All of the people who have met Tommy Carruthers or seen him in action appear to be in agreement that his dedication to the martial arts is at a fanatical level. For over 30 years he has religiously followed a gruelling training schedule and now, thanks in no small part to the power of the internet, people across the martial arts community are finally starting to recognise the previously unknown Glaswegian as one of the most talented and fanatical Jeet Kune Do practitioners on the globe today. However, what very few people know about Tommy Carruthers is that he has another passion in life that is completely unrelated to martial arts. Indeed, for the past month or so the case may well have been argued that Tommy’s primary area of expertise has not been in the field of martial arts, but DIY!

 

About a month ago the Tommy Carruthers martial arts school moved from its old location in 61 Hydepark Street inGlasgow to a new venue which is in the city center. Tommy’s new London Road venue (which, for the record, is about 700 miles from London!) was little more than a shell when the Tommy Carruthers school first moved in. The walls were uneven, there was no heating what so ever and the cold concrete floors and dusty interior did little to suggest that this old, broken down venue could ever become a thriving martial arts school.

 

However, in the few weeks that have passed since moving in, Tommy has been working like a man possessed and has single-handedly converted the old basement into what is almost certainly one of the best equipped martial arts schools in his country! The walls are immaculate, there’s a brand new floor, the electrics are brand new, there’s a weights area, a very large cushioned mat, new lighting, a selection of specialist training equipment and not a speck of dust in site! Since the dramatic conversion was carried out, as was the case with his previous school, people have already begun flocking from all over the world to train with Tommy and his students. So far, the school has no sign outside that would indicate to passers by that the venue is a martial arts hotspot. However, Tommy insists that this has never held people back in the past:

“At our old venue, which was also a basement, you could walk past and never even realise there was a martial arts school there! But we had people come from across Europe, North America, Canada and even the Middle East to train with us!”

 

 

Unlike most other martial arts schools which offer only two or three days a week of training, Tommy’s goal with his new school is to offer his students the opportunity to train for six days a week- that’s five days of formal lessons and an extra day at the weekend for those who wish to do some additional practice alone or with a partner. 

 

Says Tommy:

 

 

At the new school, students are taught how to defend themselves against single opponents, multiple opponents and opponents with weapons. Tommy’s preferred method of teaching is to set up reconstructions of confrontational situations and methodically train his students how best to defend themselves. To make the scenarios as realistic as possible, the students wear protective armour and are trained to “fight not spar”. One example of such a scenario may be a group of three people surrounding a victim and closing in. Another scenario may involve an opponent with a knife hidden up his sleeve. All of the scenarios are designed to recreate the kind of fear, unpredictability and explosiveness of a real life confrontation.

 

Tommy again:

 

 

The curriculum that Tommy Carruthers teaches today is unshakably faithful to the Jeet Kune Do that Bruce Lee created and practiced when he was alive. Everything that is taught at the school is founded on the same scientific principles that Bruce Lee embraced when he invented Jeet Kune Do. I asked Tommy Carruthers, “How would you respond to anyone who says that what you’re teaching is out of date?”

 

Tommy: “The stuff we teach is built on irrefutable laws of physics. For example, at our school we know that the quickest way to get from point A to point B is a straight line. To me, it doesn’t matter if facts like that were found out today or if they were discovered by Neanderthal Man! People who claim that Jeet Kune Do is stuck in the 60s or 70s clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. I must confess, I’m disappointed to find that many Jeet Kune Do practioners today appear to assume that the quickest way of getting from point A to point B is no longer a straight line, but to go via points C and D. However, the laws of inertia and gravity have stood the test of time and they will stand for many more thousands of years. So, I would respond by saying that the people who have flipped what Bruce Lee taught on its head are the ones who have went backwards! Not only have they disrespected what Bruce Lee taught but they have quite literally set out to violate the laws of physics! 

The new Tommy Carruthers school is under the railway bridge at Trongate, in Glasgow city center.  Visitors and new members are always welcome but are respectfully encouraged to get in touch first.

-David Connelly