Born in Paderborn, Germany, Sansum began training in martial arts in 1999 under his father in Wado Ryu karate, achieving elite honours including WAKO World Cup Champion, WAKO Team World Champion and WAKO Junior European Champion before switching his focus to Olympic taekwondo in his mid‑20s.
As a member of Team GB’s taekwondo squad, Sansum became one of Great Britain’s most successful male competitors — earning silver at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships, bronze at the 2017 World Championships, and a European silver medal, as well as numerous gold medals at A‑class international competitions in Europe and beyond.
He narrowly missed full Olympic selection for Rio 2016, serving as Team GB’s reserve athlete — a testament to how close he was to the sport’s biggest stage.
From Competitive Champion to Global Coach & Mentor
Following his retirement from full‑time competition in 2019, Sansum has dedicated himself to coaching, mentoring and sharing his elite striking knowledge worldwide. He travels extensively to lead seminars, training camps and online coaching sessions, and has worked with national teams — including the Icelandic national taekwondo team and university programmes in Canada — as well as grassroots martial arts communities in his home region of Moray, Scotland.
Sansum also plays an active role in developing the next generation of martial artists at Sansum Martial Arts — the family‑run academy in Elgin where he serves as Director of Performance and where he applies his world‑class systems to help students of all ages and abilities improve physically and mentally.
His coaching emphasizes elite kicking mechanics, range control, power development and strategic striking — principles he has transposed from world competition into practical systems that benefit fighters and coaches across striking disciplines.
Instructional Content on Warrior Collective
Damon’s expertise is available to train with on Warrior Collective through full‑length instructional volumes that unpack his elite kicking and taekwondo systems — ideal for fighters, striking specialists and coaches looking to elevate their skillset:
📘 How to Kick – Taekwondo for Elite Combat Sports with Damon Sansum & Martin Stamper
In this comprehensive instructional, Sansum teams with fellow GB elite coach Martin Stamper to break down high‑performance kicking mechanics, including:
Back‑leg power kicks, lead‑leg speed & power systems
Mastery of side kicks, linking kicks, 2‑ and 3‑kick combinations
Advanced kick chains & elite flexibility drills
Hip mobility and kick development exercises
This volume provides structured coaching progressions traditionally taught to world‑class competitors and used in high‑performance training environments.
📘 Taekwondo Spinning Kicks for Elite Combat Sports with Damon Sansum & Martin Stamper
Focusing specifically on spinning and turning kicks, this instructional covers:
Spinning kicks 101 and elite kick development
Power, timing & application drills
Turning kick combination progressions and tornado 360 systems
Sparring applications and creating openings for high‑impact attacks
This volume offers in‑depth, fight‑ready techniques that translate taekwondo kicking into striking systems valuable for MMA, kickboxing and other stand‑up martial arts.
👉 Purchase Damon Sansum’s instructional volumes on Warrior Collective to train with world‑level taekwondo kicking systems — perfect for fighters and coaches aiming for measurable technical improvement and competitive edge.
