The Black Belter Podcast

Episode 72: Kenneth Edwards

Mon, 10 May 2021 06:00:00 +0100

Coming from a martial arts family, Kenneth's journey began at quite a young age. He has experience and success competing at the highest level in multiple martial arts. Such as ITF Taekwon-Do, WT Taekwon-Do and WKF Karate. In ITF Kenneth is a 2x World Cup Champion, in WT he represented Jamaica at the London Olympics in 2012 and in Karate he is hopeful of qualifying for the Olympics in Tokyo through the Paris qualifier. Today I chat the Kenneth about his journey through multiple sports, the Olympic experience, his thoughts on ranking/seedings in ITF and more!

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Episode 71: Ryan O'Neil

Mon, 03 May 2021 06:00:00 +0100

Ryan has been training in martial arts since he was 4 years old. He has represented Canada in both taekwon-do and karate. In taekwon-do he is a 3x World Champion winning gold in 2015, 2017 & 2019. As a karate competitor Ryan is hopeful of qualifying for the Olympics in Tokyo later this year. Today I chat to Ryan about how he got started in martial arts. the highs & lows of top level competition, the similarities/differences between taekwon-do and karate styles, the different scoring systems in patterns and more.

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Episode 70: Andy Ryan

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 06:00:00 +0100

Andy is the Owner & Head Coach of Team Ryano. He is a black belt in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Andy is also widely recognised as a pioneer of MMA & BJJ in Ireland. As a competitor Andy was a highly successful Judo player and fell just short of qualifying for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In Jiu-Jitsu Andy has been a European Champion, a Pan-American Champion and a World bronze medalist. As a coach he has trained some of the top MMA fighters in Ireland like Paul Redmond, Neill Seery and Myles Price. Also, Andy is a coach of the Irish amateur squad that competes at IMMAF events and he speaks very passionately about these events in the show. Today I chat to Andy about his own journey, where he see amateur MMA going forward, the buzz of coaching at big UFC shows and the improvement in MMA coaching in recent years.

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Episode 69: Nathan Fletcher

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 06:00:00 +0100

Nathan is a Cage Warriors bantamweight prospect. He trains out of Next Generation MMA in Liverpool which is home to UFC fighters like Molly McCann, Chris Fishgold and Paddy Pimblett. Nathan is undefeated as a pro with a record of 5-0 with all wins coming by stoppage. As already mentioned, Nathan is one of the top prospect in Cage Warriors right now and has big goals of being a UFC Champion. Today I chat to Nathan about how got started in MMA, we discuss some of his fights and some of the behind the scenes adversity that went with them, we talk about his weight cut and more.

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Episode 68: Phil Lear

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 10:31:14 +0100

Phil is a 7th degree black belt in ITF Taekwon-Do. As a competitor he was 3x World Cup Champion, 2x World Team Champion and a European Team Champion. He has been the head coach of the England national team and an International level umpire at many major championships. He is current board of director for the ITF. Phil also organised what was the time the biggest ITF event with the World Cup in Brighton in 2012. Today I chat to Phil about what got him started in Taekwon-Do, his competitve experience, his thoughts on some of the rules and styles in todays competition, the ITF concussion protocol and more.

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Episode 67: Ryan Spillane

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0100

This week I'm chatting with Bellator heavyweight Ryan Spillane. Ryan's sporting background is in rugby but since trying MMA as a teenager has been training under Liam-Og Griffin at SBG Cork ever since. Ryan has a rocky start to his amateur career however, plenty of success came in the final few years, winning an IMMAF World title, a European title and an Oceania title. Ryan is scheduled to make his pro debut in July and given his extensive experience in amateurs he is well positioned to achieve big things in the pro game. Today I chat to Ryan about the ups & downs of his amateur career, his current training during covid-19, his pro debut and more.

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Episode 66: Nicholas Dusard

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Nicholas has been competing in martial arts for over 20 years. the majority of that time has in ITF Taekwon-Do, however, he has competed in WT, kickboxing and karate. Nicholas has been a World Cup Champion, a Pan-American Champion and a World bronze medalist in ITF. In WT he fell just short of qualifying for the London Olympics in 2012. In kickboxing he is a 3x ISKA World Champion and a World bronze medalist in WAKO. These are just some the highlights from Nicholas' decorated career. Today I chat to Nicholas about how he started Taekwon-Do, his competitive journey, Taekwon-Do in Jamaica and more.

