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Strengthen your Mind & Body.

Karate and self-defence classes in Canberra for kids, teens and adults.

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Get the latest information about classes in the ACT, our trial offers, class pricing, training locations, timetable, and more based on your selections.

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    Start your martial arts journey. Learn self-defence, develop confidence and get fit.

    Karate is a fighting technique that comes with many benefits. Our ‘Train the way you fight, fight the way you train’ concept means we teach karate that works, no wasted effort, no irrelevant techniques… just pure, effective karate!

    Our Club

    We study Goju-Ryu Karate. Our karate club is a member of the Japan Karate Federation Goju Kai Australia (JKFGA), the Japan Karate-Do Federation (JKF) Goju Kai, and the Australasian Federation of Traditional Karate and Kobudo (AFTK). All instructors are Black Belt qualified, certified and passionate about sharing their knowledge with our students.

    Japan Karate Federation, JKF Goju-Kai Australia logo Japan Karate Federation, JKF Goju-Kai logo Australasian Federation of Traditional Karate and Kobudo, AFTK logo

    Our Philosophy

    To understand the meaning of every training technique, essentialise its true form, commit it to muscle memory and ultimately our instincts.

    Our School

    Our Forrest Primary School and The Pearce Centre dojos are two of the seven training locations of Goshukan Karate Academy in Australia. We train and teach under the guidance of our chief instructor Stacey Karetsian Shihan, 7th Dan Kyoshi, in both Seiwakai Goju-Ryu and Japan Karate Federation (JKF) Goju-Kai.

    Book your Free Trial Our Lineage & History

    Our karate journey

    Get to know the Canberra ACT branch of Goshukan Karate Academy.

    A lot happens at Goshukan Karate Academy locally, interstate and overseas. Most of which have at least one representative from our Canberra branch. So from attending martial arts tournaments and karate seminars to overseas training in Japan, you name it, one of us is likely to be there.

    View our Blog Our Lineage & History
    Our Chief Instructor, Stacey Karetsian Shihan secures 3rd place at the 50th JKF GojuKai All Japan Karatedo Championships held in Okinawa, Japan
    JKF GojuKai Tournament Success

    Stacey Karetsian Shihan made history in Okinawa

    Celebrating the Success of Stacey Karetsian Shihan

    Our Chief Instructor, Stacey Karetsian Shihan secures 3rd place at the 50th JKF GojuKai All Japan Karatedo Championships held in Okinawa, Japan. Read more

    Grading success for our ACT karate students at the 2023 Seiwakai Australia Training Camp in Wollongong NSW.
    ACT Students Grading Success

    1st Dan Black Belt, Seiwakai Goju-Ryu Karate

    Celebrating Grading Success at the 2023 Seiwakai Australia Training Camp

    Following 15 hours of intensive training, our remarkable ACT-based students earned their prestigious 1st Dan Black Belts, marking a significant milestone in their martial arts journey. This achievement reflects their unwavering commitment, discipline, and indomitable spirit, embodying the essence of our club. Read more

    Congratulations to Marie-Angela Pope Sensei and Ben Brillante Sensei for attaining their 3rd Dan Black Belt certification in August 2023 with Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) Gojukai in Osaka, Japan.
    Marie-Angela Pope and Ben Brillante Sensei

    3rd Dan Black Belt, JKF Gojukai

    Marie-Angela Pope Sensei and Ben Brillante Sensei's JKF Gojukai certification

    After undergoing 40+ hours of karate training in Japan in 10 days with Seiwakai Goju-Ryu Karate-do and the Japan Karate-do Federation (JKF) Gojukai, siblings Marie-Angela Pope Sensei and Ben Brillante Sensei, successfully attained their 3rd Dan Black Belt certification with JKF Gojukai in August 2023 at Osaka, Japan. Read more

    Biensy Knight in a fighting pose in front of the large Goshukan Karate Academy club badge at Seven Hills dojo.
    Biensy Knight

    2022 AMAC Australian Champion

    Biensy Knight, 2022 AMAC Australian Champion

    Biensy Knight took home first place in the '13-15 years Advanced to Black Belt Male Traditional Forms' at the '2022 AMAC Australian Titles' in Port Macquarie, NSW, becoming Goshukan Karate Academy ACT's first Australian Title holder since the opening of the ACT branch in February the previous year. Biensy faced tough competition in the qualifying rounds on Saturday, 10 December 2022, marginally passing his most formidable opponent by only 0.01 points. However, with a few adjustments following the instruction from his coach Ben Brillante Sensei, Biensy smashed through the finals the next day, blitzing past his closest opponent by a considerable margin, scoring above 9+ points from all three judges. Equally, Biensy's outstanding performance continued in the '13-15 years Advanced to Black Belt Freestyle Sparring'. Having fought the title holder and drew with him twice in the qualifying rounds, Biensy went on to win 3rd place in the finals on Sunday against an equally skilful opponent. Congratulations Champion! We are so proud of you.

    33rd Japan Karate Federation Goju-Kai Australia Seminar, 21-22 April 2023
    Karate Seminar

    33rd JKFGA Seminar, 21-22 April 2023, Adelaide SA

    Karate Seminar, 33rd JKFGA Seminar, 21-22 April 2023, Adelaide SA

    Adelaide, South Australia, hosted the 33rd Japan Karate Federation Goju-Kai Australia Seminar and Tournament this year, with over 100 karate practitioners in attendance across Australia. Our instructor Ben Brillante Sensei attended and had the humble privilege of learning from four of Japan Karate Federation's highly regarded instructors, Seiichi Fujiwara Sensei (8th Dan Hanshi), Shingenero Sato Sensei (8th Dan Hanshi), Tatsuo Takegawa Sensei (8th Dan Hanshi) and Seigo Ishida Sensei (7th Dan Kyoshi).

