Let’s Get Competitive

5 Days to Go... Until The Sign-On Day

Although most people don’t start karate with competition in mind, tournaments can be an exciting challenge and a great way to test your skills, build confidence, and develop mental and emotional resilience under pressure.

With just 5 days to go until our Sunshine Coast Karate Sign-On Day, we want to share a little bit about the tournament experience and some exciting news about a world-class event coming to Australia!

The Soke Cup is Coming to Australia!

Every few years, the Soke Cup – International Chito-Ryu Karate Championships brings together the best Chito-Ryu competitors from around the world. Our dojo has been successfully represented with medalists at every Soke Cup since 2001.  Most recently, at the 2023 Soke Cup in Kumamoto, Japan, we took a team of 15 competitors - bring home: 9 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals!

And now, for the first time in over 20 years, the Soke Cup is coming to Australia! In August 2026, the world’s best Chito-Ryu athletes will compete on the Gold Coast, and we are gearing up to build a local squad of competitors to represent Australia.

If you’ve ever wanted to challenge yourself on the competition stage, now is the perfect time to start! Over the coming months, we’ll be helping students prepare for state, national, and international competition, working towards building our team for this incredible event.

A Tradition of Competitive Excellence

At Sunshine Coast Karate, we’ve had the privilege of guiding many students over the years to state, national, and international success. The competitions we participate in follow the ideals set by founder of Chito-Ryu, O-Sensei (Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose), who was renowned for his strong fighting spirit and as demonstrated in kake-dameshi (challenge matches).

Recognizing that full-contact challenge matches weren’t suitable for all students, O-Sensei advocated for bogu kumite (fighting with protective equipment). This approach allows us to train with full commitment while maintaining safety—because let’s face it, most of us need to be able to go to school or work the next day!

Our Tournament Legacy

In addition to preparing teams for the Soke Cup, our local assocaiton association runs local tournaments every year so all students have the opportunity to compete.

Here are some highlights from some of our Sunshine Coast representatives competing at various Soke Cup's:

Sensei Sami Phillips' was the winner of Jr A/B Kobujutsu (Weapons) for both Bo and Sai events.  Featured in the video below is Sensei Sami (at the front) demonstrating her winning bo kata.

Silver Medalist in the Jr C Team Kata at the 2023 Soke Cup, Na'ila Khan, Abi Robb & Abby Kerrison are featured in the video below.

Could You Be Part of the Next Australian Team?

For new students, tournaments may be the last thing on your mind, and that’s perfectly okay! But it’s good to know that if competition sparks your passion, there are plenty of opportunities to take your training to the next level - maybe even all the way to the Soke Cup in 2026!

Join us at our Sign-On Day on Saturday, 8 February, and take the first step on your karate journey. Who knows? Maybe you could be competing on the world stage next year as part of the Australian Team!