MAT · STREET · LIFE
I started training martial arts when I spent my childhood in government housing in Johannesburg. By seventeen, I was homeless. I did not begin martial arts to win trophies or prove something. I began training at six because I needed a way to survive.
More than four decades later, I have trained students all over the world to be hard to kill—from special forces operators and close protection teams to law enforcement, airline cabin crew and ordinary people who want to know they can protect themselves and those they love. But the method carries a larger promise, and it is the work I invite you into here: the same skills that help keep you safe can also make you calmer, more present and more resilient in everyday life.
THE BEST PLACE TO START
The Virtual Mat is where I recommend most people begin.
The Virtual Mat is the online home of The School of Crazy Monkey's approach to holistic self-preservation—a place where you can learn the method, practise at your own pace, ask questions and continue developing wherever you happen to live.
This is more than a collection of training videos. Members gain access to the complete library of courses and training material, continuing guidance, practical troubleshooting and a global community interested in capability without the usual martial-arts bravado.
A standalone course gives you something to study.
But if you want to develop the work with the wider Crazy Monkey community in your corner and me, come and join us.
NOT READY TO COMMIT FULLY TO YOUR TRAINING
You can purchase individual streaming online & downloadable courses below
Please note: The downloadable courses are not the same as our streaming online courses. You can purchase either separately, but all streaming online courses are hosted on our online platform. We suggest joining the [Virtual Mat] so you can receive ongoing support as you work through your courses. All streaming courses, plus more, are included with the Virtual Mat membership.
MARTIAL ARTS INSPIRED WRITING
A PASSION FOR COACHING
I’ve spent decades training, teaching and learning alongside people around the world. These photographs capture a little of that journey—the practice, the friendships and the people who have shaped my work.
Alongside experienced martial artists and fellow coaches are everyday people fitting training around work, family and ordinary life. People who want to feel more capable, learn practical self-preservation skills and develop greater composure under pressure. There’s a place for you here, too.
Richard Norton was a close friend and someone I highly respected. An Australian martial artist, actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, security consultant and fight choreographer. He held a 5th dan black belt in Gōjū-ryū karate, a 6th dan black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an 8th dan black belt in Chun Kuk Do, and a Level 6 ranking in American Kickboxing.
* Let Rodney guide your practice from anywhere in the world.
WHAT'S MY APPROACH TO MODERN MARTIAL ARTS
From the Mat, to the Street & Life
Holistic self-preservation guides all our programs, from Crazy Monkey Defense to our Monkey-Jits program. Holistic self-preservation is about far more than learning how to fight. It is the practice of becoming less easily harmed—physically, emotionally and psychologically—while remaining open, grounded and fully human.
Mat · Street · Life is how we train it. On the Mat, you develop simple, pressure-tested skills and learn to remain present under stress. On the Street, you build awareness, boundaries, voice, de-escalation and the ability to act decisively when necessary. In Life, those same capacities help you meet work, relationships and everyday pressure with greater calm, resilience and choice.
The aim is not to make you the toughest person in the room. It is to make you quietly formidable wherever you show up: harder to overwhelm, less easily pushed off centre, and more capable of protecting what matters without losing yourself in the process.
You may’ve heard about my approach to martial arts, or this may be your first encounter with it. Either way, I’d like to share my ebook, Holistic Self-Preservation, which explores how we can become harder to harm—physically, emotionally and psychologically—without becoming hardened..
"The Crazy Monkey Defense methodology offers practical, effective techniques combined with profound personal development. A game-changer for serious self-preservation practitioners."
“Rodney is one of the rare martial artists intentionally applying the science of wisdom cultivation and human flourishing to his teaching of the martial arts”
"Rodney is the 'real deal' when it comes to all things 'street'. I 100% encourage students of the arts to investigate what Rodney King has to offer. You will not be disappointed. I know I wasn't."