10/01/2025
MEET ANDY - Andy is the lead Muay Thai coach here at Tackle & Grapple. With over 45 years of training he has earned a 3rd Dan Black belt in Kickboxing, brown belt in Judo, a level 1 judo instructor qualification through British Judo and has won the karate national championship. Read his full bio below! 👇
Martial arts has been my life, I started karate at a very early age as I always wanted to be a ninja. I soon got the taste for fighting and won the national championships at the age of 14 and became part of the West Midlands karate team. But I needed more and visited the local Thai boxing club. Trojan Thai boxing was the home of champions and housed British, European and world champions, the training was insane as the gym was an old abandoned shop, carpet floor with a scaffold pole ring set in Wolverhamptons most deprived area.
During my training I sidestepped into kickboxing and concentrated on my gradings. Many years later I reached my 3rd degree black belt and decided to concentrate on teaching. I then sidestepped again and started learning judo, gaining my brown belt and level 1 instructor qualification with British judo, this took me toTokyo Japan where I trained with the Japanese Olympic team. This ignited an interest in grappling and decided to learn BJJ and transition into MMA. My passion is to share my experiences and skills from over 45 years of training. I’ve been fortunate enough to have trained with some of the best Thai and MMA fighters in the country and also teach some amazing students who have moved onto successful fighting careers, but my most valuable experience is to have been able to teach both my children dedication, discipline and passion for the sport.
Favorite technique: Stepping knee