September Student of the Month

Tuam Karate Student of the Month Awards have been awarded this week. Well done to Alana and Leo Doherty, a brother and sister who never fail to impress.
And our fighter and kickboxer Daragh Glynn, who has well deserved his Student of the Month.

Sensei Malcolm takes 2nd Dan

Well done to Faolchú Tuam Karate Sensei Malcolm on passing his 2nd Dan at the JKS World Championships in Scotland. Kagawa Sensei and Yamaguchi Sensei held classes in Scotland before the JKS World Championships as part of a long weekend of karate.
Tweleve students where trying for 1st and 2nd Dan at the same session as Sensei Malcolm's grading. From early reports the required standard was very high as is to be expected from such distigushed Instructors. Nine karateka tested for 1st Dan with 2 achieving the grade and Sensei Malcolm was the only of the 3 testing for 2nd Dan to pass. A huge achivement and well deserved.

Karate World Championships JKS 2011

Best of luck to Team Ireland who are travelling to the JKS World Championships, which is held this year in Scotland. A team of 50 from all around the country are travelling tomorrow for a weekend of seminars and competition.
Best of luck to all our friends and our own Sensei Malcolm.
OSS.

Tuam Karate is keeping Active.

Tuam Karate kids and adults where kept busy this weekend with the visit from Sensei Dermott O Keeffe in Tuam's Total Fitness Solutions gym on Saturday.
Sensei Dermott instructed classes for 3 1/2 hours of both technical and physical training. All students had a great time and really enjoyed a personal lesson, where Sensei Dermott made sure that everyone was included and engaged.
On Sunday morning Sensei Malcolm went down to Ballina to train with MVF at their squad training session. Malcolm enjoyed (and suffered) a very active 3 hours of technical points and continuous kickboxing. I'm sure he'll enjoy bring the drills back to the Tuesday Combat class.
(Photo is of senior class on Saturday)

A Busy September

Everything is buzzing and busy again for September with karate in Tuam.
On Saturday Sensei Dermott O Keeffe will be coming to Tuam to hold a class for Faolchú, all junior students should attend at 11am and Senior students karate training will be at 12:30.
This week the Kickathon is being launched within the karate club and combat class. Our worthy cause this year is the Galway charity "Hand in Hand", the Children's Cancer Charity for the West. Hand in Hand are a vital resource in the West of Ireland. Their purpose is to help support the families of children who have childhood cancer. We feel that this is a very deserving charity and close to home for us in Tuam. Due to our large numbers we can make a huge difference if we can all raise a little.
The kickathon will take place on the 1st of October in the palace grounds at 10am. Karate kids took great pride in the event last year, It will be a fun event for all who take part!
Hoodies are now available to view and order, if you would like to get one before Christmas time please get your orders in before The 1st of October.Sensei Dermott O Keeffe
Their are also t-shirts and karate suits (dogi) in stock for anyone who would like to order or buy before Christmas.
Faolchú buy karate equipment and karate suits in bulk and can provide embriodered suits and other protective equipment to their members at prices that are cheaper than in Irish shops.

Jks Karate Championships

On Sunday the Jks held their Irish squad training,Club Championships and Free Course with Sensei Robert Steggles, Sensei Scott Langley, Sensei Dermot O Keeffe and Sensei Palma Diosi,
Tuam Karate students where well represented with 13 members training across the day and 8 club champions competing.
After a 2 hour gruelling squad training session (the final All Ireland Squad training before the World Championships)the JKS Tuam Karate Club Champions had their opportunity to shine.
Faolchú were represented on the day by Regan Warde, Alyssa Fahy, Jayden Murphy, Joe Mullan, Ben Ronan, Nathan Collins, Dylan Buckley and Aaron Quinn.
All students performed fantastically and we are exceptionally proud of them all. As we are the youngest of all JKS Ireland karate clubs at the moment we had a difficult challenge. Out of our 8 competitors 4 came in 1st place. Well done to everyone.

Tuam Karate Students Travelling to Moate

Karate classes in Tuam tonight have been full of questions about the Club Championships and JKS Free course on Sunday. Most importantly "where is it exactly?" Those travelling to Moate on Sunday from Tuam, go to Athlone (via motorway or cross country) then get on the motorway to Dublin stay on it until you see the exit for Moate. That will bring you to the town, on the Main St. look for this guy on the right he's at the entrance to the community center.

