Your MA history ?

pma-ire

Hi Lads,

Just out of interest for myself (so I know where ye have come from) can everyone on here please tell us there MA history links. I know where some of you came from but not all of you

Even if I do know your background please post. Others might not know

pma-ire

My own...

I started TKD in Cork with Frank Murphy in "The Action Martial Arts Centre". I trained there for a year and a half. But my parents stopped me going because I was'int doing well in school

Then I went back to TKD in Blackrock Cork under Denis Daly pre-TKDI days. (We changed to TKDI in the next year.) I had gained green-tip with Frank but i wanted to start again when I went back as I did'int feel right about just walking back into it with the same grade after a nearly 4 year gap.

Cyril Mc Sweeney graded all Denis' students, and I can only say that I was blessed to have been under there wings all the way to my 2nd dan. In the my colour belt years I found that the hands techniques in TKD were a bit limited (or so I though ) and went to Kung Fu for 3 years and Hap Ki Do for another year.

I was gonna give up TKD. But my kung fu instructor told me to bring what I had learnt back to TKD and see how it fitted in? Cyril also told me the same thing, that he would always find reference to other arts that he trained with in TKD.

I had done all my assesments for 3rd dan and was wanting to get the grading done before our first daughter would be born, as I knew that I would need to work around the clock to keep us. But the grading dates were moved back nearly 6 months and I did not return. Because of complications with the birth of Donna.

In the time in between, I was thinking long and hard about going back to the old school. But they wer'int really going where I felt my training should be going. And I wanted to try to find a TKD group that trained the bungai of forms and applied and explored the possiblities. I found PMA, and that Rick Clark was part of the board.

So that's where I am now and am happy there.

memphis

Interesting thread, would like to hear about others history too.

Anyway, I'll keep the ball rolling and post about my own history.

When in Primary school I gave TKD a try and graded up to yellow tag, with RITF (I think) under 2nd dan Black Belt John Foley, in Cashel Co.Tipperary. The club unfortunately closed down after some problems with insurance and the hall or something.... don't know the details, so I never bothered with it after that.

When in 1st year in secondary school I then heard about classes being held in Karate in my home town, but as I mentioned before the instructor was crap, and I lost all confidence in his teaching after about 6 weeks.

Last year I then took up TKD again, under the instructions of Ruari O'Brien (4th Dan) from Co.Cork, and haven't looked back since. Mr O'Brien is the best I have come across, he really shows a strong interest in ones development, and knows each and everyone in the class by our first name. I'm currently a Green tag (going for green belt in April), have competed in the EU championship in Holland last November, and in National Champ in Neptune, Cork. I live for Taekwondo, it has given me the confidence and abilty to reach my goals, making me more aware of my limits, and a happier person in general. TKD is not just about self-defence!

That's my 2 cent in the box

Memphis

vasch_ro

I began Karaoke , at the tender age of 6 having been intoduced by Fisher Price
I am now happily a Black Belt in Karaoke and my love of the art knows no bounds!!

Cake Fiend

I studied Practical Origami in Japan (sadly, I'm not even making this up)

They don't teach you this until you're at least a brown belt though

Roper

Okey dokey. I think everyone knows me but what the hey I'll chime in.

As long as we're travelling back in time...... I started TKD in my local community hall when I was about 11 because some of my mates were going and I HATED it! I trained for about a month and quit. I was bored to tears at every class but kept going because my mates were there.
My Da always had me hitting pads and bags since I was wee, very wee, but eventually did a bit of formal training in a Boxing Club on Benburb Street at about age 14 or 15. If anyone on the boards can help me with its name I'd appreciate it. It's not there anymore and I like to know what happened it as theres just a bunch of apartments there now. Unfortunately, school and my first sport of GAA took over after that and I had to quit. It broke my heart at the time, but it sparked my own love of boxing, previously it had been my Da's love of it rubbing off on me!
After school I tried no less then three kickboxing clubs, none of which sparked my interest any. One in particular sticks out in my mind. The instructor shouted to the lads to warm up cos he was popping outside for a joint. I didn't stay there with those serious athletes for long!
In college in Dundalk, I started boxing again, but after about the third week in a row where I was the only guy who turned up, the instructor (an army instructor from the curragh) decided enough was enough, and I was forced to quit again.
On a weekend home fom College, a mate of mine told me about the TKD club he was going back to and I went up for a few classes and was hooked. The Instructor there was Ciaran Grant, a great instructor and a sound bloke too. He quit and handed the club over to my mate who still runs it today, James Farrell. I left there this year and I now train with Master John Darcy in Santry.
There's always been a grappling gap in my training, but I had nothing to fill it with. About a year ago I met John Kavanagh online and after several arguments, decided to sample his training for myself. I'm now hooked on BJJ. Unfortunately I've had to quit there too recently thanks to the travelling and our first child being due in May. But I still grapple every Sunday with a couple of mates. Its better than nothing!
I've just looked back on this and seen the term "I had to quit" an awful lot. I suppose thats the way it is with Martial Arts, places come and go. Training ethos's change, politics occasionally gets in the way, circumstances take over, and you're left either out on your ear or with no choice but to walk away.

