezner hosted another of Bob's self protection courses. The day started with a brief discussion on situational awareness, leading into 'lining up' a potential aggressor for a pre-emptive strike. The participants then looked at using multiple strikes to deal with an aggressor and, when Bob was satisfied they were competent with these principles, he moved the lesson on to look at various scenarios (including how he would defend himself with stilletto heels and a bra!). We were pleased to see Ali Warren again. Ali has regularly attended the courses and, as an ex-RAF and civilian policeman, gave some useful insights into the dangers we potentially face, with common sense advice on how to avoid them or deal with them should they arise. On such example was dealing with a potential threat in the stairwell of a multi-storey car park, involving Dave Perks being clobbered by various would-be victims. The day rounded off with a brief look at edged weapon awareness and how to deal with knife threats. Thanks again to Martin for encouraging people to come on the courses, and also for his input with the instruction.
 
December 2005

Unarmed Combat Course in Leeds - 18th Dec

Sunday the 18th saw Bob teaching for a group of 10, the finer points of Self Protection; ably assisted by Dave Perks of SAS Survival. This regular occurence is set up by Martin Drezner who first met Bob at an Unarmed Combat course over a year ago. Martin has been involved in the martial arts for some time now and it was no surprise that Bob honoured his efforts by promoting him to Self Protection Instructor representing the Yorkshire region. The next scheduled Course in Leeds is on January 8th 2006. Contact Martin on 07710350584 for more info.

 


Bob presents Martin with his certificate The victims assembled after the course

Special Forces Training/Combat Mission with John McAleese - 10th/11th Dec.

Last weekend we ran our first Special Forces Survival Training course with John McAleese on board as training director. I think it is fair to say that not only the clients but also the instructors were eager to work with Mac and all were not disappointed as he brought a wealth of knowledge to the course.

Day one comprised mainly of basic soldiering skills. Dave W took the class through the principles of setting up harbour areas which was followed by Paul’s marksmanship class. Em taught the uses of the survival tin followed by Andy and Bob giving tuition on the finer points of the ration packs (just in time for lunch!). Mac, Paul and Dave W then took the group through the basics of patrolling which led into Bob’s intro to camouflage and concealment. The latter skills were put to good use (‘ish’ as Mac would say) when one of the group was compromised by a car while crossing a road, adopting a ‘pretending to be a tree’ pose.

While the campfire was being lit Bob taught the group map reading and navigation

Mac teaching the finer points of 'Contact Drills' as the sun comes up!

after which Paul led the group out into a night navigation exercise to put a Close Target Reconnaissance (CTR) on a suspected terrorist. As the group had done so well Bob, Mac and Paul treated them to a demonstration of survival skills by catching a few bags of sausage and chips in the local village.

Good soldier that he is Dave W got everyone up nice and early for breakfast and made sure everyone was ready to break camp. The next two hours was spent with Mac and Paul teaching ambushing and contact drills and the group had a chance to put these into use against the instructors. After Mac was satisfied the group was on top of their skills he gave them a mini-mission which they had to plan and prepare.

   
 
To finish the day off we had a de-brief and Mac complemented the participants on the speed at which they had picked up the skills – praise indeed!

We would like to thank Airsoft Armoury in Cannock (www.airsoftarmoury.com)&am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;nb sp;for the use of their weapons. For all airsoft weapons and tactical kit give them a try and tell them we told you so!

November 2005 

JOHN McALEESE JOINS SAS SURVIVAL!

It is with great pleasure and an honour that John 'Mac' McAleese has jumped on board with the staff here at SAS Survival. His knowledge and tremendous skills will be now available to those clients attending our trainings. It also means that we will be able to run the 21 day BG Courses as well as live firing trainings abroad. This news is hot off the press and we will keep you updated as to future developments with the organisation. Mac, Bob and Dai will also be setting off to start a new venture in Sweden with the opening of a 'Special Forces Training School' near Malmo in December. This means we can offer a variety of courses abroad. Bob will also be attending a meeting in Thailand in the New Year to discuss plans to open a 'Jungle Training Facility' in the North of Thailand in which Mac will play an important role. Bob is currently writing Mac's biography and this should be due out in the New Year....keep your eyes open for this publication. It's a bit of an eye-opener!

 

Dai and Bob welcome Mac to SAS Survival 

Lost in the woods.

Last weekend (19th-20th) we ran a survival weekend under the instruction of Dave W. While many were tucked up under their duvets Dave, along with Rob Pearce, Ashleigh Battison and Alun Williams, braved temperatures of -7 Degrees C living out in the woods. On Day 1 of the course Dave covered the basics of survival including using the survival tin, building shelters, building a fire, looking for and purifying water and emergency first aid in the field. The day ended with a lesson in night navigation.

Day 2 started with lessons on tracking and how to set snares, then everyone relocated from the survival training area to Corn Du in the Brecon Beacons where Dave continued his instruction on map reading.

SAS Survival must also say thanks to Alun Williams for kindly taking photos of the weekend.

No doubt No Fear.

