The Keysi fighting method is a relatively new martial fighting system that has been developed by its Spanish founder, Justo Dieguez and Andy Norman from Britain. Both of these men are qualified Jeet Kune Do instructors but from their respective experience in street fighting and combat, developed their own practical fighting system based upon a fluid and evolving method that could be used in a street self-defence situation.
Keysi Fighting Method
Dieguez, who spend a harsh childhood on the streets of Spain, spend his youth working in a mine and several years in the Special Forces. From this tough military background, Dieguez left the Special Forces to study martial arts and after gaining instructor level in many different styles, he started to develop his own system based upon personal growth and close combat fighting evolution. Andy Norman, from Yorkshire, also spend an anarchic youth testing himself in fights but started to think deeper about his violent pastime by further exploring the physical and emotional aspects of street life. When these two men met, it was to fuse together their martial experience to form a new martial system based upon practical fighting and street survival.
Method and Training
The Keysi Fighting Method is based upon close combat fighting in a similar vein to Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do. It has a wide range of techniques in its arsenal, none of which are set in stone in the same way as a traditional martial art dictates but rather concentrating on instinctive moves and an internal debate of personal improvement. These include punching, kicking, grappling and striking as well as weapons work. The key area to be protected is always the head as this is seen to be the most important zone in the blocking armoury. Other key techniques include using the elbows and knees, drawing influences from Muay Thai and Kali with its use of dual stick work.
Although the exponents of Keysi do not wish to attach themselves to the traditional martial arts, they do still have a colour belt ranking system to denote experience and hierarchy. This ranges from white for beginner, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black, with the black grades having 1st to 10th levels much like the traditional Dan grades. With the founders of the system being Spanish and English, this martial fighting system is based primarily in Europe but with a large instructor recruitment programme, it is only a matter of time before Keysi will gradually spread over to America.
Media
The Keysi Fighting Method is the key fighting style used in the films Mission Impossible 3, Batman Begins and its sequel The Dark Knight. The star of Batman Begins, Christian Bale, speaks of his use of Keysi as, “very practical...these guys often train in nightclubs...it’s all about using what’s available.” The film’s stunt co-ordinator Paul Jennings describes the end scene on the train in Batman Begins as being a coming together of two highly skilled fighters and needing a tough and practical fighting method that would reflect the motivations of these two characters. Christian Bale’s stunt double Buster Reeves, himself a world champion in Jiu Jitsu, sums up the appearance of Keysi as, “real, efficient and effective; every move goes straight to the point with no waste of time.”
Techniques and Tutorials 
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