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Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate

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  • 2024 Senior Karateka of the Year

    2024 Senior Karateka of the Year

    Siani Symons

    Congratulations to our 2024 Senior Karateka of the Year, Siani Symons.

    Siani was our 2023 Senior Karateka of the Year and has followed up that great year by being even stronger in 2024.

    Siani has grown considerably throughout the year as a result of the time and effort she puts into her karate. You will always see her doing extra work before and after class, and during classes she is very focused on taking onboard the lessons given.

    As a valuable member of our leadership team Siani has proven to be an inspiration to many of the younger karateka who look up to her as a great example.

    We see a Siani becoming a great black belt, instructor and valuable member of the Gold Coast dojo for many years to come!

  • Thanks for a great 2024

    Thanks for a great 2024

    Firstly I would like to thank you all for choosing me to be your karate instructor. It is a responsibility I take very seriously.

    2024 has been a great year for our dojo. It is a year that I feel we have matured and created a strong foundation that will drive us forward for many years to come. The number of brown belts we now have is the largest we have ever had and there are lots more to come through in the next couple of years from all the great people we have in the greens, blues, and purple ranks. We also have some great committed students in our beginner ranks and I am very excited to see what the next year brings for them.

    With so many great established students in place we will now be looking to recruit new members to the dojo so please spread the word, tell everyone how great the Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate dojo is and invite them to come and experience it for themselves.

    Our leadership team members have gone from strength to strength and many of them are now very capable of taking their own classes. In 2025 we will look to increase their responsibilities as we continue to guide them to be even more amazing teachers. In 2025 we will also be looking to bring more members into our leadership team so if this is an area of interest to you please speak with myself or register to be a member of the leadership team in the eDojo.

    Annual Award Winners

    As the year comes to an end we present our end of year awards. We have always only handed out a couple of awards each year making winning one of these a very significant achievement. This year in particular there were many stand outs and choosing our winners was a difficult decision. I would like to congratulate each of our annual award winners.

    • Little Champions Karateka of the Year – Ophelia Wu Leng
    • Karate Kids Karateka of the Year – Henry Ho
    • Senior Karateka of the Year – Siani Symons
    • Budoka of the Year – Tom Allibone

    Keep an eye on the news section of the website for more details of the great year all these people have had to win their awards.

    2026 Soke Cup

    In 2025 we will begin our serious preparations for the 2026 Soke Cup. As the host of this event our preparations will form two parts. One will be preparing our athletes to be ready to compete on the world stage. The other will be in planning the event. As the host we will be asking all our members for assistance across many different areas, from sponsorship to volunteers. Keep an eye out in the new year for notices about this.

    For our athletes I am proud to announce our coaching team. It is a very experienced and knowledgeable team and I am sure they will lead you all to achieve your absolute best.

    • Kata Coach – Sam Lenton
    • Kumite Coach – Brendan Young
    • Kobujutsu Coach – Kazumi Tominaga
    • Support Coach – Anthony Horgan

    Special training sessions, information sessions and more will be advised in the new year.

    2024 Highlights

    In a big year there are a couple of highlights I would like to note:

    During the year both Brendan Sensei and Sam Sensei were promoted to nidan (2nd degree black belt), this a great personal achievement for each of them and a significant step forward for the Gold Coast dojo. When I first started the dojo 20 years ago I was only ranked shodan so to now have a dojo with shodan and nidan ranked students is pretty special. Over the next couple of years I look forward to seeing many more black belts join our ranks.

    Another highlight for me was seeing Anthony Horgan Sensei finally get to open his own dojo. Anthony was my first serious student who started training in my garage and inspired me to make teaching karate my lifestyle. To see him progress to now be able to open Brisbane Chito-Ryu Karate is very special to me.

    And finally with so many great classes, events, tournaments and more one event really stood out to me and that was the visit of Michael Noonan Kyoshi. Not only was it fantastic to see first hand what high level karate can look like, even more pleasing was the way so many of our members made the effort to attend the classes. And even more pleasing was how respectful, focused and the spirit they showed was. It was a very proud moment for me to see our dojo represented so well.

