Kin Shin Kai

Great to be back training for Term 2, week 2 coming up.

Welcome to new students and new students always welcome!

Grading review period commences in a few weeks!

A new free sparring block begins in this coming week, and our beginner white belts are already warming up with some prep drills

While self defence is always our core focus, some sparring skills do transfer to self defense

Timing, confidence, and athletic controlled movement all strengthen real world self defence ability, plus, many students find sparring genuinely fun once they give it a try

All our sparring at this level is non-contact and safety first!

This week in the Black Belt class saw us reviewing the "Bojutsu ippon waza "Long staff - single technique) and here is shihan Mike Mules demonstrating ippon waza #5 with an "augmented exit" (extra added to the basic application to take it to more of a final culmination).

We are very fortunate to have been introduced and schooled in the old school "Yamaneryu" tradition by Hanshi Patrick McCarthy starting now way back in 1998.

Modern bojutsu practise is very stylised which makes it easier to teach step by step but is way less dynamic and powerful than a tradition like Yamaneryu.

Thank you again Hanshi McCarthy!

1st week of classes completed . Great to be going full bore again and welcome to all new students!

Our year is finished and its been a year of determined effort to improve as illustrated by the photo attached from one of our junior classes.

My great thanks to all those who have supported us and in particular to Shihan Mike Mules and Sensei's George Dixon and Ashley McGowan for their great diligence instructing our classes.

Merry Xmas to all and looking forward to resuming for T1 2026 at the start of Feb

it will be a great time for new beginners from 5yo and up so please feel welcome to call me, sensei George, on 0403 073 463 to inquire an book a free tryout and take advantage of our T1 beginner "New year for Me" special

Last Black Belt class for the year this week saw us focussing particularly on the Bo - long staff - and in particular it's use in the practise of "ippon waza" (single response sequences) in the Yamaneryu style drawn from the much longer Koryu Uchinadi 'Pechin Kumi Bo' flow drill of Hanshi Patrick McCarthy.

Here are photos of sensei Ais practising the augmented exit/finish of #4 and also video of the complete technique performed as a learning resource by myself and shihan Mike Mules

Nice surprise for our final 6pm Wednesday class of the year when we ran a mini sparring tournament for the more senior level members and here we have the "Shaolin monk" winning team and "White Crane" 2nd placed team looking very pleased to receive their trophies!

As our color belt classes near the end of our 3 week 'review and upgrade' period, our Black Belts continue focussing on Bojutsu (the ~2m staff weapon), bladed weapon awareness, and Kata Superinpai and it's applications.

Superinpai/pei is the highest kata in the Goju Ryu tradition.

It's name reflects the special Buddhist number 108, and it is said to revisit parts of all the Kata/patterns that come before.

The video here is of Shihan Mike Mules illustrating a section of the kata and it's meaning/application and Sensei Angus Nuttall performing the application also.

A memorial note here also for Angus and Jack Alexandrovics late friend Dugald McLachlan who passed away Nov 8 last year and for whom there will be a memorial afternoon this Sunday.

In the early 2000's all 3 friends were part of our Kin Shin Kai group and although Dugald in particular did not continue long I recall him as always being in the moment with a bit of a mischievous smile and sad that he has gone way too early. Unfortunately I don't have photos of the 3 at that time to post