Sensei Masao Kagawa 8th Dan JKS

Chief Technical Director of the Japan Karate Shotorenmei, Masao Kagawa sensei is considered to be one of the best technicians ever to have graduated from the infamous JKA instructors’ course.
Having competed successfully both nationally and internationally, winning everything there was to be won; Kagawa sensei now concentrates his efforts on the JKS and the JKF national teams. Considered to be one of the best instructors in Japan at the present time, he is head coach for the JKF national squad and chief instructors of the JKS Hombu Dojo and JKS Instructor’s Course. With support from the elite members of JKS Hombu Dojo instructors and having studied Asai Sensei’s karate for many years, Kagawa sensei is well prepared to take the JKS to its next level of development.

Sensei Malcolm Murphy 3rd Dan JKS

Born in 1965, Malcolm was a schoolboy International athlete in Track & Field.
In 1985 he started Karate in Monaghan with the only club at the time and as a beginner won his first National Tournament outright. Taking category combat winner, Overall combat winner and Team combat winner.

In 1986 he moved into Mugendo Kickboxing in which he holds the rank of 1st Degree Black and trained with the local club of which he was a founder member and later instructor. He also trained privately with the founder of Mugendo, 'Prof. George Canning'. By 1988 he had founded another two clubs in the North Monaghan area.

It was around this time he began working in Hotel Security as a doorman. There were no systems or courses available at that time so drawing on his Martial Art training and encounters in the hotels devised a basic system for Response & Restraint which he taught to all that worked with him.

Owing to a change in his main employment conditions he moved to Private Martial Art Instruction and furthered his own development with studies of Muay Thai, Bio-Energy. Diet & Nutrition and the incorporation of Sound Athletic Principles to Martial Art Training.

1996 saw a move to Galway where he continued to train alone and over the following years spent considerable time in the gym, Tri-athlon and Marathon training. After competing in a number of marathons and other events he returned to Karate.

Malcolm now trains with Sensei Scott Langley 5th Dan who is the technical director of The JKS in the UK and Ireland and attends monthly seminars around the country run by The JKS.

Malcolm returned to competition in 2009 and won the Irish International Karate Championships in the Kata division. In 2011 he was a member of the JKS National Squad making the Semi-Finals of Kata at the JKS World Championships.

In 2010 took 1st Dan under Sensei Scott Langley, Sensei Dermot O Keeffe, Sensei John Shanaghan and Sensei Yutaka Koike.

In 2011 took 2nd Dan under Sensei Kagawa. Sensei Yamaguchi and Sensei Kanayama.

In 2014 took 3rd Dan under Sensei Kagawa, Sensei Dermot o Keeffe, Sensei Paul Gianngrea and Sensei Alan Campbell

Sensei Marie Murphy 2nd Dan JKS

Marie Murphy is formerly from Co. Monaghan and began karate at the age of 7, continuing until she was 16 yeards old.. She moved to Galway in 1996 to go to college and studied as a Montessori teacher.
Today she is married to Malcolm with two children aged 6 and 7 years old. After becoming a mother she returned to karate.

Marie studies Shotokan Karate under the guidance of Senesi Scott Langley 5th Dan Technical Director of The JKS in the UK & Ireland and Sensei Harry Thompson of Moy Valley Freestyle Karate and Kickboxing.

Marie is a professional Karate Instructor, Garda vetted, HSE Certified in child protection and has child specific first aid training.

Being a competitive Martial Artist, her achievements for 2009 include IJKA National Championships medal winner, East Coast International Karate Championships runner up, IMAF European Championships (Germany) runner up, IMAF World Championships (Belgium) runner up and after placing 1st in the IMAF Irish Championships has already won her place on the 2010 Irish team.
She also trains in kickboxing, self defence and freestyle karate.

Marie has spent many years trying to find suitable classes for her own children within the martial arts but could only find classes in galway city and these classes did not always provide what she wanted.
So she has decided to research and develop her own system of teaching martial arts for children using her experiance within childcare and martial arts and promote it for the first time here in Tuam"