Murrays Taekwondo - Andy Murray

Andy Murray started training in 1984 with Kenny Walton. He went on to gain his 1st & 2nd Degree Black Belts with the Taekwondo Association of Great Britain (T.A.G.B) under Grand Master Hee Il Cho 9th Degree. Regularly training at Bradford, Thorne and Scunthorpe with Kenny, Andy also trained at Leeds (Holbeck) and Leeds University with Master Kim Stones and at T.A.G.B. national squad training. It was at this time Andy first met his good friend Steve Derrig. In 1987 Andy won a place on the T.A.G.B. national junior team where he travelled to Holland to compete.

Andy opened his first club in Huddersfield in 1989 after taking his coaching qualification with the Martial Arts Commission. Over the next 5 years he went on to teach many students to Black Belt, national champions and international champions.

In 1994 Andy left the T.A.G.B and became a founding member of Global Taekwondo International (G.T.I) with Master Kim Stones. It was at this time Andy obtained his 3rd Degree Black Belf, again under Grand Master Hee Il Cho and started to train regularly with Master Stones at Leeds University. It was here where Andy met his good friend Paul Landreth-Smith.

In 1995 Andy became the chief instructor at Leeds University Union Taekwondo (LUUTKD) and Leeds Public Taekwondo clubs, taking over from Master Stones. In order to concentrate more on his own training and the larger clubs in Leeds Andy handed the Huddersfield club over to his student and friend Andy Chambers - it still runs today at Crosland Moor Community Centre.

In 1994 Andy won double gold at the British Championships for sparring and patterns, he went on to repeat this feat in 1996. From 1994 to 1997 Andy had a regular place on the G.T.I national team, competing and winning in many local, national and international tournaments. He regularly attending national squad training with national and world champions Kim Stones, Tony Sewell, Mark Weir, Stuart Wilks and Paul Landreth-Smith.

On four separate occasions Andy fought the then world champion, Mark Weir.

In 1996 Andy took his 4th Degree Black Belt under Master Kim Stones, around this time a very gifted student started training under Andy Murray, her name was Gina Koutsopoulou, Gina later went on to become world champion.

In 1997 Andy took a protracted break from training and teaching while he went to Manchester University to study for his degree in computer science. He handed responsibility for the Leeds University and Public clubs to his national teamate Paul Landreth-Smith.

Returning to Leeds after some time spent working in London, Andy kick-started his training with Paul Landreth-Smith in 2001 in a new organisation called Black Belt Schools International (BBSI). By 2002 Andy was again teaching at Leeds University, but this time as part of a team of instructors.

Andy's final competitions were in 2002 where he won Gold in the BBSI English championships (point stop sparring), and then in 2004 where he 'shared' Gold in the BBSI Northern Championships with Paul Landreth-Smith after enduring 3 extra rounds and finally being awarded a draw. Andy hung up his competition gloves.

From 2002 to 2009 Andy helped coach the Leeds University Union Taekwondo club (LUUTKD) along with a team of other instructors, Paul Landreth-Smith, Steve Derrig, Oliver Saunderson, Ricky Lam, Karl Vibert, Dominic Philips and Gina Koutsopoulou.

In 2009 Andy once again took the mantle of being chief instructor of Leeds University Taekwondo for the second time - this time with the Amateur Martial Arts Association (AMA) and with the help of Steve Derrig and Gina Koutopoulou.