Michael Page and Combat 32

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By Combat32, on 20-09-2008 09:48

Michael Page is fast becoming the hottest asset on the freestyle sport karate circuit both within the UK and Europe. With the Combat32 Series I title under his belt and the Italian Open, he is unquestionably talented. We want to investigate if this young man, as a fighter, is shouldering the majority of the burden in taking the sport forward to greater heights? There are other fighters in the mix, likes of Robbie Hughes and Drew Neil, but the name that constantly keeps cropping up is the name of the ‘Venom’.

With a great pedigree, the son of the former Lau Gar national team member the formidable Curtis Page, are we as a sport letting down the stars of today and tomorrow? and consequently loosing some fine athletes to sports that offer more in financial and professional support.

During this interview we will try to scratch the service of what makes Michael tick, his opinion on the whole general condition of sport karate, if he has been tempted away from the sport, what lies ahead and if he feels there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, when teaching adults it’s important that you gain and keep their respect. Everyone is different, so it is imperative you keep a professional and standard approach with all students, no matter if they are friends or not. - Michael Brown

Combat 32: Michael thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts.

Michael Page: No problem, It’s a pleasure.

Combat 32: Michael, lets start by sharing with the readers a little background about yourself ?

Michael Page: OK, I’m from London and began martial arts at the delicate age of 3, competing at my very first tournament at the age of 5. Almost everyone of my family where involved in martial arts so it only seemed natural that I would join the ranks. The discipline I was introduced to was traditional Lau Gar, a form that was established within this country by Master Jeremy Yau. We have recently transitioned into Kickboxing where I practice daily with the rest of the London Predators. We felt it was important to keep the traditional elements of Lau Gar, where I still practice my forms, as it stood me in good stead giving a solid foundation to build upon. My progression is down to my father who is my coach and mentor, the sheer depth of talent throughout the club and the fact that I have always had strong role models.

Combat 32: How important have your family and friends been in your martial arts career?

Michael Page: Absolutely pivotal and no child can make it, no matter what, without their support. I remember the days when my father, Curtis Page, was competing, fighting the likes of Frank Lynch and Alfie Lewis. This was good for my development as a fighter. There is no better role model than a role model that is practising what they preach and Michael delivers a crushing blow.JPG you’re there to experience that fact first hand. There wasn’t one tournament I missed back then, even though the results weren’t to my expectations my father was always there to encourage and support and this was no more apparent than at the US Open in 1998. I was 12 years old and it was my first international. It was only then did I realise my true potential, by winning this title it convinced me of what my father always believed that I was good enough to progress as much as I wanted to. There are many people that helped me with my development. Simon Lewis, someone who pushed me physically, helped me improve my speed and power as a fighter. Mr Marvin Francis, someone who improved my creative fighting skill, forcing me to adapt nearly every class, a skill that is a big part of my fighting today.

I like to give a special mention for a very close person who has always been there for me and for picking me up when I have been down Pauline Reece, my mum.

Combat 32: I understand that you are also an instructor, can you elaborate? and also how do you find balancing the arts of training and tuition?

Michael Page: Tuition is something that you do not enter into lightly. There is great responsibility especially when you are teaching children as young as 4. You need patients and the ability to communicate with clear and concise instructions. There are also many gains as an individual from teaching, one being the inevitable improvement of your personal character. Also, when teaching adults it’s important that you gain and keep their respect. Everyone is different, so it is imperative you keep a professional and standard approach with all students, no matter if they are friends or not. In relation to the balance between tutor and trainer I do feel there is room to train more, however I will never sacrifice the value I am currently adding to a students development.

Combat 32: Do you feel that your future always lied within the Martial arts or have you ever considered another career path?

Michael Page: I am a sportsman through and through. No matter what sport I would of done I would have reached the top. I have always adapted quite easily to any sport I desired to play, may it be basketball or football I was good. However, saying that it did almost let me down because it split my attention between various interests disabling me to ever pursue one thing whole hearted. There was no question that martial arts reined supreme in my choices of things to do and the others where always second best, hobbies at most. As a young teenager, I was different to no other. I wanted material things and that cost money. So I had to get a job and that’s when my hobbies started to drop off, but my fix for martial arts never dwindled.

Michael Page in Action

Combat 32: What are your aims and objectives as a martial arts practitioner? This can cover both your aspirations as a fighter and as an individual.

Michael Page: I want to increase the respect for our sport. I personally believe as fighters we work just as hard as football players and as you know we need to earn a living as well. Being the best at our sport is just not enough, because it doesn’t pay the bills. I want to use the abilities I have to raise the bar of fighting in this country and with the right promoters I feel we can make a real difference. I want to make a name for myself, promoting my abilities at every given opportunity. By growing the sport one can grow himself and vice versa. I want to engineer myself into a position where I can create several opportunities giving me a choice on what I want in life. Movies, commercials who knows I am still only 20 the world is my oyster.

