Our team

Our Professional Instructor Team

Martial arts instructors in Salisbury and Wiltshire

Sebastian Bates started The Warrior Academy with a single class in Rode, a village in Somerset. It grew into a family of clubs across the South West, and today the same method is taught around the world. Meet our founder

Same clubs. Same method. Same high standards.

Matt Hillier

Head of UK, Head Instructor & Bates Foundation Operations Manager

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 Freestyle 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

Instructor

Marli has been part of our Warrior community for over a decade. She holds a first degree black belt in Freestyle Taekwondo and has been on our instructor team for more than five 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

Instructor

Josh holds a first degree black belt in Freestyle Taekwondo and has grown up through The Warrior Academy, training with us since he was five. He joined our instructor team in 2022, teaching at our full-time academies in Dubai. Having been on the journey himself, Josh is passionate about character development and loves seeing the transformation in his students.

Come and try a class, on us

Book a free taster session. We will match your child to the right class and tell you honestly if we are the right fit.

Book your free taster session