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Nicholas Social Media

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Episode 65: Dr. Carl Langan Evans

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Carl has a background in WT Taekwon-Do competing with Team GB for a number of years and even had some time competing for Ireland. Since retiring Carl has been part of high performance coaching teams for a number of Taekwon-Do countries, qualifying athletes for Olympic Games. Carl is an Applied Sports Physiologist/Nutritionist and spends most of his time as a researcher at John Moore's University in Liverpool, as part of their Science in Sport/ PHD Nutrition Performance Science and Innovation Team. Carl also works with some of Britain's top fighters in MMA and Boxing, such as Molly McCann and Jazza Dickens. Today I chat to Carl about how to make weight effectively, the difference between chronic & acute weigh loss, the importance of carbs for fueling performance, supplementation and more.

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Episode 64: Willy Van De Mortel

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Master Willy Van De Mortel has over 40 years of experience in Taekwon-Do. He was a 16x Dutch National Champion as a competitor. However, he is most famous for being the coach of Tomaz Barada and Julia Cross, two of the most successful fighters in ITF Taekwon-Do. Willy has also coached in and been a national team coach for a number of countries, like the Netherlands, Slovenia, New Zealand and currently Norway. Today I chat to Willy about how his journey began, his experiences coaching Tomaz Barada and Julia Cross, The Open Dutch ( the tournament he organises) and more.

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Episode 63: Jon Mackey

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Some people might remember Jon from back in Episode 3, and if you want to hear Jon's story of how he got into martial arts you should check that out. As the reason I asked Jon to come back on was to talk about energy systems. Jon has a Masters in Coaching Science in Sport, he is the Coaching Director for Kickboxing Ireland and is the Performance Director for Canoeing Ireland. Also, Jon done his dissertation on energy systems in cycling, so given Jon's personal sporting background and his area of study I thought he would be a great person to talk to around this area. Today I chat to Jon about what are the energy systems and how they relate to combat sports, how to train them, how test & retest an athletes conditioning, how strength training and conditioning are interlinked and more.

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The Combat Institute

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Episode 62: Shauna Bannon

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Shauna has experience in multiple combat sports. She started training in WAKO Kickboxing at 3 years of age and went on to be a 5x World Champion and 6x European Champion. Shauna has also competed in WT or Olympic style Taekwon-Do and competed in their World Championships. Since switching to MMA Shauna has been to IMMAF World Championships winning a silver medal. Shauna has big goals of making it to the UFC and given her dedication and drive there is a strong possibility of this happening. Today I chat to Shauna about her journey in Kickboxing, her time in Taekwon-Do and now her time in MMA. We talk about balancing training with being a new mam, her upcoming fight and some more.

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Episode 61: GM Wim Bos

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Grandmaster Bos is one of the most well respected people within ITF Taekwon-Do. He has been training for over 50 years. He was a European Champion as a competitor and has since trained many World and European Champions. Grandmaster Bos has also held many positions within ITF, from Secretary General, to Treasurer, to Chairman of the tournament and umpire committee. Today I chat to GM Bos about how he got started in Taekwon-Do, his experiences as a competitor, his experiences of organising major championships, his opinions on the current rules and styles of sparring today and more. Really enjoyed this chat, GM Bos is always to the point and honest with his opinion and we could have chatted for hours.

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Episode 60: Sarah Elliott Sheridan

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Sarah is an MMA fighter that trains out of SBG Charlestown. She won Gold at the first U18 IMMAF World Championships in Rome in 2019. Sarah has not been training that long but has achieved a lot in that time and from her clear unrelenting drive I'm sure she will continue to achieve big things. Today I chat to Sarah about how she got into MMA, how she started competing, her IMMAF Gold, balancing college with training and more.

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Episode 59: Mark Hutton

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Mark has nearly 40 years of taekwon-do training behind him. he was successful competitor winning 5 European titles and 2 World bronze medals. Mark has been an instructor for many years running a successful club MHF (Master Hutton Fitness). He has also developed the highly popular Kubz training system which is used by many instructors throughout the world. Mark puts a massive emphasis on the personal development side of taekwon-do and this really comes across in his teaching. I really enjoyed chatting to Master Hutton, one thing that always stands out is his unwavering enthusiasm and passion for taekwon-do and I think that is evident in this episode.

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Episode 58: Julia Cross

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Julia is an ITF Taekwon-Do legend winning a truly incredible 6 World titles and 15 European titles. Julia won these titles across sparring, patterns and even power breaking which shows just what a great all round martial artist she is. Since retiring from competition Julia has coached World & European Champions from her club. She has even coached Scotland's most successful senior male in Gilles Brown who was the podcast way back in Episode 8. Today I chat to Julia about her incredible competitve career, the importance of mental preparation, dealing with retirement, her recent MBE and more.

