Geoff Thompson (writer)

Geoff Thompson (born 12 June 1960 in Coventry, England) is a BAFTA-winning writer,[1] filmmaker, teacher, and self-defence instructor. He has written several books on self-help, self-defence and martial arts, and has written many screenplays for short and feature films.[2]

Geoff Thompson
Born (1960-06-12) 12 June 1960
Coventry, England, UK
StyleKarate, boxing, kickboxing, judo, aikido
Rank     8th-degree black belt (karate)
     1st-degree black belt (judo)
     1st-degree black belt (aikido)
OccupationWriter, filmmaker, teacher, martial artist

Film

In 2004, Thompson won a BAFTA award for 'best short film' for his screenplay "Brown Paper Bag".[3]

Thompson's first feature film Clubbed (2008), starring Colin Salmon, is an underworld drama set in the early 1980s and is based on his autobiography Watch My Back.[4]

His work Romans 12:20, directed by the Shammasian Brothers and starring Craig Conway, has finished production and was shown at a private screening in London on 23 January 2008. It toured the film festival circuit in the early part of 2008. It has been adapted into a feature film, Romans (2017), starring Orlando Bloom.

He wrote the screenplay for the feature film The Pyramid Texts (2015), starring James Cosmo.[5]

Thompson made his directorial debut in 2015 with the short film The 20 Minute Film Pitch.[6]

His first short film—Bouncer (2003)—starred Ray Winstone.[7]

In the 1990s, Thompson wrote and presented a wide range of martial arts and self-defence DVDs. In 1995, he and his self-defence school featured in the Channel 4 documentary Passengers.

Filmography

Feature films

  • Clubbed (2008) – Writer, starring Colin Salmon[8]
  • The Pyramid Texts (2015) – Writer, starring James Cosmo[9]
  • Romans (2017) – Writer, starring Orlando Bloom[10]

Short films

  • Bouncer (2002) – Writer, starring Ray Winstone[11]
  • Brown Paper Bag (2003) – Writer, starring Ronnie Fox[12]
  • Romans 12:20 (2008) – Writer[13]
  • Pink (2009) – Writer[14]
  • Counting Backwards (2014) – Writer[15]
  • The 20 Minute Film Pitch (2015) – Writer[16]
  • Shadow (2017) – Writer[17]

Bibliography

Self-help

  • The Beginner's Guide to Darkness – This Book Will Help You to Find the Light, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921505[18]
  • The Caretaker, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921529[19]
  • The Elephant and the Twig – The Art of Positive Thinking, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840242645[20]
  • Everything that Happens to Me is Fantastic, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247688[21]
  • Everything that Happens to Me is Good, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245974[22]
  • Everything that Happens to Me is Great, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840246841[23]
  • Fear – the Friend of Exceptional People, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921550[24]
  • The Formula – The Secret to a Better Life, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245103[25]
  • Hunting the Shadow – How to Turn Fear into Massive Success, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921536[26]
  • Live Your Dreams – Ten Secrets to Loving Your Life, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247749[27]
  • Shape Shifter – Transform Your Life in 1 Day, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244441[28]
  • Stress Buster – How to Stop Stress from Killing You, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245097[29]
  • Warrior – A Path to Self Sovereignty, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921512[30]

Autobiography

  • Watch My Back (Autobiography), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247169[31]

Screenplay

  • Fragile, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921543[32]
  • The Pyramid Texts, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921574[33]

Fiction

  • Red Mist, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244014[34]

