My name is Gerard Cahill and I am a 5th Degree Blackbelt in the dynamic martial art of Taekwon Do which I love and I have been of a mind for a long time to write about a man who I call both Instructor and friend. His name is Master John Swift.
He is however much much more than this. He is a husband; father, family man, brother, son, businessman and one of the most dedicated and accomplished martial artists I have ever known and believe me in my much more than 20 years training and teaching in Taekwon Do I feel that I have the required knowledge to say this. I have travelled the world and competed and trained with the best and he stands among them in his own right without a shadow of a doubt. The scary thing is that he has only scratched the surface and the heights he has still to achieve are not only well within his capabilities but watch this space as even greater things are still to come.
I trust him implicitly as he is without doubt a man of his word who knows how to keep a confidence. If he says it he’s going to do it. He is quiet, thoughtful, studious and extremely incisive but don’t underestimate him. He may keep his own council but he knows the time of day and will say it how it is. He doesn’t call a spade a gardening implement. He’s nobody’s fool.
As a businessman he is fair and astute, having studied his subject to the nth degree. He applies his knowledge daily and across a wide spectrum of business areas. He deserves every success in his endeavours as he puts in the work to take him to the top. He is ambitious in a very measured sensible way in all areas of his life and his feet are firmly on the ground.
He is a dedicated and caring husband and father. You just have to be with him, Emma and Thomas to see and feel the love, care and mutual respect they have for each other. I must mention Emma here as she is without doubt the woman behind the man. Hard work is second nature to her and she deserves all the kudos I can give her and along with Master Swift they make a formidable team. Young Thomas is a fabulous young boy who has a great appetite for Taekwon Do and for steak and beefburgers. Boy can that kid eat.
As a martial artist I can say that Master Swift is in the ascendency. The word passionate is bandied about nowadays like confetti in the wind but when I use the word passionate in Master Swifts case it means exactly what it says. His love for Taekwon Do is apparent to every serious martial artist who meets him. He studies it, eats it, sleeps it and passes it on without fear nor favour to all his students equally. He holds nothing or no one back. Belts are not his interest. Improving the quality of his art and passing it on to others is what motivates him. He is a very serious and dedicated martial artist.
When you train with him his depth of knowledge is readily apparent and the easy manner he has in passing on his knowledge is a joy to be part of. I have spent many hours in his company and he has motivated me to reach farther than I thought possible and for that I can only thank him and try to make him as proud of me as I am of him.
Mr G Cahill (V Degree)
STF – Scottish Taekwon Do Federation