Bob was also guest Instructor at the Rick Manners School of Boxing in Leeds during the month. He was running another No Doubt No Fear Course to   members of the medical profession. Martin Dresner, an anaesthetist, met Bob whilst he was teaching Unarmed Combat  and having struck up a friendship with Bob has been getting him up to Leeds regularly. The next one is planned for Dec 2005. If you are interested contact Bob for more details.

No Doubt No Fear Course In Leeds

 

 

Martin and Bob in Leeds

ARENA MAGAZINE, BG COURSES, MILITARY BOOK AND LOTS MORE....!!   

SAS Survival completed two main events in the past months and one of them was of course the 'Combat Mission Rescue' in October 2005.

The course was attended by a small group  and they spent the weekend learning how to basha up, construct a patrol harbour area as well building an op and sending out a recce patrol, a fighting patrol and actually running a mission on the final day.

 

  

October 2005

The October Combat Mission Rescue

      Jona thon looking 'warry' on the Combat Mission Rescue

SAS Survival to be featured in Octobers' Arena     & nbsp ;      &am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;nb sp;      

ARENA magazine sent one of its features editors to us for a weekend of SAS style training down at Stirling Services in

June 2005....and what a time he had. Steve Beale is writing a feature on what it takes to be a man and chose sas survival to show him!! As you can see from the photos he had a great time.

 

He was taken through a mini selection process which started with a short run (to allow us to assess his fitness) and he was then taken out into the woods for basic survival skills training.

 

He was then taught how to patrol, deal with an ambush and was then thrown into the shooting range for weapons familiarisation. He used Glocks, MP5's and M4's to great effect. He seemed to be a bit of a natural! After a stint in the killing house he was then gassed...interrogated and then taken up Fan Fawr on the final day.

As they say...'every picture tells a story'

On a more Corporate Note....

Bob, Paul and Karl ran a 'BE A BODYGUARD FOR THE DAY' Teambuilding Event in Staffordshire for the Insurance company HOMESERVE.  The event was very successful and consisted of managers and directors being shown the training methods of Close Protection Operatives...(Bodyguards!)

Based in the Hoarcross Hotel in Staffordshire the group were taught how to handle firearms, take care of themselves with a short lesson of unarmed Combat and how to deal with the threat of ambush. Just what you need in Staffordshire! In the afternoon a real time scenario was renacted with one team being the bodyguards and the other the fictitious terrorist group out to kidnap a VIP. I can only say it went well...just look at the pictures.

 

 

Bob has also written a Military style Survival Manual 'SECRETS OF THE SAS'and it is now available to buy...ONLY £10.99 !It has over 150 pages of photos and drawings and loads of info on Map Reading, Operating as a 4 man Patrol, First - Aid on the Hills, How to build Observation Posts, Escape and Evasion, Tracking People across difficult Terrain, Unarmed Combat, Developing a Survival Instinct and much, much more!

TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER EMAIL US NOW !! 

We have also noticed that many groups like us to tailor make the courses to suit their own criteria  and the new year will see us endeavouring to improve the service we are offering.

 

A recent BG Course held in Guernsey 

Paul & Bob are running several Bodyguard Courses throughout the year...ring for more info on these exciting and popular courses now. We recently ran a very successful one in Birmingham for the company Corporate Innovations. Some of the delegates have now enrolled on our 6 Day course that was  held in march 2005 

STAG WEEKENDS !! 

It seems that more and more of you are requesting our services for STAG-DOs with a difference. Not satisfied with going off and getting drunk it seems many of you are treating your friends to an SAS style weekend. This usually ends in the Stag being captured and interrogated...whatever turns you on I suppose.

If you are after a weekend Stag-do with a difference...

CALL US NOW!!!

07870611850

 

 

Karan Jalota and friends having fun on an SAS Survival Stag-do 

 

Drinking a well deserved brew after a busy night on the hills!

 BOB INVOLVED IN COMPUTER GAMES!   ...  what next?

Bob has also spent the last 16 months working with a number of companies who develop computer games. He has been using his expertise to advise and take part in the motion capture element of the field. The last two games he has been heavily involved in were 'Cold Winter' and 'Killzone' both are available on the PS2.  For more info go to www.coldwinter.com

Bob on the set of Coldwinter

For the latest in civilian survival training contact:

www.bushcraftuk.co.uk

If you would like to contribute to a memorial to past heroes of the SAS check out

www.alliedspecialforces.co.uk

      &amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;amp ;nbs p;  

ALL OF OUR COURSES CAN BE BOOKED  OVER THE PHONE AND WE NOW TAKE ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS INCLUDING AMERICAN EXPRESS 

P.S. If you have any comments about the site or you are someone who wishes to attend our Instructors course mail us or give us a ring.

Mark and Tracey with their group from Sheffield getting down and dirty in the Beacons.

(Mark is kneeling front right; standing to his left, Tracey)

Instructors: 2nd right Bob and on far right Steve

CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

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It is like having a personal trainer, nutritionist and life coach, right there, just when you need it, in the palm of your hand. There is nothing like it available anywhere else.

 
 

 
Ruth JonesNigel DenbyBob Small
 
 

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