Combat 32: OK Michael, now you’ve had the warm-up questions time to get a little controversial. Please feel free to speak your mind, that’s the only way we can get any particular messages that you would like to be heard across to the general public. Do you feel as a sport the general promoter is failing the competitor? and if so how can this situation be improved?

Michael Page: With the exception of Combat32, that’s gives the fighter the opportunity to win the highest cash prize of any sport karate event, the general promoter does not appreciate the true spirit of the fighter and hence in my opinion these are the people that we can do without. Also there seems to be too much emphasis on the promoter making money and that their milking the sport for all they can instead of trying to grow the sport for long term success. If they continuously persist to take the sport will eventually have nothing to give. This mentality is without question damaging as it is pulling the fighters in differing directions, we are unknowingly becoming unproductive in growing the sport. Events like Combat32 produce a sense of unity as it is taking the sport in a direction in which all fighters desire. If we can join together not just as fighters but as promoters and associations it will strengthen our sport and hence we would become a stronger force.

Combat 32: We all know that there is limited money in the sport, however stating that what’s your opinion on an athlete being required to pay money to represent his country ? should the promoter do more in raising funds to at least cover cost of expenses ?


	Combat 32: Series One - £19.99 32 of the UK’s premiere fighters £3200 prize money. One winner takes it all. This is Combat 32: Where fighters become legends. Feel every kick and every strike, the pain and the glory as 32 fighters battle it out to win freestyle martial arts

Michael Page: Everyone has to earn a living, however there is no need to exploit the fighter, we are not stupid. There needs to be a unified push to gain government support and WAKO seem to be making good progress in this area with recent GASIF recognition. However government support will only recognise a unified body of which we do not have, this goes back to my previous point. I don’t feel there is a need for promoters to raise more funds but to push more for government grants and to at least show the fighter that work is being done in this area. I feel fighters are not really bothered about where money is going from certain tournaments as long as there is growth in the sport year on year of which I am not seeing.

Combat 32: Within the model and football industries, to take a few, they have agents to assure their clients are not exploited and it works. What’s your opinion on this and do you feel it could be adopted within the martial arts industry to protect fighters ?

Michael Page: Yes a great idea but not at the moment, we are not ready for this until we make leaps into the direction previously discussed. Only reason being is if fighters become too defensive about their position the sport will stagnate, even though the sport is stagnant at the moment this will only add fuel to the fire.

Combat 32: As a fighter Michael what’s your general perspective of the quality of the field within the UK, do you feel more needs to be done to increase the depth of talent?

Michael Page: The talent is extremely high in this country, however I feel we are not doing our duties for the future if we don’t push for change. Lets take referees for example, there seems to be a severe lack of trained referees and this is having a knock on affect for the aspiring fighter. Majority of referees seem to keen to award points to the known fighter even though these points are clearly not justified. The referees are of the majority of ex-competitors and in some instances know well the fighters on the mat and sometimes an element of unknowing biasness can be shown to their favoured fighter. Back to the fighting, I feel now that there is more depth in the lightweights, this is evident in my enjoyment when competing in the open weights. I feel I am not being tested in the general competition and that more showcase events must be staged. Combat32 is an event that tested both the athlete in fighting abilities and in rule adaptation, there should definitely be more events of this nature as it is within this environment that talent will flourish.

	Combat 32 Combat 32 is an open style Martial Arts tournament displaying some of the best fighters currently around in Britain today. Lesley Jackson is hooked by the display of talent fighting in the competition and wonders when they will introduce a female division, so she can have a go herself!

Combat 32: I feel we have lost some great fighters due to the current structure of the sport karate tournament, the likes of Mat Winsper and Vinnie Braine to mention a few. Is there any chance of loosing you ?

Michael Page: No way, I’m staying for good. I feel it’s been bestowed upon me to take the sport to new levels. I remember fighting them guys back in the pee-wee’s it is a tragedy that we lost them as they would of added so much as senior competitors. Around 10 years ago we where the top country but now we are definitely sliding down the table. It’s like we’ve pulled our investment at a time when everyone else on the continent has been increasing it and been doing so for the past years. If we don’t change we will continue to slide.

Combat 32: Michael now’s the time to say that life changing phrase, for all the young aspiring fighters out there what would be your words of wisdom?

Michael Page: Battles lost are battles to learn from and the more you learn the more success in battles you will experience.

Combat 32: Michael, I would like to thank you for your time and I wish you the very best of luck and for yours and the futures sake I hope we as a sport can get our priorities in order and that is to put the fighter first not the buck.

Michael Page: This is a vision, such is yours, I see many people coming to grips with. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel and you know what ….. it’s getting brighter.

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