Scottish Martial Arts Centre

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Colin Cairney.

The tributes shared over recent days speak volumes about the kind of person Colin was and the impact he had on those around him. A talented boxer, a respected teammate, and a young man with a bright future, his loss will be felt by many.

Everyone at SMAC sends their heartfelt condolences to Colin’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. He was always an inspirational figure around the gym and a lovely person to chat with. Our thoughts are also with Jamie, Sean, Taylor, and all of Colin’s teammates and friends at Team 1314 Boxing Club as they come to terms with this devastating loss.

May Colin rest in peace, and may his memory continue to live on through the many lives he touched.

Another top 3 finish for us at the national Taekwon-Do Championship. Our Taekwon-Do program is amongst the vesy best in the country and our students are reaping the rewards.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿𝗜𝗧𝗙 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

We would like to say a massive thank you to all clubs that attended and supported the 2026 National Championships!

The standard of students in Scotland increases year on year and the sportsmanship shown by competitors and coaches was excellent to see 🙏

Here are the overall club results for the 2026 Championships:

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙗 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
🏆 Force Taekwon-do 🏆
(33 Gold, 17 Silver, 14 Bronze)

🥈 Braveheart Martial Arts 🥈
(32 Gold, 20 Silver, 22 Bronze)

🥉Scottish Martial Arts Centre🥉
(17 Gold, 16 Silver, 19 Bronze)

Congratulations to all clubs in attendance for their individual medal hauls!

What a day at the ITF Scottish Championships! 🥋🏆

A huge thank you to all of our students, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents, families and supporters who represented the Scottish Martial Arts Centre with pride, passion and incredible spirit throughout the day. Events like this are only possible because of the dedication and teamwork behind the scenes, and we are grateful to every single person who played a part.

We are incredibly proud to have finished 3rd in the Overall Club standings with an outstanding medal haul of:

🥇 17 Gold
🥈 16 Silver
🥉 19 Bronze

Special congratulations to our two Overall Champions:
🏆 Mr Graham Duff
🏆 Miss Ruby Henderson

An amazing achievement and thoroughly deserved recognition for all of the hard work, discipline and commitment you both put in across all the events.

To all of our competitors — whether you stood on the podium today or not — remember that martial arts is about far more than medals. Competition teaches resilience, courage, humility, respect and perseverance. Every match, every performance and every challenge is an opportunity to learn, improve and grow stronger both physically and mentally.

Winning is fantastic, but character is built through effort, determination and the willingness to keep showing up, even when things don’t go your way. Experience gained today will become success tomorrow.

We could not be prouder of every single member of Team SMAC. The attitude, support for one another and professionalism shown throughout the day truly reflected what our club stands for.

Now it’s time to recover… then back to training for our next goal!

Tomorrows TKD Tigers class at 10am is unfortunately cancelled due to the coaches attending the Scottish Championship. We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Happy 18th Birthday, Miss Orr! 🎉🥳

From that tiny pink girlie girl who first stepped onto the mat, to a fierce kiclboxing ring fighter, Scottish & British Taekwon-Do Champion, two-time Internationalist, invaluable Assistant Instructor, and proud 2nd Degree Blackbelt… what an incredible journey you’ve had!

You’ve grown into such a strong, determined, and talented young woman, and we couldn’t be prouder of everything you’ve achieved. Your hard work, heart, and fighting spirit are an inspiration to everyone around you.

Wishing you the happiest of 18th birthdays filled with joy, cake, and all the things that make you smile. Here’s to an amazing new chapter ahead — keep shining, champion!

With lots of love and pride from your fam at the gym ❤️🥋

A truely unique medal at this year's Scottish Taekwon-Do Championships!

Deadline for entry is the 15th May!

Information available at reception!

