April 25, 2001 11:43: In some forms of martial arts, competitors sometimes try to knock their rivals' heads off, but in one type they aim to slice them off with machetes!

Now, calm down, they don't really do it but they do use machetes, along with knifes in Doce Pares, which is the Filipino martial art of Escrima.

But the fighting is mainly done with sticks, similar to small pool cues, and the blades and nunchukas are performed solo in demonstration contests, known as Forms, where judges award points for the technique in using a particular weapon.

Nimesh Desai, 33, from Keston, has just brought home silver and bronze medals along with a giant trophy from the World Doce Pares Championships held in Los Angeles. There he won the single-weapon Forms' title, using a machete, which qualified him to perform the Masters' Forms when he won a superb silver medal.

The double British champion scooped the bronze in the full- contact sparring in the lightweight division he had lost weight leading up to the competition since the British Championships.

Nimesh was surprised at coming home with the medals. He said: "My main goal was to win the Forms and simply take part in the stick-fighting. But to get two medals was brilliant."

He got to LA by winning the British Welterweight title for full-contact stick-fighting at the British Doce Pares Championships held in Kettering, last November, when Nimesh beat four men on the way to his title. He said: "I won the British Forms title in which you basically demonstrate your knowledge of the art and the British Welterweight title in full contact stick-fighting. I was subsequently selected for the British Team to go to Los Angeles."

Nimesh thought he would have trouble getting his machete through customs at the airport and also caused a bit of panic when swinging it about in a car park.

He said: "It was a bit dodgy when I was practising with the machete in the hotel car park. But I needed a lot of space and there was not enough room in the training hall with all the other competitors. Fortunately, the rest of the British team kept the onlookers back."

Nimesh has been studying martial arts for more than 12 years, but more seriously since 1995, when he meet an exceptional instructor, Guru Lee Banda, teaching Jeet Kune Do (a style developed by Bruce Lee) at the TA centre in Southborough. Guru Lee also introduced him to Doce Pares.

Nimesh added: "I study Jeet Kune Do, Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Nunchukas and Doce Pares. I am fascinated by martial arts, but as I have become more experienced, I have specialised in learning those involving defence and the art of weapon-use."

Nimesh is keen to get his two children, Jay, three, and Avni, five, involved in martial arts at a young age. "Both learn, but it is not forced on them. My little girl was learning Brazilian Ju Jitsu and will soon be starting Karate," said Nimesh. "My boy is still too young to go to formal lessons. However, I do teach him the basics of boxing, stick and nunchukas. He finds it extremely enjoyable but he is not to keen on ground-fighting."

Call the International Combat and Exercise Centre on 01732 350650 if you would like details of martial arts.