    Once again a big thank you to everyone for a fantastic year I look forward to an even bigger and better 2025 as we celebrate 20 years of Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate.

    Adam Higgins, Shihan

  • 2026 Soke Cup – Coaching Team

    2026 Soke Cup – Coaching Team

    In 2025 we will commence our focussed preparations towards the 2026 Soke Cup. As the host dojo for the Chito-Ryu Karate-Do World Titles we will look to supply the largest and strongest team for this prestigious event.

    To ensure all our athletes have the best preparation opportunities we have appointed specialised coaches to lead our team. Each of our coaches have extensive competitive experience and are ready to give there all to help all the Gold Coast team members achieve their best.

    Please welcome our 2026 Soke Cup Coaching Team:

    • Kata Coach – Samantha Lenton (4 Soke Cups, 2 Gold Medals)
    • Kumite Coach – Brendan Young (3 Soke Cups, 2 Gold Medals)
    • Kobujyutsu Coach – Kazumi Tominaga (2 Soke Cups, 2 Gold Medals)
    • Support Coach – Anthony Horgan (6 Soke Cups, 3 Gold Medals)
  • 2024 Summer Grading

    2024 Summer Grading

    Congratulations to everyone who attended the Summer Grading.  It is fantastic to see everyone progressing in their technique and moving closer to achieving a black belt.  As is normal at a grading not everyone was successful with some people not quiet ready so did not graduate this time, please keep on working , make the adjustments needed and I am sure you will be successful next time.

    Results:

  • 2024 QLD State Titles Success

    2024 QLD State Titles Success

    Well done to our Gold Coast Team at the 2024 QLD Chito-Ryu Karate State Titles, performing very well with some great results and terrific improvement from everyone.  A special mention to Ophelia who was the stand out Little Champion winning every one of her events.

    A big thank you to the Sunshine Coast Chito-Ryu Karate for hosting this event.

    Results

     

    Gold Medal – 7

    • Ophelia Wu Leng – Basic Skills 5-7 years (White – LC Orange)
    • Ophelia Wu Leng – Kata 4-7 years (All levels)
    • Ophelia Wu Leng – Kumite 6-7 years Mixed
    • Samantha Lenton – Kata 40+ years 5 Kyu+
    • Kazumi Tominaga – Kobujutsu Bo 16+ years
    • Hugo Harrington – Kumite 8-9 years M
    • Millicent Mansbridge – Kumite 14-15 years F

     

    Silver – 8

    • Kazumi Tominaga – Kata 40+ years 5 Kyu+
    • Knuckle Busters (Hugo Harrington, Henry Ho, Jayden Watanabe) – Team Kata (White – 8 Kyu)
    • Gold Coast Girls (Samantha Lenton, Siani Symons, Kazumi Tominaga) – Team Kata (7 Kyu +)
    • Samantha Lenton – Kobujutsu Bo 16+ years
    • Kazumi Tominaga – Kobujutsu Sai 16+ years
    • Jayden Watanabe – Kumite 8-9 years M
    • Jesse Valencour – Kumite 10-11 years M
    • Siani Symons – Kumite 14-15 years F

     

    Bronze – 5

    • Cooper Higgins – Kata 10-13 years 5 Kyu+
    • Tom Allibone – Kata 14+ years White–8 Kyu
    • Millicent Mansbridge – Kobujutsu Bo 8-15 years
    • Henry Ho – Kumite 10-11 years M
    • Bohdi Valencour – Kumite 13-14 years M

     

  • New Brown Belts

    New Brown Belts

    Six new brown belt ranks at Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate following a special Brown & Black Belt Grading.  The Brown belt ranks (3rd-1st Kyu) are considered very important at Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate as they signify that the serious training towards black belt has begun.  Not only where the students tested on the day but where also closely monitored in the months leading up to the grading to ensure the correct work ethic, focus, etiquette and responsibility was being demonstrated. All students had been working very hard in the lead up and the result was a fantastic level of performance on the grading day.

