Josh Cooke

Mr Josh Cooke began his martial arts journey at just seven years old and has now been training for over fourteen years. From an early age, his parents encouraged him to train to build confidence, self-protection skills, and the discipline to work hard and carry himself with respect — values that continue to shape his approach as an instructor today.

Mr Cooke trains in a blended system, with strong foundations in Kickboxing, Karate and Muay Thai. He has also recently begun studying no-gi Jiu-Jitsu in greater depth, further expanding his technical knowledge and coaching ability across both striking and grappling disciplines.

What Josh enjoys most about teaching at YAMA is seeing the real, positive impact martial arts has on students — particularly in their confidence, personal growth and belief in themselves. He has a strong interest in working closely with individuals or small groups, helping students refine techniques they may be finding challenging and guiding them through technical breakthroughs.

Mr Cooke is proud of several key achievements in his martial arts career. He has competed in the cage on three occasions and plans to continue competing in the future. His standout accomplishment to date is earning his First-Degree Black Belt in 2019, a milestone that reflects years of consistent training, dedication and perseverance.

He believes YAMA is special because it offers a place where anyone can train, regardless of age, size or gender. YAMA’s focus on enjoyable, inclusive classes combined with a strong, family-like community creates an environment where students feel supported, challenged and motivated to improve.

Outside of martial arts, Josh has a skill that often surprises students — alongside teaching, he is also a qualified Level 3 barber.

Looking ahead, Josh’s goal as an instructor is to continue growing his classes, introduce additional sessions, and develop more students who are interested in competition. Long-term, he hopes to help build a dedicated fight team within YAMA, supporting students who want to take their training to the next level.

In addition to their teaching role, Mr Cooke is also a member of the YAMA Examiners Panel and regularly conducts both in-club gradings and YAMA panel gradings, helping to uphold the high technical standards, consistency, and professionalism across the academy.