Sensei Andrew 'Med' Medland 3rd Dan (Director - Shudokan Barnstaple)
An ex doorman, and support worker, Andrew is now a full time student and instructor of Aikido. Andrew is the owner of Shudokan Aikido Barnstaple and the primary instructor there.
Starting in 1997 at age 16 Andrew trained under Soke Stratton (Founder of the Yoshinkan in the UK) in Barnstaple. It was in 1998 that he met Sensei Ken Robson (Now head of the Shudokan Institute of Aikido International) at a seminar when Master Thamby Rajah visited Devon, and Master Stratton.
In 2001 After the death of Soke Stratton Andrew travelled with others to Malaysia to see Master Thamby Rajah once again. Here he met Sensei Joe Thambu for the first time as a 1st kyu brown belt.
After this excursion he returned to be tested for black belt by Ken Robson Sensei at the annual summer school. In 2002 he returned to North Devon after living and training in Hertfordshire for 2 years with Sensei Andrew Cullerne and Sensei Richard Brownbill.
After receiving his 2nd Dan in 2003, Andrew remained in Barnstaple until 2006 when he tested for his 3rd Dan black belt.
It was during this period that travelled again. In 2005 Andrew spent 6 weeks training at the Shudokan Dojo in Melbourne under Sensei Joe Thambu.
In 2006 Andrew moved to Exeter and with Jeremy Wedgwood Sensei, reopened the Exeter School, which now remains closely linked with Barnstaple Dojo.
In January 2008 Sensei Andrew Cullerne proudly opened the doors to the full time dojo in Barnstaple. The official ribbon cutting was carried out by Sensei Ken Robson, Sensei Robert Mustard (Former chief foreign instructor at the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo in Tokyo) and Margherite Stratton (Soke Strattons Widow). By the end of the year Sensei Medland was employed as the 'Programme Director' and soon after became the owner of the Barnstaple School.
Sensei 'Med' is now a full time Martial Artist. Thanks to the freedom enjoyed in the Shudokan and the support of Sensei Andrew Cullerne and Sensei Ken Robson, he still travels and learns from many Sensei internal and external to the Shudokan and Yoshinkan organisations, including Sensei Chida Tsutomu, Sensei Robert Mustard, Shihan Joe Thambu, and before his passing Terada sensei.
