Instructors
Master Russ Martin
7th Dan International Master Instructor
Russ has been a full time professional instructor in the Bristol area since 1989. He gained his instructor qualification with the TAGB.
He is an extremely experienced qualified instructor, having originally gained his qualification through the National Coaching Federation, whose qualifications are recognised by the Sports Council of Great Britain.
For three years, he was the competition coach for the Bristol Academy of Tae Kwon-do, during which they won the English Championships each year. Also, on many of their visits to compete in Great Britain, he has coached the South African International squad.
To date, he has taught over two hundred men, women and children to black belt level and beyond.
In recent years Mr Martin has specialised in ‘Applied TaeKwon-Do’, which is the practical application of TaeKwon-Do techniques for real life self-defence.
Mrs Suzi Martin
2nd Dan Instructor
Suzi is officially Mr Martin’s right hand woman! They run the clubs together – Suzi (Mrs Martin to the students!) will generally be teaching new adult beginners, and occassionally taking small groups of other grades to both teach new techniques and patterns, or in preparation for a forthcoming grading. Suzi cannot train currently due to arthritis but is very much still a big part of the clubs.
Mrs Diana Weare
4th Dan Instructor
Di is a 3rd Dan black belt and fully qualified instructor. Before joining us she has been a trampolining instructor and a swimming coach – and her experience at passing on knowledge to our students is proving invaluable. Di generally teaches at the Ashton and Bradley Stoke clubs.
Ms Emma Lloyd
5th Dan Instructor
Emma came to our clubs as a black belt in Shotokan Karate. Emma is an experienced instructor who will occasionally teach whole classes in Mr Martin’s absence, particularly at Hengrove. Emma’s proficiency and skill at TaeKwon-Do is sublime! You may even see her officiating at local or national competitions.
Mr Luke Parker
4th Dan Instructor
Luke (assisted by his wife, Sam) is a very experienced instructor, who often runs the classes in Mr Martin’s absence at the Ashton club. His clear communication and enthusiasm for the art is very infectious, he is a great asset to our clubs.
Mrs Rachel Styles
4th Dan Instructor
Rachel has been helping to teach at the Bradley Stoke club for a few years now – she’s particularly skilled with the beginner children (patience of a saint!) but is equally proficient at teaching the whole classes in Mr Martin’s absence. Her knowledge and dedication to TaeKwon-Do is truly impressive.
Mrs Sam Parker
4th Dan
Sam is a 4th Dan black belt who often assists at the Ashton club – she once had the title of TaeKwon-Do International World Champion. She also happens to be married to Luke Parker, another instructor at the club!
Mr Carlo Grasso
2nd Dan Assistant Instructor
Carlo has been assisting teaching mostly at the Hengrove club, for a couple of years now. He is very patient with the young children, whilst adding his own Bristolian mix to the TaeKwon-Do vernacular for the adults training there too!
Junior assistant instructors
Our junior assistant instructors are youngsters who have moved up to the adult class but come along to the kids classes to help teach. We introduce them to teaching small groups of junior grade students – this helps with their communication skills and confidence, and even improves their own TaeKwon-Do! Students often use this experience to count towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards.
We have teamed up with the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association (BMABA) which has enabled us to use their excellent online training resources and qualification system. They have recently introduced a new program for 13-17 year old with a bronze, silver, gold level of qualification which we understand is likely to be looked upon very favourably by the education institutions in future!
