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Expect the most brutal, high intensity, no holds-barred exhibition of fighting ever seen in Bermuda.

That's the message from the Sanshou Association as it's a fighters prepare for the first ever Bermuda Fight Fest - a night of full-contact Chinese kickboxing at Number One Shed.

The nine Bermuda fighters, led by Reuben Bean and Garon Wilkinson, founders of the sport in Bermuda, will take on opposition from Canada, U.S. and Trinidad on Saturday night with the shed expected to be packed to the rafters.

Anyone who has seen Sanshou (a fusion of various martial arts) in action, at the two exhibitions held so far in Bermuda, has witnessed the jaw-dropping capacity of a sport which takes no prisoners.

And Bean, vice president of the organization, believes the public has seen nothing yet.

"Expect to see hard hitting, gut wrenching, quality martial arts exhibition on Saturday evening. Come ready to be on the edge of your seat and you won't leave disappointed," he said.

The jaw-dropping potential of the sport extends to the rigorous training schedule the Bermuda fighters have undergone to prepare themselves for Saturday night.

Bean said the fighters had been training 15-20 hours a week - everything from boxing to Zen meditation to ensure his body and his mind are ready for the bout.

He said the mental and emotional aspect of the sport - preparing yourself to withstand an all-out physical attack - was the most important part of the preparation.

"In this style of martial art it is just you against your opponent. You have to control all facets of your game to come out on top.

"That's why it is a sport that creates warriors, able to operate under extreme stressful conditions which test their mental and emotional conduct and strive to be the victor in the end.

"The mental and emotional part of it is 90 per cent of the preparation.

"This is not an easy path for many to take. These athletes are very committed in ensuring that their bodies and their skills are at a level that will gain them a safe victory."

The physical preparation has been varied and intense with the team working with various martial arts experts as well as fitness and strength trainers.

Shuttle runs, long distance runs, strength training, cross-training in all martial arts disciplines, intensive work on the boxing skills, and various training exercises - from one legged hops up the steps of the national stadium to wheelbarrow runs - are all part of the training.

The ultimate aim is the Beijing Olympics. Bean and Wilkinson are by far the most experienced members of the team.

The rest have been recruited in the past few months.

But the two 'founding fathers' introduced the sport to Bermuda at Police Fight Night in 2005, over a year ago.

Bean said it had been their obsession ever since.

"We've expeditiously moved in increasing our skill level. It will be no comparison to last year.

"The level of execution and ringmanship that will be displayed on Saturday will be second to none.

"You will see emotional fortitude, physical agility and strength - those three components are very important."

But he said that win or lose on Saturday, the fighters, were all striving towards a higher goal.

"The art of Sanshou and martial arts in general are not all about victory or defeat it is more about the perfection of ones character and this is what we are all trying to achieve through our training."[[In-content Ad]]

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