Martial arts and self-defence

  • Animal Day – Pressure Testing the Martial Arts, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241112[35]
  • Arm Bars and Joint Locks, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241761[36]
  • The Art of Fighting without Fighting – Techniques in Personal Threat Evasion, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240856[37]
  • Chokes and Strangles, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241723[38]
  • Dead or Alive: The Choice Is Yours – The Definitive Self-protection Handbook, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840242799[39]
  • The Escapes, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241730[40]
  • The Fence – The Art of Protection, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240849[41]
  • Fighting from Your Back, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241747[42]
  • Fighting from your Knees, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241754[43]
  • Pins – The Bedrock, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1873475829[44]
  • Real Head, Knees and Elbows, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1873475775[45]
  • Real Punching, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240887[46]
  • Real Kicking, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240870[47]
  • Three Second Fighter – Sniper Option, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244595[48]
  • The Throws and Takedowns of Freestyle Wrestling, Summersdale, ASIN: B0061MRQSU[49]
  • The Throws and Takedowns of Greco-Roman Wrestling, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240290[50]
  • The Throws and Takedowns of Judo, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240269[51]
  • The Throws and Takedowns of Sombo, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240276[52]
  • Weight Training for the Martial Artist, Summersdale, ASIN: B0061NWC8I[53]

Martial Arts

Thompson began his martial arts training in the Eastern arts including karate, aikido and kung-fu. However, during his time as a nightclub doorman, he found that what he had learned was inadequate for the reality of violence. Thompson came to realise that the techniques encouraged and practiced in touch-contact and semi-contact martial arts were not always suitable for self-defence. Though he utilises a small core of these techniques as part of his teachings, Thompson prefers full-contact martial arts and combat sports such as boxing, Muay Thai, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Greco-Roman- and freestyle wrestling.

He holds the ABA Boxing Instructor certificate and high-level coaching awards for wrestling,[54] a 1st Dan in Judo (1997) under world champion Neil Adams,[55] and an 8th dan in Shotokan Karate.[56] Geoff is a Joint Chief Instructor of the British Combat Association.[57]

Geoff Thompson was also the first instructor to name and extensively teach "the fence", a technique in real-life defence involving keeping your hands in front of you in a non-threatening manner so as to protect yourself in case a situation escalates but without provoking violence.

Martial arts instructional DVDs
  • The Escapes (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRT8[58]
  • Ground Fighting – Chokes and Strangles (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRU2[59]
  • Pins – The Bedrock (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRSY[60]
  • The Pavement Arena Part One (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRWA,[61]
  • The Pavement Arena Part Two – The Protection Pyramid (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B01I05LPZ0[62]
  • The Pavement Arena Part Three – Grappling, The Last Resort(2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRWU[63]
  • The Pavement Arena Part Four; Fit to Fight (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRX4,[64]
  • Real Punching: The One Punch Kill (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRS4[65]
  • The Ultimate Self Defence Seminar (2006), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B000CR6X5C[66]
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References
  1. http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/film/short-film
  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1512935
  3. http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/film/short-film
  4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856778
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4066512
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4017872
  7. "Bouncer Review". Channel 4. 2002. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856778
  9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4066512
  10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5200368
  11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342144
  12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396515
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189443
  14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2187031
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3597702
  16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4017872
  17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6262954
  18. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921507
  19. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921523
  20. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840242647
  21. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840247681
  22. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840245972
  23. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840246847
  24. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921558
  25. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840245107
  26. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921531
  27. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840247746
  28. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244445
  29. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NPNMYAI
  30. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/0956921515
  31. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840247169
  32. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/095692154X
  33. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921574
  34. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244011
  35. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/184024111X
  36. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241764
  37. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240857
  38. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241721
  39. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840242795
  40. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0092GDTWE
  41. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240849
  42. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840241748
  43. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840241756
  44. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241713
  45. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1873475772
  46. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240881
  47. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240873
  48. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244593
  49. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/B01K2JBCVO
  50. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240296
  51. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240261
  52. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LP6KR5A
  53. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241837
  54. Geoff Thompson web site. "wrestling". Archived from the original on 22 April 2008.
  55. http://www.britishjudo.org.uk/member-search-src/dan-register-display.php?PageNo=1&txtSurname=Thompson&grade=&number=9763
  56. The British Combat Association. "Welcome". Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  57. https://www.britishcombat.co.uk/about
  58. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRT8
  59. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRU2
  60. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRSY
  61. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRWA
  62. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I05LPZ0
  63. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRWU
  64. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRX4
  65. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRS4
  66. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000CR6X5C
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