MEET THE BANGTAO TEAM
HEAD COACHES

Andrew Wood
Head S&C Coach
Better known as Woody throughout the industry, Woody has worked within fitness for over a decade and is proud to be considered a high level strength and conditioning coach having trained elite athletes around the globe.
He has been fortunate to work with elite level athletes in their respected fields; many of these winning significant competitions and highly acclaimed medals.
He has developed leading combat sports training programs, which have been utilised by some of the world’s elite fighters from the world’s best organisations. Including UFC Champions Alex Volkanovski and Petr Yan, PFL Champion Brendan Loughnane and MMA Standout fighters – Brad Riddell, Rafael Fiziev, Darren Till, Mohammed Mokaev, and Loma Lookboonme.
He was recently nominated for ‘Trainer of the Year’ in the Fighters Only – World MMA Awards.
He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 TV show as the S&C Coach for Team Volkanovski – Aired on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.
He also accompanied the Azerbaijan Olympic Wrestling Squad in Rio, helping to coach them through their final preparations for the 2016 Games.
He also appeared as a guest Coach on Malaysian’s TV series ‘Malaysian Invasion’ aired on STAR SPORTS ASIA in both 2014 and 2015.
Currently based at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, Phuket, Thailand as the Head Of S&C personally coaching some of the world’s best fighters that are based in Thailand and pass through for fight camps.

Alex Schild
Head BJJ Coach
Alex is a jiu jitsu blackbelt under world champion Josh Hinger. Alex has been living, fighting, and coaching in Phuket for the last 10 years. During this time he has spent an extensive amount of time developing and teaching a fundamentals BJJ program for beginners. He has also worked with some of the highest level fighters from all over the world including Petr Yan and Valentina Schevchenko. Alex has fought and competed in jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA. In addition to coaching and fighting, he also owns and operates one of the largest jiu jitsu tournaments in Thailand and SE Asia; Siam Sub Series.

George Hickman
Head MMA Coach
George started his combat sports journey at the age of 5 in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. He had a decorated high school wrestling career becoming a 3x State Champion. After high school, he went on to wrestle Division 1 at Bloomsburg University where he was a nationally ranked wrestler. He later made the transition to MMA and has fought all over the world competing against some of the best fighters in the world. George retired from MMA to pursue a career in coaching. George has been living in Phuket for over 7 years and was formerly the Head MMA coach at the famed Tiger Muay Thai where he built the team from fighting on local shows to fighting in the biggest organizations in the world including the UFC, Bellator, Rizin and One Championship. George has worked directly with some of the best fighters in the world; Alex Volkanovski, Petr Yan, Brad Riddell, Loma Lookboonmee, and Tai Tuviasa, just to name a few.

Frank Hickman
Head Wrestling Coach
Alongside his brother, Frank also began his wrestling journey at age 5. Following in his brother’s footsteps, he also had a decorated high school wrestling career and went on to wrestle at the collegiate level at Bloomsburg University. While there, he was a 3x Division 1 National Qualifier and ranked in the top 10, and a Freestyle wrestling All-American. After he graduated, he went on to coach wrestling at Appalachian State University. It was then that his older brother George convinced him to move to Thailand to coach alongside him at Tiger Muay Thai. There the Hickman Brothers help build the wrestling and MMA program into one of the best in the world. Frank has also played a key role in coaching the top fighters in the world, including UFC Champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.
FITNESS COACHES

Angel
Yoga Coach
Angel is a holistic healer who incorporates many alternative methods and modalities considering the whole of a person - body, breath, mind and energy in motion (ie emotions) - with the intention to expand ones full being to enrich their soul spirit. Throughout the past 10 years she has traveled within and far from her native Thailand to be guided by many great teachers around the world in the ancient arts, philosophies, and teachings of sound, ceremony, meditative practices, energy, and yoga.
Angel is certified in all modalities including and not limited to: Multiple Styles of Yoga, Pranayama and Breathwork, Traditional Meditation, Reiki Energy Healing, and Sound Therapy. Angel’s aspiration to find alternative methods in navigating the conditions and fluctuations that would arrive throughout one’s life, brought her to dive deep into the ancient practices that are still alive today with the hopes to help others heal by joining them on their journey. She is honored to have gained guidance in her services from many incredible teachers across this world.