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Episode 57: Alexander O'Sullivan

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Alexander has experience in multiple martial arts starting with judo and boxing as well as some K1 before moving to MMA. he has had 29 amateur fights soon to 30, which to my knowledge is most by any Irish fighter. Alexander has represented Ireland at 4 IMMAF events medaling in all 4 with 1 silver and 3 bronzes which is another fantastic achievement. Today I chat to Alexander about how he got started in martial arts, his amateur career, his plans for turning pro and more.

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Episode 56: Damian Darker

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Damian's background in martial arts began in WT taekwon-do before transitioning to full contact kickboxing. After much success there winning multiple national titles but experiencing some frustration internationally Damian decided to switch to fighting in K1 as a pro. Since the move he has made a name as one Ireland's top competitors in the sport. Damian actually fights this weekend in Dubai for the vacant WAKO Pro K1 Intercontinental Title, its free to view by downloading the UAMPRO app and I would encourage everyone to check that out and support Damian.

Episode 55: Adam Shelley

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

This week's guest is Adam Shelley and Adam was actually the first person I had on the podcast on episode 1. So as you will from that episode (if you haven't listened make sure to check it out) Adam is a very successful taekwon-do competitor being a 2x World Champion and a 5x European Champion. However on episode 1 he spoke of his plans to compete in MMA and since then has had 4 amateur fights going 3-1 and is now looking to make his pro debut. Today I chat to Adam about his experiences in MMA so far, running his club during Covid-19, weight cutting in combat sports as well as some thoughts on the recent UFC fights.

Episode 54: Maxine Noel

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Maxine is an ITF Taekwon-Do competitor representing Canada. She won a silver medal in pattern and a bronze medal in sparring at last year's World Championships in Germany. Apart from competing herself Maxine works as neuro-linguistic programming coach where she helps athletes improve their mindset when approaching training and competition. Today I chat to Maxine about some of experiences as a competitor, some of the mental training she has done herself as well as some general practices people can try to help strengthen their own mindset.

Episode 53: Kieran Davern

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Kieran is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under John Kavanagh. Kieran has experience in a number of other martial arts such as kickboxing and karate as well as fights as a pro in MMA. He now competes in some of the World's biggest BJJ events like Polaris on UFC Fight Pass and the ADCC grappling competition which is recognised as the premier grappling event in the World. Kieran is also the head coach and owner of SBG Tullamore, which is a fantastic facility in the Midlands of Ireland. Today I chat to Kieran about how he got started in martial arts, his competitive journey in BJJ & MMA, opening the gym and getting his black belt.

Episode 52: Ariella Figueroa

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Ariella is an ITF Taekwon-Do competitor most known for the patterns discipline. She has been a World Champion winning gold at the 2017 World Championships in the 4th-6th degree division. She has also been a 4x National Champion in the USA. However, it hasn't all been sailing for Ariella. She has had some ups and downs throughout her taekwon-do journey, which I think is a great example that with dedication and the correct mental attitude you can achieve your goals. Today I chat to Ariella about how she got started in taekwon-do, her journey to joining the ITF she is part of now, her training in the lead up to Dublin in 2017 and more.

Episode 51: Amy Truesdale

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Amy is a para-taekwon-do athlete with team GB. However, she actually started in the ITF style and after much success she heard about para-taekwon-do in the WT style and decided to switch over. She has been a World Champion in both styles and is currently ranked World #1 which has earned her qualifications for next years Paralympics. Amy will be aiming to be one of the first Paralympic gold medalists for taekwon-do as this will be the first time taekwon-do will be in the games. Today I chat to Amy about her experiences in both styles, her experiences of both able body and adaptive competition in taekwon-do, being part of team GB, how she's dealing with the Paralympics being pushed back and how it effects her training.

Episode 50: Carl Davis

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Carl is an ITF Taekwon-Do instructor and competitor, in what you may have heard previous guests refer to as the "other ITF" as there are a number of ITF organisations. However, Carl is highly successful in his organisation having been European Champion in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Today I chat to Carl about the differences in the rules and scoring across the ITF groups, his own journey as a competitor and coach, restarting training after Covid-19 lockdowns and more.

