A.I.M.A.A SCOTLAND NATIONAL BLACK BELT TESTING

Master John Darcy joined Master John Kirkwood in Scotland, on Saturday the 18th of October for the A.I.M.A.A Scotland National Black Belt testing. There was 20 students testing including three National Instructors.

Mr John Kirkwood Jnr, who recently opened up a new school of Cho's Taekwondo, was testing for 3rd degree. It was Mr Kirkwood's school that hosted the National Black Belt testing. Mr Kirkwood was joined by fellow Instructor Mr Kevin Mc Lear who owns Cho's Taekwondo in Bellshill and Mrs Tracey Belgacem who teaches alongside her husband, was testing for 4th degree.

The testing was held over 3 hours and covered the AIMAA Curriculum, as well as self-defence, breaking, one-step and free sparing.  Master Darcy and Master Kirkwood commended all those who participated in the testing.

A.I.M.A.A SUMMER CAMP 2008

The Action International Martial Arts Association gathered together under the watchful eyes of its founder and president, Grandmaster Hee Il Cho 9th Degree. Masters, International Instructor and students participated in a five day training camp, that incorporated cardio keep fit classes, self defence, weapons, point sparring and the A.I.M.A.A curriculum in depth.

European Director Master John Darcy, taught traditional forms with a twist. He took the forms and broke them down to their fundamental elements, showing them in their basic form and the application of the move, which produced powerful and applicable self defence. The class was outstanding, informative and inspiring. It left the student thinking more about their pattern/form, as more than a set of moves.

Master Philip Ameris took students through self defence, breaking down grabs, take downs and holds. He also taught knife fighting to students, the complexities of fighting with a knife, so that the student could identify attack modes so that they could learn how to develop skills to defend against this type of attack. Within the camp we had Master John Kirkwood who took a 2 hour class in point sparring, from attack to defence. Using single moves to complex combinations. As this class was taking place Master Peter Byrne, was taking students through one-step, which again was an awesome class, breaking each move down to its simplest move. 

All Masters within the camp also undertook additional classes with the children at the camp, from one-step, patterns and cardio workouts. International Instructors Mr Declan Dermody, Mr Daniel Farrell undertook fun and fitness classes with the A.I.M.A.A children. Mr William Power and Mr Paul Healy put students through their paces with their hard hitting, hard pumping fitness cardio classes, not for the faint hearted! International Instructor Mr Robert Fernadnez, who had travelled from Jersey also took students through a hard class as did Mr Gerry Long from A.I.M.A.A Ireland. Both Instructors taught exemplary classes are highly thought of within A.I.M.A.A.

The Highlight of the week was Grandmaster Cho's class, which was a 3 hour seminar, utilising high power kicking, punching and floor work.  The seminar was awesome and inspiring as students witnessed the incredible power, speed and unfaltering skills of someone who is obviously in their prime at the age of 67 years old. It is has taken years of dedication, training, inner strength and Kama that has produced the World's greatest living martial artist. The accumulation of skills is president in today's martial arts and to be in Grandmasters midst, not only inspires ones self to push themselves a bit harder, but humbles one.

The camp was a most exciting and exhilarating experience, seeing young and old challenging themselves, pushing one another and forging a unification never seen before within any other martial arts association. The future generations have a lot to look forward to within AIMAA and we have not got long to wait before we come together again in 2010.