    Well done to everyone.
    Tahlia Boyd – 2nd Kyu (Brown)
    Harrison De Byl – 2nd Kyu (Brown)
    Millicent Mansbridge – 2nd Kyu (Brown)
    Amelie Ollivier – 2nd Kyu (Brown)
    Siani Symons – 3rd Kyu (Brown & White)
    Cooper Higgins – 3rd Kyu (Brown & White)

     

  • Spring Grading Success

    Spring Grading Success

    Well done to everyone who challenged for their next level at the 2024 Spring Grading.  It is great to see some new belts around the dojo.  For those that were not successful this time keep working hard and you will achieve your goal.

    4 Kyu (Purple) – Ben Hastings
    5 Kyu (Purple & White) – Taiyo Tani
    5 Kyu (Purple & White) – Naoki Tani
    6 Kyu (Blue) – Yasmine Lintott
    6 Kyu (Blue) – Jesse Valencour
    6 Kyu (Blue) – Xaviar Thompson
    9 Kyu (Green & White) – Aidan Connolly
    9 Kyu (Green & White) – Henry Duyvestyn
    9 Kyu (Green & White) – Henry Ho
    9 Kyu (Green & White) – Jayden Watanabe
    9 Kyu (Green & White) – Jeremy Valencour
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Jasmin Collins  *** Triple grade
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Sine Levin
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Finn McMillan
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Vander Mulcahy
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Koda Revell
    10 Kyu (Orange) – Rowan Beste
    11 Kyu (Orange & White) – Ashton Collins  ** Double grade
    11 Kyu (Orange & White) – Robert Graham
    11 Kyu (Orange & White) – Indigo Levin

  • Winter Grading Success

    Winter Grading Success

    It was fantastic to see all the progress students had been making at our winter grading.  So many people stepped up showing significant growth since their last grading, it is a great sign for the future as they continue to work towards achieving their black belts.

    A special mention to all the White belts who stepped up for their first grading and performed very well showing they are on the path to consistent progress.

    We also had a number of our ex-Little Champions who all demonstrated they have adapted well to stepping up into the older age group.  With some having 2-3 years of training under their belt they were able to double and for one triple grade.  Well done!

    Grading Results:
    Carlo de Byl – 4 Kyu (Purple)
    Enoch Kavelin – 4 Kyu (Purple)
    Slade Revell – 6 Kyu (Blue)
    Eito Tashima – 6 Kyu (Blue)
    Charlie Chipperfield – 7 Kyu (Blue & White)
    Jemaine Mulcahy – 7 Kyu (Blue & White)
    Dylan Preston – 7 Kyu (Blue & White) **double grade
    Sarah Huston – 7 Kyu (Blue & White)
    Tom Allibone – 8 Kyu (Green)
    Ding (Martin) Ma – 8 Kyu (Green)
    Pailyne Price – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Leon Cersofios – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Sylas Dawson – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Hugo Harrington – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Lucas MacDonald – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Hou Leung (Cody) Ng – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Kar Yann (Chloe) Ng – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Johnson Yu – 9 Kyu (Green & White)
    Aidan Connolly – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Henry Ho – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Aggie Jones – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Airi Tani – 10 Kyu (Orange) **triple grade
    Jayden Watanabe – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Claire Mulcahy – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Harrison Coughlin – 10 Kyu (Orange)
    Riley Dawson – 11 Kyu (Orange & White) **double grade
    Ari Everitt – 11 Kyu (Orange & White)
    Zen Kudo – 11 Kyu (Orange & White) **double grade
    Thomas Manley – 11 Kyu (Orange & White) **double grade
    Rowan Beste – 11 Kyu (Orange & White) **double grade
    Indigo Levin – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Xanthea van Wijk – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Hudson Humrich – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Yoko Tashima – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Avery Wu Leng – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Brett Humrich – 12 Kyu (Yellow)
    Peter Walsh – 12 Kyu (Yellow)

  • 2024 Japan Training Trip

    2024 Japan Training Trip

     

    Train, eat, train, eat, train, eat, sleep, repeat. That was the schedule for the most recent Japan training trip in May for Adam Higgins Shihan, Brendan Young Sensei, and Sam Lenton Sensei. They were joined at the Sohonbu (headquarters dojo) in Kumamoto, Japan by Mark Snow Renshi, Adam McDonald Sensei, and Peter Elphick Sensei for a week of intensive training with Nidaime Soke (second-generation Soke) and Sandaime Soke (third-generation Soke), along with Higuchi Kyoshi and Todd Tournat Renshi.