Episode 49: Sean "Clubber" Clancy

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Sean is a Muay Thai fighter who started his fight career with Siam Warriors in Cork, however he now lives and trains in Thailand. Sean has been a WBC International Champion and is currently the WBC World Champion, he was also named the WBC Fighter of the Year in 2019. Sean has recently signed a multi fight deal with ONE Championship and he had his first fight on that deal only days ago. Today I chat to Sean about his martial arts journey, the lifestyle of training and fighting in Thailand and more.

Episode 48: Danni Neilan

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Danni's sporting background actually began in horse racing and showjumping. At 25 she packed that in and started MMA and hasnt looked back since. Danni currently trains out of SBG Ireland. As an amateur she won IMMAF World silver medal in 2017. Since turning in September 2019 she has signed to Bellator and gone 2-0. Today I chat to Danni about her background in horse racing, how she got involved in MMA, balancing work and training and more.

Episode 47: Matt Cadle

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Matt has been a 2x World Champion winning the gold medal in Canada in 2007 and Benidorm in 2013. As well Matt has been a European Champion winning winning in Scotland in 2015. He is one of England;s most successful fighters and beat pretty much all the top fighters in his division throughout his career. Since retiring from ITF Taekwon-Do Matt has been competing in Muay-Thai something which we touch on in the show. We also talk Matt's competitive journey and the highs and lows that entailed.

Episode 46: Will Fleury

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 10:52:30 +0100

Will Fleury is a Pro MMA fighter, fighting out of SBG Ireland. Will was undefeated as an amateur and now has a pro record of 7-3. He is currently signed to Bellator and has fought on some if the biggest cards to be held in Ireland in 3Arena. Will was also part of a show similar to the Ultimate Fighter that was shot in South Africa and we talk about that experience in the show. We also talk about how Will got into MMA, some of is wins and losses, his training schedule and more.

Episode 45: Ryan Sheehan

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 10:00:40 +0100

Ryan is one of Ireland's top Muay Thai fighters, fighting out of Siam Warriors in Cork. He is WBC International Champion, a WKA World Champion and an ISKA European and Irish Champion. Ryan has fought some the biggest names in the sport, like Tenshin Nasukawa, who is probably most known for his exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Today I chat to Ryan about some of his fights, taking a break from the sport and what reignited the desire to come back. We talk about dealing with cuts in the ring, weight cuts and more.

Episode 44: Paul Browne

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:41:20 +0100

Paul is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, which he has achieved training under Andy Ryan at Team Ryano. Paul competed in number of the sports top level competitions like World and European Championships. Paul's day job is working as a strength & conditioning coach where he spends most of his time working with the general population. However, he does work with a number of top level BJJ fighters to help them improve the strength side of their game. Today I chat to Paul about lots of different topics, like the effect of covid-19 on gyms, Paul's own martial arts journey, S&C in martial arts and more.

Episode 43: Gary Rooney

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Gary is an amateur MMA fighter with a current record of 3-2. He has a heavy background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a martial art he is a purple belt in. Gary was also a Junior European Champion and an Irish Open Champion. He has also competed at a number of IMMAF championships which we talk about in the show. Today I also talk to Gary about his time competing in BJJ, coaching martial arts to kids an more.

Episode 42: Mason Jones

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Mason is currently the Cage Warriors lightweight champion, which along with being 9-0 has him right on the cusp of being signed to the UFC. Mason has a background in a number of martial arts such as kickboxing, boxing, BJJ and judo which give him a well rounded base and make it no surprise he has got off to such an excellent start to his career. I really enjoyed chatting to Mason he's a sound guy, we spoke about a number of things like his career to now, weight cutting and some general MMA stuff as well.

Episode 41: Natasha Baldwin

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Natasha is one of the top female fighters in WAKO points and light-contact right now. She has been a World Champion, a European Champion, an Irish Open Champion and a WAKO Pro World Champion. Natasha also owns and runs the very successful Wolfpack Martial Arts club with her husband Kevin who has been on the show before. Today I chat to Natasha about her martial arts journey, Balancing being a mum with a fighting career and running a business and more.

Episode 40: Craig Coakley

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Craig is one of the top Muay Thai fighters in Ireland. He has a professional record of 22 wins with 17 KOs and 4 defeats. He has fought on many big shows like Yokkao and MTGP. Craig actually fought on the first Yokkao card in Ireland last year, where he fought Thai legend Singdam for the WBC Diamond Belt. Unfortunately, Craig lost a close decision but that just shows the level he is at, pushing a legend like Singdam, a guy with nearly 350 fights, to the wire. Today I chat to Craig abou his career so far, his goal of making it to ONE Championship and more.

