26-07-25 - “The grind doesn’t care it’s the holidays” - July ICO Team England Squad Training Complete!

Our most recent ICO Team England Squad Training Session took place today at the USKA Fight Factory in Birmingham, and although numbers were slightly down due to the holiday season, the quality of the session certainly wasn’t!

The quieter mat gave the team more space to sharpen their skills, with a focus on footwork, defensive techniques, and counter-attack sparring drills.
Under the expert guidance of ICO Head Coach and USKA Chief Instructor Neil Kelly, the squad made every second count over the three-hour session.

We witnessed a strong showing of fitness, grit, and commitment from every athlete in attendance, all essential ingredients as we enter the final stretch towards the ICO World Championships in Swansea, now just three months away.

Despite the reduced numbers, we still had an impressive turnout of just shy of 60 dedicated fighters from across the UK, all working toward one goal... Gold medals in Wales.
That level of commitment doesn’t go unnoticed, and it’s exactly what’s required to stand tall on the podium come Championship time.

The next open squad training session is scheduled for Saturday 16th August with the team continuing their preparations as well as aspiring fighters to train alongside the squad and gain invaluable experience.

“You can have excuses, or you can have results, but you can’t have both.”
This fight camp is about leaving no stone unturned.

Massive thanks to Coach Neil Kelly for another top-tier session and to every fighter who showed up and gave it their all taking another step closer to the winners podium!

The journey to Swansea continues... Let’s finish strong!