The Coaching Team

Mark Hayes

Main Instructor 

As a passionate martial artist since my teenage years, my journey into the world of martial arts began in the early 1980s with Karate. Over the past four decades, I have delved into various forms of martial arts, predominantly focusing on different styles of Karate, as well as Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, some Judo, and a lot of Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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My interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began in 1995 while on holiday in the USA. However, my proper journey in BJJ didn't start until 2008 under the guidance of BJJ black belt Italo Ferreira. I was awarded my blue belt by Italo on 30th May 2009. Unfortunately, Italo left the UK to teach BJJ overseas, which led me to study under Felipe De Souza. I received my purple belt from José Henrique Leão Teixeira and Felipe on 8th July 2012.

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However, Felipe eventually moved back to Brazil, and the club was left without a leader for some time. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to be taken under the wing of BJJ black belt Simon McGovern, who is based in Stoke on Trent. Under Simon's guidance, I was awarded my brown belt in September 2022.

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I continue to train and teach Jeet Kune Do/Kali alongside BJJ. In addition to my belts in BJJ, I also hold black belts in Karate/Kickboxing, Filipino Martial Arts, and instructor levels in Jeet Kune Do/Kali, all thanks to Richard Bustillo, Dan Inosanto, and Rick Faye.

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I look forward to meeting you soon.