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Meet Our Instructors

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Tetsuji Nakamura

8th Dan, Head Instructor (Shudokan), World Chief Instructor (IOGKF)

Nakamura Sensei has been training in Goju-ryu since 1980. He originally trained in Judo while in university for law and teaching. He trained under Shuichi Aragaki Sensei, the last surviving student of Chojun Miyagi Sensei. He became World Chief Instructor of the International Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation in 2012 and travels around the world to teach.

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Spencer Warren

5th Dan

Sensei Spencer started training under Sensei Jim Marinow in 1998. He trained with Sensei Vic while he lead IOGKF Canada and has been with Nakamura Sensei since his arrival in Canada. He graded to Shodan in 2006. Outside of Goju-ryu, Sensei Spencer is an avid skiier.

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John Rao

4th Dan

Sensei John joined Shudokan in 2005 at the age of 54 and was awarded the title of Sensei in 2017. He teaches classes with knowledge, patience, and compassion. His classes are high-energy, challenging, and interactive, creating a fun, energetic learning environment for all. A mentor for all students, Sensei John leads by example and is always available for extra help.

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Marius Betz

5th Dan

Sensei Marius began karate at the age of 7 in Germany. Throughout his youth, he trained in judo, kobudo, BJJ, and MMA alongside Goju-ryu. His training took him across Europe, India, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan, including over two years in Okinawa and six months at Shudokan. Sensei Marius relocated to Canada in 2024 to train at Shudokan.

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Cherry Blossom

Stuart Reid

4th Dan

Sensei Stuart started his martial arts journey when he was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home dad. Twenty years later his wife still comments on how happy he is when he comes home after teaching a class or being a student.  He's sure that this is the result of Goju Ryu's aerobic, kinesthetic, and mental workouts as well as the great camaraderie amongst everyone at the dojo and the organization as a whole. 

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Joe van Troost

4th Dan

Sensei Joe has been practicing martial arts for over 25 years, including several dojos focusing on different styles in Canada and Europe. He discovered traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu at Shudokan under Sensei Nakamura.  A personal highlight was achieving 4th degree black belt (yondan) and training in Okinawa, the birthplace of karate. Sensei Joe loves teaching the next generation of students, of all ages and abilities.

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Sita Ganesan

4th Dan, Children's Program Lead

Sensei Sita has been training at Shudokan since she was six years old. Along with this, she trained in Judo and Muay Thai while at university and with Sensei Torben Svendsen while she lived in Denmark. She has taught at Shudokan for over ten years and has travelled extensively to train and teach. Her classes are high energy and often focus on the mechanics of movement.

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Steven Simons

3rd Dan

Having started his journey in IOGKF in 2005 at Taki Dojo in Niagara Falls, Sensei Steven has been a proud member of Shudokan since 2019. His classes are rooted in traditional training, focusing on the details of power generation, bunkai, and self defence.

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Michelina Cusano

3rd Dan, Children's Program Lead

Sensei Michelina is a child, youth, and family coach, published author, and martial artist. A passionate proponent of community building, she has been teaching karate for twenty years and trained internationally including in China and Japan.

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Theodor Tetz

3rd Dan

Senpai Theo started training in Sensei Torben Svendsen's dojo in Denmark when he was 9 and has been teaching since 2010. In 2021, he moved to Canada to train with Nakamura Sensei.

His classes are high energy with a focus on traditional training through the lens of a modern understanding of the body. He values the aspect of self defense highly.

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Jayant Ganesan

3rd Dan

Senpai Jay first started at Shudokan at four years old in 2004. He has been training here ever since. He took a 3-year break due to a stage IV cancer diagnosis, but returned in 2020 achieved his second- and third-degree black belt ranks. achieving his sandan in 2024. It is his goal to share what he has learned in his training journey with the next generation of students.

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