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The pedigree of your instructor is very important in Martial Arts, so we would like to introduce you to our instructors & our Martial Arts Academy.
Our Chief Instructor is Mr Mark Davies, Founder of Progressive TaeKwon-Do, Founder of Tactical Edge close combat systems. Mark is a private student of Master at Arms James A Keating, & is Europes only ComTech Affiliate.
Mr Davies started training in Martial Arts way back in 1980 when he started Karate. He moved to TaeKwon-Do in 1983 under his instructors Master Gordon Wallace (now 7th Degree) & Mr David McNairn (now 6th Degree), passing his 1st Degree Blackbelt in 1987. These two exceptional TaeKwon-Do exponents are still Marks TaeKwon-Do instructors! Both Master Wallace & Mr McNairn were top class competitors, competing at an International level. Master Wallace was an ITF World Champion. Master Wallace now runs his own full time centre offering the highest level of martial arts instruction to be found in Aberdeen, & Mr McNairn is the chief instructor of Montrose School of TaeKwon-Do in Montrose Sports Centre.
Prior to Founding Progressive TaeKwon-Do Mr Davies was a Technical Director in the UK TaeKwon-Do Federation, & was in charge of the Self Defence curriculum & training for the whole of the UK. We specialise in reality based self defence & Mr Davies is internationally renowned as being one of the top specialists in the UK; teaching seminars all over the country & being a guest instructor every year on the National TaeKwon-Do summer camp. This is due to his unique background & training in a wide range of Martial Arts.
In 2008 Mark resigned from the UK TaeKwon-Do Federation after becoming very dissolussioned with the direction TaeKwon-Do was taking, with the majority of instructors being more concerned with 'sports TaeKwon-do' & only paying lip service (if that) to teaching their student effective self defence. Mark had seen this move coming, & had spent the past four years working on his own version of the TaeKwon-Do syllabus. In 2008 he launched Progressive TaeKwon-Do at his martial arts studio.
Mark is the only instructor in the UK to be recognised as a Full Comtech Instructor by Master at Arms James A Keating, & is Europes only ComTech affiliate instructor. James Keating is regarded as the worlds foremost authority on the worlds bladearts. Mark is a private student of Master at Arms James Keating & for the past several years he has been travelling regularly over to the USA to train privately with Master at Arms Keating. Master at Arms Keatings ComTech concepts are an integral part of what we teach.
Mark Davies is one of the most widely qualified & experienced instructors in the country. Mark started cross training & exploring other Martial Arts whilst a senior coloured belt in TaeKwon-Do. He now holds degree/dan & instructors ranks in several different systems. Mark is also a former bodyguard, & is qualified in Close Protection & has a wide range of experience in Tactical Firearms. Mark is the founder of Tactical Edge, which is a combatives system that is so effective it is used by elements of UK Special Forces.
What makes our self defence tuition unique is the experience Mark gained in 19 years working as security in Pubs & Nightclubs, in VIP Protection & other occupations where he had to face violent attacks of all types. We teach self defence from experience not just theory! Mark has provided Close Combat instruction to military Special Forces units from around the world, & he is an Instructor with UK Special Forces who use his Tactical Edge system in life or death situations on battlefields all over the world.
We offer the best self defence training available anywhere in the UK, & the list of instructors & even Masters who get us in for seminars is testament to that!
Jacqui is Marks wife & the Academies Programme Administrator as well as Marks Assistant Instructor in the Little Ninjas & Kickboxing classes. She is also a qualified CardioKickboxing instructor with her own Ladies classes. Jacqui trains in all of our senior programmes & is currently a 1st Degree Blackbelt in Kyuktooki (Korean Kickboxing). She is also a senior coloured belt in Progressive TaeKwon-Do & an advanced student of Tactical Edge. Jacqui assists with our ladies self defence courses. Like Mark she has been at the sharp end of violence. Prior to taking up Martial Arts Jacqui was in an abusive marriage where she was the victim of severe physical violence & mental abuse. Jacqui understands what women go through when they experience violence, & the difference to their self esteem that proper training can make.
