Our Instructors/Trainers

Asim Hanif
With over 30 years of martial arts experience, Asim is the Director of East-West Gym & Fitness as well as its Lead Trainer.

Asim holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt ranking in Aikido certified by Aikikai Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. He has also earned Black Belt rankings in Okinawa Te & Goju-Ryu Karete-do.

As a former 2 time world champion kickboxer, Asim was ranked by ISKA, PKF, WPKA, and the USKBA. In 1992 he was chosen to fight at the Olympic pre-festival activities in Barcelona, Spain.

Since 1990, Asim has coached numerous professional fighters. His fighters have appeared on HBO, ShowTime, ESPN, and other network outlets.

Asim has been instrumental in implementing several unique and popular fitness programs throughout New York and Virginia and enjoys working with community youth. His teaching method emphasizes personalized attention and feedback that helps each student accomplish his or her individual goal. Asim focuses on developing each student’s unique strengths while creating a workout that is so results-oriented and fun, it’s often called addictive.

André Nichols – Trainer
As the son of Asim Hanif, Andre began martial arts training at the age of 2. Equally adept at boxing, kickboxing, karate, and grappling, André is one of the most versatile martial artists on the East Coast.

As a youth competitor in NYC, André was a perpetual top finisher in forms and sparring in karate tournaments, earning numerous awards. After moving to Virginia, André focused on boxing and eventually won 2 State Diamond Gloves Championships.
Throughout his high school years, Andre was also a standout wrestler for Woodbridge Senior High. In 2004, he was awarded 1st Degree Black Belt in Okinawa Te Jutsu.

Known as “Clockwork” for his precision pace, André is now a professional boxer. When he is not teaching class at EW, you can often find him training for his next fight. His classes place a heavy emphasis on physical conditioning.