Musashi

Tried the local Shotokan guy when I was about 11, must have been the Karate kid craze around then? Didn't like it as I wasn't a very athletic kid and quit after a few months.
Years later,I was 19, one of the supervisors at work was telling me about Tae Kwon Do and around the same time a guy who was buying a rifle from my father mentioned he was setting up a club teaching TKD.I was lifting weights and running at the time,but was doing it for no real purpose so I thought a sport would give me an added incentive for training.
So I started training with Mr. Ger Hickey in ITF RITA TKD and stuck with him for about 9 years,and got my Dan grade from Master Tony Phelan up in Dublin.
Shortly after the club in Clonmel lost its instructor so Ger was told he'd have to teach up there and myself and my now brother-in-law took over the club in town.Eventually we got pissed off with paying insurance,renting a hall,paying for buses to gradings and basically working for the TKD area head man so we closed our club.
A couple years later Mr. Mark Buckley opened a new GST TKD club so myself and some lads who used to train went training with him,including the original supervisor who had told me about TKD, Mr. Jerome Quill.Tried some other stuff while I was between clubs,Hapkido and Kase Arashi being two of the ones I liked better.
I've been out a few months again now after my wife had to go back to work full time nursing as they are too short staffed to give her part time hours.Hopefully over the next year that will resolve and I'll get some free time to get back to my local club, now run by Mr. Luke Laffin, and possibly do a bit of travelling to Cork and Dublin

Dyr

Started about 11 years ago, I went along to a tomiki aikido class with a fella i knew who was a big stephen seagal fan. I'd no idea about aikido or who the hell seagal was, but i liked the idea of doing a martial art so i gave it a try. The other lad left after a few weeks (didnt like bowing lol). The training was pretty hard and the instructor was mad, but i stuck it out for about three years. By that time one of the instructors black belts had opened his own club and i was training there too. Soon, he began introducing all kinds of "other" stuff into his aikido class, locks, throws, kicks, groundwork and eventually he confided in us that he was also training in jiu jitsu. He felt like he was going nowhere in aikido under our instructor so he switched the club to his JJ instructors organisation and we began training JJ . i had a great time in that class, great bunch of lads and a great teacher. At long last we were doing everything that aikidoka dont lol: groundwork, sparring, kicks. the whole works, plus we were part of a larger pool of students that we could play with! deadly buzz!

About four years later, the sheen had been well and truly knocked off me. Our instructor had stopped teaching due to work commitments and i'd been training in the association HQ for a few years. Got tired of the never ending politics and personalities, got pissed off with people believing they were doing "real" samurai arts, too deadly for sparring etc. Most of the people i'd come tru the ranks with had skidaddled which meant i was one of the senior grades. i had to ask myself was i really willing to put my name behind this. i wasnt, so i left.

I had already begun training in aikido again when i left. Some of the guys who were senior to me back in the tomiki days had begun training in a small group but the style was very different, very relaxed and almost totally un"aiki," more like internal chinese arts. Not really martial at all but more healing focused. They're the best bunch of people you can meet and their instructors are too, but after a year or so i knew it wasnt what i wanted and packed it in.

Seriously considered giving up training altogether then decided to try something outside japanese martial arts and found an escrima school about two years ago. Was a bit hard at first as they were going through a transition period but ive started really enjoying it in the last year and a bit.
Would like to do some groundwork again too but time, work and laziness keeps getting in the way lol

rainbow kirby

I did kenpo for 7 years, training in Firhouse. Got a junior black belt in that, and I left in 2002. Enjoyed it while it lasted, but it wasn't the greatest club in the world if ya know what I mean.
I took up TKD then in 2002 when I started in UCD. I absolutely love TKD, it's great fun, and it's a beautiful art. I'm a black tag now, *hopefully* grading for black belt in April. Fingers crossed (and touching wood to stay injury free for 2 more months...)
I'd actually like to try some grappling at some stage (after the TKD black though...), maybe a bit of judo or BJJ.

Colm_OReilly

Started in Kenpo aged 9, because my friends were doing it.

Started a kids club in Drimnagh with another guy who I went to Jersey to compete with when I was 16.

