Ollie and Fergus Grade in Portarlington!

On Tuesday, 28 August, Zanshin Portarlington assistant instructors Fergus Fenlon and Ollie Henchy tested for their 1st Kyu grade in their Portarlington dojo. This was an important grading for the two Karateka, as it is the last they will face before their Shodan test. All five Zanshin instructors made up the grading panel.
We began with a light warm-up, courtesy of Sensei Liam Darcy, and then went straight into the grading. Kihon (Basics), kata, kata bunkai (self-defence applications), bag and pad-work and kumite (sparring) were all examined. The grading panel was delighted at the standard displayed by both candidates, and were unanimous in announcing their pleasure at warading the promotion. Onwards towards the black belt....and the beginning of training! Congratulations to Ollie and Fergus, and "well done" to Senseis Keith Walsh, Paul Thackaberry and Gerard Walsh for preparing them so well for their grading. Thanks to Brian Bolton for assisting with Kumite and to Albert Henchy for taking photos. Click below to get an idea of what the lads had to do...

Kyokushin Seminar with Sensei Ken

On Monday, 13 August, Zanshin Karate-Do hosted a seminar in Kyokushin karate with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick, 4th Dan, and his instructors Senpai Alan McCoy and Senpai Ciarán Stapleton. The course took place in our Kinnegad dojo. Attending were Zanshin instructors Senseis Liam Darcy, Keith Walsh and Proinsias Ó Fearghail. Also in attendance were Zanshin senior members Ollie Henchy, Peter Govan and John Whelehan. Guro Donal Connaughton (Midlands FMA club) and Sensei Gerry McCarthy (Edenderry Shotokan Academy) were also in attendance. The junior class at 7.00 was well-attended, and the visiting instructors took our students through a warm-up and sparring drills. A light-contact continuous sparring competition was then held, at which all our young fighters performed very creditably. The senior class, which ran from 8.00-9.45 PM was a much more physical affair, comprising pad and bag-work, self defence and tournament techniques. Again, we were impressed by the power of the techniques shown by Ken, Alan and Ciaran. The senior class finished with a kata demonstration. To the delight of all present, Senpais Ciaran and Alan finished both classes with a demonstration of tameshi-giri (breaking techniques).
As always, the respectful and friendly demeanour of the visiting instructors was commented on by all the students and instructors. We had a great time, and hope to see these three gentlemen back again! Click on the picture below to see a slideshow of the night's training...

Seminar with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick

Once again, we are proud to announce that we are hosting a seminar, on Monday 13th August with Sensei Ken Fitzpatrick, 4th Dan Kyokushin Karate and full-contact kick-boxer. Sensei Ken's expertise in the fields of fitness and sparring drills is unrivalled, and as anyone who attended his seminar last year can testify, you will get a good workout during his classes! The seminar will be in the Kinnegad GAA Centre, 7.00 - 8.00 PM for junior members, 8.00 - 9.30 PM for senior members. Cost will be the same as a regular class. Please make a special effort to attend this class - we can all learn from this gentleman. Hope to see you all there!

Please note there will be NO CLASS on Monday 5th August (Bank holiday weekend).

FMA Seminar with Grand Master Llanera

On Sunday 5th August, Midlands Filipino Martial Arts Club are hosting a seminar with Grand Master Ding Llanera, head of LFS. Guro Donal Connaughton, who runs the club, has kindly invited all senior Zanshin members. The seminar will take place in St. Etchen's NS, Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath, and will run from 11.00 AM - 3.00 PM.The cost is €20 per person. Anyone who has enjoyed Guro Donal's seminars on FMA in our club would be well advised to book their places on this course. GM Llanera rarely runs seminars outside of Dublin, so take the chance to train with a genuine Filipino Grandmaster. Any Zanshin members wishing to attend should contact Liam or Proinsias within the next week, as spaces are filling up fast!

Holly and Rebecca's Grading!

Congratulations to Holly and Rebecca  who graded to Orange Belt on Monday 9 July 2012. The girls have been working hard towards this grading for a number of weeks, and have show great dedication and commitment in their training. The grading panel comprised Zanshin senior instructors Senseis Gerard Walsh, Liam Darcy, Keith Walsh and Proinsias Ó Fearghail. They were examined in bag and pad work, basic techniques (kihon), Kata and Kumite (sparring) and passed with flying colours! We are VERY proud of these two young ladies! After the grading, Senseis Gerard and Keith took our junior and senior classes through a highly technical class, stressing the importance of correct stances in Shotokan. Here are some photos of the grading...

Zanshin Portarlington Grading

Congratulations to all students from Zanshin Karate-Do Portarlington who graded recently under Senseis Paul Thackaberry, Gerard Walsh and Keith Walsh! Here are our happy karateka!

FMA Seminar with Guro Donal

Zanshin Karate-do Kinnegad hosted the first of our Summer Seminars this year with a lively and action-packed two and a half hours of Filipino Martial Arts taught by Guro Donal Connaughton. The seminar was well attended, with members from Zanshin Kinnegad and Portarlington, Midlands FMA Club, Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club present. Guro Donal led off with a series of techniques from Saykan, the mano-mano (empty hand) art of Grand Master Llanera. We particularly enjoyed the trapping and locking drills, which translate easily to our own Karate. We then moved on to weaponry, where Guro Donal showed the many applications of the dulo (two-point palm stick) amd llave (three-point palm stick) to devastating effect. We then moved on to baston (standard Eskrima stick) drills, comprising some counter-striking, disarming and locking techniques. After warning all present of the dangers of knife attacks, Guro Donal then demonstrated a knife disarm, stating that it would take years of training to achieve proficiency in this most dangerous of techniques. Guro Donal finished with a technically polished display of Abre Le Fuerte, a double blade form devised by Grand Master Llanera. We all had a great time. Thanks to Guro Donal for once again demonstrating his excellent teaching skills, and to our visitors, especially Sensei Gerry from Edenderry Shotokan Academy and Sensei Ken, Sempai Alan and Sempai Ciarán from Mullingar Kyokushinkai Club. Thanks as always to our own students, Ollie and Peter and to Adrian, Cormac and Feilim from Midlands FMA club. Regular training for juniors and seniors resumes next Monday, 11th June at the usual time.