Karate/Taekwondo

Kennedy123

I am looking for a good Taekwondo/ Karate club in Westmeath, Preferably Mullingar. Does anyone know of one they could recommend? thanks

dubdamo

Have a look at Kyokushinireland.com

rubyru

Kennedy123 wrote: »

I am looking for a good Taekwondo/ Karate club in Westmeath, Preferably Mullingar. Does anyone know of one they could recommend? thanks

Try inspiration taekwon do they have a few clubs in the area and have done well in competitions. They have a facebook and webpage.

Kennedy123

Great, thanks for that. I will check them out

I noticed a lot of different type of taekwondo. does it matter which one you go for?

Doug Cartel

Kennedy123 wrote: »

does it matter which one you go for?

Yes and no.

There are some differences in what they do, but I don't think you can say one is better than the other. I'd judge it more on a school by school basis than by the organisation.

The two main branches are ITF style which is very karate like and has about as much emphasis on punching as kicking, and WTF style which very much favours kicking. I also think that WTF style focuses more on competitions than ITF, but I've only ever done ITF myself.

If you go with a club that is only part of a small organisation, then that might be a problem if you move and you want your grade recognised when you train somewhere else.

There can't be that many TKD places in your location though, so I think you would be best off just trying them out and seeing which one you like the most.

irateghost

Ken Fitzpatrick runs a great Kyokushin karate class on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the parish community center in Mullingar. A really well attended adult class and a nice mix of traditional and knockdown training. I've attended nearly every club in Mullingar and can honestly say it's the best and certainly the friendliest.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

Ken Fitzpatrick runs a great Kyokushin karate class on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the parish community center in Mullingar. A really well attended adult class and a nice mix of traditional and knockdown training. I've attended nearly every club in Mullingar and can honestly say it's the best and certainly the friendliest.

Thanks for that! i have contacted Ken, so i will probably head down tomorrow night and check it out.

yomchi

Kennedy123 wrote: »

Thanks for that! i have contacted Ken, so i will probably head down tomorrow night and check it out.

Ken's a top bloke.

irateghost

Great. Hope you had a good time at class if you showed up. At the moment the club is preparing some fighters so the end of class is always a little sparring heavy and can be a little boring for beginners who don't wish to spar. But be assured that when it gets back to normal we do run through basics and work alot of interesting self defense stuff too.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

Great. Hope you had a good time at class if you showed up. At the moment the club is preparing some fighters so the end of class is always a little sparring heavy and can be a little boring for beginners who don't wish to spar. But be assured that when it gets back to normal we do run through basics and work alot of interesting self defense stuff too.

Yes, as a matter a fact I did turn up. It was really interesting and I very mush enjoyed it. I didnt find it boring at all.

irateghost

Ah good ! Sometimes the full contact looks a little mental And god knows I got an awful beating tonight !

Kennedy123

It does look full on if im honest. But id give it a go. Oh you were there too? How long have you been doing it?

irateghost

I've been at it now for nearly 4 years and am a brown belt. I remember walking in one night and because I said I had practiced karate previously Ken let me spar. I went up against a Portuguese bodybuilder/ ex boxer who had a couple of kg on me (no mean feat at 95kg at the time) and got a super beating but there was an air of friendliness to the place even when I was having my legs kicked out from under me. Also Ken has really impressive skills at teaching teachers which is probably one of the most underrated but important skill in any martial art.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I've been at it now for nearly 4 years and am a brown belt. I remember walking in one night and because I said I had practiced karate previously Ken let me spar. I went up against a Portuguese bodybuilder/ ex boxer who had a couple of kg on me (no mean feat at 95kg at the time) and got a super beating but there was an air of friendliness to the place even when I was having my legs kicked out from under me. Also Ken has really impressive skills at teaching teachers which is probably one of the most underrated but important skill in any martial art.

Ah you are one of the guys who is doing grading in june? . Yes ken was very patient with me. Once I get used to the language and commands with a bit of luck I shoils be fine. :-)

irateghost

Yeah I'm grading and fighting as a novice in Wales. I'm still wondering which one I should be more scared of

OldBloke

irateghost wrote: »

Yeah I'm grading and fighting as a novice in Wales. I'm still wondering which one I should be more scared of

The grading. You have an idea whats coming in Wales.

irateghost

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.

Kennedy123

irateghost wrote: »

I'll pre-book my ambulance.

Lets hope its not needed.