Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate

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Category: General

  • 2024 Little Champion Karateka of the Year

    2024 Little Champion Karateka of the Year

    Ophelia Wu Leng

    Congratulations to our Little Champions Karateka of the Year, Ophelia Wu Leng. Ophelia joined the dojo this year bringing lots of enthusiasm and an incredible natural ability. She very quickly moved through the early ranks of the Little Champions moving up to Little Champion Green belt.

    Ophelia has a can do attitude and was always one of the first to commit to challenging herself by participating in tournaments, the highlight being winning 3 gold medals at the Queensland State Titles.

    We look forward to see Ophelia continue to develop her karate over the coming years. With her great attitude and her ability she is going to be a star.

  • 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!

  • 2024 Budoka of the Year

    2024 Budoka of the Year

    Tom Allibone

    Congratulations to our 2024 Budoka of the Year, Tom Allibone. The budoka of the year is the most important annual award given at Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate. The award is presented to the person who most demonstrates the great attitude that we like to see in our karateka.

    As someone who started their karate journey late and with being the oldest member of the dojo Tom has always battled with the personal question of whether he can do karate at his age and whether it is to late for him to ever make it to black belt? Rather than use that as an excuse to not do something Tom has used that question to motivate him to see what he can do and as a result we have seen his karate improve incredibly throughout the year.

    Tom started karate to do something with his grandson, but now it has grown to more than that. As a valuable member of the leadership team Tom does amazing work with all the kids in the dojo connecting with them and helping them learn karate.

    Karate is so much more than just punching and kicking. It is really about developing the person, being healthy, and developing a strong mind. From that great personal position a karateka is able to give to others and that is something Tom does all the time, whether it is helping kids learn, being a great training partner, or volunteering to help dojo events be a success Tom is always there and as a result is very fitting of receiving the 2024 Budoka of the Year.

    And to answer your question Tom. Yes you are not to old to earn your black belt, and with your attitude and the way you train I am sure you will.

  • 2024 Karate Kids Karateka of the Year

    2024 Karate Kids Karateka of the Year

    Henry Ho

    Congratulations to our 2024 Karate Kids Karateka of the Year, Henry Ho.

    Henry has been very dedicated to his training this year rarely missing a session. More importantly in every session he attends he is focused on his training and looking to get better. One of Henry’s greatest attributes is his ability to take on any advice he receives and look to use it. You can see whenever Henry trains that he is improving as a result.

    Henry possesses the qualities that will make him a great black belt and karateka one day. He is determined, his is disciplined, he is focused, he is willing to work hard and best of all he has fun doing it.

    We are very excited to see where the next few years takes Henry as he continues to grow in his karate.

  • 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

  • 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)

  • Young Leaders in Karate

    Karate is great for self-fitness, self-defence, self-confidence and many other personal benefits. One of the extended benefits of karate training is the opportunity to develop leadership and teaching skills. Like all activities, being good at something does not necessarily automatically make you a great teacher. Just being a black belt does not make you a great teacher. Teaching in itself is a skill set that also needs training and development but does share many common attributes of karate.

    To be a good teacher requires among other things:

    • Awareness of others (a karate skill)
    • Awareness of self (a karate skill)
    • Ability to remain clam (a karate skill)
    • Ability to strategise and think on your feet (a karate skill)
    • A kind giving heart (fostered in a karate dojo)
    • Resilience (a karate skill)
    • A solid knowledge of the material being delivered (acquired through constant regular karate training)

    At Gold Coast Chito-Ryu Karate we provide a leadership program to help develop our future leaders for the dojo and the wider community. Over the years of our dojo we have had a number of karate kids become school, house and team leaders. Members of our Leadership team work on assisting in classes for our younger dojo members as well as working on themselves to be leaders by example in their own classes.

    The following excerpt from a grading essay by one of our young dojo leaders,  Millicent Mansbridge (13 years) is a great example of the thought process and beliefs of our leaders already showing a high level understanding of leading and teaching.

    “Another one of my responsibilities is as leader, I was very happy and felt proud when I became a leader and I love to lead. I love to help teach new and young members of our dojo.

    I think little children respond well to older children so I like to make the most of this and build bonds with the juniors. I need to engage with them in a way that they will respond positively to, I need to use correct language, talk in ways they will understand, make things fun, not be too serious, take time and be patient. I also need to make sure that what I am teaching they are understanding, don’t just position them or manoeuvre them where they need to be but help them understand why they are doing what they are doing.

    It is important too to give feedback, I need to be able to do this in a positive way which encourages the junior members and helps them get better at their karate, I never want to make a little child feel like they are not doing well, lots of support and encouragement is very important to remember.”

    Karate Leadership

  • 2023 Little Champion Karateka of the Year

    Congratulations to our 2023 Little Champion Karateka of the Year – Zara Deans

    Zara started training with us earlier this year and has shown tremendous ability and determination in her training.  Zara has really stood out with not only her great karate technique but also the way she applies herself.

    Throughout the year she has demonstrated great inner strength to rise to challenges and tackle them head on.  Participating in her first tournament as a beginner we got to see Zara’s steely reserves as although she was obviously very nervous she showed her determination to push herself forward to compete and did very well.

    Zara is a great example for all of us of what can be achieved if you take responsibility for your own success and push through any challenges.

  • 2023 Senior Karateka of the Year

    Our 2023 Senior Karateka of the Year is

    Milli Mansbridge.

    Milli is still young and part of the Karate Kids program but also trains regularly in the Seniors with a level of maturity past her age. Milli has taken her karate to another level this year with the focus on the Soke Cup, and her great attitude in class.  There is always a smile on Milli’s face, and you know she is always trying her hardest.

    Milli has the great ability to relate to students of all ages. She is a favourite of the Little Champions and is looked up to by many, especially the young girls as a great role model.  When new Little Champions arrive for their first class she can always be relied upon to bond with them and help them overcome their nerves to join in the class.

    Milli has tackled many challenges throughout the year and always pushed herself to overcome her fears and doubts and grow as a result.  Kumite has always been a challenge for Milli and not something she has always enjoyed but she has not shied away from it and as a result developed more confidence in her abilities. This is a great example for all of us to follow when facing challenges that may scare or intimidate us.

    As a valuable member of the dojo we all look forward to being part of Milli’s karate journey as she works towards even greater achievements.

  • 2023 Budoka of the Year

    Congratulations to our 2023 Budoka of the Year – Kazumi Tominaga

    Kazumi Senpai has been a valuable part of the Gold Coast dojo for a long time and provides a wealth of knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and language to benefit us all. As a liaison for our Japanese visitors she is invaluable.

    Kazumi is a great example of what the Budoka of the Year is all about. She trains hard when she is at the dojo, she trains hard at home. She is always polite and respectful. She is unassuming and understated. Most of all she is a great karateka.

    At the Soke Cup this year Kazumi excelled winning gold in her divisions for Sai and Bo, silver in kata, and bronze in team kata. In a year where she was balancing her work, study and karate this a fantastic reward for her efforts.

    It can not be overstated what a terrific example of karateka Kazumi Senpai is to everyone. If we all adopt her fantastic attitude, plus her understanding of peace, perseverance and hard work we will all be better people because of it.