I was bullied at school. I had low confidence, and I was given the nickname Powder Puff.
I’m Bryan Andrews, the Head Coach in Winchester. That is a memory that remains vivid even after decades of training, but it is also the foundation upon which Shin Gi Tai Martial Arts Academy in Winchester was built. My journey from a self-conscious teenager to the head coach of a professional academy is not just a story of physical techniques; it is a testament to how the right environment and the right mentors can fundamentally reshape a person’s life.
That transformation began at fourteen years of age. Until that point, I felt vulnerable and lacked the self-belief to stand up for myself. Two major factors changed the trajectory of my life in that single year. The first was an academic mentor, Monsieur Le Faucher, a teacher who had come over to my school from France for just one year. He helped me settle down academically and guided me toward achieving the exam results I needed. He taught me that I was capable of more than I believed.
The second factor was the day I stepped into a Martial Arts dojo. I started with Karate, then moved into Judo, and finally boxing. The impact was almost immediate. The training began to transform my confidence and my self-belief, and perhaps most importantly, it did away with the constant, underlying fear of getting beaten up. Within just three months of starting, I became fearless. I certainly could not defend myself effectively at that stage, mastery takes time, but I felt like I was on top of the world. The psychological shift happened long before the physical competence caught up. It took another couple of years before I became truly competent at self-defence and able to look after myself, but the mental battle had already been won.
The Journey of Mastery and Mentorship
From those early years in Devon, I have continued my Martial Arts training for over forty-five years. It is important for students to know that I have never been a natural athlete. For me, training was and still is hard. Many movements were difficult to get right at first, and I often struggled to grasp the mechanics. However, perseverance and hard work have got me to where I am today. At Shin Gi Tai Martial Arts Academy in Winchester, we emphasise that grit and determination are far more valuable than innate talent.
I have made it a career-long goal to train with the very best instructors in the world, spending significant time and resources travelling to find the highest levels of expertise. I have purposely sought out fantastic teachers across different disciplines to ensure our curriculum in Winchester is grounded in deep mastery. My first teacher, Dave Owen Sensei, was an incredibly underrated but gifted instructor. In later years, I had the privilege of learning from Asano Sensei and Kanazawa Sensei, both of whom were world-class Karate-ka.
For the last twenty years, Steve Rowe Sifu has been my Chinese Martial Arts teacher, significantly impacting how I train and how I perceive the internal aspects of our arts. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Robert Mustard Sensei, who gave me a love for Aikido and introduced me to Neil Saunders Sensei. Each of these mentors helped me grow not just as a Martial Artist, but as a person. They taught me that while life can be tough and training can be difficult, Martial Arts provides the tools to deal with those trials with calmness, an enquiring mind, and a positive outlook.
More Than Just Physical Technique
Perhaps the most significant lesson I have learned over four decades is the necessity of a supportive community. In my twenties, it was my training friends who checked in on each other, encouraging one another to keep showing up through thick and thin. Those same friends helped me move house and gave me parenting advice as my life evolved. Now in my fifties, I still count many of those people as my closest friends, alongside new ones I have met on the mats.
At our full-time academy in Winnall, we have cultivated an environment that mirrors this sense of family. I am in the privileged position to do something I love every day, surrounded by truly awesome people. Our Academy coaching team brings together over 250 years of combined expertise, ensuring that every student who walks through our doors benefits from a collective wisdom that spans generations and styles.
I have been teaching now for over thirty-five years, and that remains my true passion. As a coach, I get the incredible opportunity to watch children from the age of four grow and develop. I see them become more focused, more disciplined, and ultimately, more prepared to go out and shape the world. If you look closely at our classes, you will see that some of those young children are now first-rate coaches themselves. I still jump into their classes from time to time to train with them. I might not be as fast as I was forty-five years ago, and I might not kick quite as high, but the mental resilience and the determination to improve are still as strong as ever.
At times, training has been difficult, at times life has been tougher, Martial Arts has taught me how to deal with those trials with calmness, an enquiring mind coupled with a positive outlook. Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learnt from Martial Arts is the need for good friends that you can rely on. In training in my 20s, it was those friends checking in on each other to ‘encourage’ one another to train through thick and thin. Helping me to move house, giving parenting advice. In my 50s, I still have all of those close friends and now I have new ones that I train with and share life with. I’m in the privileged position to do something I love everyday surround by truly awesome people.
A Philosophy of Inclusivity and Modern Science
My core value as the head coach is that Martial Arts should be for everybody. Regardless of age, gender, ability, disability, or background, everyone should be able to train if the material is taught correctly and adapted to the individual. This is a major focus for us. We believe that training must be personalised. In the past, many traditional schools insisted that every student perform a movement the exact same way, whether they were five feet tall or seven feet tall. This rigid approach often ignored the realities of human biomechanics.
Thankfully, with modern sports science, we have moved beyond those limitations. We use our deep understanding of the kinetic chain and proprioception to ensure that your training is safe, effective, and suited to your specific body type. Our waiting area is designed so that family members can watch the class, allowing parents to see firsthand how we integrate these professional coaching standards into every session.
I’ve drawn on 45 years of training and experiences as a Black Belt in multiple Martial Arts and also from the many Martial Arts Coaching qualifications I’ve earned to design our Children’s and Adult’s syllabus were designed with self protection in mind and cover long and mid range skills plus close quarter grappling with techniques drawn from Karate, Kung Fu and Judo. Adults can also learn Muay Thai from Thailand, Our Ladies Only classes learn Chinese Kickboxing and for those wanting to look at a more relaxed form of exercise Yang Style Tai Chi. For those looking for additional variety, our sister business at Basingstokekarate.com also teaches a wide range of complementary skills. I’m a firm believer that no-one Martial Art has all the secrets and that all have something to offer. I’ve spent many years researching to find what I wanted o study and develop and love inspiring our members to carry on their journey of Martial Arts exploration.
The Next Generation of Martial Artists
We are not just a club; we are a professional academy dedicated to character development and physical literacy. Whether you are looking for Children’s Martial Arts to help your child build the confidence I once lacked, or Adult’s Martial Arts to find a path toward fitness and stress relief, our doors are open.
The transition from a boy called Powder Puff to a head coach with decades of experience was made possible because I found a place where I could fail, learn, and eventually succeed. That is exactly what we offer at Shin Gi Tai Martial Arts Academy in Winchester. We provide the structure, the expertise, and the community support to help you or your child reach your full potential.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing more about the values that drive our family-run academy and why we believe our approach is unique in the Hampshire area. If you have any questions about our history or our methods, I would love to hear from you.
If you are curious about what is involved in joining our community, please comment curious below, or better yet, come and experience it for yourself by booking a Free Taster Session. We look forward to helping you begin your own journey of transformation.