Featured affiliated academy: Kyoujin Ballymoney, Northern Ireland BJJ
Where is the gym located?
We run out of two locations: Ballymoney and Ballycastle on the north coast of Ireland.
How many people train there?
Around 30 members.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We have been open for just over a year and grown slowly over that period. We have had some new members this year and have a great core group of guys and girls.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Our highest grade is blue belt. We learn from our black belt coach, Peter Lavery, in Belfast and bring techniques back to our own gym. We recently had some of our members promoted and now have seven blue belts training between Ballymoney and Ballycastle.
When did the gym open?
September 2016 in Ballycastle, January 2017 in Ballymoney.
Kyoujin Ballymoney, Northern Ireland BJJ
Some facts about you:
Name: David O’Neill
Age: 27
Belt: Blue
Profession: Caravan Park Warden
How many years in BJJ: 4
Other martial arts: None
Where do you live: Castlerock, Northern Ireland
Where are you originally from: Castlerock, Northern Ireland
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
BJJ on the north coast of Ireland still has quite a small community – we were travelling for 1.5 hours to train with our head coach and he advised that we should open up our own gym under his instruction.
Kyoujin Ballymoney, Northern Ireland BJJ
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have lots of different people training for different reasons – most of them enjoy competing but some just want to learn a new skill and keep fit.
Why do they train?
We like to keep training fun and have a really positive atmosphere in the gym. Most of our members love the social aspect of BJJ but mostly are training because they find it fun and a great form of exercise.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym?
We both have full time jobs as well as running the gym so squeezing everything in to one day can sometimes be a challenge depending on how hectic work has been! We have classes on six days a week and fitting this around an already busy work schedule can sometimes be tough.
Kyoujin Ballymoney, Northern Ireland BJJ
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Hopefully it will continue to grow – the Irish BJJ scene has developed a lot even in the past few years with more competitions available to us and Irish competitors achieving great things at international level. There will even be the first IBJJF tournament in Dublin at the end of this year!
What’s the best thing about your gym?
I think the best thing about the gym would have to be the balance between fun and serious training. Everyone is welcoming to new members and we have also welcomed a couple of Globetrotters from Germany and Texas who have taught us great techniques to add to our games.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
We live in a very beautiful part of the world. Just about fifteen minutes away from Ballymoney you can visit the Giants Causeway and loads of the Game of Thrones locations around the coast as well. The weather may not be the best but there is still lots to do and see!
