Interview with Mr Stuart Anslow VI

Mr Anslow began his martial arts journey around 1986 (whilst still at high school), dabbling in arts such as Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun and even Ninjitsu. At college he studied both Judo and Fencing, before finally settling on Ch'ang Hon (ITF) Taekwon-do in early 1991 at Wembley Taekwon-Do School, under the instructorship of Master David Bryan (then a 5th degree) and Mr John Pepper, 2nd degree. During his formative years in Taekwon-do, he also got the opportunity to study some Jiu-Jitsu as well as training along side his friend (Dave Arnold), a Shotokan black belt, for many years. He graded to black belt in Taekwon-do in early 1994 under the B.U.T.F. and gained his 2nd degree in 1996. In 1999 he founded Rayners Lane Taekwon-do Academy, which ran in the same location until 2007, when the hall was demolished and we move into the newly built dojang (training hall), just a few hundred years away, continuing to run there ever since. In 2000 he graded to 3rd degree under Master Juan Mahai of the KTA (Korean Taekwondo Association), as well as winning a gold and silver medal at the AIMAA World Championships. In 2002, along with a couple of friends in the USA & Canada he founded IAOMAS (International Alliance of Martial Art Schools), which continues to flourish under the guidence of Mr Colin Wee, to this day. Stuart Anslow - Chief Instructor In 2003 he was inducted into Combat magazines 'Hall of Fame' & in 2004 he graded to 4th degree whilst in the USA, as well as 7 of his students becoming World Champions (2 as double world gold medallists) at the 2nd AIMAA World Championships. In 2005 he started writting his first book (Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul, Vol. 1), which was released in 2006 to critical acclaim to Taekwon-Do students around the world. Also in 2005, he went from part-time instructor, to full-time instructor, establishing Harrow Martial Arts. Having written for and been interviewed in many martial arts magazines over the years, in early 2009 he started his own magazine; Totally Tae Kwon Do magazine, a global Tae Kwon Do magazine loved by all that read it, which he editted and ran free for 40 issues and is still going strong today. In 2010 he graded to 5th degree (along side fellow instructor Mr Vikram Gautam who was grading for 3rd degree) under legendary Taekwon-do pioneering Master, Willie Lim, 8th degree. Also in 2010 he released a further 3 books (The Encylopedia of Taekwon-Do Patterns, Vols. 1, 2 & 3), all of which were received extremely well and became top sellers Also in 2010 Mr Anslow was awarded a citation from Dr. Chungwon Choue, (then) President of the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation), South Korea, recognizing his 'outstanding contribution to the development of Taekwondo'. In 2012 he released the second volume of Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul, which so many had been waiting for. Again, it was very well recieved. In 2013 he released his sixth book, From Creation To Unification, which is adored by many due to its in-depth historical contents regarding Taekwon-Do, in 2015 his first book (Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul, Vol. 1) was released as a Spanish version as well and in 2017 he released his 7th book, 'Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-Do Hosinsul' which was a detailed look at the self-defence aspect of Taekwon-Do (known as Hosinsul). ​ In 2022, as well as his daughter gaining her 1st Degree black belt, he graded for 6th Degree, under Master Hay Harris, 7th Degree (Himself a Master promoted by Grandmaster Willie Lim, 9th Dan) Over the years he has taught numerous seminars (both home and abroad) on the applications of Taekwon-do's patterns (as well as other aspects of the art, such as knife and gun defence) and in 2015 he travelled to South Korea with one of his senior students, where he not only got to experience the fantastic culture of Korea and many historically relevant places, but also taught Taekwon-do in the homeland of the art, over the course of 10 days. And he returned in 2018, with another of his students, Matthew Baxter. Mr Anslow has 4 lovely children and continues to run the Academy. To him, Taekwon-Do is not a hobby or a part-time job, its not even a full-time job; it his his career that he devotes his life to, both developing excellent students, whilst continuing to promote and develop that art he loves.