Wheelchair Jeet Kune Doo

Newport man pushes the boundaries to conquer yet another challenge


There’s something about Tom Chambers that enlivens the spirit. Wheel-chair bound since an accident in 1981, the Newport man’s spirit knows no bounds.
The sports fanatic has completed numerous marathons, pushed the wheels through countless races and inspired a multitude through his unyielding belief that anything is possible.
The big man was always active, playing football with his native Burrishoole in his youth and later lining out across the water in England.
Then a car accident in 1981 left him disabled but nothing could harness his love of life and ambition to push back the boundaries time and time again.
Tom never ceases to amaze, but his latest venture is even more interesting than usual. The Newport man has taken up Martial Arts.
Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist) now has a Newport exponent and Chambers is more than enthusiastic about his new achievement.

“If you always put limits on everything you do, it will spread into your work and your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

“It’s a method of self-defense for those of us with spinal injuries and it really works. I was delighted to get involved. I’ve met some amazing people and I’m learning new skills all the time,” Tom explained this week.
The well-known sportsman travels to the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire regularly to hone and perfect his skills and he loves every minute of it. “I’m really enjoying it, but it’s hard work too. We put in some very tough sessions and there’s nothing easy about it. We learn how to defend ourselves and that means learning the skills that might save our lives one day. Many wheelchair users have been attacked over the years and it’s a serious business,” he added.
One of the seminars which took place during the self-defense program had Andy Kimura as the guest instructor. Kimura, senior instructor at the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute of Seattle is son of Taky Kimura, Bruce Lee’s closest friend and highest ranked student.
The course participants received a special personal message from Taky Kimura before his son took them through a day of very intense and rewarding work on the program.
Kimura even got into a wheelchair himself so that he could better understand the different balance requirements for wheelchair users.
Tom Chambers was especially commended for traveling all the way across the country to take part, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for the Newport man, his dedication and spirit has been surprising people for a generation.
The core principles of Wheelchair Jeet Kune Doo state that it’s “Better to hold and injure rather than just inflict pain.” The training sessions teach Chambers and his colleagues numerous movements and the deflection and minimization of the assailant’s power. It teaches defensive and then counter-attacking moves.
Chambers is enjoying every aspect of his new knowledge, but he is also aware that there are many new challenges out there for him to conquer. He can’t wait.

Special Injuries Ireland self defence programme modules

To be confident that you know how to protect yourself
Simple moves which will work for a person who uses a wheelchair
Understand the psychology of aggression and how to diffuse it
To know when and how to strike first
Understanding how to turn fear into a positive defense response
To have a self-defense mindset available if ever needed