Warrior Martial Arts

Warriors take on the World

Warrior Martial Arts — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:41:53 +0000

The martial arts students of West Cork have again been blazing a trail on the world stage, when last weekend a group of 6 Warrior Tae Kwon Do students travelled to Torres Novas, near Lisbon in Portugal for the ICKKF World All Styles Championships. The group returned with a tally of 5 gold medals, a silver and a bronze creating 3 new World Champions, with Anya Curran of Skibbereen winning 3 separate events. The championships which are held every 2 years are open to all styles of martial arts, eg. Karate, kickboxing, Kung fu, Tae Kwon Do etc. The Warrior team which consisted of 3 female and 3 male competitors travelled out from Dublin airport on Friday the 23rd of March and on landing in Lisbon were bussed straight to the Palacio dos Desportos Stadium in Torres Novas for weigh-ins and registration. They then travelled on to their accommodation at the local police training academy, where a lot of the competitors were billeted. It was no 5 star hotel but perfectly adequate for a team that was there on business. Early Saturday morning all teams were transported again to the stadium and the competition began after a short opening ceremony and demonstration. This was the largest competition the Warrior students had ever attended with over 4000 competitors from countries as diverse as Canada, China, Azerbaijan , the Lebanon, Hawaii and all over Europe. The team had a long wait for their first section to be called as the kata and self-defence sections were held first and the Warrior team had decided to concentrate on the sparring events. They were entered in the points and continuous sparring divisions and the ladies had also entered the 3 person team event. First to compete was Skibbereen Tae Kwon Do student Anya Curran who cruised through the qualifying rounds to make the finals on Sunday. Anya used her legs to great advantage picking off scores before her opponents could reach her. Next up was Erik Hilmer from Drinagh club who again started well but met the eventual winner in the early rounds. Erik took the fight to a draw at full time and just missed out in extra time by one point, this was the closest any fighter got to beating this individual so it was unlucky for Erik to have met him so early in the event. 17 year old Sarah Murphy from Ballineen club fought next in the points section and although not her favourite event, won through to Sunday’s finals with a great display of fast punches and accurate kicks. Fellow 17 year old and Ballineen native Aishling O’ Driscoll was next on the sparring mats. Aishling, already a seasoned competitor with world titles under her belt at junior level, stepped up to the mark. Aishling dominated her early rounds and was unlucky to take a glancing turning kick to the nose in the final qualifier. The fight was stopped immediately as her nose began to bleed. She was given 1 minute to continue or forfeit the bout. Aishling was determined to continue and with her nose plugged, she fought on and won the round qualifying for Sunday’s finals. This was an extremely brave performance on her part. It was Anya Curran’s turn again in her second event, the continuous sparring. Again Anya used her legs to great advantage and qualified for another set of finals. Dwayne Crowley from Crossbarry, training in Clonakilty and Barry O’ Mahony, Warrior instructor both competed next in the same points section but were unlucky not to make it through to the finals. Dwayne was called up again for his continuous section, where he was in his element powering through the rounds with little cause for worry. He qualified for Sunday with some great displays of technique and speed. At 11.30pm all other sections stopped and were held over until the next day. Next morning the finals of all the events started plus those sections not finished the day before. Again the Warriors had a long wait for their sections to be called and finally around 5pm the first fighter got on the mats. It was Anya again that got the ball rolling in the points section, beating her opponent in the semi-final by a 3 point margin. It was then onto the final where she met a very tough Portuguese girl. It was a close run but Anya’s kicks earned her a higher points tally than the punching techniques of her opponent. Anya was declared World Champion to the delight of her coach and team members. Aishling O’Driscoll entered the ring next in her continuous finals and powered through the semi- final against a Portuguese opponent. Then on to the final which was 2 by 2 minute rounds against a strong Belgian girl. Aishling took the first round with attacking flurries of punches and well directed kicks. At the break, with her nose well swollen from the day before and having to wear a gum shield, Aishling’s breathing was beginning to trouble her. She started the second round well but was visibly struggling to breathe and although it looked too close for those watching to call, the officials on the day deemed the Belgian girl the victor. Aishling had to settle for silver this time out which was a great result under the circumstances. Sarah Murphy fought her way to the semi-final next and was very unfortunate to be beaten into bronze position by a Portuguese girl who went on to win the title. This was a great result for Sarah as it was her first International competition. Dwayne Crowley who was defending his World title from 2 years ago fought next in his continuous finals where he met another Portuguese ju-jitsu fighter. Dwayne took the fight to extra time with by far the stronger and more impressive performance but the powers that be decided his opponent had won and Dwayne just missed out on the medals. The Portuguese went on to take gold, following a further controversial decision but it could just have easily been Dwayne’s day. When Anya Curran stepped up again in her continuous finals, she met a Lebanese girl in the semi-final and beat her convincingly with superb mid-section and head kicks. In the other semi-final a kung fu competitor from Italy was awarded the fight when her opponent from Uzbekistan was disqualified for repeated heavy contact. So it was Anya and the Italian in the final. With 2 by 2 minutes again in this bout it was all about pacing yourself and Anya did this to perfection. In the second round Anya put on the pressure and her opponent went down after one of Anya’s head kicks and could not continue through exhaustion. Anya was awarded the bout through technical knockout. One of the last events of Sunday night was the team events and with just a female team entered all Irish eyes were on ring 1 for the event. The 3 girls Sarah, Aishling and Anya used their various styles to great advantage and went on to take gold for the Irish making it a super result of 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal for the team. The lads were unfortunate this time out but the future looks bright as they were all well in the running. On this occasion though, it was girl power all the way with outstanding performances from Sarah, Aishling and of course Anya Curran.