     

    As soon as we arrived on the Sunday, the Gold Coast crew dropped our bags and prepared to join in with a kobujyutsu seminar being run by Higuchi Kyoshi. This set the tone for the rest of the week, and was two hours of invaluable instruction and insights. We started with basics (numbers 1-16) before moving into the basic kata, getting detailed feedback from Higuchi Kyoshi along the way. With further kobujyutsu sessions on the Monday and Wednesday, with a Friday session run by Todd Tournat Renshi, we had plenty of feedback and information to bring back to the Gold Coast dojo. Sandaime Soke also ran a kobujyutsu class on the Monday evening, which reinforced what we’d been learning the previous two days and culminated in a sneak peek at the new nunchaku kata coming our way: Ryuu Kumo (Dragon Cloud).

    Morning training with Nidaime Soke was traditional, starting with a 30-minute seiza then fast kihons. No matter how fast we went, Nidaime Soke exhorted us to go faster. This provided a great opportunity to find the centre and relax; some of us were more successful at that than others but the important thing is to never give up. At Tuesday’s morning training we then went into Niseishi bunkai work, on Thursday we worked on our kata, and on Saturday morning we focused on kaishu (open hand) training before creating our own personal kata at the very end. After each session, Nidaime Soke shared advice and information that left us thinking more deeply about our karate and understanding our techniques more holistically. Then, we did souji (cleaning the floors) which included the front steps of the dojo. It was fun to do this as a group and to think about the generations of students who have come before us, all of whom had also washed those very same floors and front steps. We heard some stories about the tracks worn into the wooden floor by students practising suriashi (sliding feet) over the decades, and the way the 2016 earthquake had damaged the building.


    On Friday night, the Gold Coast crew was also lucky enough to be invited to Masuda Sensei’s dojo, which is just over the hill from the Sohonbu along narrow, twisty roads with plenty of hairpin turns and hair-raising intersections. Fortunately, we were being driven by an expert—one of Masuda Sensei’s senior students—so we made it there and back quite safely. We each had the opportunity to teach Masuda Sensei’s younger students who were just as respectful as they were fun-loving, and we all came away with big smiles. Then, we focused on our bojyutsu basics and went through the kata. It was wonderful to get additional perspectives from Masuda Sensei and his senior students to add to the input we’d gained during the week from Sandaime Soke, Higuchi Kyoshi, and Todd Tournat Renshi.


    After Saturday morning training and souji, it was time to pack up and head off. While Adam Sensei and Brendan Sensei had flights back to Australia the following day, Sam Sensei checked into a local hotel in preparation for a day trip on Sunday to Hiroshima, which is less than two hours away from Kumamoto by shinkansen (bullet train). Before we knew it, we were all back in the Gold Coast dojo, ready to put our learnings into practice and share what we had discovered.

    The next Japan training trip is likely to happen March-May 2025. If you are ranked 3 rd kyu and above, and you’d like to be part of it, register your interest with Adam Sensei. Make sure you read
    this article on training in Japan so you know what to expect:
    https://edojo.gckarate.com.au/front-page/membership-policies/training-in-japan/  (members only)

  • Kobujyutsu Grading Success

    Kobujyutsu Grading Success

    Well done to all those that successfully graded in Chito-Ryu Kobujyutsu yesterday.  It is great to see the progress everyone is making.

    4 Kyu – Xaviar Thompson
    4 Kyu – Millicent Mansbridge
    5 Kyu – Sarah Huston
    5 Kyu – Siani Symons
    5 Kyu – Bohdi Valencour
    5 Kyu – Jesse Valencour