Meet our instructors
Paul Landreth-Smith
Master Instructor
Grade(s) Tae Kwon-Do 5th Dan
Kickboxing Black Belt and syllabus advisor for Leeds and Doncaster Schools
PMA Mixed Martial Arts Instructor
Premier Martial Arts Chief Instructor for North Leeds
Kyu grades in Ju Jitsu and Tomiki Aikido
British Student Taekwondo Federation ITF Head Instructor
Also studied Thai boxing and Boxing
Mr Landreth-Smith began training in Tae Kwon-Do around 1985 but due to the club stopping training he was forced to stop also. In 1988 he started up training again, this time in Kickboxing with the ECKA until 1990 when he moved to Leeds and began to train in Thai Boxing. Wishing to develop his kicking skills in January 1991 he started to train with Master Kim Stones at Leeds University Tae Kwondo Club.
Whilst at University Mr Landreth-Smith won the WTF (full contact) Taekwon-Do championships twice and in 1993 he began to attend National Squad Training sessions with National and World Champion competitors such as Kim Stones, Stuart Wilks, Tony Sewell and Mark Weir.
It was a steep learning curve but in 1994 Mr Landreth-Smith graded under Korean Grandmaster Hee Il Cho for his 1st Dan and went on to be part of the GTI National Team where he fought in Clash of the Titans and against a Canadian Team. Individually he was won many regional and National competitions including the Welsh Open, the English Open, and in 1995 was the Tae Kwon-Do British Light Heavyweight Champion. He also began to compete in forms competitions where he also was very successful.
Mr Landreth-Smith has worked as a Doorstaff Security at Leeds University and in Leeds City Centre. This taught him how real fighting is not the same as in a Dojang and the skills of psychology and negotiation work better than fighting!
In 2002 he began to Box and soon was selected to fight in Denver, Colorado. He has also researched how confrontation occurs, how to avoid it or how to deal with it - while not landing yourself in trouble with the Law. He keeps abreast of tactics used by street muggers and assailants and simple ways to avoid becoming a victim in the first place.
He has attended seminars on Combat Systems used by Military and Police Special Forces by a number of world respected instructors and passes on some of this practical information to his students. All this makes his inputs on self defence realistic and no-nonsense, using techniques that WORK and dismissing myths about what can and will happen.
He has designed and run self defence courses for various womens groups and church workers which are based at educating people about the realisms of conflict resolution. He has also run short Martial Arts courses for Teenagers attending Weight Management Courses.
Since gaining his 1st Dan in Taekwon-Do in 1994 Mr Landreth-Smith has also cross trained in complimentary styles gaining Kyu grades in Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Aikido. He also finally got round to gaining his Black Belt in Kickboxing! In 2005 he attained his 5th Dan in Taekwon-Do giving him the Master grade level.
As well as his responsibilities in Leeds, in 2005 Mr Landreth-Smith was awarded the position of British Student Taekwondo Federation I.T.F. Chief Instructor.
He also has been awarded the Black Belt grade in Premier Martial Arts and along with his team has travelled to the USA to train with some of the top PMA instructors. He is currently the UK Lead Self Protection Instructor.
In May 2007 he and some of his team travelled to Florida to train with UFC fighters and trainers and gained his PMA MMA Instructor certification.
He has been a member of the Premier Martial Arts Fight Team having fought in Ultimate Force Cagefighting to K-1 kickboxing rules.
Currently his own personal training is focussed towards Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts which he is enjoying immensely!
Steve Bruce
Chief Instructor
Grade(s) Taekwondo 3rd Dan Black Belt
Kickboxing Black Belt
PMA Mixed Martial Arts Instructor
Also trained in Shotokan Karate
Mr Bruce started his formal martial arts training when he joined the KUGB Shotokan Karate club at Gateshead Leisure centre circa 1987. He steadily worked through his kyu grades and he also trained occasionally in Wado Ryu Karate.
Around 1989, after deciding that Karate was not necessarily the style of martial art for him, Mr Bruce began training under Mr Malcolm Rutter at his TAGB Taekwon-Do club in Newcastle. Mr Bruce found the syllabus of Taekwon-Do allowed him to express himself more through sparring, forms and the numerous kicking techniques. Mr Bruce trained regularly for the following two or so years and graded up to green belt under Mr Kenny Walton.
Following a break of about seven years from martial arts, Mr Bruce joined the Leeds University Taekwon-Do club at the start of 1998 and recommenced his training under Mr Stuart Wilks. Soon after, Mr Bruce was encouraged to also train with Mr Landreth-Smith at the Twin Dragon TaeKwon-Do club (formerly Leeds TaeKwon-Do).
In the summer of 2000, Mr Bruce achieved his 1st dan in TaeKwon-Do under Master Kim Stones and soon after became a club instructor for both Twin Dragon TaeKwon-Do and Leeds University TaeKwon-Do clubs.
In order to broaden his understanding of close quarter combat techniques and principles, since gaining his black belt, Mr Bruce has attended seminars or briefly trained in the following: various styles of Ju Jitsu, various styles of Karate, Sombo, Jeet Kune Do, R.O.S.S, Escrima, Kali, Pressure Point Fighting, Taijitsu, Wing Chun and Kickboxing. He also attained his black belt in Kickboxing in 2004. Mr Bruce has incorporated principles from these arts into the way that he teaches so that his students get a more rounded knowledge of what they are learning. In December 2005, Mr Bruce passed his 3rd dan in TaeKwon-Do with honours.