Black Belt Certificate Presentation 2011

Warrior Martial Arts — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:57:06 +0000

On Sunday the 4th December, the 2011 Black Belt Presentation took place at the Clonakilty G.A.A. pavilion. The group of recipients and their families were invited to gather at the venue for light refreshments and food before the presentation of their certificates. The students had all successfully passed their Black Belt exams in November under the expert eye of Master Clive Harrison 7th Dan.

Once everyone was seated and fed, President of Warrior Martial Arts Dan O’ Mahony and Vice-President Barry O’ Mahony got the awards under way.

The first certificate of the night went to new 3rd Degree Senior Black Belt Aishling O’ Driscoll, next up Senior 2nd Degrees went to sisters Sarah and Lisa O’ Donovan and to Niall Sheppard. Junior 2nd Degrees were presented to Ryan Grunwell and James O’ Donoghue.

New Senior 1st degree certificates were presented to Mary O’ Donovan, Noel Murray, Nick Hilliard and his son Shane. Junior 1st Degrees went to Jonathan Hurley and another O’ Donovan sister Sophie.

Once Dan and Barry had presented all their students certificates it was time for the two instructors to receive their own certs, having successfully graded to 5th and 4th degree respectively. It was decided that the two youngest new 1st Dans would do the honours.

Sophie O’ Donovan of Kilbrittain club presented her instructor Dan with his 5th Degree cert., while Jonathan Hurley of Innishannon club presented his instructor Barry with his 4th Degree cert.

Our congratulations also go to both Sally Walsh-O’ Reilly, Senior 3rd Degree and Regina Nolan, Senior 1st Degree who were unable to attend on the night due to prior commitments.

Before the night was over, Dan popped the cork on a bottle of champagne which was presented to Dan and Barry by examiner Master Clive Harrison after passing their exam.

A great night was had by all, Dan thanked everyone for coming and congratulated the students for their hard work in achieving such a high honour as their Black Belt. He also thanked the Clonakilty GAA club and the hard working staff on the night.

2011 Black Belt Exams & Master Harrison Seminar

Warrior Martial Arts — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:37:02 +0000

The weekend of November 19th-20th was one of the busiest yet for the instructors of Warrior Martial Arts, with a seminar and two sets of Black Belt examinations scheduled for the same weekend. With Dan & Barry O'Mahony both required to officiate and work on the day of the regular annual Black Belt exams being held on the Sunday, it was decided that they would take their examinations, for 5th & 4th Dan respectively, on the Saturday instead, immediately prior to Master Harrison's seminar.

Friday

Due to Master Harrison's keen interest in history, Dan spent the morning with Master & Mrs Harrison, visiting sites of archaeological interest in the area. As always, Master Harrison was very eager to add to his already impressive knowledge on the subject and took a great interest in some of the Megalithic structures in West Cork. The afternoon consisted of Dan & Barry training with the visiting Master, getting some last-minute pointers on their techniques. Both instructors also had to write individual theses for this grade and submitted these documents to Master Harrison following the training session.

