Instructor of The Month Jan. 07

My name is Brian Maximchuk and I have trained in various martial arts since I the age of ten. I am currently the owner and sensei of the Lantzville branch of the Shima Karate Schools.

I originally joined martial arts for self-defence reasons. As the only child of a single mother and not terribly athletic, I felt vulnerable. Even raising my voice to others was difficult. I thought the martial arts were the solution to my problems.

As soon as I started training I knew I had found my calling. Through the traditional martial arts I discovered a world of history, philosophy, competition and self expression. Training in the arts helped mold me into who I am today. Yet for all these wonderful benefits that I had reaped I still felt that my original purpose for training, self-defence, had not been fully addressed. My real life experiences involving confrontation and conflict bore no resemblance to the training I had done in any school or style. I was not satisfied with the outcomes of these situations, given my background. So I continued to search for the missing link in my training.

Then I discovered FAST Defence. Through this type of training I now feel my original goal has been realized. The whole concept of self-defence is dealt with in a simple and straight forward manner. As a FAST instructor I also have the benefit of being able to share this wonderful experience with my own students as well. I can bring valuable life skills training to adults and children who do not normally make the commitment to martial arts but need and deserve the ability to protect themselves. This is empowering for all of us. Now that I have added FAST Defence to our school curriculum my students and I can appreciate the martial arts for what they have truly become a road to self mastery.

Thank you to Bill Kipp and the countless other instructors past, present and future for their tireless quest to empower others in their communities.