Instructors

Home
Instructors

July 30, 2021

Tony Smith

7th Dan - Head Instructor

7th Dan - Head Instructor Tony started his training in 1978 with Yoseikan Budo under Head Instructor Yoshiaki Unno. During this time he has had many great accomplishments. Tony Smith competed at State and National tournaments, he then decided to take a different pathway and became involved in Refereeing. Tony became the first World Referee in WA and was Chairman of the State Referee Council and member of the National Referee Council. Tony has mentored other officials to all levels State & Nationally. His own children have all been and some are still involved in training and have competed at State, National and International tournaments. After a number of years Refereeing Tony Smith decided to change direction and became a State Coach for Kata and Kumite and is still very involved in this position. Tony is also a member of the State Selection Committee. Tony started his teaching in Greenwood and then expanded to have clubs in Kingsley, Ellenbrook, Scarborough & Kingsway. He finds teaching of all ages very rewarding, be it for fitness, self defence or tournament training. At our Kingsway club we have students whose parents started training with Tony when they were in Primary School, this makes for a very family orientated environment which is enjoyable.

Justin Dowell

6th Dan

Justin started his karate training with Tony Smith in 1982 at the age of 5. He was awarded his 5th Dan in 2012. During his junior years he competed at State and National tournaments. Justin began refereeing sports karate as a junior and is currently an Oceania level official. Justin has been a member of the State Referee Council for the past 10 years. In 2011 he was appointed the Chairman of the Sate Referee Council, a position which he still holds. Justin enjoys helping people to learn Karate and to discover their potential whether it is in the dojo or in sports Karate. He is a firm believer that 'hard work does pay off' and that you will get back from Karate what you put in. As with all our Instructors Justin is Bronze Dojo Accredited Coach with a Working With Children Clearance.

Steve Taylor

5th Dan

Steven took up karate at the age of 8. He trained with Michael Tester in the English Korean Karate Association (EKKA) achieving the grade of Black Belt in 1989 at the age of 12. Steven then went on to progress through the Dan grades training alongside Mick Blackwell and Billy Brennan. He was awarded his 4th Dan in 2006. Steven started teaching in 1992 when he became an assistant instructor for the karate clubs run by Michael Tester. He then went on to run his own clubs in Framlingham and Debenham UK from 1999 to 2009 and became an association referee. Over the years Steven has won many competitions and trophies on a national and international level including silver for individual Kumite and team Kumite in the Gold Coast Classic USA 1994 and gold in the UK national MAI League competitions for Kata in 1994 and 1995. He was the EKKA national Kata champion from 2002 - 2005. Steven moved to Australia in 2009 and at the recommendation of Billy Brennan started training with Tony Smith. Steven is dedicated and committed instructor and coaches at most local competitions. In 2014/15/16 Steven was the team manager for the Western Australian karate team. He enjoys seeing his students progress and hopefully achieve as much if not more than he has.

John Morris

5th Dan

John started practicing Karate in September 1974. During the period of Kung Fu movies. Bruce Lee was the man! After a year at Boxing a small Dojo practicing Wado Ryu opened up in the local sports centre. So John and a good friend signed up, they got hooked training five and more times a week they progressed through the grades, entering competitions up and down the UK going to week long training camps. Summer and Winter in North Wales to get prepared for their Black Belt grading, that happened November 1977. He was so proud. Being a small club in the south of England and a lack of competition coaches in the area, slowly the motivation to continue died, wrongly thinking that oh well I have reached my goal i'll call it quits. Sydney Australia about 1987 work work work to get ahead he needed something else so briefly joined an IshinRyu club in Liverpool competed a couple of times in Kumite, John was 32 years old then but the style was not for him and in 1988 came to Perth. Perth approx 1994 John was 40 years old, life was passing him by. The Junior World Cup was being held at Mirrabooka so he decided to have a look. He saw the quality of the competitors & there was one organisation there that he though he must find out more about. A friends children were training at a place in Kingsley. He came along have a look with his children and we all signed up. John started back as a white belt and went up through the grades with such a long time out of it, he thought. It was the correct thing to do, as some people say once a black belt always a black belt in a physical sense not true he thought. His job involved shift work and could not focus his time in one Dojo. Eventually the shift work ended and he was able to focus his time with Tony Smith at his Dojo. Tony along with his wife Christine, Justin Dowell, Peter Szalay and Allan Poezyn have played a major role in his development not only as a coach but in officiating at Competitions. Johns goal in Karate has not changed since first practicing and that is to put back into it as he has received so much from it through experiences from the first day he started 40 years ago.

Daniel Smith

2nd Dan

Karin Wittwer

2nd Dan

Karin started karate on a bit of a whim at the age of 13 after watching Sidekicks! Of course karate training was nothing like in any movie but she always enjoyed the fitness and the technical aspects of karate-do, and found that no matter how much she learned there was always more! Karate has taught her many things but in particular the important of steady determination and consistent dedication for achieving ones goals. Karin stays that training for and attaining her 1st dan in 2007 was the single biggest achievement in her life and something that she will always be immensely proud of. But that was before Karin started to teach! She says "Teaching karate to kids has been both the most challenging and rewarding thing i have ever done and that there is no one size fits all and finding ways for each individual child to take home something useful or at the very least something they enjoy is what I aim to achieve." Karin hopes that she can have a positive impact on the lives of her students hat goes beyond supporting them with their sporting ambition and achievements. Karin says "At the heart of Senshinkan Karate Club is an inclusive culture where no one is ever judged. Regardless of individual strengths and weaknesses members are always supported and encouraged. No matter what mood you may be in when you walk in this dojo, you always walk out feeling like you have done something worthwhile."

Courtney Perry - Butler Instructor

2nd Dan

Isabelle Petit

1st Dan

If you are interested in working together, send us an inquiry and we will get back to you as soon as we can!