Saturday

In front of a large crowd of spectators consisting of their own students, as well as friends and members of other martial arts clubs, father and son took to the floor in front of their Black Belt Examiner, Master Clive Harrison (7th Dan) at the Clonakilty club. Serving as Examination Assistant on the day was Mr. Dwayne Crowley (2nd Dan), who organised the official grading materials and communicated instructions on Master Harrison's behalf, keeping the Examiner free to concentrate on the task at hand: assessing the standard of the two exam candidates. The exam consisted of a variety of techniques performed in sequence along the floor, followed then by a series of 7 patterns at the Examiner's request. Once these were complete, the pair progressed to demonstrate One Step Sparring and Self Defence techniques before then being asked to demonstrated techniques by means of destruction, ie. the breaking of timber boards. Both candidates performed breaks with Jumping Back Side Kicks, with Dan then opting for a Forefist Punch while Barry chose to break with a Ridge-hand Strike. A brief reprieve from the gruelling test was then granted when the pair were dismissed from the floor to put on their safety gear for the final section of the exam. Once they had returned to the floor, Dan and Barry performed sets of Semi Free and Free Sparring before being instructed to demonstrate their fitness with a series of exercises. Exhausted, they were then dismissed from the floor by the Officials.

A short sample video showing some of the exam can be viewed on www.warrior.ie

There was no time to relax, however, as the pair were immediately in action again, organising the students present into their lines to begin Master Harrison's seminar. The Masterclass that the visiting 7th Dan presented covered a wide range of information, concerning the correct timing and focus of pattern techniques, as well as an in-depth exploration of certain aspects of the history and philosophy behind the patterns. The final section of the class was restricted to students of Red Belt and above and covered a number of suggestions for expanding the One Step Sparring syllabus and a very enjoyable session on Self Defence against a knife-wielding opponent.

Sunday

Sunday morning meant an early start for a number of the students and instructors, as Master Harrison travelled to the Ballinhassig club to examine this year's candidates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dan. Following a similar format to their instructors' exam the previous day, the eager group were put through their paces, demonstrating a wide range of techniques and a broad knowledge of their patterns. Particularly notable in this year's exam was the extent to which the 2nd and 3rd Dan candidates were tested on their theory, with each student giving very detailed answers to the questions put to them, on topics ranging from the history of Tae Kwon Do and the meanings of the patterns, to the individual personal philosophy of the student with regard their understanding of the art as a means of self improvement. The depth of knowledge and understanding demonstrated by the students impressed the Officials greatly. After hours of effort, anxiety and exhaustion, the exam finally came to a close with Master Harrison thanking the students for their outstanding efforts and their warm hospitality. The group then congregated for a photograph to mark the occasion before Master Harrison surprised Dan & Barry by announcing that they had passed their examination on the previous day. The students departed shortly after Master Harrison, clearly more relaxed now that the exam was out of the way, but still eager to find out their results. Unfortunately for them, the suspense would last a while longer yet, as all of the marking sheets would have to be tallied and double-checked before any results could be released; more restless nights awaited! Master and Mrs Harrison later travelled to Dan's house where they met with the O'Mahonys, Dwayne Crowley (2nd Dan) and Claire Wilcox (2nd Dan) before later travelling on to view the beautiful Timoleague Abbey, another example of the rich history of the West Cork region. Everyone at Warrior Martial Arts is very grateful to Master Harrison for all of his hard work and support, not only this year, but since we first got to know him. Our students and instructors alike have a great deal of respect and admiration for this man who lives and breathes his martial art.

Instructor Training Course 2011

Warrior Martial Arts — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:18:34 +0000

The first ever group of students have completed the new Warrior Martial Arts Umpire & Assistant Instructor Training Course. On Sunday October 9th, a group of Black Belts and advanced grades gathered at the Clonakilty club to take part in the course. The first section covered a range of aspects of martial arts instruction such as awareness of correct and safe warm-ups, proper demonstration and explanation of technique and awareness of the difficulties which some students may face when learning martial arts. A number of these students are already putting their training into use, assisting their instructors every week in class, and hopefully more will get the opportunity to begin their journey into teaching in the coming months. The course then progressed to the tournament umpiring section, which instructed all participants in the methods needed to accurately and fairly judge contestants in Warrior Martial Arts pattern and sparring competitions. As well as learning the scoring system for marking patterns, the students got the opportunity to practice umpiring a series of sparring bouts and were free to ask any questions which arose during the course of the day. The course members were later joined by a larger group of students for a detailed class on the Warrior Tae Kwon Do patterns from Chon-Ji to Choong-Moo.

