Michael R. Cantwell

Early Training

Mike began training at the age of seven in 1982 with Chuck Merriman Sensei in his Karate International Dojo in Niantic, Connecticut. At the time, there were no children's classes available, therefore Mike trained with the adult students, which proved to be incredibly difficult. After several stops and starts due to the arduous and austere nature of the training and his shyness as a child, Mike began training in private lessons with Chad Merriman Sensei and Chuck Merriman Sensei at the age of fifteen.

Group Classes and Assisting with Children's Classes

At the age of sixteen in 1990, Mike joined the adult group classes while still maintaining his training in private lessons. A short time later, he started assisting with the children's classes and learning the fundamentals of teaching. After the Dojo relocated to a larger space, it began to grow in the number of students rapidly. This afforded Mike to gain more experience in both teaching and training.

The Competition Years and Black Belt

Mike took a serious interest in competition and In 1992 he won the gold medal at the U.S.A.K.F Regional Championships and both the Amateur Athletic Union (A.A.U.) Connecticut State and Regional Championships, which qualified him to compete in the A.A.U. Junior Olympics and the A.A.U. National Championships.

Once again, in 1993, Mike took gold medal in both the A.A.U. State and Regional Championships, again awarding him the opportunity to compete in the A.A.U. Junior Olympics and also A.A.U. National Championships for a second time, where he took a bronze medal.

1994, Mike was promoted to Shodan (1st Level Black Belt) by Chuck Merriman Sensei and also won the gold medal in the A.A.U. state championships awarding him once again the opportunity to compete in the A.A.U. National Championships for a third time.

In October of 1994, Mike was chosen to represent the United States as a member of the U.S. Karate team at the Miyagi Chojun Festival World Championships which featured 27 countries. Mike took home the gold medal in the light heavyweight division in Indvidual fighting, defeating Lars Pederson of Denmark in a shutout. He took home a second gold medal with the U.S.A Team by defeating the Denmark World Karate Team in the finals.

After this, at the age of twenty, Mike took a step back from competition to focus on coaching, teaching, and an in-depth study of the Kata (Forms) and Bunkai (Analyzation of the Kata). From that time to the present, he has mentored hundreds of students, from beginners to advanced levels, reach their goals in the spirit of true Karate Do.