Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai
Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai
Pete Keogh Sensei 7th Dan Shibucho (Branch Chief)
Pete has been involved in Karate since 1986 and as the founder of the Tritactics business, Pete has developed and delivered successful martial arts, self-defence and anger management programs to a number of public and private schools and is currently engaged by several Youth organisations to work with disengaged youth. Pete also runs self-defence programs in workplaces and for the general public by way of our Women's Self Defence seminars.
Pete has leveraged his martial arts knowledge, his skills as an amateur boxer/Kick boxer and his experiences in the security industry to create programs that are fun for school students, improves their fitness & self-confidence and increase their self-awareness, while at the same time equipping them with personal safety skills.
The Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai is a karate organisation set up to promote research into the practical application of Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate kata and technique. It was instituted by Taira Masaji Sensei 9th Dan, to provide a collaborative learning group of like-minded pracitioners to collectively advance our karate.
Kenkyukai simply means 'research group.
Masaji Taira is a leading teacher of Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Do, in the manner of the Jundokan dojo in Okinawa and of his teacher Ei’ichi Miyazato. Taira Sensei is a retired police officer and a 9th Dan in Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Do. Taira Sensei heads the Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai, is best known as a researcher and practitioner of the bunkai (application) of the Goju Ryu kata, and is renowned for being unusually open in his teachings, feeling that the techniques and learning must be shared, for their preservation and to test their effectiveness.
Pete has developed a real passion for the teachings of Taira Sensei and the Okinawan Goju Ryu Kenkyukai, travelling to training sessions in Australia, Okinawa, United States of America and New Zealand. Pete is now passing on all he has learned from Taira Sensei to in excess of 150 students.
Paul Chandler
5th Dan
Paul commenced his journey in the martial arts in 1996, training in Japanese Goju Ryu (Kai) in Shepparton Victoria, with Goju Ryu Australia (GRA) headed by chief instructor Shihan Sal Ebinez, where the main focus of the training was developing strong kata and kihon waza through repetition. In December 2000, Paul was awarded his Shodan from Shihan Sal Ebinez.
In 2001 Paul moved to London where he worked and travelled (as much as possible) for a number of years, participating when he could in karate classes and also trying Wing Chun.
Returning to Australia at the end of 2005 and relocating to Melbourne, Paul continued his training in Goju Ryu, traveling a couple times a month to train with his original Sensei, Terry Reilly in Shepparton, now independent of GRA.
Over the next few years Paul gradually became frustrated, feeling there was something missing from his training and eventually took a break from karate. Still feeling the desire to train in the martial arts, he started training in Filipino Martial Arts (Doce Pares) and Jeet Kune Do concepts.
In 2011, Paul met Taira Masaji Sensei at his first Australian seminar. From that initial “light bulb” moment, everything changed, discovering the link between kata and usable self-protection applications. The void he felt in his previous training was about to be filled. His first trip to Okinawa was later that same year where he started the transition from Japanese Goju Kai to Okinawa Goju Ryu. He’s returned a number of times since.
Since that first meeting with Taira Sensei, Paul has trained continually in his methods, developing a strong passion for kata, learning to understand the sequences and movements within the kata to make them effective. Paul was awarded his Godan from Taira Masaji Sensei in March 2016 and 2018.
Paul trains and assists in teaching at the McKinnon Dojo with Pete Keogh Sensei. Paul teaches classes on Monday nights from 8pm to 9pm and oversees an open training session on Friday mornings from 6am to 7am.
Goju Ryu classes held at:
McKinnon Dojo
McKinnon Progress Hall
118 McKinnon Rd. McKinnon, 3204
Mon: 8pm - 9pm Wed: 6am - 7am & Thu: 7:30pm - 9pm
Phone: Pete Keogh 0419 158 189
Email: gojuryu@tritactics.com.au
Affiliated Dojos
Sunbury Dojo
Contact: Jo Bell.
Tel: 0413 512 305
Mt Carmel Primary School
Crn Macedon St. & Jackson St, Sunbury, 3429
Tues 6:30 - 9pm
Forest Hill Dojo:
Contact: Chris Malloy.
Tel: 0418 569 858
Shop 308, Forest Hill Shopping Centre.
The Loft, Forest Hill, 3131
South Australia:
Contact: Josh Smith
Tel: 0407 189 893