He introduced me to the UFC, he'd gotten a hold of a video. We found a seminar teaching it, and loved it.

Started training in BJJ while teaching Kenpo. Also started teaching what we called "evolved kenpo", where we did kenpo techniques with the kids but also taught them vt. Wasn't really training Kenpo, so my instructor got upset. Eventually we had to stop teaching in that club.

Started teaching a kids club in Firhouse about 18 months ago.

Having been exposed to UFC type events led me to John Kavanagh. He schooled me for a few months then gave me a loan of some Matt Thornton tapes. They really solidified the arguments I'd been having in my head the previous couple of months. Through JK and SBG I've been introduce to Thai Boxing, did a little training with paddyc, and clinch, to which I owe Karl Tanswell a great deal.

I'd actually like to try some grappling at some stage (after the TKD black though...), maybe a bit of judo or BJJ.

you're more than welcome to hop into our tuesday class from 5-6 before TKD if your schedule allows it.

Take Care,
Colm

columok

The Short Version!

Started with:
Aikido (with a little Karate)


Found (and was converted to)---->BJJ

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>added in some Greco Roman Wrestling thanks to Colm O'R. Ties in lovely with 6/7 years of being a rugby forward!

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> Compete in amateur MMA now!

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> Keep talking about adding in some Thai
(hopefully this summer!)

paddyc

loads of amateur boxing and then loads more thai

every thing else involves thinking so i cant get to grips with it.

Roper

Should have done what I do and just don't think

Tim_Murphy

Did WTF TKD when I was about 8 or 9 for about two years I think. Started ITF style in 1996 and have been doing that fairly consistently until this year. Began competing in Kickboxing competitions in 2001 and have been doing that since as well.

Opened my first club (TKD) in 2000 and opened the kickboxing club here in UL in 2002. I started competing in MMA in the last year so I’ve been changing my training to suit that type of competition. added ground work into what we do here last year, just the very basics. This year I’ve expanded on it and we have separate classes for sub wrestling now. Not training any set ‘style’ anymore as such, mainly stuff that works for mma, and we all know more or less what that involves. Train in my own club so don’t always get the coaching I need, so I try to get up to the lads in Galway, Dublin etc when I can.

mark.leonard

Stolen from my Black Belt profile on http://www.nuigalwaytkd.com

History:
It was raining that night; the rain was coming down so hard it was taking the paint of my truck. When I pulled into that all-night hooters bar off highway 69 I knew there was going to be trouble, big trouble, the kind of trouble you get when you’ve been spending all your money on prostitutes and booze, and the pimps come looking for ya the same time the clap kicks in. I walked through those double doors and everything went quiet, real quiet, the kind of quiet you get when you’ve been winning at cards all night and four aces just fell outta’ your sleeve. “ I’m looking for Jackie Chan”, I knew he’d been there, the way none of them would look me in the eye, the way they all got nervous, real nervous, so nervous the barman was mixing cocktails just holding the bottle. Then I spotted him, over by the stage, with a redhead sitting in his lap, she was working hard for her first dan, beside him was Chuck Norris face down on the table clutching a near empty bottle of whiskey, he should have left that teacher learns from his students baloney behind when he came to Ireland.

He pushed the red head away, and got to his feet, “you should have left well enough alone, Mr. Irishman”, he threw back his coat and showed me the dan-bong tucked into his belt, everyone started mumbling, “He’s got a gun!” I pushed my WTF style dobok back and showed him my own weapon, and my jun-bong. The bar went crazy, diving under tables, hiding behind the bar and running out the door, they knew this shoot out was going to be messy, real messy, the kind of messy things get when you’ve been locked into a portaloo and it starts rolling down a hill. Pretty soon it was just me and him squared off across the bar, he says, “ You think your little Irish bog-oak weapon is going to save you, Irishman?” “That’s fighting talk, “ I said,” let’s fight!” “Have it your way, round-eye – Draw!”…………

pma-ire

mark.leonard wrote:

he threw back his coat and showed me the dan-bong tucked into his belt, everyone started mumbling, “He’s got a gun!” I pushed my WTF style dobok back and showed him my own weapon, and my jun-bong.

So ypu've got a bigger bong than Jackie then eh' ?

Colm_OReilly

ROFLMAO @ Mark!

Clive

they knew this shoot out was going to be messy, real messy, the kind of messy things get when you’ve been locked into a portaloo and it starts rolling down a hill

LMAO!

Ger Healy

Then I spotted him, over by the stage, with a redhead sitting in his lap, she was working hard for her first dan,

This never happened to when I was sitting at the grading table :eek:

memphis

LMAO at Mark.

Good one that!