Welcome to the newest martial arts academy in the area! My name is Andy Medcalf and I am offering to you one-on-one and group instruction in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. Our doors are open to every kind of student: beginner, competitor and seasoned practitioner alike.
Taken when I trained with UFC World Champion 'Spider' Anderson Silva.
I am highly qualified to teach! From being a professional Gracie Barra instructor for over five years, an ex-semi professional cage fighter and in holding a BJJ Brown Belt which took ten years of dedication to earn. I received my Brown Belt from 2x and current World Champion, Rapheal Dos Santos.
I have trained with the best, including 'Spider' Anderson Silva, Andre Galvao, Lucio 'Lagarto' Rodrigues, Fernando Terre, Henry Akins and Braulio Blackbelt Luke Costello. I have practiced alongside UFC fighter Mark Godbeer and have fought against Bradley Scott, also in the UFC.
Now, I am seeking students in Bucklands Beach who are passionate and eager to improve themselves. If you are willing to learn, I would love to be your coach!
In 2016, me and my son Ryan helped coach the British Royal Marines '40 Commandos' division at a seminar with world renowned Jiu Jitsu Champion Andre Galvao.
This picture was taken in 2012, it was the first gold medal I won upon earning my purple belt at a UK National BJJ competition.
I used to be a Gracie Barra coach in Somerset, UK. I had around 15-20 active students for four years, and my club competed often at national tournaments.
BJJ is the art of submission-grappling, a self defence system which uses technique to overcome natural strength. To grapple, is to use your body to subdue an opponent and prevent them from moving. Grappling involves take downs, because it comes into its true element when the opponent is on the ground. The nature of ground-fighting means that the person in control is exponentially more likely to win, no matter their size or strength. BJJ teaches you the rhythms which ensure you will always be in control. Once control is gained, you'll be able to apply a number of submissions including chokes and joint holds, to quickly and safely finish the fight. One of the greatest benefits of BJJ over other martials arts is its system of sparring. Because you're' not striking your training partner, you don't have to worry about injuring them; this allows you to spar with the exact same speed and intensity you would fight with in a 'real' situation. With this, you will walk away from each session feeling better-prepared to overcome any danger.
MMA is the combination of the most effective elements from a range of martial arts. It involves the precision and speed of Boxing, the explosive striking power of Kickboxing and Muay Thai, alongside the dynamic take-down and ground control of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling. MMA has been made famous by the world-recognised UFC, which sees fighters from all different fighting backgrounds come together to demonstrate their technical skill and athletic ability in the cage. Unlike BJJ which relies purely on technique to safely defend its practitioner, MMA relies on technique, willpower and versatility to bring all its elements together in a highly offensive and destructive way. Professional MMA fighters are some of the most dedicated and athletic sportsmen on the planet. MMA is far from casual, you should be highly engaged, prepared to sweat, and of course be willing to lose, in order to learn. Its mastery is a process which you cannot short-cut, each element must be given adequate attention and you must have an open mind at all times.
Rapid Weight Loss
Self Defence
Gain Confidence
Train By The Beach
Positive Environment
Happier & Healthier Lifestyle
Our Bucklands Beach Side training venue is humble and small, it's very clean and we get plenty of natural light. We have over 64sqm of thick matted rolling space (we recently increased the size!) and the mats don't feel overly cluttered making it easy to witness the expert instruction for BJJ and MMA. The 100sqm room provides a calming atmosphere which assists your learning by allowing you to focus with little distraction. We have toilets which we also use for changing rooms and we hope to upgrade this to separate entities later down the line.
Finding our academy is easy. Simply pass down the Bucklands Beach Road heading towards Little Bucklands Beach. About half way down, above the dairy, you can find our academy next door to the Sunset Restaurant. We have convenient parking available, near to our large glass windows. The address is as follows: 4 Wharf Road, Bucklands Beach, Auckland.
Toddy Mantle
Andy is a super friendly fella and a top notch trainer. He has a wealth of knowledge in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after training under some of the world's best BJJ practitioners. He has been our head MMA and BJJ coach for a few months now and we couldn't be happier.
Libby McCartney
I started training privately with Andy nearly 2 years ago, I was over 106kg and couldn't spar for more than a minute at a time! I wanted to lose weight, get fit and I hated the gym. Since then, with his help, I'm weighing 88kg and I can roll for an hour! Very enthusiastic instructor, thanks.
Steve Killeen
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is both immensely fun and a real workout! It's ike a crazy game of human chess with strangle holds, but Andy is a knowledgable coach. The flexibility of training at home means it's easily slotted into my busy schedule and there's no ducking it in favour of a beer! Thank you.