Episode 39: Ian Garry

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Ian is a top MMA prospect fighting out of Team KF in Swords. He had a good amateur career going 6-1 with all his wins coming by stoppage. Ian made his pro debut in February 2019 when a he took a short notice fight against another Irish prospect James Sheehan. Since getting the win in a war of fight Ian has moved to 3-0 and is well on his way to achieving his ultimate goal of making it the UFC. Today I chat to Ian about his martial arts background, his career to this point, balancing work and training and more.

Episode 38: Tony Stephenson

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 10:34:57 +0100

Tony is one the best kickboxers Ireland has ever produced, particularly in light-contact. He is a multiple times WAKO World and European Champion, both as a junior and as a senior. Tony was also part of the GB Taekwon-Do Team for a number of years before returning to kickboxing and being as successful as before. It all sounds wonderful but through all the success Tony has had his ups and downs, which he talks about in the show. Really enjoyed chatting to Tony and hearing his story so hope you will too.

Episode 37: David Kerr

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 09:06:06 +0100

David is legend within ITF Taekwon-Do. He is a 4x World Champion across two weight divisions. 4 World titles is also the most of any male in the sport. David also won 2 Pan-American titles. In 2011 he was inducted into the WT Hall of Fame and in 2015 was inducted into the ITF Hall of Fame. Today I chat to David about his experiences and journey through martial arts and more.

Episode 36: Shannon Ryan

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Shannon's background in combat sports began in WAKO Kickboxing when she started training in her dad's kickboxing club at a very young age. After many years of training and success, she tried her hand at Olympic style Taekwon-Do, getting selected as a member of Team GB. After her short stint there she has now transitioned to Boxing, where she has had a lot of success in a short space of time. She is an Alliance Champion, a Women's Boxing Cup Champion and a London Championships silver medalist. Today I chat to Shannon about her journey through a number of sports, balancing a full time job with training as well as her plans and goals for the future.

Episode 35: Izzy Brider

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Izzy has won all the major events in ITF Taekwon-Do. She has been a World Champion, a European Champion, a World Cup Champion and a European Cup Champion across her time as a junior and now senior. After a very successful 2018 Izzy suffered an injury that kept her out of all of 2019, but she has fully recovered and is raring to go once Covid-19 has blown over. Today I chat to Izzy about her competitve career so far, her injury and how it effected her both physically and mentally as well as how she balances life and training.

Episode 34: Sam Slater

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Sam is a professional MMA fighter, fighting out of SBG Ireland. Sam had a good amateur career going 10-3 and competed in a number of IMAAF events. Since turning pro in May 2018, Sam has signed with the Bellator promotion. He has had an up and down time so far going 2-2 but when you are fighting for one of the biggest promotions in the world it;s never going to be easy and I'm sure Sam is going to put together a good winning streak soon. Today I chat to Sam about his martial arts journey so far, balancing other commitments like work and college with training and more.

Episode 33: Hong Looi

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Hong is the first return guest to the show, he was on a little over a year ago on episode 4, so if you haven't already make sure to check it out. The reason I asked Hong on again is because a lot has happened in the last year since he was on. After he was on the podcast, Hong won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Germany. Hong was going to retire after that and it seemed like a good way to finish. However, after a little persuasion Hong decided to come back for one more Euros so to round off his 20 year career with 10 Worlds and 10 Euros. But the story didn't end there as Hong actually went and won the Euros last year in Bosnia and got the dream fairy tale ending of retiring as European Champion. So today, Hong tells the story of the ups and downs of the last year, how he's dealing with retirement from competition and his goal for the future.

Episode 32: Ursa Terdin

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Ursa is a top competitor in both ITF Taekwon-Do and WAKO Kickboxing. She has been a World and European champion at both senior and junior level. Ursa is currently studying a Masters Degree in sports psychology in Germany. Today I chat to Ursa about her competitive journey, some of the mental ups and downs that go with high level competition, how she balances university and training and much more.

Episode 31: Michael Carruth

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Michael Carruth is an Irish sporting legend, having won an Olympic gold medal for Ireland at 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Michael was Ireland's first Olympic gold medal since Ronnie Delaney in 1956 and Ireland's first gold medal in boxing, Kate Taylor has since added a second. Michael had a decent professional career going 18-3 and falling just short of a world title. Michael is now the head coach of his life long club, Drimnagh Boxing Club. Today I chat to Michael about his journey to Olympic gold, the after math and how it changed his life,the state of amateur boxing today and more.

