After teaching at multiple locations in the United States as well as Mexico and Canada in the past year, Straight Blast Gym East Coast chief instructor Stephen Whittier completed his tour last week with a final seminar in Manchester, England.

Whittier traveled with the president of Straight Blast Gym International, Matt Thornton, for a two-day event at SBG Manchester, to a mixed martial arts (MMA) academy in the U.K. The seminar drew students from all around the country, as well as Wales and Scotland, and focused on aspects of the self-defense style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

During the trip, he also taught a special class on striking tactics for the academy’s professional MMA team members, two of whom celebrated first round victories in a major countrywide competition days before.

“I really love that my job allows me to travel and work with incredible people, both around the country and internationally,” Whittier said. “I’m able to visit old friends and make new ones everywhere I go, and it’s very gratifying to receive feedback after the seminars saying that the information I shared made a big difference in their skills.”

Straight Gym Blast is a First class functional martial arts instruction facility with a location in Wareham, where Whittier also teaches.