Our Instructors

An elderly man in a karate gi and black belt poses in a martial arts stance indoors against a plain white wall.

Sensei Paul Crawshaw (6th Dan)

Lead Instructor

Sensei Paul has been training and teaching Karate for 25 years. He has had training in Shotokan karate, a Wado ryu based karate system and Goju ryu karate. He has experience of teaching all ages and abilities. He has been running karate clubs in Windsor and Egham for over a decade and is passionate about sharing the benefits of karate, including discipline, physical fitness, and self-defence. In his classes, Sensei Paul emphasises proper technique and form, and encourages his students to improve their skills and reach their goals. Classes teach a modern blend of karate systems which are part sports-type karate, part traditional karate and part self-defence karate. SAWMAK is always evolving and brings together a mix of skills from a number of main stream karate styles.

A man in a white karate gi with a black belt, standing in a martial arts pose with a clenched fist, inside a gym or training room with a geometric blue and white wall.

Sensei Michael Crawshaw (4th Dan)

Sensei Michael has been training in martial arts for 20 years. First in Taekwondo and for the last fifteen years in karate, originally in a small Wado-ryu based system and now in the SAWMAK club. Michael makes sure that the classes always keep us on our toes from a fitness point of view as well as learning karate. He is passionate about karate and its ability to empower individuals, both physically and mentally. He is dedicated to teaching students the discipline, focus and self-defence skills required to excel in the martial art, and is known for his patience, encouragement, and positive reinforcement.

A man in a white martial arts gi with a black belt standing barefoot on a wooden floor, smiling at the camera.

Sensei Alan Newton (3rd Dan)

Sensei Alan has been training in karate for 15 years. Like Paul and Michael, he started in a Wado-ryu based karate system and now trains and teaches in the SAWMAK club. He is skilled in a variety of techniques and is able to adapt his teaching style to fit the needs of his students, whether they are beginners or advanced practitioners. Alan is also the Child Protection Officer for the club and ensures that all teachers are up to date with their DBS checks.