Epsiode 30: Johann De Silva

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Johann is a 7th Degree Black Belt in ITF Taekwon-Do. he runs a successful club across a number of locations in London. He has been a National Team Coach for Eengland and most recently Wales. He is the warrior half of the Dragon Warrior Tour along with Stephen Tapilatu. Johann is the main organiser for The Warrior Open along with Tim Kool. Johann has recently launched his TKD Tekkers app, which is a home training app covering many aspects of Taekwon-Do. You can download the app of the App Store on both Apple and Android. Johann also has an accompanying YouTube channel where you can watch plenty high level matches from top quality competitors in ITF.

TKD Tekker YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6t7pP--gHWs4xgIEj2LQVw

Episode 29: John Mitchell

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

John is one of Ireland's top MMA prospects. He had a good amateur career racking up a record of 10-3. In November 2019 John made his pro debut against Eric Nolan, a fight which he won in his hometown of Cork. John is currently signed with Cage Warriors, which he see as a good path to helping achieve his ultimate goal of fighting in the UFC. Today I chat to John about his journey to now as well as his plans for the coming months and years.

Episode 28: Valerie Ayala-Trujillo

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Valerie is someone with massive success across all disciplines in ITF Taekwon-Do, particularly as a junior. She has won 7 gold, 6 silver and 14 bronze medals, which is more than some countries have won in their history! As mentioned, Valerie competes and succeeds in multiple disciplines which is something you are seeing less and less of as the overall level increases and it becomes much harder for people to dedicate their time to multiple events so the fact Valerie is able to do so, is another fantastic achievement.

Episode 27: Stephen Tapilatu

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Stephen Tapilatu is a true legend within ITF Taekwon-Do. He is a 2x World Champion, a 2x European Champion and a 2x King of Taekwon-Do. He also fought in many other martial arts such as Kickboxing and MMA. Stephen now runs a success club in his hometown in Holland and he also an ITF Netherlands National Team coach. Stephen is also The Dragon half of The Dragon Warrior Tour alonf with Master Johann DeSilva. I really enjoyed this chat with Stephen he tells alot of good stories, some of which include names that sometimes are forgotten over time.

Episode 26: Anthony "Pretty Boy" Taylor

Sat, 30 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Anthony "Pretty Boy" Taylor is a well known name to anyone who follows the Irish MMA scene, having fought well known Irish fighters like James Gallagher and Irish prospects like Dean Barry. Anthony has fought in many big promotions particularly in Europe, such as Bellator and BAMMA. He is 7-5 as a professional however he is on a 5 fight win streak which may suggest he is better than his record shows which he does mention in the episode. Today I talk to Anthony about how he go into MMA as well as who he would like to fight in future.

Episode 25: Luciano Iriarte

Thu, 28 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Today's guest is Argentina's Luciano Iriarte. Luciano runs a big and successful club in Buenos Aires where he has trained mutiple world medalists. He is part of the newly formed ITF Coaches Committee and he talks about the projects they are working on. Luciano has also written a book outlining the history of ITF patterns which he also touches on briefly in the show.

Episode 24: Liam-Og Griffin

Mon, 25 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Liam-Og is the Head Coach at SBG Cork. He has a wealth of experience in a number of martial arts, such as, karate, jiu-jitsu and MMA. He has been a coach and manager for the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association Teams that travel and compete at IMMAF World and European Championships. Today I chat to Liam-Og about his own journey to now, as well as the journey MMA, particularly amateur MMA in Ireland has been on.

Liam-Og's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRk8znE0fNI&t=3s

Episode 23: Dee Begley

Thu, 21 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Dee is a multiple times medal winner at WAKO World and European Championships. She has been a multiple times National Champion in Kickboxing as well as an IrisH Open Champion in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. Since 2017 Dee has competed in Mixed Martial Arts, where she trains out of SBG Ireland. She had 10 amateur fights before making her pro debut in September 2019. Today I chat to Dee about her time in kickboxing, how she transitioned to MMA and her goals for the future.

