About Us

Jin Wu Koon Karate - Byron Bay

JWK Karate was established in Byron Bay by Light Sensei in 1977. It produced many champions at regional, state national and international championships in karate, kickboxing, and kung fu and made positive contributions toward the lives of generations of Byron Bay locals. Sensei Light is now back to share what he has learned and to continue the JWK tradition.

From childhood, the three Chan brothers, Cheuk Sam, Cheuk Wah and Cheuk Fai, learned kung fu from their father and Grand Master of Jin Wu Koon, Chan Keng Wan. With this background, when they began Budokan karate they excelled at it. These are the roots of JWK Karate with the influence of Hayashi Ha karate a more recent development. Ric Light is sensei of the Byron Bay dojo and works under Sensei Chan Cheuk Fai who is based in Sydney. Chan Cheuk Fai is Australia Shibu Cho ([オーストラリア支部長]Chief-instructor for Australia). Beng Soon Koh taught Chand Cheuk Fai in Malaysia and is now Shihan Beng Soon Koh 9th Dan: Chief Instructor Oceania (オセアニア支部長] Oceania Shibu Cho for Hayashi Ha. He acts as an advisor for Jin Wu Koon karate.

 When well taught, karate can make a valuable contribution toward personal development in areas such as concentration, commitment, confidence, self-discipline, self-awareness, and resilience. It can also help people cope with stresses of life, give it more meaning to their lives and provide a clear set of values to live by. Training in JWK Karate will help you an/or your children achieve your goals in and out of karate and assist with positive personal development through sustained commitment to training and striving to be the best you can.

Our code of conduct is aligned with Bushido is: loyalty, honour, courage, honesty, respect and humility. 

FAQs

  • There is no joining fee. The first two lessons are free and you are welcome to watch as many classes as you like before deciding to train. When you join you must pay the first month’s training fees in advance unless you choose to train on a casual basis and you do not need to buy a uniform (dogi) until you (or your child’s) first grading. The dogi are $50 including the belt and a JWK badge.

  • At the moment, there are TWO opportunities for training each week. Monday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon. It’s advisable that you attend class twice a week as this is when you will see the most improvement in your skills.

  • We hold three gradings a year at a cost of $60.00 each, unless the you hold a Level 4 membership in which case the gradings are free. The grading fee includes a new belt and a beautiful JWK certificate.

  • All classes are taught by Light Sensei (sometimes subbed by Canning) who has been training in karate since 1974. In Australia he trained with Sensei/Sifu Chan Cheuk Fai and Sensei Koh Bin Soon. In Japan he trained in Osaka for six years with Hayashi Soke, Nagatomo Sensei, Hamaguchi Sensei and Hashimoto Sensei. He was graded to shodan (1st dan) and nidan (2nd dan) in Hong Kong by Sensei Chan Cheuk Sam, to sandan (3rd dan) in Australia by Sensei Chen Cheuk Fai and to yondan and godan (4th and 5th dan) in Japan by the late Hayashi Soke as one of the great modern karate masters. He has since been graded to 6th dan by Chan Cheuk Fai. Light Sensei also has a Working With Children Check.

  • Students are not allowed to spar until they have passed their first grading to receive a yellow belt. We focus more on kata but kumite is important for learning and will be part of gradings from yellow to green belt and up and will be controlled by the Sensei or Sempai. Students are encouraged to compete in tournaments but there is no obligation or pressure to compete. JWK Karate is not a sport karate club but supports and guides students who wish to compete.