Samurai Karate Karrinyup

09/06/2026

Our first 2nd Dan. It's a long and difficult road to get to this level. The majority of students who get to 1st Dan seldom progress further. Some feel they have reached their goal and life factors influence others. It might also be that 2nd Dan is about precision, and that is only achieved by endless repetition. It takes a special mindset to achieve it.
Fraser Ward started this journey in 2008, in Scotland. After moving to Australia, he began training at Karrinyup. After 'taking a break', some time after his 1st Dan grading, he returned and rebuilt his expertise.
Fraser has been assisted in his development by all the Karrinyup students, especially Danielle and Sho, who took great pleasure in correcting his basics and anything else that did not meet the very high standards that they set; and Belmont's Sensei Natasha and Kris.
Of course, nothing would have been possible without Fraser's personal commitment, talent and persistence. I applaud your efforts and look forward to training with you for many years to come.
Sensei Don

19/05/2026

Presentation of instructor badges to Sho Danielle and Fraser

10/05/2026

Getting one of these badges is not easy. It requires years of dedicated training, and a commitment to pass on the acquired skills onto others. One of the key strengths of Samurai Karrinyup is a dedication to helping everyone improve and reach their full potential.
An essential element of this commitment is the support given by assistant instructors.
After a course lasting a year, Fraser Ward, Sho Nakajima and Danielle Fryer have all been awarded the coveted badge by lead instructor Shihan Lilian McGinn, accrediting them as instructors in the international Sangokan karate system. Sensei Lil was impressed by their application and ability to innovate and develop strategies which can be used to improve the way we all teach.
My congratulations to Fraser, Sho and Danielle on the recognition they richly deserve. I look forward to training with you for many years to come.
Sensei Don

02/01/2026

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oRodxvglgls

An inspiring conversation with Paul Mitchell, 9th Dan Sōke, as he reflects on a lifetime dedicated to Shukokai Karate. In this interview, he shares personal ...

12/09/2025

What a weekend! A black belt grading, two courses and a dinner. Congratulations to Sho and Danielle on grading to Shodan and thanks to Sensei Lil and Sensei Natasha for running interesting and practical courses. Special thanks to Lindon from Kofukan and the other course attendees for their enthusiastic participation. The dinner was a great chance to catch up with our old friends and renew the bonds between us.

22/05/2025

The Australian Sports commission has arranged a map of sports volunteers and I have put in the following submission.
After emigrating in 1984, I was determined to continue training and, with the guidance of Sensei Paul Mitchell 9th Dan, established Shukokai karate in Western Australia. Starting with 3 students, WA has grown, produced champions, but more importantly, hundreds of students with life skills such as tenacity and resilience. Anyone can benefit from karate training, and it gives me great joy to impart skills and witness the growth of my students—not just physically, but also in their characters.
I am proud of what we have achieved over the years and look forward to teaching you all for many years to come.

30/04/2025

Fraser, Danielle and Sho were selected to do the Assistant Trainer course. As part of their training, they were tasked with creating an innovative way to teach a technique; Fraser and Sho with yoko geri and Danielle 1-10a. The presentations impressed Sensei Lil and will be added to the existing drills. Well done, you three!

05/02/2025

How long you can stand on one leg is a health indicator:

18–39 years old: 43 seconds
40–49 years old: 40 seconds
50–59 years old: 37 seconds
60–69 years old: 30 seconds
70–79 years old: 18–19 seconds
Over 80 years old: A little over five seconds.

At 1 minute I have the health of a teenager and Sensei Natasha (3 minutes) is even younger!

08/09/2024

One on one kumite: Karrinyup Grading

08/09/2024

Sensei Rocky's Self Defence Course at Karrinyup