Episode 22: Amit Batra

Mon, 18 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Today I chat with Poland's Amit Batra. Amit was a really top competitor in ITF Taekwon-Do in the mid to late 2000s, winning the European Championships in 2007 and a World silver medal in 2009. Since moving away from competition Amit has gone into the Strength and Conditioning side of performance, He has a PhD in Sport Physiology, he is a Sport Scientist and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He now works as the S&C Leader for the Polish MMA Association. He also works with a number of athletes and teams from a variety of other sports including Taekwon-Do and football. Today we talk about Amit's competitive career, the uses of tracking and how to manage training load, We talk about the role & how to effectively train plyometrics as well as how to effectively train conditioning especially in Taekwon-Do. I really enjoyed this one and took a lot away from it and hope you will too.

Episode 21: Myles Price

Thu, 14 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Myles is a very well known name in the Irish MMA scene. He has fought in all the big promotions in Europe, such as, BAMMA, Cage Warriors and most recently Bellator. Myles is probably most known for grudge match with Peter Queally, a fight which he won and one we talk about in the show. he has also shared the cage well known names like UFC Veteran Norman Parke. Myles has trained in some of the gyms around the world like American Kickboxing Academy, known as the home of UFC champions like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier. I felt this was a really good chat with someone who is about the glitz and glamour but instead really enjoys martial arts and competition.

Episode 20: Julio Carlos

Mon, 11 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Julio is one of the best fighters in ITF Taekwon-Do, having won many titles throughout his career so far. He is one of the most consistent fighters out there getting to the final in nearly every major tournament he has competed in. In Taekwon-Do Julio is a 3x World Champion and a 3x World Cup Champion. In Kickboxing, he is a 2x ISKA World Champion and WAKO Pan-American Champion.

Episode 19: Sarah Lehane

Thu, 07 May 2020 06:00:00 +0100

Sarah is another top fighter within ITF Taekwon-Do. She is a World Champion and a 3x European Champion. She was also part of the first senior female team to win World and European gold for Ireland in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Today I chat to Sarah about some of these achievements as well as her goals for the future.

Episode 18: Isabelle Schander

Mon, 04 May 2020 04:00:00 +0100

Isabelle is one of the top female competitors within ITF Taekwon-Do right now. She has been a World Champion and a 2x European Champion. She has represented both Sweden and Norway at major tournaments an today I speak to Isabelle about the highs as well as some of the inevitable struggles that come with high level competition. Really enjoyed this chat and hope you will too.

Episode 17: Aaron O'Reilly

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 04:00:00 +0100

Aaron has experience and success in a number of combat sports including Kickboxing, K1 and Muay Thai. Some highlights being a WAKO World Champion and ISKA Irish Champion. Aaron has since transitioned to professional boxing and today I chat to Aaron about how he is going about that transition as well as his experiences is those other sports.

Episode 16: Kevin Baldwin

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Kevin is the owner and head coach of the highly successful Wolfpack Martial Arts, which is home to multiple WAKO World and European medalists. Kevin has worked with many great champions in the world of WAKO including his Natasha, and also guys like Michael Venom Page. In Scotland, Wolfpack has become somewhat of the place to go for guys looking to crossover from ITF Taekwon-Do and try their hand at some Kickboxing and in todays episode Kevin explains why he thinks that is.

Episode 15: Tim Kool

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Tim had a very long and successful competing career in ITF Taekwon-Do, winning 2 World titles and 6 European titles, he also won a Kickboxing World title in the WKA organisation. Tim has since transitioned into full time coaching running a very successful club and is ITF Netherlands national team coach. Tim is also the organiser of a number of successful tournements, such as the Holland Cup and the Warrior Open. Today I chat to Tim about his own journey to now, his plans for the future and Taekwon-Do in the Netherlands as whole.

Episode 14: Louise McCagh

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Louise is one Irelands most successful competitors in ITF Taekwon-Do, winning many medals through the years. Her most standout achivement, being Ireland's first senior female World Champion having won the -62kg sparring division at the World Championships, in Beinidorm, in 2013. Today I chat with Louise about her many successes and her goals for the future.

Episode 13: Elijah Everill

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0100

Elijah is one of the best Pound for Pound fighters in the world of WAKO Kickboxing, he is a 13x World Champion, an Irish Open Grand Champion and at the time, the first fighter to win 4 gold medals at a World Championships. Today I chat to Elijah about his incredible success and his goals for the future.

Episode 12: Magomed Naurdinov

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 10:18:47 +0100

Magomed is an ITF Taekwon-Do World Champion, having won -70kg sparring at the 2019 Worlds in Germany. He has also won many other medals across a number of disciplines. Outside of Taekwon-Do Magomed has some experience in Kickboxing and Wrestling. Today I chat to Magomed about his successes, his plans moving forward and martial arts in general.

