Coach Ken

15/06/2026

06/06/2026

Another seminar in the box

03/06/2026

Across all major reviews, the evidence is clear:

The biggest mistake parents often make for their young kids is chasing performance.

The biggest predictor of long term success is….

….Staying involved

Not winning.

Not specialising.

Not training harder….

Simply…..Staying involved.

The evidence consistently supports:

1. Fun
2. Belonging
3. Competence
4. Autonomy
5. Variety
6. Psychological safety

This is why our kids programs over at are so different! 🙏🖐️

20/05/2026

I’ve really been enjoying going to a commercial gym recently. I’ve never been that kinda guy, but getting away from A-Team for an hour or so a few times a week has been really nice.

When I broke my back and tore my hips last year, I knew life would never be the same again.

Some people would say “for better or for worse”.

I chose to believe “for the better”.

Every day I did rehab, I prayed and meditated.

I still do.

I’ve been back on the mats training lightly for the last four weeks, and I must admit - my understanding of human movement and Jujutsu has never been this profound.

There’s always a blessing in the most dire of situations.

Look for them, choose to act on them and be relentless.

I will never be able to roll extremely hard again or take on the biggest and baddest guys - but I’m just so darn happy to be amongst some of the people I hold the dearest.

To see the students who have trusted in me, still be there - progressing at a rate I’ve never before witnessed - THAT is what this is about.

18/05/2026

Why don’t our kids get belts under the age of 9?

Because children aren’t small adults.

Over at , we’ve made the deliberate decision not to formally grade children aged 4–8.

Not because standards don’t matter.
Because development does.

The evidence across developmental psychology, ecological dynamics, and motivational science is remarkably consistent:

Young children learn best through:
• play
• exploration
• problem solving
• belonging
• joyful repetition

….not through comparison, ranking, and evaluation.

When adults introduce belts and stripes too early, something subtle can happen:

“What can I discover here?” slowly becomes
“Am I good enough yet?”

That shift matters.

Research shows external rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation over time - especially in children who already enjoy the activity.

So instead of building kids who train for the next stripe…

we’re trying to build kids who genuinely love learning, moving, struggling, adapting, and showing up.

The belts will come later.

And when they do, they’ll mean something real.

Because underneath them will be years of:
• confidence
• curiosity
• resilience
• self-directed learning

We are not trying to produce performers for today’s test.

We are trying to develop learners for life.

13/05/2026

The biggest obstacle to learning a new skill is not the lack of intelligence. It’s often not the lack of effort or even time.

Some, if not all, of the above is solved when the student’s belief in what they’re capable of learning changes.

And that capability lies within the learning environment itself.

So, to those who think that simply performing repetition after repetition of aimless drills is what drives skill acquisition - and keep pushing this…

Kindly f**k off 😂

05/05/2026

Most coaching is still stuck in factory mode.

Like… 1800s “clock in, shut up, do your job” kinda energy.

- break the human into parts
- break the skill into steps
- yell “DO IT LIKE THIS”
- punish mistakes
- call it “discipline”

That’s not coaching.

That’s what us geeks call “Taylorism in a nutshell”.

And yeah… it creates good kids and hard workers,
but it also creates robotic behaviour and stifles creativity and ownership.

Athletes look sharp in drills.

Then the game gets chaotic and they’re like:
“Coach… what do I do now?”

Because you’ve trained them to need you like GPS.

Here’s the punchline:

Your athletes don’t need more instructions.
They need a better ENVIRONMENT.

The research is pretty clear: the best development happens when people feel:

-Autonomy (I’ve got some ownership here)
-Competence (I’m improving, I can do this)
-Relatedness (I’m safe, respected, I belong)

When you coach like that, you don’t just get “better vibes”.

You get:
- more resilience (they bounce back mentally and physically)
- more optimism (they keep having a crack)
- more creativity (they solve problems without waiting for permission)

Which is basically the whole point of sport:

😱 to make decisions under pressure

So if you’re learning to coach, try this today:

-Give a WHY before the drill (treat them like humans, wild concept…I know)

-Stop scripting every rep; set a goal + constraint and let them explore

-Let them find multiple solutions without your instructions

- Coach and guide - don’t be a choreography instructor

- Replace “you should” with “try this and notice what happens”

Because the real question is:

Are you building obedient bodies….or adaptive problem-solvers?

03/05/2026

I haven’t been to a commercial gym in years.

As a fitness pro, especially when you’re used to a niched setting, it’s easy to form a love/hate relationship towards gyms.

You’re there all day.

First session well before most people think about setting an alarm.

Last session when most people go to bed.

And all the hours in between.

But recently, I needed a change in the rhythm.

And my stunning wife felt like she needed a change too.

(Secretly, I think she’s trying to out-train my twig arms and skinny shoulders - but don’t tell anyone, eh?)

Anyhow.

If you’ve ever been to a commercial gym in Australia - we have THE WORST set ups driven by huge conglomerates who only look to fill PT spots to make money like vultures circling a dead gazelle on the scorching hot ground of an African desert.

Lo and behold - I wasn’t stoked for this “gym hunt”.

Until we found iFeelGood 24/7 at Calamvale.

Holy smokes.

The gym is brilliant.

Well decked out with everything you need.

Empty spaces with turf for more athletic development or rehab-esque work (my forte).

Clean bathroom and showers.

People from all walks of life.

It’s a gem. Well hidden away from the busy and typical “Goodlife” locations.

You’ll find it right underneath the Calamvale hotel.

23/04/2026

Tom sat on the edge of the mats at A-Team Jiu-Jitsu, watching two higher belts move like it was second nature.

He almost didn’t step on.

Bad shoulder, tight hips, zero experience - this felt like a bad idea.

Then he got paired with Jess, a purple belt.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling. “We’re not doing that today.”

Instead of sparring, the coach set a game:

* Tom could only try to stand up
* Jess could only control, no submissions

“Your win is just getting to your feet,” she told him. “Mine is slowing you down.”

They started.

Tom expected chaos. Instead, it felt… manageable.

Every time he got halfway up, Jess would redirect him - but not crush him. Not overwhelm him. Just enough resistance to make him think.

Then it happened.

He stood up.

“YES!” Jess laughed. “That’s a win.”

They reset.

Next round, new constraint:

* Jess could only use one arm
* Tom could now try to pass her guard

Suddenly, the gap didn’t feel so huge.

Tom got stuck. Then unstuck. Then passed….kind of. lol

“Count it,” she said. “That’s progress.”

They kept going. Small wins. Adjustments. Laughing every time something went wrong (which was often).

By the end, Tom was breathing hard, but not wrecked.

His shoulder felt fine. More than that, he felt… capable.

“Same time next class?” Jess asked.

Tom nodded.

Walking off the mats, he realised something:

He didn’t need to be fit first.
He didn’t need to be good.
He just needed to start.

And somehow, in one session, he already had.