Australia. November 29, 2025
Over 35 martial artists competed at the Shaolin Kempo QLD tournament in Brisbane, Australia over the weekend in a spectacular display of fighting artistry across 3 divisions in 13 categories.
Shaolin Kempo students faced off against each other for the first time since 2003 at the Mackenzie dojo for the 2025 tournament, competing in Wrestling, Chin Na, Push hands, Katas, Weaponry and sparring in live combat Self Defence.
Winner of the Tournament Champion Trophy was 21-year-old Cyma Joseph from Mackenzie.
The winner of the children’s Tiger’s Trophy was 11-year-old, Rishaan Mehta, from Mackenzie, while the teen Dragons Trophy went to Juri Schmunk, also from Mackenzie, with 21-year old, Cyma Joseph, earning the adult trophy.
Cyma Joseph, a green belt who has been a Shaolin Kempo student for the last five years, said “it was positively overwhelming to win a tournament that hasn’t been won in 22 years”.
“I love the competitive atmosphere in tournaments and getting to showcase new skills while seeing other students improve,” Cyma said.
Cyma believes that “Kempo is the best base to begin your journey in martial arts”, and that Shaolin Kempo itself is “very adaptable” because “specialisation is a supported avenue of training”.
Shaolin Kempo combines the circular, fluid motion of Chinese Kung Fu and the linear, powerful movements of Japanese Kenpo Karate while also teaching Chen Style Tai Chi and Kempo Jitsu, which is a form of judo, wrestling and Jui jitsu that includes throws, sweeps, grappling, locks and chokes, while also incorporating weaponry such as nun chucks, bow staff, tonfa, spears, twin sai, guandao, sticks and blades.
Famous celebrities that have studied Kempo include Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley, who trained with Ed Parker, the founder of the American Kempo style, laying the foundations upon which Shaolin Kempo QLD is built.
Cyma says she loves the community spirit of the school, the versatility of styles and ability to learn weapons and wrestling.
She finds training and practicing martial arts fun because she gets to “put aside the grievances of today and just focus on the now”.
5th Degree Black Belt and Associate Professor, Sifu Brendan Gray, known to his students as ‘Sifu B’, says “the training is designed specifically for each student at the pace at which they can retain information”.
“We train differently nearly every night in a friendly atmosphere and you don’t get bored, as the class regularly switches things up between self defence, grappling, weaponry and conditioning.”
“I love helping others with their confidence, articulating control, balance and timing. I am so proud to watch each student’s journey as they improve power, technique and coordination,” Sifu B said.
New 11-year-old white belt, Rhys Tan-Inglis from Redland Bay, says he has learned more in the three months of training at Shaolin Kempo than he did doing three years of karate as an orange belt.
“This is so much better than doing karate on its own. Shaolin Kempo blends so many different styles of martial arts into one and you learn so much more than you do at a regular martial arts school,” Rhys said.
For Rhys’ mum, 43-year-old, Maria Tan, switching to Shaolin Kempo was a smart move because she and her son could both train together with the family discount, at the same price Rhys was being charged as a single student at his old karate dojo.
“They even gave us a free bag after grading,” Maria said. “I also get to do a meaningful activity with my son where we both learn new skills and I’ve managed to lose over 10kg while training at Shaolin Kempo without it even feeling like I was doing anything extreme”.
Maria and Rhys travel from Redland Bay to the Shaolin Kempo dojo in Mackenzie to train during the week and on Saturdays and Maria says they are “loving every minute of it”.
“This is the best thing we’ve ever done together and we’re creating a stronger bond, lifelong memories, friendships and skills that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. It is well worth the trip and truly puts the art into ‘martial arts’.”
Shaolin Kempo Instructor and Di Sempai, Glen Pearson, says “Martial arts has had an enormous effect on most parts of my life,”
“From giving me direction, coordination, fitness, confidence and the ability to learn many different moves and techniques, to having the discipline and grit to endure hard times in life.”
The material for this article was prepared and submitted to our editorial team by Maria Tan:
