Coaching Team
We are immensely proud of our coaching team headed by Windy Miller. Windy is the owner and director of Blue Wave and our Head Coach. Our coaches and assistants are all highly experienced, insured and DBS checked. Many of them compete regularly and have won numerous national and international competitions at their sport.
Our Youth Team Coaches are supported by volunteer Coaching Assistants. Some are Trainee Coaches in their own right and others are parents of children in the club who practice the sport. They help in the Youth Classes to give as much support to the children’s learning as possible.
Our coaches follow a strict Code of Conduct and receive regular training to sharpen their skills. They are supported in their role by Claire LaRue who takes care of their compliance and works with them to ensure our regulatory and safeguarding responsibilities are met.
WINDY MILLER
director/owner
Windy Miller is a lifelong Martial artist who started training in Judo in 1975. He’s a 6th Dan Karate blackbelt and Suffolks first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt. In MMA he was a Coach to the England World championship team and President of the UKMMAF. In addition to this he worked for 6 years designing and delivering Self defence training to Suffolk and Norfolk Police with a Special remit for training covert groups.
Windy is a certified tactical Knife defence and Advanced knife Instructor under Jim Wagner , SPEAR system instructor and Conflict management and communications skills coach. An experienced MMA judge and Referee, Windy has worked regularly on the Cage Warriors, Contenders and Impact Fight UK shows.
Alonso Sanchez
BJJ & MMA
Alonso is a 1st degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. He was promoted to black belt in March 2020 by Professor Matt Wilson.
Alonso has competed in BJJ through Purple belt and in 2017 won two weight divisions in MMA.
He’s well known at Blue Wave for his calm but precise coaching style and will regularly give members specific technical feedback on how to improve their game. It’s our privilege to have Alonso on the Blue Wave coaching team. He’s an incredible asset to our club.
"Remember to embrace moments of struggle. For without struggle there is no growth. Both on the mats and in life."
Tom Robinson
BJJ
Tom’s story is one we hear over and over. He just never stopped coming. He didn’t stop until his belt turned black. Tom started training Jiu Jitsu before most people knew what it was!
In December 2023 Tom was awarded his black belt. His coaching style is down to earth and very popular at Blue Wave. Tom’s also a popular coach in the youth team with some amazing games.
Paul Blissett
Wing Chun
Paul grew up with a keen interest in sports, and began his Wing Chun journey in the mid 1990's. Training hard daily he quickly progressed and began assisting his instructor and teaching a small class in 1998.
He has taught for some of the main UK Wing Chun associations and trained in many different lineages of the art. In 2020 he joined Sifu Alan Orr in the Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun family, a robust system that has been used in amateur and professional MMA/Boxing and K1. Paul teaches the entire traditional Wing Chun system but with modern functionality and believes the training can offer something to everyone.
Paul has also cross trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has previous service in the Royal Marines and Sussex Police.
Wayne Aldous
Judo
Wayne, like many life long martial artists began training as a child. He quickly progressed through his belts while competing across the UK. At the age of 16 he was awarded his black belt.
As an adult Wayne competed regularly across the UK and Europe taking gold at the Commonwealth Masters.
We are thrilled to welcome such an accomplished coach to our team to help us bring Judo to West Suffolk.
Chris Stott
kARATE
Chris started his martial arts journey in 1996 when his dad took him along to a local karate club. He’s trained in karate ever since, achieving his black belt in 2002 and competing locally, nationally and internationally in kumite (fighting).
In his late teens/early twenties he was training with the England national team as well as starting to cross train in kickboxing, boxing and jiu-jitsu and Judo.
Chris has produced karate national champions, England national squad members who have competed at European & World championships and had a student achieve world number 1 ranking. We are thrilled to welcome Chris to the coaching team at Blue Wave and to be expanding our Karate program.
Dan Sparrow
Karate & Kickboxing
Dan starting his martial arts in 1988 in a blended form of karate using Wado-Ryu, Shotokan and Isshin-Ryu. He competed in a number of regional and national championships and specialising in kata achieving his 2nd Dan Black Belt.
Like many Dan took a training break while he balanced career and family until 2021 when Dan rediscovered his love of martial arts through Blue Wave. Dan’s ambition is to allow others to rediscover their martial arts through Blue Wave and support the good physical and positive mental health of others.
Nic Hazelton
BJJ
Nic joined Blue Wave in 2010 so one of the very first members of the club. He was attracted to the sport because of the close contact combat and a desire to learn a Martial Art.
He earned his Brown Belt in 2023 and has a dedicated NoGi following in the club.
Oli RowlandS
BJJ
Oli Rowlands has been a Martial Artist for over 25 years. After a period away from the sport, he’s back and passionate about technique and how to stay safe and injury free while rolling. Having earned his brown belt in 2023 he’s a welcome addition to the team.
Oli is an active member of the club helping coach the children’s classes, both his children (and now also his wife) are members of the youth team and we are delighted to have him to the coaching squad. Oli coaches the popular Over 40’s class.
Ash Winn
BJJ & MMA
Ash started his journey in martial arts in 2004 soon becoming one of the top team members in his club.
In 2006 he began his competition career turning semi pro level then pro. At a time when MMA was in its infancy. Both technically and before the rise of the UFC.
As the gym grew Ash was given an opportunity run his own school soon becoming recognised as having some highest quality fighters in the country. Some of whom reached the pro ranks.
Ash’s coaching style is always to have fun first, as firstly you must enjoy what you are doing and then you will learn at a greater speed.
Rob Mason
Kickboxing
Rob began his Martial Arts career in 2004 when he studied Wado Ryu Karate and Kickboxing.
In his teenage years he was selected by Karate Wales to compete nationally and internationally reaching brown belt in 2011.
In his early 20s he joined the Fire Service and continued to train in martial arts. It was at this point he retired from competing to focus on coaching. Since then Rob retrained and is now a highly skilled Paramedic.
This career brought Rob to Suffolk where he found Blue Wave. Rob’s focus is coaching and training the Kickboxing team. We are grateful to have such a reliable talented athlete like Rob on our coaching team. Rob is available for Private sessions by arrangement.
Contact him on: +44 7954 729697
Claire LaRue
Business & member management
BJJ Jnr’s & Beginner’s
Claire's sons have been training with Blue Wave since 2019. In 2021 she took a Blue Wave BJJ Beginner's Course and began her own Jiu Jitsu journey. Claire is a popular coach to the very young members of our team (affectionately known as ‘the peewees’). She draws on her years of experience in childcare, parenting and group fitness background to keep the Junior team focussed in class. Claire runs all of the ‘business end’ at Blue Wave. Including member enquiries, event organisation, coach compliance and the day running of the business. Most importantly she’s our Designated Safe Guarding Lead.
In her life outside Blue Wave, Claire is a full time finance professional and has held several community positions including a four-year tenure as a Parent Governor at a local primary school.