Start martial arts the right way, with a guide who has been a beginner more times than most
I'm Buster Keefe. Since my first judo class in 1981 I have trained in more than a dozen martial arts, and every time I started again as a beginner. My book shows you how to choose a style, find a good club and get through your first class.
Everyone starts in the back row. The best never forget what it felt like.
Every time I took up a new martial art, I tied on a white belt and stood in the back row, watching and listening. That is where Back Row Beginner comes from: honest guides for people taking their first steps, teaching from someone who remembers what it feels like, and, coming soon, the books, kit and courses I trust and recommend.
Step Onto the Mat or Into the Ring
The friendly, no-nonsense guide for anyone thinking about starting martial arts, and for parents choosing a class for their child.
- An illustrated page on 20 martial arts, and how to begin in each
- The green flags and red flags of a good club
- What happens in your first class, what kit to buy, and how to stay safe
- A chapter for parents, and a 12-week starter plan
Instant PDF download, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Twenty styles, one page each
Boxing or BJJ? Karate or Thai boxing? See what each art is like before you walk through the door.
Forty-plus years on the beginner's side of the mat
Judo at 11. Karate and Kyokushinkai. Thirteen years of taekwondo, including 18 months at six hours a day, six days a week. Boxing, Thai boxing, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, aikido, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and shoot, catch and entertainment-style wrestling. From 2004 to 2021 I ran my own gym, teaching mixed martial arts.
Every time I took up a new art, I started again as a beginner. White belt. Back row. Listening.
Seminars, private one-to-one instruction and group classes
I am available for clubs, schools, event organisers and other interested parties.
Read these 7 tips before your first class
Free. A 7-page guide with one simple action for each tip.
Send me the 7 tips