Grant Rollinson, 6th Dan, is the Principal Instructor at World Shotokan Karate-do Federation Australia (WSKF Australia).
He uses his 39 years of learned Karate skills and unwavering enthusiasm to teach students of all ages and abilities, the respected art of Shotokan Karate-do.
Read more to discover Grant’s Karate history and how he started 6 successful Karate clubs in Perth.
How Grant traded a variety of Sports for one Martial Art, Shotokan Karate
Grant began training in Karate shortly after the move from Christchurch, NZ to Perth, in 1983.
Having already trained and competed in several team sports such as rugby, soccer, hockey, basketball and cricket in his youth, Grant wanted to turn his attention to another form of sport.
He chose Shotokan Karate for its focus on whole body skills, strength and agility, both mental and physical. Also, Grant wanted to gain self-defence training, as he says you never can know when these skills come in useful.
Shotokan Karate helped Grant keep fit and destress from work deadlines. With training, students simply cannot think about anything else
Enhancing his skillset, finetuning his focus in Shotokan Karate
In the early days (aka the !980s), under the leadership of Sensei Hirokazu Kanazawa, Grant trained as a member of Shotokan Karate International Australia. In 1988, he began teaching Shotokan Karate at his first club.
In 1998, Grant joined the World Shotokan Karate-do Federation, training gratefully and humbly under Sensei Hitoshi Kasuyu 9th Dan, its Founder and Chief Instructor.
To this very day, Sensei Kasuyu remains an important influence and inspiration to Grant and his clubs due to his keen extensive knowledge, impressive Shotokan Karate skill set and ability to mix traditional Karate practices with modern innovation.
In 2009, Grant decided Shotokan Karate was going to become a full-time gig to focus on, he was ready to develop developing quality Shotokan Karate in Perth and spend more meaningful time with his kids before and after school.
Dan Rankings
Shodan (1st Dan) – Hirokaza Kanazawa SKI 1987
Nidan (2nd Dan) – Hirokaza Kanazawa SKI 1989
Sandan (3rd Dan) – Hitoshi Kasuya WSKF 1999
Yondan (4th Dan) – Hitoshi Kasuya WSKF 2006
Godan (5th Dan) – Hitoshi Kasuya WSKF 2012
Rokudan (6th Dan) – Hitoshi Kasuya WSKF 2019
Accreditations
WSKF World Championships in 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 as a judge in Japan
National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) Level 1 Coach
Where is Grant now?
These days, you can find Grant working hard on the floor and behind the scenes of his 6 Karate clubs in Perth with his wife, Sheela Rollinson. He trains a wide range of Perth Karate students, ages 4 and up, ranging from beginners to black belts.
Grant says there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing his students improve their physical abilities and self-confidence. Watching children and adults going from ‘non-believers’ in themselves to “believers!” It gives him great satisfaction too, that a lot of his assistant instructors have trained under him, from their earliest beginnings, and stay on now as Blackbelts to inspire future students.
Inspiring others through Shotokan Karate
Parents and older students who come back to Karate because of just how much it offers. Parents and students realise that the true value of Shotokan Karate is not just the fighting and self-defence, but rather having a strong work ethic, good morals, principles, self-control and respect. And here at WSKF, we instil these in every student and family.
We teach our students how to fight, but more importantly how not to fight. We value humility, patience, persistence, determination, understanding and perceptiveness. We teach our kids drive, active and attentive listening. We teach kids to respect their elders and others, in the Japanese way.
To Grant, Karate is more than just an activity; it’s a way of life. The training learnt through classes, under the guidance of trained instructors, can be applied to everyday life. It focuses on the past, present and future, as well as challenging the mind, body and spirit. Everybody can benefit from these principles.
At WSKF Australia, it’s his own, and the instructors shared vision to provide students the very best in Shotokan Karate experiences.
So, if you’re keen to build on a good character and good attitude, Grant is ready to show you how.
Grant and his highly skilled instructors look forward to meeting and training with you in one of his Shotokan Karate clubs in Perth.
You can find Grant and his Perth Karate team in Ellenbrook, Kwinana, Riverton, Doubleview and Cannington.
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