Tuam Charity Calender for Cystic Fibrosis

This Charity Calendar in aid of Cystic Fibrosis is to raise funds to build a day care unit on the grounds of Mayo General Hospital. Over 40 volunteers from many counties around Ireland tastefully bared all for this project.
Cystic Fibrosis is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. Approximately 1 in 19 people are carriers of the CF gene and where two carriers parent a child together, there is a 1 in 4 chance of the baby being born with Cystic Fibrosis. There are in the region of 50 families who have one or more Persons with CF in the Mayo, North Galway area who attend Mayo General Hospital.
The Charity Calendar is in the style of Calendar Girls! ;) Featuring brave men and women from not only the Tuam area..but also countrywide!

I will be taking these calenders to classes all week and they will be at the sign in book, they are only cost €10 and support a very worthy and local cause.
Click HERE for info

Faolchú t-shirts and Hoodies

Tuam Karate Club Faolchú will be starting September with our much requested t-shirts back in stock! Apologies for being sold out over the Summer. T-shirts will cost €8 each (€15 for two) with 10% of each t-shirt sold going towards the start of our squad fund.
Hoodies are now available to order, please ask to see sizes available.

Sensei Dernott O Keeffe seminar in Tuam

Sensei Dermott O Keeffe will be teaching a course in Tuam on Saturday the 17th of September. This course is highly recommended and all Faolchú karate students should attend. Sensei O Keeffe has a wealth of experiance and while running a full time dojo, still has time to compete and win on an Internation and World level. All karateka are welcome to attend and can call Marie for further details.Sensei O’Keeffe has been studying Shotokan Karate-Do since 1979, just two months before his sixteenth birthday, and it was then that he saw the man that would impress on him the true secrets of success and achievement in Shotokan Karate… Good attitude and hard work. This man is Sensei Andy Sherry, 8th Dan.
Sensei O’Keeffe started training in Shotokan in 1979 under KUGB, graded to 1st Kyu under various KUGB Instructors including Sensei Eneoda.
Teaching from 1982 until 1993 and then again in 1997 to present. Sensei’s career to date has brought him to train with some of the worlds best Instructors and has gained great experience from them. Sensei O’Keeffe has been described as having a unique method of teaching, using traditional training methods as well as modern, to ensure that everyone who trains with him gets the best of old and new.
Sensei is a qualified fitness instructor/Personal trainer (NCEHS) and Neuromuscular therapist (NMT). He is also a certified Level 2 Coach with the NCTC. With this experience and knowledge of anatomy and physiology, it means those who train with him learn how to practice karate techniques properly, thus reducing the risk of injury due to bad practice. His only regret is that all too often, politics in Karate prevent Shotokan Karateka from training together as friends,regardless of affiliation.
If this was possible we could improve the development of Shotokan Karate in Ireland make us one of the best nations competing on the International stage.
Bio:
1982 My instructor broke away from the KUI. Took over as Chief Instructor of the Red Dragon Karate Club.
1982-87 Trained and competed with various instructors from different styles, Wado, Goju Ryu, Tae Kwon Do, Kick-boxing. During this time won many All Styles tournaments.
1987 Won the WAKO World All Styles and Kickboxing Championships.
1988 Approached Sensei Tommy McGrane with the view to returning to a recognised Shotokan Karate Organisation JKA.
1990 Received Shodan under Sensei Andy Sherry.
1990 Competed in the World Shoto Cup in Sunderland. Also competed in the ESKA Europeans Championships in Italy.
1992 Graded Nidan under Sensei Andy Sherry.
1993, August Tore medial collateral and damaged Anterior cruciate knee ligaments.
1994 Returned training and ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
1997 Returned training. At this time there had been a split in the KUI.
1999 Graded Sandan under Sensei Andy Sherry.
2001 Re-opened the Red Dragon Shotokan Karate Club.
2004 Graded Yondan under KUGB panel: Sensei Sherry, Sensei Poynton & Sensei Naylor.
2006 Joined Japan Karate Shotorenmei.
2007 Won JKS World Kata Championships.
2008 Graded Godan under JKS panel: Masao Kagawa Sensei JKS World Technical Director
2009 Won Veteran Kata in 10th All-Japan National Championships.
Over the years Sensei O’Keeffe has trained with visiting instructors like Enoeda Sensei (Chief instructor for JKA Europe), Ohta Sensei, Kawasoe Sensei, Kagawa Sensei, Kanazawa Sensei and Sensei Andy Sherry and Sensei Frank Brennan and many more. He travels regularly to Japan, to train in the JKS Hombu dojo under Sensei's Kagawa, Yamaguchi,Kanyama,Ishimine & Inada to name a few.Sensei O’Keeffe hopes to pass on as much of this experience to his students for many years to come.