Wow, it’s hard to believe that Zanshin has been part of the Canberra and Queanbeyan martial arts community for 10 years now! I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who turned up to celebrate with us.
Looking back, the journey has been incredible. After nearly 50 years in martial arts, starting as a six-year-old student, I made the decision to create something new – something that truly reflects the values we believe in. Zanshin Martial Arts is unique, and we’ve seen that difference in how our club has grown. When we first started, our grading numbers were much smaller, and now they’ve skyrocketed. Where we used to grade around 150 students, we’re now grading over 400+ students, which is a testament to the new direction we’ve taken with Zanshin.
One of the biggest changes has been shifting away from promoting the head of the organization. In many clubs, that can come across as just a big ego trip. But at Zanshin, we’ve taken a different approach – it’s all about the students and the instructors. We now have 27 instructors in our organization, and we’re floating between 1,200 to 1,500 students, which shows that both the instructors and students love the environment they’re in.
Another great thing about Zanshin is that we no longer have to travel for grading events or gatherings. Before, we used to take just a handful of students away to other places, but now, everything happens at our own club. This is a huge benefit for our students, as everyone has busy lifestyles, and now everything is under one roof – making it so much easier and more convenient for everyone.
My role, as the head of the organization, is just one small piece of the puzzle. The true strength of Zanshin lies in our students and our amazing instructors, both past and present.
This philosophy has proven to work, and our growth speaks for itself. We’ve not only tripled our grading numbers over the past 10 years, but this year alone, we’ve opened one new centers, continuing our mission to build a club that puts people first.
I want to say a massive thank you to every single student, instructor, and supporter who has been part of this journey. Whether you’ve been with us from the start or recently joined, Zanshin wouldn’t be what it is today without you. Together, we’ve built something truly special, and it’s a credit to everyone involved.
Here’s to our next 10 years – let’s keep growing, learning, and making Zanshin Martial Arts a club we’re all proud of!