Mark started his Taekwondo training in his hometown of York in 1992 aged 17 where he trained for 4 years, graduating to 1st degree black belt in May 1996. Promoting to 2nd Degree in April 2001 not long after joining the Royal Air Force as a Commissioned Officer, his Taekwondo career was predominantly governed by his time in the RAF where he regularly competed in numerous national and international competitions as part of the RAF and Armed Forces Taekwondo teams, gaining Service Colours at both levels. Taking a different approach to martial arts development, Mark was an active member of the RAF Martial Arts Association (RAFMAA) for 15 years, having undertaken the role of Vice Chairman for the last 6 years before retirement from the RAF in 2018. Mark still remains engaged with the RAFMAA as a lifelong member in occasionally returning to their monthly training sessions to help coach the Taekwondo team and officiate at their annual Championships.

Throughout his 30-year martial arts career, Mark has also trained in Ju Jitsu, Tang Soo Do, Muay Thai with a particular highlight being completing the Royal Marines Close Quarter Combat Instructors course at the infamous Commando Training Centre in Devon. Having graded to 3rd Degree in 2016, Mark then left the RAF in 2018 to settle into civilian life in Balsall Common with his wife Su and son Ciaran. In 2019, Mark took over the running of Balsall Common TKD Club as Chief Instructor and graded to 4th Degree in 2020. Mark’s particular interest in martial arts is understanding the technical nature of the art and applying this to his main passion of teaching self-defence. Mark also enjoys utilizing his extensive teaching and coaching experience in developing instructional and coaching skills in others across his club and wider TSTUK organisation.