Ballinhassig’s 5th Birthday Party!

Warrior Martial Arts — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:00:44 +0000

Saturday, September 24th, saw the students of Warrior Martial Arts Ballinhassig celebrating their club's 5th birthday. The club, which first opened in January 2006, has grown in numbers dramatically in the past 5 years, with a variety of classes available to students of all ages including Junior Tae Kwon Do, Senior Tae Kwon Do and Kickfit classes. To mark the occasion, the students and instructors of the club organised a very entertaining display of their skills, which served as a fundraiser for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). A number of junior students performed their Warrior Tae Kwon Do patterns in front of the assembled spectators before instructors Dwayne Crowley and Barry O'Mahony carried out a demonstration of Warrior Martial Arts self defence techniques. Following on from these demonstrations, each of the junior students then donned their safety gear and put on a series of very brave and skilful displays of sparring. As a reward for their outstanding efforts, each of the juniors was rewarded with a commemorative medal but, for most, there were far more exciting rewards on offer: students, parents and friends of the club had gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting this event and there seemed to be no end to the selection of sandwiches and delicious baked goods provided. We are very grateful for their support and that of the staff at Cotrell's Gala shop in the village, who donated a huge amount of supplies for the day. Thanks to the efforts of the students and the generosity of those who sponsored them, the club managed to raise €500 for the ISPCC! Well done everyone! Click to View Photos from Ballinhassig's 5th Birthday

All Ireland Tae Kwon Do Championships 2011

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:39:42 +0000

A team of students from Warrior Martial Arts travelled to Dublin recently to compete at the All Ireland Tae kwon do championships. The team consisted of students from several of the Warrior clubs. Competitors from Baltimore, Union Hall, Ballineen, Clonakilty, Innishannon and Ballinhassig all made the trip to Dublin, some travelling the day before the competition and the majority travelling by bus on the day of the event. 22 students in total took part for Team Warrior, this included instructors Dan and Barry O’Mahony. The team had an outstanding day, taking 5 gold, 3 silver and 11 bronze All Ireland medals. All the Warriors did very well on the day putting in strong performances, unfortunately not everyone could be in the medals. The crowds did not faze any of the students as they took to the floor with confidence. From 6 year old Ewan Mc Nulty of Union Hall club to chief instructor Dan O’Mahony all competed for All Ireland titles in their relevant divisions. The full team consisted of brothers Ewan, Sean and James Mc Nulty, David and Killian Forde and Daniel Nolan of Union Hall, Brian O’Mahony, David Kelly and Jonathan Hurley of Innishannon, Dave Coleman of Ballinhassig, Claire Wilcox, Aishling O’Driscoll, Dwayne Crowley and Eugene Birlea, brothers Conor and Brian Carmody and their dad Michael of Clonakilty club, Andrew Foley of Baltimore club, Padraig Mc Namara and Sarah Murphy of Ballineen club and instructors Dan and Barry also competed on the day.It was great to have 4 All Ireland Title holders coming home and several more medalists in the team. More Photos:

Warriors Get Master Instruction

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:21:14 +0000

Warrior Tae Kwon Do instructors Dan O'Mahony and Barry O'Mahony are currently training to test for promotion to 5th and 4th Dan respectively. In preparation for the tests, which will take place in November of this year, both instructors have travelled abroad to try and glean as much knowledge as they can from some of the art's top practitioners. Dan travelled to Worcester, England in April this year to train with Warrior Tae Kwon Do's Black Belt Examiner, Master Clive Harrison. Master Harrison took Dan through a wide range of techniques and patterns, giving invaluable advice to the Warrior TKD President. As always, Master Harrison was an outstanding host and made Dan feel very welcome at all times. In June, Barry travelled to New York to attend the Tae Kwon Do International annual seminar, led by Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim. During the 3 days of training, Barry benefited from a seminar by Master James Marr on how to improve as an instructor, technique and pattern instruction from Grandmaster Kim and Master John Meany and a Hapkido class by Grandmaster Lee. As well as learning plenty about Tae Kwon Do and the various interpretations and styles of the art that are practised around the world, this was a great opportunity to meet many other practitioners of TKD and form new friendships. We would like to thank all of our friends in other schools both at home and abroad for affording us the opportunity to train with you and attend your events over the years, we are truly grateful.

