Started in a village primary school. Still local.

Matt Hillier

Matt has taught at The Warrior Academy for more than ten years and runs our UK clubs. He is a 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo and a national medallist, with kickboxing, Muay Thai, judo and jiu jitsu behind him.

As operations manager for our charity, The Bates Foundation, he also leads a team of more than 20 instructors across nine countries, mentoring more than 14,000 vulnerable children on scholarships every week.

Marli Sweatman

Marli is a black belt instructor who grew up through The Warrior Academy and has been part of our team for more than eight years. She loves working with children and seeing the transformation, from a nervous first class to a confident, focused young person who believes in themselves.

Joshua McCandless

Josh is a black belt instructor who grew up through The Warrior Academy and has been with us for more than eight years, including two years teaching in our full-time academies in Dubai. He brings that experience back to every class, and nothing beats seeing a shy child find their voice.