Jim Armstrong

My name is Jim Armstrong, and I’ve been trying to write this bio for bloody ages! I’m in my 50’s and have been married for 29 years. My wife and I have one teenage son. Yes, that’s right, we were married for quite a while before deciding to have a child, we’re smart like that : ) I live on the not so mean streets of Glen Waverley and have practically done so since I immigrated to Australia in 93…yes 1993 not 1893! I'm originally from Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK which makes me a proud Geordie... you may have to Google that.

Life in Newcastle was very different to Australia. No animals trying to kill you for one! Well, that’s not 100% true as Newcastle in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s was a violent place. I was accustomed to violence and fighting from a very young age, but after witnessing a fight between two guys and a group of attackers my understanding of violence changed. I realized I needed to study martial arts to develop the skills to fight multiple attackers. I suffered this delusion for quite some time. Fortunately, moving to Australia, getting married, and becoming a father helped change both my mind and reasons for training. It was still a long time coming, but from around 2006 onwards I changed how and why I did things. I realised I was missing the point. It’s got nothing to do with becoming the ultimate fighter, it’s all about becoming the ultimate you, or as close as you can get : )

I’ve been training in the martial arts for almost 4 decades, and teaching for over 30 of those years. I have trained and taught in many styles and systems from Kung Fu to Karate, Eskrima/Arnis to Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do to Thai Boxing, and Combatives to Self Protection. Around 2007 I put everything I thought I knew onto a shelf, a virtual shelf not a real one, and looked at everything with fresh eyes. This led me to a deeper understanding of how the mind and body work together. What I now teach is certainly not the norm, and I’m very proud of that. This has allowed me to teach my understanding of Martial Arts and Self Protection to many people and countries outside Australia, including New Zealand, Dubai, UK, Ireland, Germany, Finland, Belgium, and Indonesia. I have also been fortunate enough to publish many articles with Blitz Martial Arts magazine. I was even lucky enough to appear on the front cover and still have several copies if anyone wants a signed copy or three… : )

As usual, I have digressed! In November 2019 I decided to open a full time training center. For the previous 20+ years I had taught and trained out of my garage. I will still teach out The Garage at times as I love the feel of it. We even hosted some of the world's top martial artists at my little garage, which was pretty cool!

Martial arts Certification
Doce Pares Black belt 1998, 2nd Dan 2000
Aim Academy Instructor 1998, Senior Instructor 2000
Raw Combatives Joint Founder 2004
Nasubukang Arnis Instructor 2013
Senshido International Instructor 2013
BareBones Combatives Founder 2014
Protect Self Defence Senior Trainer 2015
Urban Combatives Instructor 2018
Raw Life Australia Joint Founder 2020
Accredited Martial Arts Coach

Other Certifications & Courses
Cert III in Fitness
Cert IV in Fitness
Certified AusREP with Fitness Australia
Working with Children Check
First Aid Level II
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health & Crisis Support Course
Applied Neuroscience of Peak Performance
Effective Movement Training
3DMAPS Functional Assessment Certification
CAFS Certificate of Applied Functional Science
Myofascial Training Essentials
NDIS Worker Orientation Module
NDIS screened
WeFlex Disability Inclusion Principles Module
WeFlex Working with Clients who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
WeFlex Working with Clients with Sensory Needs
WeFlex Working with Clients with Behaviours of Concern
WeFlex Working with Clients who are Blind or have Low Vision
Training clients with Intellectual and Physical Difficulties
TRX Suspension Training
Assessing & Measuring Healthy Eating
Polar Training Zone, basic and advanced

Jim Armstrong​

Jim Armstrong