Episode 11: Katrina Carr

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 10:24:40 +0100

Katrina is one of Scotland's top Taekwon-Do competitors. She is an ITF World Champion and 4x European Champion. Today I chat to Katrina about her experiences, her training schedule, her plans moving forward and more.

Episode 10: Brendan "GMK" Kenny

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 10:21:52 +0100

Todays guest is Brendan "GMK" Kenny. Along with being the self proclaimed youngest Grand Master in history, Brendan is a 4 times Irish Open Champion and mutiple WAKO World and European medalist. Brendan has lots of experience in many combat sports including Kickboxing, boxing and taekwon-do. Today I talk to Brendan about his time in these sports and his plans moving forward.

Episode 9: Ryan Shelley

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 08:49:42 +0100

Ryan is an extremely decorated fighter, having been ITF Taekwon-Do World Champion and 4x times European Champion. In Kickboxing he's been WAKO World Champion and multiple times Irish Open Champion. Since 2017 Ryan has competed in MMA, fighting out of Team KF in Swords. Today I chat to Ryan about his time in Taekwon-Do and his plans going forward in MMA.

Episode 7: Mark Trotter

Mon, 06 May 2019 10:00:00 +0100

Mark Trotter is a legend within the ITF community, having won 9 World titles, 4 World Cup titles, 8 Oceania titles, an Asia Grand Champion title and a Pan-American title. Today I talk to Mark about how he got into martial arts and the journey his competitive career has taken him on as well as what he hopes to achieve in the future.

Episode 6: Caradh O Donovan

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 04:15:49 +0100

Caradh is a multi sport athlete, competing at the highest level in both karate and kickboxing. Caradh has collected many World, European and Irish Open titles. She is currently hoping to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and today I chat to her about her journey to this point as well as her goals going forward.

Episode 5: Richie Forde

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 20:44:54 +0100

Richie Forde has many achievements in ITF Taekwon-Do, some highlights being a European Gold in 2010, European Cup gold in 2013 as well as being part of the team sparring team that took gold at the 2015 World Championships. Richie is also the head instructor at East Cork Taekwon-Do, where as a relatively new club they have experienced many milestones in recent months. Today I talk to Richie about his experiences as both a competitor and a coach as well as how he would like to see taekwon-do training develop into the future.

Episode 4: Hong Looi

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Hong has had an extensive career in competing in ITF Taekwon-Do amassing many titles. Some highlights being winning a European gold in 2012, a World silver in 2011, and being part of the male sparring team that won gold at the 2013, 2015, and 2017 World Championships. Hong is also the head coach at Newbridge Taekwon-Do where he passes on his knowledge to younger generations. Hong has also competed at World & European Kickboxing championships as part of Kickboxing Ireland. A highlight being a European silver medal in points fighting in 2016. Today I talk to Hong about his many experiences throughout his martial arts journey and where he sees his path going into the future.

https://www.patreon.com/theblackbelter

Episode 3: Jon Mackey

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 08:10:33 +0000

Jon Mackey has a wealth of knowledge of both kickboxing and taekwon-do gained through years of competing and coaching. Jon is the head coach at Red Star Kickboxing in Dublin where he has trained multiple World and European champions. Jon is also a kickboxing Ireland national coach. Outside of combat sports Jon is undertaking a Masters in Student Coaching Science in Sport in UCD and is also the High Performance Director for Canoeing Ireland. Today I sit down with Jon and discuss his experiences as a coach and competitor as well his thoughts on the current state of WAKO's journey to becoming an Olympic sport.

https://www.patreon.com/theblackbelter

Episode 2: Adrian Byrne

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 21:04:46 +0000

Adrian Byrne is the head coach at Shannon Taekwon-Do Club and has been my coach for over 16 years. Adrian has worn many hats within the Irish taekwon-do community. From competitor to National Team Head Coach to ITA Board of Director to name a few. Adrian is also a Coach Education Officer within Sporting Ireland. Further Adrian was part of the team that put together a successful bid and then a very successful World Championships in Ireland in 2017. Today I talk to Adrian about his experiences as a competitor and national team coach along with some other bits and pieces along the way.

Episode 1: Adam Shelley

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:53:44 +0000

Adam Shelley is 2 x World Champion and 5 X European Champion in ITF Taekwon-Do as well being 3 x Irish Open Champion in Kickboxing. Adam has recently made the switch to competing in MMA. So today I talk to Adam about how he started martial arts his experience in Taekwon-Do and how he is going about making a successful switch into a new sport.