Although by nature not very competitive, Mr Bruce has won trophies at various competitions for both sparring and traditional forms including a 1st place at the 2005 BBSI British Championships for heavyweight continuous sparring and a 2nd place in the advanced traditional forms at the same competition.
Mr Bruce is now the chief instructor at Twin Dragon Premier Martial Arts, TaeKwon-Do and Kickboxing. Mr Bruce is fairly laid back and tries not to take himself too seriously, but he does take training and the continued development of his students very seriously.
Oliver Saunderson
Club Instructor
2nd Dan Blackbelt Taekwondo
5 Years training in Kick boxing
PMA Black Belt and PMA Mixed Martial Arts Instructor
Also studied Traditional and Brazillian Ju Jitsu, Aikido and Escrima
Trained in Conflict Management
Qualified Door Supervisor with 2 ½ years experience.
Mr. Saunderson began his martial arts career in 1988 at the age of 7 when he began training in WTF Taekwondo. After training for around 5 years he put martial arts on hold to play Ice Hockey competitively but in 1999 he went back to his old Taekwondo club and started training with a renewed enthusiasm. At this time he also started training in Atemi Ryu Ju Jitsu to complement the kicking style of Taekwondo. Later that year he arrived at the University of Leeds where he joined the LUU Taekwondo club and began training in ITF-style Taekwondo under Mr. Landreth-Smith. He converted his grade to ITF-style Taekwondo and in April 2002 Mr. Saunderson achieved his black belt in Taekwondo and joined the instructor team at the university classes. As a natural Taekwondo exponent he has inspired students with great technical ability and with his passion for martial arts.
In May 2002 a chance encounter when a fight broke out in a nightclub landed Mr. Saunderson with a job as a bouncer working at various venues around Leeds. This gave him the opportunity and necessity to learn how martial arts work in reality. He went on to train in conflict management and expanded his martial arts training to include Kick Boxing, Vale Tudo (Submission fighting) and weapons defences. His hands on experience of real fights have made him a valuable self protection instructor and he has been involved in teaching self defence workshops and seminars to vulnerable groups.
After teaching at the Leeds University classes for a year Mr. Saunderson went back to University to study but this time in Swansea. Here he continued his martial arts training in Kick boxing where he trained with several WKA champions. His talents were quickly spotted and he was soon asked to help with the instruction and found himself teaching the classes there too.
July 2004 saw Mr. Saunderson take his 2nd Dan in Taekwondo which was awarded with honours.
After a year in Wales Mr. Saunderson was back in Leeds teaching at the University classes again. He is also a big hit at the kids classes who quickly take to his style.
Mr Saunderson takes many Introduction classes for propective members and also is available for Private classes
Andy Murray
Chief Instructor
Grade(s)
Taekwondo 4th Dan Black Belt
Kickboxing Black Belt
Mr Murray has been training for many years and was already a 2nd Dan Black Belt under GrandMaster Hee Il Cho went he came to train at Leeds under Master Kim Stones in 1992. He went on to share teaching responsibility at both the Public and the University Student Taekwon-Do clubs with Master Stones. He and Mr Landreth-Smith became firm friends during this time and he also trained with the National Squad being selected for the National Team just before Mr Landreth-Smith. He went on to win various National and Regional events including the English and British Championships in the Heavyweight divisions. He spent some time working as Doorstaff and for a short time worked for Group 4 within the Prison services where he gained some hands on experience of combat outside of the Dojang.
He then had a protracted break from training while he went to Manchester University but has since returned to Leeds where he is one of the team of instructors responsible for Leeds University Taekwondo classes.
Jennie Chan
(Instructor/Member Services)
Premier Martial Arts Black Belt
Kickboxing 2nd Dan
Miss Chan is one of the Instructors who assist the Club and Chief instructors to make sure that members don't feel left out and can give some valued one to one instruction.
She is an inspiration to many women as her skills and power show that women can be very effective Martial Artists and are not to be messed with!
She is the Member Services Manager and is responsible for much of the meeting and greeting of members, ensuring memberships are up to date and dealing with general admin enquiries. She is therefore a familiar face to all the club members and also organises many popular social events.
Shane Cartwright
Wado Ryu Karate 1st Dan
Kickboxing 4th Dan
Mr Cartwright started training in Wado Ryu when he was 8 year old and went on to attain his Black Belt when he was 15. He continued his training and after school joined the UK Armed Forces and was in the Army Martial Arts team for 2 Years.
Injury forced him to leave the military and he spent 2 years doing Muay Thai in London.
Moved back up to the North of England where his old club had changed from Wado to free style and Kickboxing. Mr Cartwright adapted his training and trained to a high level representing England for 3 years in continuous Kickboxing as well as
entering numerous semi contact and continuous competions
Now a 4th Dan Black Belt he has moved with the times and trains extensively in Mixed Martial Arts and is a proficient submission grappler and uses Mr Landreth-Smith as a sparring partner. He travelled with the rest of the Twin Dragon team to Florida in June 2007 and succesfully completed the Premier Martial Arts MMA certification. During the course he stood out from the class of 70 international instructors and was invited to train with The Armory fight camp in the run up to UFC 74 alongside fighters such as Kurt Pelligrino.
Mr Cartwright brings his 21 years Martial Arts experience to the team as a tough and experienced competitor and excellent coach.
