The interior of the Budokwai Club in London is rather like a Victorian prison. The walls of Europe's oldest judo institution are bare bricks, the white paint on the doors is peeling, and the banisters are stark metal.
There is, on first inspection, nothing to suggest that the club sees the same amount of celebrity traffic as well-known haunts such as the Ivy or the Met Bar. But, just a few minutes after I arrive, Elle Macpherson wanders in with her son, Flynn.
Club manager and Olympic silver medallist Ray Stevens follows my gaze and explains: "It's Elle's son's first judo class today." He smiles at her and waves as she sweeps out of the club and into a chauffeur-driven car.
Elle is not alone. Simon and Yasmin Le Bon regularly go to the club for training with Stevens, and Elle's fellow antipodean Kylie Minogue has had judo lessons with him. William Hague grappled with Sebastian Coe at the Budokwai Club while preparing for the last election; Hague still comes every week for judo training, as does Guy Ritchie, "but he's in the States at the moment," says Stevens, "so he hasn't been in for a while".
Stevens has been practising the sport since he was 10, and won silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He has the sixth and most advanced black belt in judo.
He originally wanted to be a boxer, but he thought he would try judo, despite thinking it was "a sport for nancy boys". He soon realised, of course, that it wasn't, and his view was backed up by Mike Tyson, who, when he met Stevens, proclaimed that he thought judo was one of the toughest sports around. "And that made me laugh a little," says Stevens. "Here was this huge fighting machine, telling me that my sport was tough."
Tough it may be - "When someone applies an armlock to you, it can really hurt," says Stevens - but it is also one of the best ways to achieve fitness. "Judo is unusual in that it is such an all-round sport. You need so many things: flexibility, speed and strength. A fight lasts around five minutes, but you can have fights all day, and you need to be constantly on the ball.
"It's not like being a marathon runner, where you have to be fit to run for around three hours, or like a sprinter, who has the power to run fast for just a few seconds - you need to have a balance of both." And, says Stevens, it is a great calorie burner - you can burn about 600 in an hour-long session.
It is this, coupled with the fact that judo has a spiritual dimension to it, that Stevens thinks makes it so attractive as a discipline. "I think people are tired of going to a gym and running on a treadmill. It's boring and monotonous. With the martial arts, there is a definite feeling that you are learning something. It is a real discipline, and there is an ambience at the Budokwai that you just don't get at some clinical health club."
A clinical health club is something the Budokwai certainly isn't. There is no red carpet treatment for celebrities and the changing rooms are similar to those you would find at a public swimming pool. The only hints at glamour are the film posters advertising Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and the photograph of Brad Pitt with club staff at the premiere of Snatch (he trained at the Budokwai for his role as a gipsy bare-knuckle fighter in the film). But it is the basic decor, Stevens believes, that makes the club so attractive to the rich and famous. "Once someone puts their kimono or judo kit on, everybody is the same; you're treated like a normal person. And that's a good leveller, I think. They seem to like it, anyway."
Ritchie, according to Stevens, loves the grappling element of judo. "He initially came to the club to do karate, but he had knee problems and found that judo suited him better." He says that Hague is, as you might expect, a very determined character. "Hague is now an upper blue belt, just two belts away from black," says Stevens. "Physically, he is so much stronger now than he was when he started, three years ago. To prepare for the judo, we do lots of circuit training and weights, which have helped."
At the Budokwai, it is impossible to find a class which isn't laced with the odd celebrity. Veteran Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton has recently joined the new self-defence classes for women. She had become nervous about walking around London on her own, having been followed by strangers on several occasions. "She seems to really enjoy it," says Stevens. "You hear all the time about women having their Rolexes stolen. This new course is about reading situations, so that you can avoid that happening." The classes, which are taken by judoist Nick Collins, "bring in all of the Budokwai's specific knowledge" says Stevens. "We give women a variety of self-defence techniques that they can use, and teach them how to be quick."
He says that, already, the results are impressive: "At the end of each class, the girls come out holding their heads up high - they have a huge amount of confidence, which is important, and they are much more aware of situations."
Self-defence techniques
- Trust your instincts. If a situation doesn't seem right, then it probably isn't.
- Always try to appear confident. Attackers target people who look like victims, so try not to look vulnerable. When walking along the street, hold your head up high and take long, purposeful strides.
- Expect the worst. If something does happen, then it won't be so much of a surprise and your instincts will work quicker.
- When confronted, don't lose eye contact with your attacker - it will make you appear weak. Make lots of noise if you can. The aggressor will want the attack to be over quickly and will be put off if you shout and struggle.
- You really need only two self-defence techniques to help stave off an attacker. For a striking technique, use an open-handed punch, which is less likely to damage your knuckles. If lying on your back, use a grappling or choking technique to ward off your attacker.
- Don't go looking for trouble. Running after someone who has stolen your bag can be extremely dangerous. Seek safety and call the police instead.
- Budokwai Judo and Karate Club, 4 Gilston Road, London, SW10 9SL, tel: 020 7370 1000.
- For details of your nearest self-defence classes, call the Self-Defence Federation on 01709 710489
