24/08/2025
Hey gang, Sensei Bea here.
It’s been a while since I’ve referred to myself as that, and a while since anything to do with Open Path Martial Arts has happened. We entered an abrupt period of shutdown in Febuary and, as a result of the circumstances surrounding it, I have been struggling to figure out where we go from here. It’s become heartbreakingly apparent to me, the more I look at the state of play and where I’m at, that Open Path needs to formally close it’s doors.
Primarily, the buck stops with me on this one - this comes down to a disconnect between what I wanted for my relationship with students inside the dojo vs that relationship outside the dojo. The school started off as a couple of my friends, spread within my circles, and got to the point where every single social event I would go to would either have a student there, or someone would hit me with the “Oh you’re that one chick that runs that karate school.”
The perception I felt as this “Sensei Bea” character never really stopped and affected me a lot - which is part of the reason I have all-but retreated socially since putting the school on hold. This isn’t healthy in its current form, and I need to take some time to myself and to re-define what it means to be an instructor separate from my personal life.
In saying that, I do not consider this school a failure. Not one bit. While we’ve closed our doors sooner than I would’ve liked, I’ve proven that something like this is viable in Perth and I hope to have shown that to other Sensei thinking of starting something like this. And I have had the pleasure of instructing an incredible calibre of karateka and gained knowledge I will never forget.
To my students, past and present, I cannot express how grateful I am to have had your trust placed in me as an instructor. It has been an incredible run, thankyou. And to my fellow teachers who have helped guide the way through this point, your wisdom has provided solace in the most difficult decision I have ever needed to make.
I will never stop teaching, not permanently, and I hope to cross paths once again with my fellow travelers.
Until then,
Sensei Bea.