🏅 MEDAL REVEAL 🏅

The ITF Scotland National Championships medals have officially been revealed… and they look AMAZING! 🔥

Featuring the iconic Highland Cow alongside the proud Thistle of Scotland, we couldn’t think of a more fitting design to represent the spirit, strength, and pride of Scottish Taekwon-Do 💪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

These are more than just medals — they’re a symbol of hard work, dedication, and earning your place among the best in the country🏆

Want your hands on one? 🤔
There’s only one way to do it… be in it to win it!

If you haven’t registered yet, you’d better be quick — entries close on the 15th May. Speak to your instructor for more details and secure your place before it’s too late.

Who will rise to the challenge?
Who will come out on top as National Champion? 👀🏆

Today we sadly attended Stirling Crematorium to pay our respects and say a final farewell to Dean Calder.

Dean was a valued member of our martial arts family, and his passing has been a shock felt throughout the club. He will be remembered for the friendships he built, the time he shared with us, and his debut ring bout where he came out in the first round like a prime Mike Tyson.

We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Dean’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

In Dean’s memory, let’s continue to look out for one another and encourage anyone struggling to speak up and seek support.

Rest in peace, Dean. You will not be forgotten. 🕊️

What an incredible achievement for these 5 students representing Scotland at the European Championships in Slovenia 🇸🇮🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Each of them started their journey at different ages, faced their own challenges, and followed their own path — but all shared the same goal: earning their black belt. Now, they’re travelling the world and competing at the highest level of Taekwon-Do. That’s something truly special.

🔹 Kirstyn Orr (17y, 2nd Degree) – Started at 8 years old and now a 2x European competitor. Finishing 4th in power breaking after narrowly losing out in the medal playoffs and taking **silver in team sparring**, scoring a vital match point to progress to the medals. Kirstyn continues to show what dedication looks like at the top level.

🔹 Ruby Henderson (15y, 1st Degree) – Beginning at age 10, Ruby has already competed at both European and World Championships. Adding another **European team sparring silver** to her collection alongside a World silver and World bronze, and two European bronzes is an outstanding achievement.

🔹 Emma Brown (14y, 1st Degree) – Starting at 8, Emma stepped onto the big stage for the very first time and came within **13 seconds of a medal** in sparring, just losing out after 4 rounds. A huge performance and just the beginning of what’s to come.

🔹 Max Mooney (15y, 1st Degree) – Starting at 7, Max showed incredible resilience after missing last year due to a serious knee injury. To come back, get selected, and perform so strongly in his debut — even in the face of a tough disqualification — speaks volumes about his character. His attitude has been first class throughout.

🔹 Alex Davidson (15y, 1st Degree) – Beginning his journey at just 3 years old, Alex made his European debut in power breaking. While he didn’t medal, representing his country after over a decade of hard work is an achievement in itself.

These are more than results — these are stories of commitment, resilience, and growth.

To the next generation: this is what’s possible. Every class, every session, every small improvement adds up. Your journey might look different — but the opportunity is there.

Well done team. Proud is an understatement. 💙

Scotland Junior female team featuring Ruby Henderson and Kirstyn Orr have beaten Netherlands, Ireland, and the host county Slovenia to reach the European Championships Final.

GOOD LUCK GIRLS

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥋 Good luck to our SMAC athletes who have all arrived in Slovenia ahead of this weeks ITF European Taekwon-Do Championships!

We’re incredibly proud to have the following students representing the national team:

🔥 Max – Sparring & Special Technique
🔥 Alex – Power
🔥 Kirstyn – -65kg Sparring, Patterns & Power
🔥 Emma – +65kg Sparring & Teams
🔥 Ruby – -65kg Sparring, Patterns, Power, Special Technique & Teams

The dedication, discipline, and growth these athletes have shown has been outstanding. The coaches couldn’t be prouder of the hard work they’ve put in to reach this level.

We’ll be posting updates throughout the week, so keep an eye on our page 👀

We’d also encourage our younger athletes and next generation of competitors to tune into the live streams, watch, learn, and be inspired to follow in their footsteps 💪

Let’s go Team Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