JKA-SKC Honbu Dojo training on Elwood Jetty, Melbourne
The JKA-SKC Australasia is an officially registered branch of the Japan Karate Association (日本空手協会; Nihon Karate Kyokai), and has been given permission by JKA Headquarters to be a representative group in Australasia.
The JKA-SKC is a healthy, thriving organisation. It has a large group of core members who have a long history with the Japan Karate Association and many of its karateka hold very senior ranks: two Nanadans, seven Rokudans and 18 Godans.
The goal of the JKA-SKC instructors is to educate, motivate, guide and inspire our students and help them achieve their personal goals. Our instructors desire to be the best we can be in the karate world. We challenge ourselves to maintain continuous improvement in the areas of teaching and training.
Many of our instructors enjoyed success on the international competition stage and they are now passing their experience onto their karateka.
Okuma, Ogura and Naka Senseis - in Melbourne
Okuma Sensei teaching Bassai-Sho in MelbourneText
JKA-SKC Australasia registers every year as an organisation to JKA Japan as well as registering each of its students individually. There are many benefits to enjoy because of this affiliation including National seminars and visits by JKA Headquarters Instructors as well as the opportunity to enter trials to represent an Australian JKA team in competition.
The Head Instructor of JKA-SKC Australasia Keith Geyer, has a long history with the JKA and has had the privilege and honour of training with all three Chief Instructors of the Japan Karate Association. His first visit was in 1974 where he spent time in the JKA instructors class. This visit was the first of many.
Keith and Derrick Geyer training in the JKA Honbu Dojo Instructors
Class training - May 1974Text
Keith at the JKA Honbu Dojo 1977
Keith visiting Funakoshi Gichin's memorial stone at Engakuji temple, Kita, Kamakura in 1977
In 1977 he lived in Japan and trained both in the Honbu Dojo instructors class as well as at Hoitsugan, Nakayama Sensei’s private dojo. In 2000, he graded to Nanadan in Tokyo and in 2015 was invited to join the Shihankai. Keith had the perfect mentor and role model, who showed him the way, his Sensei of 50 years, Stan Schmidt Sensei.
Keith fighting Tanaka Sensei at his Sandan grading in 1977.
The referee was Mikio Yahara
1972 - Johannesburg City hall - Transvaal championships - Enoeda Sensei, Roy Braun (Keith's first instructor) Keith, Stan Schmidt Sensei
Keith at Honbu Dojo Tokyo, pointing at his name directly under Stan Sensei's name on the Dan grade board
Ogura Sensei and Keith training in Germany With Ochi Sensei in 1980
JKA Shihankai members - Keith standing 3rd from right in between Ogura and Yano Senseis
Stan Schmidt Sensei, up until his death in 2019, was the most recognised non- Japanese in the JKA association. He trained at the Yotsuya dojo in 1963, when, on honeymoon, he spent a few months living in Japan. He was the first non- Japanese to be awarded Nanadan and Hachidan and to be appointed to the Shihankai.
Many of our JKA-SKC Australasia dojo heads Jeff Krug, Rob Sachs, Karin Prinsloo, Graz Prinsloo spent years training with Stan Sensei who had a profound influence on all their karate lives. Read more about the late Stan Schmidt Shihan here.
Rob Sachs, Keith Geyer, Stan Schmidt Sensei, Jeff Krug