Chris Walsh

Instructor

Chris began his Arakan journey in 2013 after moving from the UK. He was looking for something to immerse himself into and enjoys the richness and diversity Arakan has to offer.

During his journey, Chris found himself being challenged in ways that was unexpected, other that the physicality and learning effective self defence techniques, he was also being challenged mentally and creatively. He enjoys this aspect of his training and loves sharing this with others.

Chris has worked in customer relations and retail for many years before he started teaching Arakan. You will find he has great communication skills, is very professional and service oriented. Chris wants to provide his students with the best experience possible, by being an adaptable instructor and a great communicator.

Chris is a very patient and understanding Instructor and he loves teaching people of all ages. His greatest Arakan achievement was grading his Yellow Belt and having the opportunity to teach Arakan to others.

When Chris is not training, he loves spending time with his young family and enjoys travel, photography, movies and the English Premier League.

Student Testimonials

I was very much new to martial arts and thanks to Chris I felt my understanding of Arakan and self confidence grow in such a short period of time. Chris’ ability to explain movements and shape that I could relate to and process was fantastic. Chris was punctual, driven, passionate and related and had these characteristics were contagious as a student trying to learn. Chris has been extremely supportive of me and I would have no hesitation recommending Chris as a trainer for anyone and any age.

Ben Galbraith

Myself and my daughter Connor were given the privilege and opportunity to train with Chris. He had it pretty tough as It was a duel lesson with the two of us who are very different when it comes to training. Connor is left handed, 24 and is more focused on technique. Whereas I am right handed, almost 60 and more focused on power! I have to commend Chris on his ability to adapt his teaching style. He was able to take our individual strengths and use them to help each other. I always look forward to training with him when I get the chance.

Shelley Holmes

 I was fortunate enough to have some time training with Chris. In that time he really helped me focus on the basics, concentrated on areas that were my weakness and I really benefited from this. I found Chris to be very approachable, his ability to teach me and get his point across was very good. I highly recommend Chris to anyone of any age.

Lee Raisbeck

I started Arakan for both the Martial and Fitness aspect. I highly recommend Chris as an instructor if you are looking for someone focusing on these two aspects. Chris has a keen eye focusing on specific areas to grow your technique and power. He can break down a technique to help you obtain greater power in your strikes and kicks. Chris also has a library of excellent analogies to help you really understand the technique, flow, and feeling of the strike, bridge, or kick. Chris adapts to any injuries ensuring to look after your body and ensures you get a full body workout in each training session. I highly recommend Chris as an instructor and encourage anyone to train with him.

Merissa Cole

My son has been doing private lessons with instructor Chris Walsh for one year now. Usually very shy, he has gained so much confidence and now even loves being part of group lessons. Thanks to Chris he as really thrived with Arakan and continues to improve very quickly.

Michael Mitchell

 I have been training for more than a year with Chris. I would highly recommend him. I have improved tremendously with my self defence skills and overall health and fitness. He is always flexible on time, patient and understanding. He is also very knowledgeable with his technique and always brings the best out of me.

Marc AR 

 My son Mason and I have been training Arakan with Chris for a little over a year now. Chris's teaching method is exceptional and he has incredible patience. Mason has received his yellow belt certification due to Chris's dedication to the teaching of Arakan which is impeccable.

Rhys Mckeown

I have been doing Arakan for almost a year now with Chris Walsh as my instructor. I  started with practically no experience in any martial arts so did not know what to expect and if I would want to stick to it long term. Thanks to the way Chris instructs and his friendly nature I soon discovered that Arakan was just what I was hoping for and something worth committing to. Chris is passionate about what he does and goes to every effort to explain things in a way that a beginner like me can easily understand. I look forward to my sessions with Chris every week and would highly recommend him to anyone looking at taking up Arakan.

Matthew Cheney

My 10 year old ASD son Lachlan has been training 1:1 with Chris for one year and has achieved amazing results. He now has the confidence to attend main stream school without anxiety and stress. We are moving towards group lessons which we never thought possible one year ago. Chris understands the traits of autistic kids and adapts his training methods accordingly.

Jim Wales

I have been training with Chris for the past 9 months. After attending a group session, without any idea, I decided to it was best to first  pursue an individual trainer to gain an understanding of Arakan and I have not looked back.
I know that I would never have achieved the level of fitness and wellness I have at my age, (currently 52) if not for the personal attention given in my training sessions. Chris is always very encouraging and has a vast knowledge of his profession.
I would recommend Chris in a heartbeat having also met and trained with a couple of the other trainers in Arakan. I aim to continue to train and maintain a good level of fitness with Chris's help for a long time to come.

Timothy Ney