29/05/2026
Hello everyone. Sensei Nick here.
For those who weren’t at classes tonight, I’m afraid that we have some pretty sad news.
As of Friday June 26th, Sword Dojo (previously Kobura Karate) will unfortunately be closing its doors.
After providing Hampton park and the surrounding suburbs with martial arts training for a quarter century (25 years!) we will be bowing out on the mats for one last time.
In two weeks time I will be closing all the accounts so all fees will cease as of Friday the 12th of June.
NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS did I ever expect to be writing this.
The dojo has been my home for 15 years - nearly half my entire life. I can still remember my first day of karate as an 8yro, being inspired to become an instructor and one day run my own school, and I even met my wife at the dojo… I learned everything there was to learn about instructing from Sensei Ken, but unfortunately the dojo is also a business, and the current economic climate has reached a point where a small business like the dojo is no longer able to continue.
It is a very bittersweet moment for me and all of our instructors, but as I said tonight in the coming weeks we will go out exactly the way we teach - fighting hard to the bitter end and having lots of fun, smashing pads and drilling with all the friends we’ve made along the way.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions - further updates to follow over the next four weeks as we wind down.
Last of all, don’t be a stranger. Classes will be running as per normal until the very last day and we’d love to see your faces on the mats. I would love to hear about any updates as you all progress on your training journey.
In the words of our founder, Sensei Ken: “Train hard, and train often.”