    Goshukan Karate Academy ACT Little Ninja students
    4 to 8 years

    Little Ninjas

    Little Ninjas, 4 to 8 years

    Our Little Ninjas program classes are the most popular this early 2023, with the Monday session nearing full capacity. To maintain a high quality of teaching, we want to limit the number of our four to eight years old students to 15 per instructor per class.

    Stacey Karetsian Shihan with Mick Baccon
    Karate Seminar

    Stacey Karetsian Shihan with Mick Baccon
    Goshukan Karate Academy ACT students Round 1 tournament winners of the Australian Martial Arts Championships in Canberra on 2 April 2023
    Martial Arts Tournament

    AMAC Round 1 2023, Canberra

    Martial Arts Tournament, AMAC Round 1 2023, Canberra

    Congratulations to all seven students who competed in the first round of the Australian Martial Arts Championships, AMAC in Canberra on Sunday, 2 April 2023. Most of our competitors competed in a much larger division this time, with the 8 to 10 years division being the largest with ten competitors. It was a great day of competition and a fantastic result from our competitors. We finished the day with three 1st places, ten 2nd places and five 3rd places.

    Our Classes

    We have karate classes for all age groups.

    We provide a safe, welcoming, nurturing environment where all our students feel inspired and empowered to reach their maximum potential.

    Try a class for FREE

    Kids & Teens Karate

    Karate training offers unique benefits that embraces the positive building blocks of character development, physical development, and emotional development in all children and teenagers. It combines the practice of karate techniques with valuable life skills to create an interactive, educational, and fun training environment.

    Ages 4 to 8 years

    Little Ninjas

    The Little Ninjas program is designed to deal with the attention and learning capabilities of children between 4 to 8 years. There are 7 levels of advancement in this program and each one provides the child with new technical (karate based) skills as well as developing valuable life skills. The program is age appropriate and as the children grow and develop they are also able to learn and focus on more difficult tasks, games etc that are all designed to develop all of their skill sets.

    Ages 9 years+

    Junior Karate

    The Junior Karate Program follows the standard training and grading system that many traditional karate schools use. Students are placed in this program from 9 years of age. We will assess each student on their individual maturity level, skill level and learning ability and discuss this with you to determine the best course of action to take for your child and or teen.

    Adults Karate

    You're never too old to learn something new, so it's never too late to attend karate lessons and start training. Age is just a number, and no one is ever too old or unfit to learn this amazing Martial Art.

    Adults Karate Program

    Start your journey

    Our adult program introduces the benefits of karate training. It provides an excellent foundation for karate skill development to get you on your way to building total strength of the mind and body. You will learn the principles of self-defence and practical techniques from the first lesson. If you have ever thought of doing some karate lessons, we invite you to come and give our classes a try. Sensei Ben Brillante, a qualified and certified 3rd Dan Seiwakai/Goshukan karate instructor and 3rd Dan with the Japan Karate-do Federation (JKF) Gojukai, runs our classes in the ACT.

    Join Our Karate Club

    Continue your journey

    Karate training, at its core, is about learning to follow the principles of movement while developing fundamental skills and techniques. So, if you are looking for a karate school to continue your martial arts training and have prior learning in a traditional karate style, then you have most likely developed skills consistent with what we do. So, why not check out one of our classes, and find out if Goshukan Karate Academy is right for you?

    Goshukan Karate Academy ACT

    2024 Class Timetable

    We offer classes on Monday, Thursday, and Friday evenings at Forrest Primary School, 9 Hobart Ave, Forrest ACT, and on Saturday mornings at The Pearce Centre, Collett Pl, Pearce ACT. Plus, opening in October 2024 is our brand-new Full-Time Karate Dojo in Phillip, ACT. Contact us today to reserve your spot!

    Book your Free Trial
    Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
    Kids Karate 4-8yrs
    5:30pm - 6.15pm (Forrest Primary)     		Kids Karate 4-8yrs
    5:30pm - 6.15pm (Phillip "Opening Soon")     		Kids Karate 4-8yrs
    5:30pm - 6.15pm (Phillip "Opening Soon")     		Juniors Karate 9-12yrs
    6:30pm - 7.15pm (Forrest "Opening Soon")     		Kids Karate 4-8yrs
    5:30pm - 6.15pm (Forrest Primary)     		Tournament Training
    9:15am - 10:15am (Pearce Centre)
    Karate Open 9yrs+
    6:30pm - 7.30pm (Forrest Primary)     		Juniors Karate 9-12yrs
    6:30pm - 7.15pm (Phillip "Opening Soon")     		Teens/Adults 13yrs+
    6:30pm - 7:30pm (Forrest Primary)    		 Karate Open 9yrs+
    6:30pm - 7.30pm (Forrest Primary)     		Kids Karate 4-8yrs
    10:30am - 11:15am (Phillip "Opening Soon")
    Karate Advanced
    7:45pm - 9.00pm (Forrest Primary)     		Teens/Adults 13yrs+
    7:30pm - 8.30pm (Phillip "Opening Soon")     		Karate Advanced
    w/ Stacey Shihan
    7:30pm - 9.00pm (Seven Hills, NSW)     		Karate Advanced
    7:45pm - 9.00pm (Forrest Primary)     		Karate Open 9yrs+
    10:30am - 11:30am (Pearce Centre)

    Student and Parent Testimonials

    What our members say about us.