About
Kids Martial Arts: The Focus of Australia’s Youth Self Defence Karate
Australia’s Youth Self Defence Karate was founded in 1994 by Kenpo Freestyle 5th Degree Black Belt, Matt Klein. After arriving from the U.S., Matt noticed a great need for fun and affordable activities for children in Sydney. He opened the first club specializing in martial arts for kids in Australia. The classes became an instant hit, with their high-energy, fun, and non-intimidating atmosphere.
Our Chief Instructor–Sensei Matt Klein
Matt Klein has trained in the martial arts since high school studying Judo, boxing, wrestling, and karate, finally achieving his black belt in American Kenpo Karate. He has trained in Kenpo since 1986. His study over the years include kickboxing, Jujitsu, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Kali, martial arts weaponry (including expert-level bo staff, combat cane, and samurai sword). Combining this outside study with American Kenpo Karate, Matt Klein formed the Kenpo Freestyle Academy in Sydney, Australia in the year 2000.
Matt Klein is passionate about teaching martial arts to children
Kenpo Freestyle includes martial arts from all over the world–the rapid-fire hand techniques of American Kenpo; grappling, throwing, and joint lock techniques from Jujutsu, wrestling, MMA, and Judo; weapons skills from Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines. It also includes the powerful punches and kicks of boxing and kickboxing and the flashy jumping and spinning kicks of the Korean martial arts. The simplicity of movements and the emphasis on self confidence that Matt Klein developed from his martial arts for kids program were incorporated into Kenpo Freestyle, which make it a very practical system for self defence.
Kenpo Freestyle Sydney is the top-rated team in NSW five years running
This system gets results. The Kenpo Freestyle tournament team has been the number one ranked martial arts team in the International Sport Karate Association in Australia for five years in a row in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, primarily on the strength of our kids. There are over 50 teams competing in the ISKA.
Matt Klein has been voted the Outstanding Coach of the Year and won the awards for Lifetime Achievement in ISKA and the Shogun Commitment to Martial Arts. As a competitor, Matt has won many championships in sparring, forms, and weapons in Sydney, Australia and in the U.S. He continues to train in American Kenpo Karate and currently holds a 4th Degree Black Belt. His kids karate schools in Sydney have enjoyed unparalleled success and he has become one of the acknowledged experts in the field of martial arts for kids. His articles have been published on the prestigious eZine Articles website at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Matthew_Klein.
When not teaching kids martial arts, Matt is a keen reader, cook (Mexican, Indian, Italian and Thai are his favourites), and skier. Matt is also an avid traveler, having visited over 25 countries. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,” said the great author Mark Twain. “I believe it is so important to see how other people live around the world,” says Sensei Matt.
Our Head Instructors–Top Martial Artists
Sinem Kileci, 2nd Degree Black Belt, runs our schools at Doonside and North Ryde in Sydney. She has trained with Matt Klein for over 13 years and has established herself as a topnotch martial arts instructor. She has excelled in tournament competition, ranking among the best in NSW in point sparring, full contact and forms.
Sensei Sinem is very popular with the little children
Sinem studied Early Childhood Education at university, which she draws upon in her teaching duties. She is very popular with the kids. Sinem has been invaluable in establishing the Tiny Tigers Kids Program at the North Ryde, Doonside and Wentworthville locations. “She is a natural at teaching kids martial arts, especially the little ones. She is able to build instant rapport with them and keep them interested. In addition, her efforts in motivating her kids to try tournaments has been inspirational for all of us. She is the best I have ever seen at this”, said Sensei Matt. You can find Sensei Sinem at the martial arts tournaments in Sydney where she is always on hand to support her students. She is also a talented musician in her spare time.
Zoltan Levitt, 4th Degree Black Belt, was Sensei Matt’s assistant for over 13 years, starting as an Orange belt helper at Collaroy in the Northern Beaches of Sydney in 1994. He was the very first assistant instructor in our organization. Also our first 4th Degree Black Belt, Zoltan has achieved every single black belt specialist award available. He currently runs our Mona Vale karate location and assists Sensei Matt at Seaforth.
Zoltan Levitt strives for excellence
According to Sensei Matt, “His desire to learn new things in the martial arts is insatiable. He is constantly after me to teach him new techniques. He has even travelled to the U.S. and trained with my sensei, 8th Dan American Kenpo Black belt Todd McElhinney. He returned with several refinements to our Long 4 and 5 Katas, as well as expert self-defence techniques” .
Zoltan has also excelled in martial arts tournaments over the years, particularly in point sparring and forms. “In competiton, he has performed the American Kenpo Long 6 Kata, which is an unbelievably complex Kata, and probably no one else in Australia knows it, myself included. No one really has an appreciation for how difficult it is. Zoltan managed to teach it to himself with a DVD, which is remarkable”, said Matt. “In sparring classes we call him the “long arm of the law, because his backfist is so fast, if you don’t keep one hand glued to your head, you will get popped”, added Sensei Matt
“His true talent, however, is in teaching. I have seen him take over a dozen black belts through very difficult grappling moves, without any assistance, and explain it in a super-easy-to-understand way, keeping their full attention and interest. I think there are only a handful of instructors in Australia that are able to do this”, said Matt. Zoltan, at 6’5″ is the closest thing to a gentle giant you will find, and often injects his sense of humour to get a laugh from the kids. In his spare time he has tutored many kids into becoming top martial artists.
Daniel Jancek, 3rd Degree Black Belt, is our most highly decorated martial arts tournament competitor. During the period between 2001 and 2006, he won the Kenpo Freestyle Competitor of the Year every single year. He also won the ISKA Competitor of the Year in 2006. According to Sensei Matt, “I have seen a lot of competitors in my life, but he is one of the best. His speed, technique, intensity, and power are unmatched. He excelled in every single event he entered, including point sparring, full contact, forms, extreme and musical forms, self defence, the list goes on. I can show him a technique one time and he’ll know it so well he’ll use it against me next time we spar. I have to be careful what I show him”.
Daniel Jancek is one of the best
At 6′ 0″, 100 kilograms, Daniel, like Zoltan above, is a gentle giant. The kids really take to him. Daniel has contributed greatly to our Black Belt Club program with new ideas for specialists and many new techniques. He has achieved every single Black Belt Specialist award we have. He is now making a big impact as a tournament coach. Many of the kids he has coached are now champions. Daniel runs many of our kids martial arts classes in Western Sydney, including North Parramatta, Kings Langley, Baulkham Hills, and Penrith, as well as the parents and teens at Wentworthville. Daniel also trains in Mixed Martial Arts. He has trained with Sensei Matt for over 12 years.
All of our instructors have been trained specifically for the purpose of teaching martial arts to kids–that is our specialty.