Keeping It Real
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ABOUT INNER CIRCLE ACADEMY
We try to keep it real at Inner Circle Academy. There are no secret techniques, mystical powers nor unobtainable goals. We try to keep our pricing reasonable and targeted to families. We aim to give good value and a worthwhile skill set that will hopefully last a lifetime. We have some core values and principles that we use as our guide to good business including ‘transparency’, ‘consistency’ and the concept of ‘kaizen’.
It takes time, hard training and loads of self-discipline to effectively learn a martial art. Inner Circle Academy Instructors are highly qualified and accredited, with 20 years plus of teaching experience, fully insured, police checked and all have current first aid qualifications.
It’s quite easy for a big, strong martial arts instructor to make a defensive move look simple and effective on a compliant training partner in a controlled environment and with well-rehearsed techniques.
A decent instructor can almost make techniques look quite choreographed and infallible.
It’s a different thing in the real world, and while the expert martial artist may have some advantage, it’s never ever as easy as in the training hall (dojo).
Some of the things we do to make this a valuable and worthwhile activity for you are as follows.
You will learn how to fight, you will learn how ‘to not fight’, you will learn self defence and you will learn martial arts. Self defence and martial arts are two quite different things. There is a little crossover and one will help the other but we will teach both. You will also learn how to use weapons of opportunity, disarm weaponed attackers and much more. Students will also learn valuable life skills throughout their studies. There are also advanced martial arts to learn for those that wish to extend their skills.
Inner circle Academy uniforms and training regimes are simple, effective and match practical, modern day requirements. Uniforms are inexpensive and everyone wears the same. You won’t be required to buy hundreds of dollars’ worth of badges. Belts and stripes are included in your grading fees.
Instructors can perform every technique taught, there are no 1 or 2 year black belts and no child black belts because in this style, black belt means ‘instructor’
Students won’t sit for nor pay for gradings until the student is ready to pass. Grading fees are kept to a minimum. There are even discounts for the rare occasion of double gradings. There is no time based progression for grading, no mandatory seminars, no mandatory competitions and no mandatory equipment or weaponry purchases required.
Most importantly, instructors will never get angry with, berate or yell at an individual student. Instructors will never intentionally bully, humiliate, deliberately injure a student nor cause more pain that is reasonable required to complete a technique*. Neither will these activities be tolerated by anyone else in the dojo. All techniques are initially shown at a reduced speed and intensity and permission is sought from the student if a faster or full speed version is to be demonstrated. Everything eventually gets practiced at close to realistic conditions. Students need to know what works and on who.
Disrespect of any kind will be dealt with resolutely and according to the rules and values of Inner Circle Academy
*All techniques cause some pain otherwise it would not work as a self-defence. Instructors are very experienced and can judge how much pain a student can deal with. Instructors communicate with students during techniques to ensure that all care is taken. Conditioning and desensitisation is an essential part of self-defence training.
Here is Inner Circle Academy Club Code / Rules and Policies RULES
ABOUT CHILD SAFETY
Inner Circle Academy is fully compliant with Queensland’s Child Safe Standards. (from day 1 of implementation)
The 2025 standards were already incorporated into our operations, Codes, Policies and working practice because we previously adhered to the MAIA Standards and have our entire operations structured around safety first.
Jujutsu is a close quarter and immediate quarter martial art. We learn real combat, real self-defence, which as well as strikes and blocks, must also include throws, locks, holds, escapes and grappling.
Because of that, we’ve built our safety practices not just as rigid rules, but as a natural extension of respect and Japanese Dojo etiquette. We’ve doubled down on consent.
In doing so we are also completely compliant with the Queensland Child Safety Standards. Our compliance is contained within our Dojo Code, the Away Code and the Club Code, all available on our website. We foster a culture where every student, from their very first class, learns that their voice matters.
Our instructors are not just trained to teach technique, they’re trained on how to run a class, how to ensure all students are safe. We have simple rules and boundaries some of which are non-negotiable, and for others, we work within our policies and experience to ensure junior members are able to express themselves, whilst gently setting & reinforcing boundaries and in doing so allow them to develop without unneeded traumas, into the martial artist they deserve to be.
Beyond the mats, our boundaries are just as intentional. You’ll never see an instructor messaging your child privately, or offering rides or supervision without your explicit request. Social events are joyful but structured, trips are supervised with care, and every senior student working with juniors has passed rigorous checks and in house training. This isn’t about distrust, it’s about creating an environment where trust can thrive. Children learn faster and more thoroughly when a high degree of trust and bonding is earned.
We know safety isn’t a checklist—it’s a daily practice, like jujutsu itself, so, if you ever have questions, or see something we’ve missed, come talk to us.
This dojo is yours as much as it is ours.
Here are the new Queensland Child Safety standards STANDARDS
Here is Inner Circle Academy Code of Conduct CODE
Here is Inner Circle Academy Away Code of Conduct AWAY
Here is Inner Circle Academy Child Safety Policy SAFETY