The ultimate aim of Karate Do lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.
Sensei Gichin Funakoshi
Sensei Jean Boussard
A 4th Dan in Kase-Ha Shotokan Karate-Do which he has been practicing for over 55 years and a 2nd Dan in Taekwon Do with four years spent in Korea, Jean has been initiated to many other martial arts: Vietvodao (black belt), Judo, Aikido, Kendo, Nunchaku, Tai Chi, Capoeira and Thai kickboxing. He has trained and taught in many countries and introduced Shotokan Karate International (S.K.I.) in India from 1985 to 1987 with an Official Letter of Mission signed by Sensei Hirokazu Kanazawa. Sensei Jean teaches efficiency as martial arts are lethal knowledge, but above all with a holistic approach that incorporates meditation in every session and the understanding of one’s own vital energy: your body becomes stronger and flexible, your emotions calm and serene, your mind as clear as a limpid lake (the Japanese “Kokoro”), and you ultimately gain in spiritual elevation. Sensei Jean was awarded ”2019 Instructor of the Year” by Kase-Ha Shotokan Karate Australia.
Sensei Ben Ruble
A 3rd Dan in Kase-Ha Shotokan Karate-Do, Sensei Ben has been training since 1992 in International Shotokan Karate Federation dojos in Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Baltimore Maryland USA. From 2001 to 2012 he trained in the ISKF Instructor Training Program at Shotokan Headquarters in Philadelphia under Sensei Teruyuki Okazaki and he has received all promotions thus far through the ISKF. After moving to Australia in 2012 he joined Byron Shire Shotokan Karate Do & Self Defence. Sensei Ben is a qualified instructor who seeks to bring out the best in his students by challenging limits of flexibility, developing endurance and adhering to proper technique as an evolving principle based on health and wellness.
Sensei Fabio Quijano
Sensei Fabio started training in Shotokan Karate Do and Self Defence with Sensei Jean Boussard in 2009. He was awarded his Shodan in 2016 and his Nidan in 2023. Sensei Fabio is dedicated to teaching and he loves to help Karatekas discover the Art of traditional Karate Do, the Way of the Bushi, the Path of the Warrior.
Sempai Stephen Lawrence
Sempai Stephen holds a Black Belt in Kyokushin Kai and started training in Shotokan with Sensei Jean Boussard in 2016. He is now a good Shotokan Shodan Black Belt.
Stephen has decades of experience in Kumite, Kihon and Kata.
“I hold martial arts in the highest esteem. In my learning and teaching, I walk with confidence, have clarity of thought, respect for my fellows Karatekas and bow to my superiors and to my Sensei. I always refrain from violence and look upwards to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires. All my life, through the discipline of Karate I seek to fulfil the true meaning of the Martial Way, the Bushido. Ossu”
Sempai Pierre Albertini
A 1st Dan in Shotokan Karate-Do, Sempai Pierre has been practicing since his childhood and joined Byron Shire Shotokan Karate and Self Defence in 2017.
“Training in the South of France I discovered quite a few different Dojos but always following the Shotokan path. In my teens, I entered Sport Karate competition and was training at the Saint Eutrope Karate Dojo under Sensei Rene Cabardos, where I obtained my Shodan black belt. I deeply enjoy Sensei Jean’s way of sharing karate based on self-defence, building up self-esteem and mutual respect with a profound knowledge of the human body. I am deeply happy and excited to be part of the team and ready to deepen my study of this beautiful martial art.”
Sempai Damien O’Meara
Damien has been under instruction from Jean Boussard Sensei since February 2023 and a confirmed 1st Kyu Brown Belt in Kase-Ha Shotokan. He started training in Byron Bay when nine years old with Ric Light Sensei and progressed to Green belt level. In 2008 Damien joined the Dojo of Ian Harris Sensei and advanced to the grade of 1st Kyu in Shotokan. He then trained in Ballina with Mark Waller Sensei as a 1st Kyu and he also has acquired experience in Gojo Ryu and Bujinkan.
“My teaching is about using movement to find peace of mind, controlling emotions and eliminating pain, developing character and uniqueness whilst pushing the limitations of flexibility and strength. It is about using natural movement to increase speed and power. Movement is refined for grace and naturalness while ‘true strength’ is developed from subtlety of the movement itself: evasion, adjustment of position and the use of the body as a whole. Real fighting spirit is the driving force behind all techniques and is always the focus during training.”
Sempai Sam Fisher
Sam started his Shotokan Karate Path with Jean Boussard Sensei and with already 8 years of solid training is a good 1st Kyu Brown Belt.
As a young adult Karateka, he loves to assist in the instruction of our Cubs and Tigers:
Sempai Justin Crouch
Justin has been training in Kase-Ha Shotokan Karate Self Defence under the teaching of Jean Boussard Sensei since early 2023 and has reached the grade of 6th Kyu Green Belt.
“I wanted to join a positive local Community group and it turned out to be the perfect answer.
I like the idea we are training in something that has been passed down from previous Masters. Jean’s instruction provides a direct link to that origin. I do enjoy teaching the younger kids in the Cubs classes to help them with their basic moves and with their left and right orientation. My own children are in the Cubs and Tigers groups. My daughters, now Yellow Belt and Orange Belt, started soon after me and now we all train together. It is great to have them involved too and see them progress. I really feel involved and present in the Dojo. I feel like I have opened the door to a new, exciting part of my life. I could not have expected to be doing when I started. Jean Sensei’s strong belief in me inspires belief in myself, and my Daughters think he is great.”
