Shihan Keith Geyer (7th Dan JKA)

Shihan Keith Geyer is the head instructor of the Shotokan Karate Coalition (SKC), and is the Oceanic head of the World Karate Confederation. Sensei Keith bases himself in Melbourne but travels regularly within Australia and overseas to teach.

The Instructor
Keith Geyer has practiced the art of Karate for the past 33 years under the guidance of Stan Schmidt, a world renowned Karate Master and the most prominent western Shotokan Karate practitioner. Sensei Keith has also trained extensively under such reknowned masters as Shihan Nakayama and former World and All Japan Champion Shihan Tanaka.

The Competitor
Keith Geyer competed internationally for 14 years, representing South Africa against the USA, England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Italy. He won the South African Open All Styles Kumite title 6 times and the South African JKA Kumite title 3 times. Keith was captain of the South African team from 1982 to 1988.

The Coach
Keith has successfully coached both junior and adult competitors in national and international competitions. Pavlo Protopapa, one of Keith's students, won the world 1994 Shotocup championship in Philadelphia, USA.

Another of Keith's students, Johan La Grange, reached the final of the 2000 Shotocup held in the Budokan, Tokyo. He was narrowly beaten by Toshihito Kokubon in an exciting final match. Johan defeated a number of very well known Japanese fighters on his way to the finals including the All Japan champion, Kunio Kobayashi in the quarters and Kooji Ogata in the semi's. Most recently Keith coached two students, Cindy Leask and Luke Byrne to gold medals at the WKC South East Asian and Oceanic Championships with Luke going on to win a silver medal in Kumite at the WTKA World Championships and Cindy winning Gold in the Kata at the same event.

Sensei Luke Byrne (2nd Dan JKA, 3rd Dan SKC)

Sensei Luke is a executive member of the SKC and has been training in Karate for 14 years. In that time Luke has achieved alot most recently winning silver at the WTKA world championships in Italy.

Some of Luke's major Individual Achievements:

7 times Australian team member - 2003 Captain
Victorian- Kata Champion
Victorian -Kumite Champion
N.S.W.- Kata Champion
Victorian Shotokan Cup- Kata Champion
South East Asian and Oceanic -Kata Champion
South East Asian and Oceanic -Kumite Champion
SKC Elite and Novice National Championships - Kumite Champion
WTKA World Championships silver medalist -Kumite
2nd Place - Team Kata South African International
2nd Place- Kata Australasian Championships
2nd Place- Kumite Australasian Championships
2nd Place- N.S.W. Championships Kumite
3rd Place- Kata Northern Regional All Japan Qualifier
4th place- WTKA World Championships Kata

The people that have left the biggest impact on Luke's karate and life are his father Terry, who taught him that if you believe in yourself and you put your heart into everything you do, you can achieve anything, Sensei Keith who has shown him that if you have your integrity and you are honest within yourself then nobody can hold you down, Sensei Stan who has taught him to keep an open mind to new possibilities, and to be creative in your training, and Sensei Takahashi who taught him to rise from adversity.

As well as karate Luke also trains regularly in Tae Kwon do, boxing, kickboxing, kung fu, jiu jitsu and judo. Luke implements a lot of the training methods and techniques that he learns from other styles into his own style in order to bring the best out of his students.

As a qualified Physical Education teacher he also implements a number of inventive teaching strategies into his training. His knowledge of individual learning abilities and motor skill development help him to develop and modify strategies to meet individual student needs in order to increase their progress and help them reach their full potential. It is Luke's positive attitude and commitment to never ending improvement that will ultimately see him achieve even greater success in the near future.