About Performance Martial Arts


Performance Taekwon-Do was opened in February of 2014 in Halifax, Nova Scotia by Sean O'Neil and is currently located at 5676 Sebastian Street, Halifax. Martial arts are a good way for students to develop self esteem and a healthy lifestyle that will complement their lives outside of training. Martial arts are also a tool for social development - they teach self discipline and encourage practitioners to be accountable for their progress and training. The instructors are extensively trained in multiple martial arts. The club started as a Taekwon-Do club but given the instructors' involvement in WKF Karate via Halifax Ryuseikan Karate, in Sept 2022 we became recognized by Karate Nova Scotia, rebranded as Performance Martial Arts and added a separate Karate program. We focus on developing elite martial artists with a particular emphasis on the sport aspect of ITF Taekwon-Do and WKF Karate. You can find more information about Performance Martial Arts as well as our provincial, national and international governing bodies/organizations at the below links:

KNS - Karate Nova Scotia
KC - Karate Canada
WKF - World Karate Federation
TNSA - Taekwon-Do Nova Scotia Association
CTFI - Canadian Taekwon-Do Federation International
ITF - International Taekwon-Do Federation



Instructors


Sean O'Neil



Sean O'Neil is PMA's chief instructor, a 4th degree black belt in Taekwon-Do, and a 2nd degree black belt in Chito-Ryu Karate. Sean was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and in 2001, at the age of 6, Sean started training in Taekwon-Do at Tien-Lung Taekwon-Do in Halifax, and 3 years later he moved to Mackenzie Taekwon-Do in Hammonds Plains. Sean has competed at many national and international level competitions and has been the national champion in both patterns and sparring for many years, and has brought home many medals from the following World Cups and World Championships, including 7 gold. Sean also has multiple national championship titles in Karate. Sean works as a software developer for a financial services company.



Serena MacRury



Serena MacRury started training in Taekwon-Do in 2007 at the age of 9 at Hiltz Taekwon-Do in Lower Sackville. Serena joined Performance Taekwon-Do in 2016 as an assistant instructor. Serena is also a multiple time national champion in patterns and sparring and has represented Canada at the following World Championships and World Cups. Serena works as a veterinary technician at a local practice.




Black Belts

Ryan O'Neil, 3rd Dan (TKD)/Shodan (Karate) - Ryan spent his younger years training with his brother, Sean. He has won 3 consecutive Taekwon-Do World Championships in Senior 2nd Dan Patterns, ending in 2019. He has since retired from Taekwon-Do competition and committed to Karate full time. Ryan trains with Mitch German at Ryuseikan and acts as a Karate coach and advisor for the Karate program at PMA. Ryan has won multiple National Karate Championships, been on the podium at the Pan-American championships and represented Canada at the World Karate Championships. He also attended the Paris Olympic trials for the 2020 Olympic Games. Ryan is a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in the engineering department.

Evan Peddle, 2nd Dan (TKD) - Evan started doing Taekwon-Do in 2011 at Mackenzie Taekwon-Do in Hammonds Plains. He has won 8 gold medals at a national level, and has also won 2 bronze medals in 2nd dan patterns from World Cups in Australia (2018) and Argentina (2024). Evan also trains in Karate and has been a member of the Karate NS provincial team since 2018. He has 2 bronze medals from the US Open, a silver medal from the 2023 Canada Games and a gold medal from the 2024 national championships. Outside martial arts, Evan attends Saint Mary’s University, where he is currently pursuing and bachelors degree in computer science and business administration. In his free time he likes to spend time with friends and play the guitar.

Mike Pellichero, 1st Dan (TKD) - Mike started training in Taekwon-Do at Performance Taekwon-Do in 2016 and in November of 2021, he achieved his 1st degree black belt. Mike most recently took gold in junior male red belt/black stripe patterns at the 2021 Canadian E-nationals. He's looking forward to competing internationally as a black belt in the coming years. Mike attends Citadel High School and is in his final year.

Matt Mackenzie, 1st Dan (TKD) - Matt discovered his passion for Taekwondo later in life at the age of 38, driven by a desire to spend quality time with his daughters and improve his fitness. Matthew started his Taekwondo journey at McKenna Taekwondo and later joined Performance Taekwondo in 2022, Matthew aimed to train with coaches that were still active in the sport with the goal of becoming a competitive Taekwondo athlete himself. Now at 45 years old, Matthew still actively trains and competes alongside his daughters in as many local, national and international tournaments as he can. Outside of Taekwondo Matthew can be found alongside his wife Carmen running their manufacturing companies in the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.

Bailey Mackenzie, 1st Dan (TKD) - Bailey started her taekwondo journey at McKenna Taekwon-Do in 2016 and later joined PMA in 2022. In 2023, Bailey won gold at Nationals, and competed for Team Canada at the World Championships in Finland. Bailey is in her final year at Auburn Drive High.

Jameson Kirker, 1st Dan (TKD) - Jameson started Taekwon-Do in 2017 at a club in Ottawa. After which he joined Mackenzie Taekwon-Do and then Performance Martial Arts. He has 2 National Gold Medals in Taekwon-Do, placed first in Taekwon-Do E-Nationals in 2021, second place in the E-World Cup, and competed at the 2022 World Cup in Slovenia. Jameson also does Karate, having earned a bronze at the 2024 US open in Texas and a bronze at the 2024 Karate Nationals. Outside of martial arts Jameson likes to go surfing.

David West, 1st Dan (TKD) - David started training at Hiltz Taekwondo in 2016 until 2023, he then started training at Performance Martial Arts, training in Taekwon-Do and Karate. David has competed in two online competitions in 2020, the Canadian National championships (gold) and the Pan-American Cup (silver). David also competed in the Canadian National Championships in 2023 earning a bronze medal in 1st dan patterns and bronze in junior pre-arranged sparring. He recently started Karate and is beginning to participate in local karate tournaments. David is attending his final year at Lockview High School and is hoping to attend Saint Mary's University next year for a bachelor of commerce. David enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking and is a heavy gym goer.

Simran Singh, 2nd Dan (TKD) - Simran started Taekwon-Do in 2010 at age 5. She initially trained at Hiltz Taekwon-Do, but in 2023 she joined PMA. Simran competed in the 2023 Vernon, BC nationals where she won gold in sparring and patterns, bronze in pre-arranged sparring and received the 'Top Junior Female' award. Currently, Simran attends Saint Mary’s University in the Bachelor of Commerce program. In the future she aspires to study law. Simran also enjoys figure skating when she's not doing Taekwon-Do.