Mike O’Hara has been a student and teacher of the Eastern martial arts for over thirty years. He has been an instructior in New Zealand Freestyle Martial Arts since 1990, and completed his yon-dan (4^th degree black belt) grading in 2006. He was inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2005 and granted the teaching rank of Shihan (Master) in 2010.

Mike has studied a number of weapon arts over the years and has proficiency in jo and kanatan. Mike has dabbled in other weapon arts, including escrima. He began studying Western Martial Arts in 2010 and now teaches with the Upper Hutt branch of the New Zealand School of European Martial Arts. Mike and Colin McKinstry are currently writing a book together, tentatively titled Principles of Martial Art Motion: East Meets West.