instructors


There has long been argument between being a good “Martial Arts athlete” and being a “competent instructor.” What few seem to understand is that there’s a huge difference between competition and instructional skills. Simply put, competitive prowess and instructional skills are governed by completely different training principles & learning outcomes. Then there are the young, inexperienced and or other instructors who falsify their credentials; have organizations confer rank upon them without ever having gone through an accreditation process; awarded themselves outlandish teaching titles because they figure they deserved it; or purchased their credentials through questionable sources. Perhaps, the most common misconception by both the consumer and the industry is that years of training are proportional to instructional competency. Sadly, this is not always true. In the past it was acceptable that instructors qualified by apprenticing under a more experienced teachers. However, the Martial Arts have since come of age, and, by virtue of this phenomenon, consumers are quickly demanding higher educational standards in order to improve the safety and quality of our industry. If we are ever to be taken seriously, why then should the Martial Arts be any less professional than other industries? One of the most frequently asked questions by today’s much more educated consumer is, “Do I want to be taught, or have my wife and children learn Martial Arts, by an unaccredited instructor?” More importantly, will insurance companies continue to cover injuries incurred at schools with unaccredited instructors? Additionally, how does Joe-consumer know if a Martial Arts instructor is qualified to teach anything more than a sport-based or generic punch/kick aerobic program? How about the frightening idea concerning our children being unknowingly mentored by unscrupulous predators? What about imparting character-building values, nurturing holistic qualities, sports-injury management, teaching technical competencies and pedagogical principles? These fundamental issues are at the very forefront of instructional skills and represent what every teacher should know, irrespective of “style.” Our teacher’s training program, based on traditional Japanese/Okinawan Karate & Yamaneryu Kobudo, is suitable for candidates looking to embrace old-school practices in both a comprehensive and a coherent syllabus. Under the direction of Japan trained & accredited karate-do Hanshi, Patrick McCarthy 8^th Dan, requisite course subjects include; Karate history, ethos & technical theories; Functional training, kata theory & application principles; Anatomy & Physiology; Pressure point theory & application, Sports injury management; Law & ethics; Field Studies; and, Instructional skills pedagogy. Based upon the groundbreaking two-year tertiary-level Diploma of Martial Arts Instruction hosted by the Australian College of Natural Medicine [between 1997-2004] Karate had no coherent standard for practice safety or quality instruction, leaving teachers & their methods to be shaped into unpredictable ways by a multitude of experiences. As long as Karate has been taught there has always been talk of developing a course of study aimed at penetrating the very abyss of the art, leaving the sport and business aspects to those best suited. Koryu Uchinadi is one such tradition and our Instructor's Accreditation is one such program.


Classroom Practicum

Testimonials

“Having worked as lawyer for the past twenty years, I have long appreciated the need for a tertiary standard in Martial Arts instruction. I believe learners deserve teachers with the highest possible standard of education and that’s why I enrolled in this brilliant course.” Stephen Byrne, Shotokan Karate Instructor, Brisbane, Australia.

“As an experienced instructor I was initially drawn to the course because of its coherent structure, however, now in my second semester, I’ve come to acknowledge that its greater overall value lies in the experience of its director, Patrick McCarthy.” Aldo Gentile Hsing-I Instructor, Gold Coast, Australia

“Until I had heard about this course, I knew of no other program that broke down Martial Art concepts into fundamental components and addressed their immutable principles in a systematic manner. There’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world and that’s why I migrated from New Zealand to enrol in this teacher’s course.“ Kurt Graham, Arnis Instructor, New Zealand

“As an instructor I had always known that teaching and competing required completely different study modalities. Coming up through the ranks in a traditional-based style of Japanese karate, rule-bound training prevented me from ever seeing beyond the inflexible landscape that I practiced in. This course is everything and more that I could have ever hoped for.” Erik Povlsen, Karate Instructor, Copenhagen, Denmark

“I wasn’t looking for the best style when I came to Australia to take part in this course, I enrolled because of its reputation as the finest instructor’s program anywhere in the world. Now, in my third semester, I am more than satisfied with my decision.” Ryan Fryman, Shorin Ryu Karate Instructor, New Hampshire, USA

“I am not sure what to say about this course, except that I’ve given up everything to enrol in it because of Kyoshi McCarthy’s unique teaching approach. So far, I have no regrets.” Conrad Lee Shotokan Instructor, England

“As a graduate of this program I am happy to say that relocating from Germany to study in Australia was insignificant when compared to what I gained in my two years of study.” Dirk Thesenvitz, Koryu Uchinadi Instructor, Berlin, Germany