Assistant Coaches
Meet Tom and Andrea!
Meet the assistant coaches – Tom and Andrea. Both play an important role here at Zen, creating a welcome and supportive training environment along side of Head Coach Norm.
They both help teach / cover sessions, encourage everyone to develop their skills and feel comfortable learning right from the start. So whether you are a beginner or a more experienced Martial Artist / fighter these two will help you get the most out of training. Friendly, dedicated ensuring it’s enjoyable and making sure everyone progresses on their Martial Arts journey.
Assistant Coach - Tom
Training for 5 years and just 16 years old!
Tom has been training at the Academy for 5 years and it’s safe to say his skill surpasses his age! Happy to be involved in any Martial Arts, learn anything and is just a joy to be around. We are so proud of you Tom, carry on the incredible work you do.
From Tom himself…
” I started training when I was 11. I’ve essentially grown up with and around this gym, with it definitely defining me as a person in some way. When I started training, I was in a difficult place at school and it’s safe to say I was a very angry kid. Training with Norm gave me a release and taught me discipline, self control and in every subsequent confrontation I’ve had I have been able to escalate, defuse and rationalise what is going on. I got my Coaching qualification in January 2026, but I have been demoing and explaining drills for the past 3(ish) years.
It may be considered dramatic to say that Zen Combat Academy did save my life but it without a doubt did. I’d be a completely different and much angrier person if I didn’t train than I am now. Training in the environment that I do, I’ve felt free to be myself and be that weird little kid that got suffocated in the school system and never truly had an outlet for my emotions. Martial Arts is as much a mental sport as it is physical and I feel Zen (and its community) provides that mental and emotional training as much as the physical training.”
Assistant Coach - Andrea
Training for just over 4 years
I started training at Zen just over 4 years ago. I wanted to learn self-defence as at the time I was in the Police Force and the self-defence they taught us was not enough to get yourself out of simple situations, never-mind a serious one.
After a couple of years training with Norm, not only I gained life saving skills but a confidence I couldn’t get from doing anything else. Norm also helped me realise my love and passion for fitness and Martial Arts and my career headed to a new direction of becoming a Fitness Instructor.
Teaching and training at Zen is a pleasure. I have met a lot of wonderful people and to me it’s family, a community where people from all walks of life get together to train for several different reasons, whether that’s to let out some emotions and stress, learn self-defence, get fit, it’s a place where you are welcome.
