JOHNNY KENNEDY

Confidence, self discipline, leadership, goal setting, structures, time management and victories are a few rewards I have got from martial arts. A life long friendship with a diverse range of people has touched my life in so many ways. These things alone are values many people can only wish for.

In 1998 this journey sent me on a trip to the USA where I trained with Grandmaster Michael Campos 9th Dan (Founder of ZDK INTERNATIONAL) who introduced me to a network of some of the best martial artists I had ever seen. It was his influence that gave me the tools to teach children in a way that helped them not only physically but academically, with a focus on a safe, fun training environment promoting restraint over violence.

It was also during this period I was actively competing in full contact karate, Kick boxing and later WKF Karate and WTF Taekwondo competition.The competitive aspect of the martial arts is an amazing one which saw me travel throughout the world including places like Spain, Germany, South Africa, USA, Hawaii, Singapore and Australia where I obtained numerous championship titles in fighting, kata, and weapons. Representing New Zealand in two WKF Karate World Championships (2000, 2002) and the Commonwealth games of Karate (2003) are definitely the highlights of those times.

From competitor to coach I formulated a training program to duplicate the successes I previously experienced and have personally trained many national and International champions over the years.

2004 introduced a new chapter into my martial arts training; I had been traveling throughout the country training with every Sensei, Shihan, master, sifu I could find trying to fill a void I had in my own training. This was when I met Patrick McCarthy Hanshi 8th Dan (Koryu Uchinadi). It was he who captivated me with his open book policy of showing you anything you wanted to see with his in-depth knowledge of application based practices, martial arts history and anthropology. After this time we joined his organization and in 2010 I was awarded the rank of Godan (5th Dan) and Shidion (Instructor Certification in Koryu uchinadi).

The martial arts road is a long and enduring one, a lot of people begin the climb while only a few make it to the summit. People find many reasons why not to do martial arts, I'm too old, not fit enough, others will laugh at me, just too busy! Here's why you should do the martial arts, make great friends, keep fit, lose weight, relieve stress, build confidence, improve communication skills, leadership, effective self-defense, focus, motivation, goal setting, challenges and helping others.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, take the step!

Regards

Johnny Kennedy