As well as assisting Mark in many of the classes in our gym, Jacqui teaches her Ladies CardioKickboxing classes, & the Kettlebells fitness class. Her CardioKickboxing class makes mincemeat out of any of the other themed classes, because its taught by an experienced Kickboxing Instructor (Jacqui is a 2nd Degree Blackbelt in KyukTooKi) you get taught how to do the movements properly; & her class is far more challenging. Jacqui's main aim is to make everyone sweat & work as hard as possible so they make the greatest possible gains! Her Russian Kettlebells class is probably the most intense workout in Tayside. Jacqui is Taysides ONLY certified kettlebell teacher. Jacqui is testement to what she teaches, as she does every single part of her classes along with you! She is fit!
Carl Dickenson has been training in every one of our seniors programmes for over 6 years now. He is a fanatical martial artist, averaging 6 or 7 classes a week. In the time he has been training he has done more than most martial artists who have trained for twice as long! He has gained his Blackbelts in both Progressive TaeKwon-Do & Tactical Edge, & is an advanced practitioner of Tactical Edge. He has also been trained & certified as a Little Ninjas coach. Carl & Ross instruct the Dundee classes, & Carl assists Mark with the Montrose classes.
Ross Cairney has been training with us for over 6 years. He had been assiting Mark in classes as a senior coloured belt, & had already gained a great deal of experience as a coach before he even gained his Blackbelt. Ross holds a 1st Degree Blackbelt in Progressive TaeKwon-Do, & is also an advanced practitioner of Tactical Edge & trained & certified as a Little Ninjas coach. Ross is a very dedicated martial artist who never misses a chance to train or attend seminars. He teaches the Dundee classes with Carl Dickenson, & assists Mark in the Arbroath Junior TaeKwon-Do classes.
Between Mark & Jacqui, & their assistant instructors who assist them in some of the classes, we aim to give you the best possible start in the Martial Arts. Whether it is a class for your child, or one of our adults programmes we take pride in providing the best instruction in the Martial Arts possible. Our kids classes are great fun, but at the same time we pride ourselves on emphasising the POSITIVE LIFE SKILLS that the martial arts emphasise. We aim to mould our Ninjas & juniors into positive, disciplined, polite & respectful individuals who have the inner strength to resist negative influences & to excel in anything they put their mind to.
In our senior programmes we aim to impart in our students the same positive life skills. We want our seniors to truely understand the warrior mindset, & to develop what we like to call 'The Bulletproof Mind'- a strong indomitable attitude that means you can take whatever life throws at you. Our seniors classes AREN'T easy, you have to be prepared to sweat & work hard; but they are perfectly within the reach of anyone with a bit of determination & enthusiasm. They are great fun, & at the end of every session you'll feel a deep sense of self respect & pride. Our end aim in ANY of our adults programmes is to have a student that can defend themselves in ANY situation.
So what difference will it make to me training in a full time Martial Arts studio? Well, most instructors are part time amateurs who do it as a hobby. We are professional full time instructors, who devote all our time to developing our different adults & kids programmes. We can devote time to making sure that we are learning the latest in training methods & techniques, & in keeping everything we teach correct. We spend a great deal of time & money travelling internationally to make sure we can bring you the best in Martial Arts training.
Most instructors simply teach out of a sports centre or hall, we showed our commitment by opening our own fully equipped Martial Arts Studio. This means we have all the specialised equipment needed to make sure that our students get a training session that is unrivalled.
Our goal is make sure that every single one of our students has the best possible chance of getting to Blackbelt & then journeying beyond. A Blackbelt is quite simply a white belt that never gave up. With our instruction & facilities you have everything you need to become a top class Martial Artist, whether it is our childrens programmes or adults classes you are in. Keep reading & find out what classes we can offer you & your family. If you're looking here for kids classes, remember that you're never too old or unfit to start training- we have special family rates, share a pastime with your child.
Page changed on: 04/05/2009
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