Photos from Worcester:

Photos from New York:

Warriors at Cork Open 2011

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:35:44 +0000

Andrew Foley (Baltimore), Sophia Cassidy Eulitz and Mark Moriyama (Ballydehob) Link to more photos at the end of the article.

The recent Cork Open Championships saw a number of relatively new faces in the Warrior Tae Kwon Do squad. The lineup on the day featured juniors Josh Cronin, Brian O'Mahony, Andrew Foley, Jonathan Hurley and Sophia Cassidy, as well as seniors David Coleman and Mark Moriyama. With the exception of Josh and Jonathan, both of whom already have a wealth of experience, the rest of the team had only previously competed on one or two occasions. The tournament was a very physical one, with no punches pulled when it came to the sparring bouts, but this was of little concern to the Warriors, who were more than up to the challenge. Josh & Brian, who both train at the Ballinhassig and Innishannon Warrior Martial Arts clubs were unlucky in their bouts, coming up against opponents who had far more experience and also a considerable height advantage. These factors didn't worry the two young Warriors in the slightest though, and they battled with all the heart and bravery of fighters twice their size. Better fortune was in store for Baltimore's Andrew Foley who, taking on very tough opposition, fought with great intelligence to earn himself a Bronze medal in a hotly-contested section. From Ballydehob club, Sophia Cassidy Eulitz put on a brilliant display taking a Bronze medal in patterns, which was no mean feat in itself, but also a second Bronze in sparring. Her club-mate Mark Moriyama then added to the medal tally by bringing home a further 2 Bronze medals, having had to perform his pattern 3 times before going on to the semi finals of the Men's White-Green Belt sparring. Also competing in the Senior Male division was Ballinhassig's David Coleman who, due to an error on the day, ended up fighting a single-fight challenge against the winner of the Men's White-Green Heavyweight division. The going was tough here as David's opponent was an experienced fighter and a heavy hitter. Going the full distance, David weathered a barrage of powerful strikes but did not back down once and gave as good as he got. Unfortunately the points did not add up in his favour, but the battle has left David even more determined to succeed in his future bouts, a sign of a true champion. Also in action on the day was Jonathan Hurley of the Ballinhassig and Innishannon clubs. Jonathan is, at this stage, no stranger to the competition circuit and his experience stood to him as he took on a field of Red & Black belts to claim a well-deserved Silver medal for his powerful performance of the pattern Hwa Rang and a Bronze for his energetic and precise sparring. More photos:

Warriors Honoured at Community Awards

Sub-Editor1 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:52:13 +0000

Two warrior students were presented with "Sports-people of the Year" awards at the recent Sports and Community awards held by the The Opinion magazine & Bandon Credit Union. The Awards are there to honour the people of cork whom excel in sport or contribute greatly to the community with charity work and other contributions to society. Dwayne Crowley was awarded his sports person of the year award for winning gold in both the I.C.K.K.F All styles martial arts World championships last march in portugal and the W.O.M.A.A World combat games which was held in Killarney last August. Aishling O Driscoll was awarded her sports person of the year award for her gold medals in the W.O.M.A.A World combat games and the N.I.T.A British championships. Both athletes had great success both nationally and internationally this year and were delighted to be honoured at the awards ceremony. Both fighters would like to thank the Bandon opinion, the Bandon credit union and everyone else involved for a great night and for recognising Tae Kwon Do athletes as sports people of the year and would also like to thank all of their instructors, team mates, family and friends for their support on the night.

Clonakilty Bag packing fund raiser

Sub-Editor1 — Sun, 29 May 2011 11:14:07 +0000

Members of the Warrior team, clubs and even some of their family members helped out at the recent bag packing in Dunnes Stores in Clonakilty. The aim of the day was to raise funds to aid the team in travelling to the recent All Ireland Championships. The total raised was 1025 euro. We would like to thank all those whom gave so generously to help our team. We really appreciate people donating hard earned money to our team, especially in the current economic climate. The team fought hard to justify your donations and we came home with six new All Ireland Champions and many more medals in what was a very successful tournament for our team. We would also like to thank all those at Dunnes Stores for accommodating us and for their continued support for our clubs.