Chris Collymore

Three perspectives on kickboxing

Chris Collymore leads the Kickboxing programme at Onyx Combat Academy. His background combines experience as a championship competitor, a Great Britain team coach and a national refereeing committee chairman. These are different responsibilities, but together they offer students something useful: an understanding of how technique, preparation and rules meet in actual competition.

At Onyx, that experience supports adults and children who have different reasons for training. Some want a sport they enjoy, some want to become more confident moving and striking, and others want to test their skills in competition. The starting point is a clear foundation. Students do not need a competition ambition to benefit from careful technical coaching.

Champion competitor: World and European titles

The official 2015 WAKO World Championship Point Fighting results list Chris first in Veteran Men’s −63kg Point Fighting, representing Great Britain. The category matters: this was a veteran division title in Point Fighting, rather than a senior open-age title or a full-contact ring championship.

His World title followed European gold. The 2014 WAKO European Championship results record him as the winner of Veteran Men’s −63kg Point Fighting in Maribor, Slovenia. The same event record also lists a bronze medal in Veteran Men’s −63kg Light Contact.

Point Fighting makes distance, timing and decision-making particularly visible. A competitor has to recognise an opening, reach a legal target with control and avoid giving the opponent an immediate answer. Speed helps, but movement without a purpose can leave the athlete exposed. The ability to judge when to enter is as important as the ability to execute a technique.

For a beginner, the practical lesson is to build those decisions steadily. A good stance gives movement somewhere to start. Footwork creates a position from which to strike. Recovering balance after an attack makes it possible to defend or move again. These fundamentals remain useful even when the student has no intention of entering a tournament.

Great Britain coaching and athlete development

Kickboxing GB’s coaching structure identifies Chris as Head Coach Juniors. Its athlete pathway page also names him as the contact for Juniors & University Games. These published roles place his coaching within the national team’s development structure.

In its report on the 2025 WAKO Youth European Championships, Kickboxing GB identifies Chris as Head Coach of the Youth Squad. The report covers the Great Britain team in Jesolo, Italy, and a medal return of 34 gold, 30 silver and 36 bronze medals.

Those are team results, produced by athletes and a wider coaching group. They should not be presented as medals won personally by Chris, or as the work of a single coach. His documented role nevertheless shows experience supporting young athletes in an international championship environment.

Onyx has also published coverage of Great Britain’s 2026 Youth World Championship success and Chris’s return to Northampton. The connection gives local students a view of the competitive sport beyond their weekly class, while keeping everyday learning at the centre of the academy programme.

Athlete development involves more than collecting techniques. A student needs to recognise what they do well, understand where they lose position and choose a manageable next improvement. For a young athlete, progression also means learning how to listen, practise deliberately and respond constructively when a round does not go to plan. Those habits are valuable before a first competition and remain useful afterwards.

Rules and refereeing expertise

Kickboxing GB’s Referees Committee page names Chris as its chairman. That responsibility adds another perspective to his coaching: how an exchange is assessed, why an action is legal or illegal, and what athletes need to understand about the format in which they train.

Kickboxing is not one universal ruleset. Point Fighting, Light Contact and ring disciplines differ in their rhythm, scoring and permitted actions. A technique that looks effective in one format may need a different application in another. Understanding the rules helps a student practise the right task rather than assume every kickboxing session is preparing them for the same kind of bout.

That does not mean beginners must memorise a rulebook before joining a class. It means explanations can connect technique with purpose. Why does distance matter here? Why should an attack finish under control? What makes a scoring action clear? Questions like these help students understand their training instead of simply copying a movement.

Our guides to Point Fighting rules and how scoring changes between kickboxing rulesets provide a useful introduction. They explain the distinctions without asking new students to choose a competitive discipline before they have tried training.

What adults can learn at Onyx

For adults beginning Kickboxing at Onyx, the immediate goal is a usable foundation: stance, movement, guard, striking mechanics and control. It is easier to learn a combination when the individual actions are balanced and the student understands the distance at which they work.

Technical coaching also gives practice a direction. Repeating a movement is useful when the student knows what they are trying to improve. Moving the feet before striking, returning the hands to a guard or finishing a kick in a stable position are clear tasks that can be revisited from session to session.

The academy welcomes people who train for enjoyment, fitness and personal development as well as those interested in competition. A national-team background can support all of those goals through the quality of the explanation and the care given to fundamentals. It does not turn a beginner class into a selection trial.

Students who later want to compete can discuss that ambition with the coaching team. Preparation should reflect the relevant ruleset and the individual’s stage of development. The route begins with learning consistently, rather than assuming a title or a fixed timetable for competitive success.

Children, confidence and a choice about competition

The Kids Kickboxing programme gives children a starting point in movement, coordination and controlled striking. Chris’s youth coaching experience is particularly relevant to explaining skills in stages and helping children build confidence through practice.

A child’s first task may be as simple as finding their stance or following a short sequence. As that becomes familiar, the next task can introduce movement or a partner drill. Progress is easier to recognise when the challenge is clear and the child understands what they are being asked to do.

Parents may watch children’s classes at Onyx. Competition is optional; a child can enjoy learning the sport without being expected to enter events. If competition becomes an interest, parents and the coaching team can discuss the next step together rather than treating it as an automatic requirement of membership.

Start with a first class

Chris’s profile tells you about his experience; a first visit lets you see the academy and ask about your own goals. Use the free first-class booking route for adult Kickboxing, or choose the children’s programme if you are enquiring for your child.

The current timetable is the place to check session details. You can also speak to a coach if you are unsure where to begin. The aim is to help you find an appropriate starting point and understand what happens next.