RAPTR Instructors and Coaches are a team of highly specialist martial artists. All have multiple black belts and have trained extensively in a variety of disciplines.
Mark Brockbank
Mark Brockbank is RAPTR’S Chief Instructor and grappling coach. He is also the Director for the Global Stick and Blade Alliance (GSBA) International for Ireland and Northern Ireland and is currently training for the 2018 World GSBA competition in Lisbon. He is also the National Coach for the team.
Mark has been a student of the martial arts for as long as he can remember and is well respected in Northern Ireland martial arts having tested many to black belt and above. Mark has successfully fought in various disciplines on the national and international stage and has coached numerous national and international teams in various disciplines. As a qualified teacher of over 15 years experience and with two masters degrees in education he is well placed to design and implement excellent coaching programmes.
Mark would not be where he is today without his family and dedicated instructors all of whom taught him the skills to strive to be a successful martial artist. Namely: always be open to new ideas, always be teachable, arrogance is a veil for incompetence and ignorance , and your most valuable instructors are your students! Mark trained for several decades under Shihan David Toney and gained an excellent grounding in traditional Ju-jitsu learning the importance of balance breaking, pressure sensitivity, joint manipulation and breathing. Through his Ju-jitsu training and the forward-thinking of Shihan Toney Mark attended a weekend training seminar with the legend Guro Bob Breen. This was a truly life changing experience as it opened up Mark's mind to a completely revolutionary way of looking at the arts with a scientific and clinical method of analysing them.
From that date Mark has trained formally with Guru Bob Breen, and regularly travels to London. Through his training with Guro Breen, Mark is well versed in the arts of Kali, Jun Fan, Boxing, and Shooto to mention a few under the philosophy of Jeet Kune Do.
Mark has a true passion for sharing his knowledge in the martial arts so if you are new to the arts or have years of experience Mark will be keen to teach and train with you in a friendly open environment.
Sarah Seawright
Sarah Seawright is the Senior Instructor and striking arts coach with RAPTR . She has been training in Martial Arts for the last 13 years, and has recently been awarded her 3rd Dan in ITF Taekwon-Do. She has competed successfully, representing Northern Ireland at both National and International level, regularly achieving medals for both patterns and sparring. She was European Champion for 2 years and a World Silver medallist.
She was also the female coach for the NI TKD team for several years. Sarah is a registered ITF TKD Instructor and has led training with both children, and adults.
Sarah is now affiliated to the UKGT and is their representative in Northern Ireland.
Sarah is also a fully qualified teacher who has been working in both mainstream and special education for the last 20 years.
Over the last 2 years she has trained in Muay Thai, grappling and JKD through Guro Bob Breen's 4D Instructors' program, and attends regular training seminars.
Sarah is passionate about the positive changes that martial arts training has brought about in her own and her student's lives and is keen to pass on the knowledge, skills and attitude to life that martial arts has given her.
Phil McConnell
Phil McConnell is a grappling coach with RAPTR. He has been training in Martial Arts for over 15 years. His initial training was in Combat Sambo and Taiho Jutsu, he holds blacks in both arts under the British Budo Federation. He has competed in British Sambo Wrestling competitions and achieved a bronze medal. He is currently training in Jeet Kune Do and studying techniques from Kali, Thai boxing, western boxing, Filipino martial arts, Ju-jitsu, Brazilian Ju-jitsu and Sambo.
He enjoys training and learning new techniques to add to his skill set and to pass on to like minded training partners.
Stephen Pollock
Stephen Pollock has been training with RAPTR for the last two years, along with his son Harrison. Stephen has been training for the last 20 years with Tommy Lamont at Chum Sut (to whom RAPTR is affiliated), gaining extensive experience in various arts including: Muay Thai, Judo, kickboxing, BJJ and numerous other grappling arts. Stephen has completed intensive training with RAPTR, in Kali, Jujitsu, striking arts and Jeet Kune Do concepts. In addition, he has many years coaching experience with both children and adults.
Stephen has a passion for martial arts and said: “ I find coaching martial arts very rewarding; it empowers both children and adults alike, especially the least confident among them.’’
Clare Neill
Clare is now our Children Protection and Safe Guarding Officer. She is entirely independent from the RAPTR Coaching Team.
Hello my name is Clare Neill, my son Jack has been part of the RAPTR Pack for a couple of years now and he’s also part of GSBA NI team.
I am a mum of two but have been a child minder, nanny and now I’m a classroom assistant in a primary school in Bangor, specialising with children on the ASD spectrum. I have had Child Protection and Safe Guarding training and will be doing first aid training course very soon.
If you have any questions or concerns that I can help you, or your child with, please feel free to contact me. My number is:
07548 672038 or contact me at
RAPTR MARTIAL ARTS LTD, UNIT F7, INSPIRE BUSINESS PARK, CARROWREAGH ROAD, DUNDONALD, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, BT16 1QT, UNITED KINGDOM 07730702995 [email protected]