Adirondack Martial Arts

09/04/2023

The Combat Hapkido and Taekwondo Programs have moved to Self Defense American - Potsdam and will NO LONGER be at the dojang in Winthrop. Grandmaster Robert Gray, Senior Master Thomas Morrison, and Instructors Larry Holly, Kirke Perry, and Pat Haggett will be teaching in Potsdam.
Please like the Self Defense America - Potsdam page and direct all inquiries there.

07/09/2023

July 2023 - Senior Master James A. Brown, GM Jim Hartigan and GM Alfred Medina and Master Hornung all in one shot! Awesome!

06/03/2023

Many students have come and gone throughout the years we have been running a school here. From the "first" school in Potsdam on Market Street to the lawn at St. Mary's and the multi-purpose room at Clarkson to our current location, we've had many students train with us and some of them have earned their black belts from us. Here is a list of students of our school who have earned black belts from us.

(Note - an asterix (*) indicates that this person has earned black belt rank in both Tae Kwon Do and Combat Hapkido)

Tae Kwon Do Black Belts

(Kukkiwon and/or ITA - Independent Taekwondo Association)

Grandmaster Robert Gray*, Senior Master Thomas Morrison*, Master John Danis, Master Adam Miller, Jerry Burkett, Brett McCaffery, Ryan McCaffery, Rick Austin, Kelsey Burnham, Toby Brooks, Jit, Joe McDonald, Sandy Zuhlsdorf, Christine Cascatora, Vicki MacDonald*, Steve MacDonald*, Dave Norris*, Nanzy Ziemba*, Eric Ziemba*, Art Perrea*, Rebecca LaBlanc*, Justin Slaby*, Rustin Hartley*, Mike Gumuka, Jen Blanchard, Sarah Jenack, Ben DeMuth, James Melville, Chris Melville, Tim Melville, Eli Koon, Zane Gardner, and Nick Hunter*

Combat Hapkido Black Belts

(ICHF - International Combat Hapkido Federation)

Grandmaster Robert Gray*, Senior Master Thomas Morrison*, Senior Master Mark Williams, Master Adam Miller*, Master Mark Wood, Vicki MacDonald*, Steve MacDonald*, Dave Norris*, Nancy Ziemba*, Eric Ziemba*, Art Perrea*, Rebecca LaBlanc*, Justin Slaby*, Greg Buda, David Saunders, Isaiah Saunders, Don Hamele, Rustin Hartley*, James Redmore, Gary Ga***rd, Andrew Gillie, Mike Hornung, Nick Hunter*, Jesse Bleuer, Nick “Radar” Haywood, Michael (Barlow) Agen, Larry Holly, Kirke Perry, and Pat Haggett.

06/03/2023

04/08/2023

Services for Senior Master Mark Williams will be as follows:
Wake - 3-7pm Thursday 4/13 at Garner Funeral Home in Potsdam
Funeral Service - 10am on 4/14 at St Mary's in Potsdam
Post Funeral Celebration of Life at Parishville Amvets 1-4 pm Friday 4/14

A mass of Christian Burial for Mark L. “Willy” Williams will be held at 10:00am on Friday, April 14, 2023 at St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam with Rev. Joseph Giroux officiating. Calling hours will be held from 3:00pm to 7:00pm on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Garner Funeral Service in Potsdam. Mark passed away unexpectedly Thursday morning (April 6, 2023) at Rochester General Hospital.

Mark is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Beth, children Lewis “Lew” (Jenna) Williams of Norwood, Molly (Joseph) Andrasik of Norwood and Bridget (Camrin) Guido of Parishville, grandchildren Lexis, Kyla and Braxon Williams, Branche and Margaret Andrasik, Grady Guido, and a grandchild on the way; a brother Thomas Williams of Ogdensburg, aunts Jeanne Thompson of Watertown and Patricia Krause of Euless, TX, a close cousin Marcy (Steve) Branche Ellis of Morehead City, NC, and his mother in law Margaret “Peggy” Nagle of Baldwinsville whom he highly regarded. He is predeceased by his sister Ann.

Mark Lewis Williams was born on August 2, 1949 in Watertown, NY, a son of the late Arthur E. and Betty (Branche) Williams. He was a class of 1968 Norwood-Norfolk Central School graduate, and in July of that summer enlisted in the United States Navy where he served during the Vietnam War, he was honorably discharged in June 1974. After his separation from the military, Mark worked on the railroads in the upper Midwest, then moved to Florida where he learned and worked in the drywall trade before moving back to the North Country where he worked at the Potsdam Paper Mill and at the ARC in Norwood, where he attempted to unionize the employees.

He met Mary Beth while working at the ARC in 1977. They were married on September 9, 1978 at St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center, Potsdam NY by Reverend Bernie Kellogg. They settled in Parishville where they raised their family. In their retirement, they spent several winters in Port Charlotte, Florida with life-long friends, Wayne and Sue Labaff.

Mark started his own Drywall business and in 1991, he started working for the New York State Department of Corrections, during which time he worked at a number of facilities; Sing Sing, Fishkill, Bedford Hills (his least favorite) Cape Vincent, Gouverneur, Riverview and finally Franklin County Correctional Facility, where he enjoyed working in the infirmary and served as the EAP representative. Mark loved his job as a prison guard until his retirement in July 2014.

Mr. Williams appreciated life in many ways; Vegetable and fruit gardening, which turned into installing an orchard on his property, fly-fishing on the St. Regis River, installing drywall (Doc Roc), fishing in the ocean while speaking with people passing by, the science of locksmithing, attending and listening to opera, dancing with his bride , visiting with veterans (or anyone for that matter), feeding birds and birdwatching with his grandchildren, reading, researching anything involving World War II history, but most of all, his favorite activity was spending time with his grandchildren in any capacity.

He was an avid Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, a former member of the Amber Lodge #395 – Parishville, and a lung cancer survivor. Mr. Williams attained the rank of Senior Master Instructor, 6th Degree Black Belt in Combat Hapkido under Grand Master Robert Gray and Senior Master Thomas Morrison.

The Williams family would like to thank the staff at Canton Potsdam Hospital, especially Dr. Valmalia Matthews- Smith and Dr. Flos Brown as well as the cardio thoracic ICU staff at Rochester Regional Hospital, especially Dr. Allen Cheng whom cared for him during his brief illness. Condolences, thoughts, prayers and fond memories may be shared with the family of Mr. Mark Williams online at www.GarnerFH.com. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s memory can be made to the Parishville Volunteer Fire Department.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/potsdam-ny/mark-williams-11237161

12/16/2022

No power.... No power..... We don't need no F..... G Power.... Hanging with my family.... 😎🍺🍻♥️♥️

12/06/2022

Here is a clip of one of the presentations we got to see at the big ICHF 30th Anniversary Event ion Tennessee. Our own Sensei Mike is the Uke

Shinken-Ryu Aiki-Budo lecture/demonstration Gharios El Chemor Soke - Tennessee 22nd October 2022 ICHF 30th Anniversary Celebration - Chattanooga, Tennessee H...

11/19/2022

January 2022 - big test, including Mike Barlow for 2nd dan and Larry Holly for 1st dan.