The shy kid eventually puts their hand up.
Maybe it's counting in front of class.
Maybe it's demonstrating one technique while everyone watches.
Then one day their school teacher notices they're speaking up there too.
Same family dojo. Same instructors. Tuesdays and Fridays at Bert Swift Hall.
Same family dojo. Same instructors. Now in Nerang too.
Families in Nerang have plenty of martial arts options. Ours is traditional karate, taught by a small family dojo. We're not a franchise. We started out teaching in our family garage, and now there are more than 150 of us across Oxenford and Nerang.
Shy. Full of energy. Struggling with confidence. Finding it hard to focus. That's where most people start.
We start with the person standing in front of us, and build from there.
Listening, balance, coordination and confidence. Tuesdays and Fridays, 4:30 to 5:30pm. More on kids karate
Beginners, returners, and parents who got tired of watching from the side. Tuesdays and Fridays, 6:00 to 7:00pm.
Part of every class. How to protect yourself, and just as importantly, when to walk away.
The shy kid eventually puts their hand up.
Maybe it's counting in front of class.
Maybe it's demonstrating one technique while everyone watches.
Then one day their school teacher notices they're speaking up there too.
We don't ask a seven-year-old to "just concentrate."
One instruction. Do it properly. Then the next. Then again. Week after week, they practise bringing their attention back to what's directly in front of them.
Sometimes the difference is startling.
One parent told us karate was the first activity where she watched her son become completely "locked in."
Bowing in. Waiting your turn. Looking someone in the eye when they're talking to you. Nobody gets told to do it, everyone in the room already does, and kids want to belong.
Karate gives them somewhere safe to get things wrong, every single week. They learn that wrong is a step, not a verdict. Better at losing. Calmer when something's hard.
Look for a clear class structure, belts that have to be earned, and the person who runs the dojo on the floor teaching. Then pick the place your family feels at home. The free class is there to help you decide.
Shihan Carl Sullivan is a Queensland, Australian and All Japan karate champion with more than 36 years of karate experience.
He runs the dojo and teaches with the support of highly trained instructors, each with decades of experience to share.
Nerang gets the same team as Oxenford. Not a second string.
Train at Nerang on Tuesdays and Fridays, Oxenford on Mondays, or both. Same instructors. Same weekly price.
Our home dojo is Studio Village Community Centre, 87 Village Way. See our Oxenford dojo.
Carl runs behavioural programs in local primary schools and has years of experience coaching kids with additional needs. We don't introduce your child to the room as a diagnosis.
We learn who they are, what they respond to and what they're already doing well, and build from there. Your child won't be the first.
Four free beach trainings a year, with a barbecue after. Christmas parties.
In October 2025, more than sixty of us went to Japan together to train where karate started.
T-shirt, shorts, bare feet. There's nothing to buy and nothing to pay. Tell whoever greets you if your child is nervous, and we'll plan how to bring them in.
If they love it, we'll talk. If they don't, no hard feelings, and nobody will chase you.
Everyone in that room had a first night too. Nobody's watching to see who's best.
Kids get to the door and freeze. It happens more than you'd think. An instructor does the warm-up next to them at the back of the room until they're ready.
Call Carl before you come. What to wear, where to park, how we'll bring in a shy kid. No question is too small.
You see what your child is like when they think nobody's watching. Whether they're listening. Whether they're having a go at something hard.
Come and do a full class. Wear whatever. Nothing to pay, and no obligation to come back.
FREE
Train weekly at either dojo. We are one of the only dojos who does not have a lock-in contract. Four weeks' notice whenever you decide to stop.
14.95/week
Queensland, Australian and All-Japan Karate champion.
Runs behavioural programs in local primary schools every school term.
Most of all, Carl and the team are there for every class and will support a child side by side through their very first warm-up.
(Sometimes Carl is away overseas competing.)
