Any other past students of Peter Williams from Toowoomba? I left four weeks before grading for my brown and it has been one of the greatest regrets of my life. I was wondering if anyone knows what's happened to him, and what similar styles there are in the region so I can keep studying. I know his son went to Sydney, anyone know whether he is still doing it there?
What was his sons name Google will provide answers. Goju Ryu is the most Okinawan of the Karate Styles in Toowoomba, and that's still for the most part Japanese Karate. or you can come study ****o-Ryu with me.
As I remember it his son's name was Rod. Google has no information on Shorin-ryu in Sydney. I even looked up the names of his past students in an old book he wrote and was able to track one down and contact him. He doesn't know either. Peter's style was karate/kung-fu, it was unique, which is what has kept me from others that were too different. Do you strike with a vertical or horizontal fist?
horizontal @Fish: Not that guy. Mr williams and his students are rather elusive. only student i've found was Joe Perry. one of the local KMMA Coaches, in BJJ and MMA.
Nope. Not him. I found him though. I got an address through a past student. I have his number from the phonebook, and his house on google maps. Now the question is what to do with this information.
I trained with Peter from 1987 to 1991 (in Brisbane since 1991 - I was probationary Blackbelt but left a couple of months before getting the certificate - like you, I reget leaving the club at least before completing the probationary period). as far as I know, there is Joe perry operating Kachi in Toowoomba and Gary Vickars Dalton operating Austyle Kung fu on the Sunshine Coast in Qld. I found after moving to Brisbane that there is not really anything quite like Peter's place (I have trained in muay thai, wing chun, tong long, jujitsu and hapkido at various times and places) but Arnis is pretty good - a lot of weapons training - sticks and knives an staff as well as unarmed stuff, but they love thier sparing (with single stick usulally) and the style of empty hand is not too different from Peter's Shorin Ryu. generally the styles with techniques like ours don't like sparing and the styles that like sparing are more boxing and kickboxing orientated (no blocking, parrying or sticky hands/trapping). thats what I've found anyway.
You absolute legend. I found the same thing trying kung-fu recently. Arnis sounds right up my alley, I've been practicing jo staff and knives off my own bat, so it sounds very interesting. Thank you for the info.
I trained with Peter from 1987 to 93 was hoping to catch up - my son is now the age when I started - was hoping to enroll him now I'm back in qld - does he still have lessons in toowoomba ? My young fella started Kung Fu here in Ipswich - good off him but has nothing on the way Peter ran things.
I don't think there is anyone carrying on with Peter's Shorin Ryu - the last time I spoke to Peter was about three years ago and at that time he had retired from training and no one had taken over. Peter said that Arthur Wells would have been the person to take over but apparently Arthur coudn't since he didn't have enough time - I think, from Memory, that Arthur was juggling regular training with his work commitments as it was. So, as far as I know, only Gary Vickars Dalton teaches it in Currimundi on the sunshine Coast and there is Joe Perry in Toowoomba but I don't know if he teaches any of Peter's style or if he only teaches MMA and BJJ. It's probaly worth noting too, that one of our guys travelled to Canada and dropped in to see Quai Wong's Dogo and found that he had gone back to training traditional Shorin Ryu, so Gary Vickars Dalton s probably the only one teaching the style
Hi guys...i trained with Peter Williams back when he had a Dojo in Bell Street. downtown Toowoomba probably around 1976-1978 era...fond memories of his revolutionery training tecniques and brilliant mentoring. Real pity noone is teaching his perticular style anymore i remember how effective and different it was back then. I have often wondered what happened to him and his lovely wife. Thanks for the info.
Good to hear from you - we were in Annand street (St Stephen's Hall) when I trained but I used to hear some of the stories of the Bell Street days from the older black belts (I was 19). Did you know Gary Hines - he was instructing on mondays and thursdays for the first couple of years of my training. Yeah it is a real pity, since as interesting as it is training in other styles, it would be great to get back to my principal training (I have more faith in it than anything else I have trained in).
Thanks for the reply...i do remember a guy named Gary he was working at KR Darling Downs back then i recall he was tall and fairly wirey and very fast on his feet...haha. I do remember seeing something about St Stephens hall being used for a time ... but i have been moving around a lot for 20 years due to employment so missed the opportunity to look Peter up.
This is thread is great to read....I trained with Malcolm Hall (former New Zealand full contact kick boxing champion), one of the Toowoomba Shorin-Ryu black belts, in the Gold Coast in the early 80's. I never had the pleasure of meeting Peter or training at Toowoomba, but heard many great things about him from Mal, he thought very highly of him and recommended that I should visit the Toowoomba club. One thing was for sure that 6 months of daily training with Mal was equivalent to 3 or 4 years at most other traditional karate dojos. This was partly due to the fluid fighting style & techniques and partly due to the lack of time wasted doing countless push-ups. We would spend 5 minutes warming up another 5 minutes on sets of kicks, punches and combinations then the rest of the hour and half was spent practicing techniques and sparring...I was shocked when I used to visit other dojos on the Coast just to see what what going on (and for target practice..lol), they would spend 90% of the time punching and kicking the air, doing push ups and only 5 or 10 minutes of actual sparring! Mal used to say " You come here to learn to fight, get fit in your own time and get here early so you can stretch before the class begins" I lost contact with Mal during the 80's, would like to get back in contact with him so if anyone has any info about him please let me know, or if someone is in contact with him now, please forward my contact info to him &/or ask him to post in this thread. Big thanks, Martin
Hi folks, I too trained under Peter William's Shorin Ryu for a couple of years in Toowoomba in about 1985-86. I have tried other styles over the years and they never quite gave me what I was looking for. A few months ago a friend told me that he was doing KRAV MAGA and that I should go and have a look! Its a non formal style of self defence that is very practical, heres the link for the club that I am associated with Krav Maga Perth . If you want to see a bit of it in action check out a fella called Roy from the US on YouTube Krav Maga Roy Cheers!
Yes , greatest regrets of my life getting out (Peter was very upset about me). got in to a cult , fighting , not to get into heaven . All that to say about Peter ,respect, I was learning when in the 90;s and then after Peter had his book getting done. There was full contact, we tryed not to hit in the head,but it happens ,the art was fast and hard and flow like wind, there was in blood sometimes on the floor. Had 2 ribs broken one night. maybe it was you? Arthur some nights took over teaching (Peter was always there) the insurance was the problem and not nobody tuning up I used to go 2 a night and Thursdays was the best lot of sparing and new stuff All the best Chad Swaby.
Hi Everyone I was a Black Belt under Peter Williams and trained in Toowoomba in the early 80's when Laurie Nolan , Steve Cook Gary Hinze and Gary Skaines (Hope I spelt all their last names correctly) were training with Peter. I later started up the Goondiwindi Shorin-ryu Karate Club and Peter awarded me with my Second Degree Black at one of the Shorin-ryu Summer Camps we used to have at Shannon Park. They were great days under a dedicated instructor I will always remember Peter with a lot of respect. Wayne Cooling, Arthur Wells and the Madden Boys also come to mind who I trained with in later years. There is a FB site for past members of Peter's where old student can catchup called Shorin-ryu / Peters Williams Teachings.. I hope the link works....(link deleted)
