Andrew Stemler
ANDREWSTEMLER@aol.com
My biggest claim to fame is that until the age of 37 I did no physical
activity whatsoever: I was the last kid to be picked for a team at
school, and that was only when I couldn’t think of a good excuse
not to be there.
I much preferred chasing girls, smoking, drinking, acting public
speaking: and getting myself into bother by flouting authority. Whilst
I enjoyed chasing girls, the fact that I smoked and drank meant I
rarely caught any of them.
I blundered through life picking up degrees and running a variety
of property businesses with my long-suffering wife. I stuck my nose
into local politics and assisted a few East London groups get their
way, or create a lot of bad will and aggravation if they didn’t.
I have never been a particularly good or gracious looser.
1997 was a year of change for me. I decided to give vent to my private
fantasy of being an invincible warrior, and embarked upon a 7 year
martial arts path that trundled me through Shotokan Karate, Free Style
Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai boxing and now (2005), Submission Wrestling.
On the way I blundered through Wing Chung, Mantis, Arnis, Judo,
Japanese sword and tai chi.
I was privileged along the way to train with Richard McMahon, Tony
Felix, Cliff Stewart, Dave Turton, Colin Zetie, Suley Mahmoud, Kevin
Pell, David Rubens, Alex Cameron and the guys from Mantis kick boxing,
Olu and Pat, and talk with Geoff Thompson, Jamie O’keefe and
Vernon Bell.
Needless to say, with this experience behind me I had no option
but to take a series of late night bouncing jobs just to prove I had
the bottle, and that if need be, I could fight. I do and I can.
I thought some martial arts teachers ( not the ones named above)
could do with some, well, teaching ability because they had no idea
how to break things down.
So I embarked on my own teaching journey that took me through English
as a Second Language, Fitness Instructing, Martial Arts Teaching,
Swimming Teaching, a Crossfit Certification and now Kettle Bell instructor
under the remarkable Stan Pike . And guess what, I’m quite good
a breaking stuff down and explaining it, and even though my wife would
snort with derision, I can be very patient, kind and understanding
(if a bit arrogant and immodest)
By the time I turned 43 my mother was so dissatisfied with my new
status in life that she chose an agonising death by liver cancer,
rather than have to go to another cocktail party and explain why her
wimpy none sporting son was now a respected sports teacher.
My father, no doubt similarly dismayed, tried the old “aortic
heart valve operation then attempt to die from post operative infection
routine”. The health service and me ganged up and made sure
he lived: he’s never quite forgiven me. My wife, on the other
hand saw advantages. Surely she mused, if I could run 3 miles every
day, by the end of the week, I could be 21 mile away from, what would
then be her beautifully clean house.
In 2002 I was lucky to be able to retire from the need to run a
full time business so could spend some of my time hanging around the
local leisure centres offering a suspect mix of swimming and fitness
teaching and obesity solutions. I’m lucky enough to be involved
in the development of Crossfit London and fortunate enough to train
hammer with the Newham and Essex Beagles ( the athletics club, not
the smoking dogs) , tumbling with the Hoxton circus, Olympic weight
lifting with the Newham weight lifting club, and Submission Wrestling
with Suley Mahmood at the Peacock Gym.
The upshot of all this is that, I’m always learning new things
which means I understand what its like to be thrown into new and awkward
situations, so perhaps I’m the ideal person to lead you through
your Kettlebell journey.
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