Australian Karate Academy - Salisbury

Just a reminder that the dojo is closed for regular classes today as we celebrate the life of AKA founder, Bob McMahon.

Everyone is welcome to join us from 11:00 am at the Norman Hotel in Woolloongabba.

The grading scheduled for this weekend has also been moved to next Saturday, 29 August, at the same times.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hi everyone,

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the kind words, emails and messages we have received about my father. My family and I are truly grateful for your support and for the many stories and memories people have shared.

I was extremely close with my dad, so this is a very tough period for me and my family. Thank you for your understanding and for allowing us some time to be together and work through everything.

Dad’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Norman Hotel on Friday, 21 August, commencing at 11:00am. Light refreshments will be provided following the formal service.

Everyone is welcome to attend and support our family, Dad’s friends and the many people whose lives he touched over more than 50 years in karate.

This will also be an opportunity to see why the Australian Karate Academy is so special. Dad made it special for the thousands of students he taught, mentored and supported over the years, and his influence remains a part of everything we do today.

To give our members, instructors and staff the opportunity to attend, there will be no classes held on Friday, 21 August.

The grading originally scheduled for Saturday, 22 August, will now be held on Saturday, 29 August at the following times:

Big Ninjas Beginners: 12:15pm

Big Ninjas Intermediate and Advanced: 1:30pm

Teen and Adult: 3:00pm

Please use the same registration link provided in the previous grading email. You can ignore the original date of 22 August, the link is still correct, and your booking will apply to the new grading date of 29 August.

We are still working through the arrangements for the Adult Judo grading and will confirm those details as soon as possible.

The upcoming Nunchaku Workshop has also been postponed until later in the year. We will announce a new date once arrangements have been confirmed.

Thank you again for your kindness, patience and support during this incredibly difficult time. It means more to our family than I can properly express.

Take care,
Cheyne McMahon

It is with very heavy hearts that the Australian Karate Academy shares the news that our founder, Bob McMahon, passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning, aged 75.

Bob was the founder of the Australian Karate Academy, a highly respected 7th Dan, and a man who dedicated more than 50 years of his life to karate and to the people he taught.

But Bob was much more than just a Sensei.

To so many, he was a teacher, mentor, role model, father figure, coach, harsh taskmaster when he needed to be, counsellor, and most importantly, a friend.

Over more than five decades, Bob had a profound influence on the lives of many thousands of students. For many, the lessons he taught went far beyond karate and stayed with them throughout their lives.

Above all else, Bob was a devoted family man. He was deeply loved by his wife Gayleen, his children Amy, Cheyne, Tegan and Louise, and his entire family.

His influence can be seen in generations of karateka, instructors and students, and his legacy will forever remain at the heart of the Australian Karate Academy.

We know there are many people whose lives were touched by Bob and who will feel this loss deeply.

Further information regarding Bob's Celebration of Life will be shared over the coming days.

For now, we ask that you keep Gayleen, Amy, Cheyne, Tegan, Louise and the McMahon family in your thoughts as they navigate this incredibly difficult time.

Rest in peace, Bob Sensei. Your legacy will live on.

Beautiful Saturday morning in Brisbane!

Not a bad way to start the weekend, come on down for some Kobudo - 10.30am - 12.00pm!

Gradings are coming up!

Now is the time to get prepared.

Get to as many training sessions as you can, make sure you know your syllabus and ask questions if there is anything you are unsure about.

Don’t leave it until the last minute. Let’s put in the work now and make sure everyone is ready to perform at their best on grading day!

🥋 DO YOU HAVE A BUDDY WHO TRAINS WITH US?

Then come and train with them during our Bring Your Buddy Week, running from Monday to Saturday.

You’ll get to train alongside your friend, and they’ll help guide you through the class, show you the basics and make sure you feel right at home.

You can try:
🥋 Traditional Okinawan Karate
🤼 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
⚔️ Ryukyu Kobudo — traditional weapons training

Australian Karate Academy has been teaching traditional Okinawan karate in Brisbane for more than 35 years.

We train from a dedicated full-time dojo, with classes running six days a week for children, teenagers and adults.

We are always looking to welcome good people into our dojo community—and good people usually know other good people.

So, if your buddy trains here, we would love to have you training here too.

One full week of training. Completely free. Monday to Saturday.

On Sunday, Cheyne Sensei taught a short seminar on how to survive if you are taken to the ground.

The focus was simple and practical: protect yourself, stay calm, create space, avoid getting trapped, and get safely back to your feet as quickly as possible.

We do not want to stay on the ground. The goal is to survive, escape, and regain control.

We recently hosted the first Brisbane Bushi Cup, a traditional karate and kobudo competition created for adult karateka from across Queensland.

The event brought together competitors from eight dojos, giving them the opportunity to perform kata, represent their dojo and demonstrate the karate lineage they practise.

The standard was excellent, but the attitude throughout the day was even better. Competitors supported each other, officials worked together, and many people stayed afterwards for a drink and a chat. It had the relaxed, respectful feel of an old-school karate competition.

Competition is not the main focus of every dojo involved, but events like this give people a goal to work towards and a chance to share their own karate journey.

A huge thank you to every official, volunteer, instructor and competitor who helped make the first Bushi Cup such a successful day. The feedback has been extremely positive, and we are already looking forward to doing it again next year.

NO CLASSES TODAY - Instead, we are running the.Brisbane Bushi Cup - A Karate Kata and Kobudo Tournament for Veterans aged 35 Years+.