Team DKMA (De-Vry Korean Martial Arts) scooped 43 trophies at the Aberdeen Tang Soo Do and Haedong Kumdo open championships on 22nd March 08. The students competed in three disciplines - empty hand forms, weapon forms and semi contact points sparring. Two students Michelle Grigor and Tracy Wilson both of whom train in the dynamic Korean sword art of Haedong Kumdo, did a great job in winning 3rd place in their respective categories, especially as they were up against black belts. The team won 14x 1st place trophies, 14 x 2nd places and 15 x 3rd places. First place winners were: Jordan Shaw (9) Forms, Jamie Grigor (7) Forms/ Weapons, Kyle Grigor (11) Weapons, Heather Matthews (14) Weapons, Charlotte Luxon (9) Sparring/ Weapons, Ryan Forsythe (10) Sparring, Natasha Wardley (16) Weapons, Lewis Davidson (10) Sparring, Connor Forsythe (14) Sparring, Dominique Sutherland (16) Sparring, Tracy McBay Forms, Felicity Stephen Forms.
Brothers and Master Instructors Jan and Warren De-Vry said:" We are delighted with the team's results and would like to pay tribute to the commitment of the Instructors, students and parents".
A special mention must go to Felicity Stephen who won 1st place in Forms and 3rd place for Weapon Forms in the adult coloured belt category, as she was five and half months pregnant.

Little Dragons Make the Grade March 2008

Students from the De-Vry Korean Martial Arts Academy celebrate their
Little Dragons Black Belt Graduation on February 25th. Murray McCammon (7) Nairn,Emma Newlands (6) and Calum Parson (6) of Forres have trained regularly at the DKMA studio in Forres over the past two years. The little Dragons programme offers an age-specific curriculum that has been professionally designed and helps young children to develop solid foundation skills such as discipline, concentration and physical fitness. Master Warren De-Vry said: "Many of our successful Tang Soo Do students began their training in the little dragons programme"

Students from the De-Vry Korean martial Arts centre (DKMA) joined the Scottish Haedong Kumdo and Tang Soo Do team in competing against the rest of Europe, South Africa and America in the first International games competition held in Groningen, Holland. The martial arts of Haedong Kumdo and Tang Soo Do have received recognition from the Olympic martial arts committee. The aim of GAIF is to get full Olympic status for as many martial arts as possible over the next decade.
This was the third major competition DKMA has entered students into over the last six weeks and is the culmination of eighteen months of hard work and commitment by the Instructors and students, which has enabled the centre to achieve the best results in over ten years of competing. The results were: Michelle Grigor 1st HDK sword form, Sarah Aston 3rd HDK sword form, Roy Curry 1st HDK sword cutting and 2nd for sword sparring. In Tang Soo Do Jimmy Grigor 3rd points sparring, Kyle Grigor (10) 1st points sparring and 3rd weapon forms, Jamie Grigor (6) 1st weapons forms.
Michelle Grigor who normally watches her husband and boys competing at other competitions put the pressure on her family by winning 1st place in her first ever competition. Michelle decided to start training in the sword martial art of Haedong Kumdo after years of watching the rest of the family training and competing.
Master Warren de-Vry said:" The team results were excellent, but watching the shocked look on Michelle's face when the judges announced her name as the winner of the category was a delight".

Read the Northern Scot article here

The team was celebrating their success after the Scottish contingent stormed to victory with their best results in 14 years of competition, earning a massive tally of 42 medals and four Grand Championship titles.

DKMA students took home 15 gold medals, nine silver and four bronze across the three disciplines of semi contact points sparring, forms and weapon forms.

In a fantastic achievement, Forres brother and sister, Nathan (10 ) and Courtney Reade (8), both took Grand Champion titles, Nathan for the junior black belt category and Courtney for the junior coloured belt category.

It's believed that this is the first time siblings have achieved this double title success.

Master Warren De-Vry said: "Those students who had recently achieved medal success at the Scottish Championships, proved their quality once again by successfully taking on the best in Britain, despite a long and tiring journey. I would like to thank all those who have supported and helped to raise funds for the team."

Read the Northen Scot Article here

Scottish Tang Soo Do Champions!

Well done to Heather & Dominic
October 2007

Congratulations to Jimmy and Tracy!

16th July 2007:
Jimmy Grigor and Tracy McBay took their training to a new level when they graded recently. For Jimmy, a first dan and a second dan for Tracy.
Also grading for 2nd dan were Tamsin Siu and Connor MacIntyre from Phoenix Martial arts. The examination was conducted by Master
Warren De-Vry and Master Miles Hatch.

HDK students make the grade!

16th July 2007:

Congratulations to Leon, Phil, Tracy, Russ and Michelle who recently
graded in Haedong Kumdo!

The De-Vry Korean Martial Arts Centre (DKMA) sent 26 competitors to the event as part of the National Scottish squad and enjoyed a very successful day.

The standard of the competition was exceptionally high with the DKMA students competing in the three categories, empty hand forms, weapon forms and free sparring.

Chief instructor Warren De-Vry said: "This was an excellent opportunity for the students to join their fellow Scottish team members and take on the best teams in Britain and Europe. For a number of the students it was their first taste of international competition and they performed well."

The DKMA team won 27 medals in all, eight gold, 10 silver and nine bronze medals spread across the three disciplines. The DKMA members crowned as European champions were Dominique Sutherland (15), gold in sparring and forms, Jimmy Grigor, gold men's over 35 years sparring, Kyle Grigor (10), gold sparring and weapons forms and Jamie Grigor (6), gold in forms, weapon forms and sparring.

The De-Vry Korean Martial Arts Centre is located in Forres. Chief Instructor Master Warren De-Vry is the coach and programme manager for the studio.

Click here for the Forres Gazette Article
click here

Congratulations to the DKMA students who recently
took part in the Race for Life. The runners, Denise
Reade, Courtney Reade(aged 8), Sharon Paterson
and Margaret Reade, Tanja Partington, Melanie
Angell, Charlotte and Shirley Luxon, Tina Coffey and
Suzie De-Vry all ran in memory of Anne De-Vry who
recently passed away.

Sharon, who is on the ladies kickboxing program, ran
the course in just 30 minutes.

13th May 2007

Dragon Black Belt Grading

Congratulations to Aimee Newlands aged 7 from
Andersons Primary School, and Liam Brown aged 7
from Kinloss Primary School who passed their Dragon
Black Belt grading on 10th May 2007, they are now
both on the Junior Tang Soo Do programme.

Well done!

10th May 2007

World Haedong Kumdo Federation (Way of the Sword) master instructor Tom Clark travelled up
from Glasgow to assist Masters Jan and Warren
De-Vry to assess the first students to grade at
this art in Scotland.

The students making local history were Roy Curry, Sarah Aston, Mandeigh Wells and John Farrington.
They were put through their paces by the masters in a two-hour session that tested the students'
sword handling skills, forms, cutting and fencing. Roy, who is an experienced swordsman, achieved
the highest coloured belt rank of Cho Dan Bo, which translates to apprentice black belt, Sarah,
Mandeigh and John, who have been training for several months, achieved the rank of blue belt,
which places them about half way to the coveted rank of black belt.

Haedong Kumdo is quoted as the world's most popular sword art and encompasses practice with both
wooden, bamboo and aluminium training swords and the forged steel sword for cutting.

Students learn sword drawing, forms simulating combat, sparring with bamboo or foam swords and for
adults cutting with a steel sword.

First Published in the Forres Gazette

29th November 2006