Aisling Grant lives in County Kildare, Ireland, with her husband Brendan and her two boys, Ethan and Alex. She holds the rank of 3rd Degree Black belt, and her school is Celbridge Kenpo Karate Academy. She has been practicing martial arts since she was a young child. Her mother, father, and sister are all Black Belts, as well, and they all train, teach, and work at their school. Her son Ethan is now also practicing Kenpo, and she is very proud of this.
Teaching martial arts is Aisling’s full-time employment. Her father, Edward Downey, has been teaching martial arts for over 45 years and is a 9th Degree Black Belt, and she teaches alongside him. Her father has taught Aisling not only martial arts skills, but also how to be a decent person of service to one’s family, friends, and community. Aisling would also like to pay tribute to Master John Sepulveda and Master Bob White for the teachings they have provided her.
Aisling’s roles in her school include general management, children’s program implementation and design, and teaching group and private lessons to 300 students. She has also enjoyed designing and coordinating many Celbridge Kenpo Karate Demonstration Team shows. Furthermore, she provides self-defense programs to her local schools.
Aisling’s particular interests in Kenpo include basics and forms, along with the conditioning required to perform these well. She enjoys sparring and has competed and won many IKC tournaments in Europe and the USA.
Aisling says that the greatest gift Kenpo has given her is the psychological resilience and industriousness which she can apply to anything in life, as well as the true meaning of family and unity.
She has completed a college degree in sports management and coaching, and she is an advanced yoga student and certified yoga instructor.