Why Lionheart Academy?

There are many ways to enjoy KARATE- as a highly stimulating form of sports and fitness, an effective method of self-defense, a structured and easy-to-follow program to explore your potential, or simply as a way to experience one of the many forms of Japanese martial arts.

Whichever expression of Karate you choose to indulge in, we want you to enjoy it they way You prefer, without being bound by a single style or method, just because "it's always been that way".

The LHA experience is all about Form and Function-

Love a hands-on, straight-to-the-point class focusing on self-defense and personal development? Enroll for a Practical Karate class. Want to explore Karate without the fear of hard contact and injury? Give a KATA class a go. Looking for an exciting full-contact sparring action that puts all your hand-to-hand fighting skills to the test? Our Open Mat sessions is exactly what you're looking for.

Not everyone wants to chase the next belt color, rough and tumble in the ring, or can stand mindlessly kicking-punching the air.

There's a better way to learning Karate and martial arts than subscribing to the traditional one-size-fits-all method of practice that takes years before its practical function is realized, or being in a place that offers (or allows) only one expression of Karate, when there is a whole world of it to discover.

At LHA, we'd love for you to Explore KARATE in all manner there is, Enjoy them as a fulfilling lifelong endeavor, and Elevate to a better you- in health, confidence, and well-being.

LHA is a place focused on enjoying Practical Martial Arts and Functional Fitness.

Here, the Basics come first, with classes emphasizing Principles-based training to accelerate learning, and where safety, respect, and mutual improvement are at the center of what we do.

Resident Coaches

Alongside their credentials in martial arts instruction, all our coaches/ instructors carry with them other related accreditations that include:
SG-Coach Certification by Sport Singapore, 
Lifestyles & Lifeskills Trainer Certification by the People's Association (PA),
​and Basic First-aid Certification by a National Registry of Coaches (NROC)-approved centre

They are held up to the highest standards of professional conduct, keeping your safety and well-being at the utmost importance.

Rusydi (Rush) Omar
Ashihara Karate

Driven by his passion to showcase the diverse expressions of Karate, Rush founded Lionheart Academy (LHA) with a vision to make enjoying Karate more accessible and practical for all.

With over 20 years experience in Ashihara Karate and other martial arts, his journey encompassed combat sports, business development, and coaching a wide audience, including members of the public, schools, corporations, and law enforcement.

As a senior coach-instructor in Ashihara Karate, Rush continues to be passionate in bringing safe and quality instruction to participants, while mentoring the next generation of talents to do the same.

Cheryl Ong
Ashihara Karate

​Cheryl made history as the first female Branch Chief of Ashihara Karate under NIKO worldwide.

With over 10 years of experience in the art, she has grown from being amongst the few female participants in LHA's founding days, to independently coaching in the last four years, and eventually taking on the Branch Chief mantle for Ashihara Karate in Singapore.

Cheryl's perspectives as a participant and coach contributes significantly to LHA's program design.

They provide invaluable insights that makes Karate instruction at LHA authentic, high quality, and relevant to our diverse participant profile.

Hendra Raghani
Shitoryu/ Shotokan Karate
​
Hendra is a highly experienced Karateka of over 20 years, with the last 15 spent coaching competition players and recreational practitioners.

​Following his years as a Karate competitor, he remains to be extensively involved in the local Karate scene, contributing as an official, and panel member for the local Karate National Sporting Association (NSA).

Through his distance correspondence and annual study trips to Okinawa, Japan, Hendra today focuses his energies on the study of traditional Okinawan Karate and Kobudo (weaponry), bridging participants at LHA to authentic Karate from its roots.

Aylwin Tan
Ashihara Karate
​
Aylwin heads the latest Ashihara Karate branch in Singapore- Bidadari CC.

He is an Ashihara Karate practitioner of over 15 years, and has been instrumental in the promotion of the martial art in Singapore given his extensive involvement with the club's development in its early days.

As a physical education professional, Aylwin provides invaluable insights on effective coaching methods for holistic personal development, especially for children in their formative ages.

Through Aylwin, parents and children at LHA jointly enjoy Karate together, with both benefiting from the practice.

The Lionheart Story

In our endeavor to enjoy Karate, many of us settle with the idea that divisions across styles/ schools/ systems/ associations is an inevitable feature.
​
In such a world, centered around competition and differences, we asked-

"How can there be a non-competitive platform where Karate enthusiasts can enjoy their martial art by fully expressing the styles that they represent, while immersing themselves in an appreciation of Karate's diversity?"

In 2016, 4 clubs representing distinct styles of Karate came together in a combined-training event that later came to be known as K-CON.

From 80 participants in the beginning, K-CON grew to be attended by over a hundred Karate enthusiasts each year. Every event growing in club participation featuring the signatures various major Karate styles in Singapore.

From the full-contact tournament techniques of Kyokushinkai, to the wealth of kata knowledge in Shitoryu, the iron body conditioning of Gojuryu, and the sabaki method of Ashihara Kaikan... K-CON became the platform that celebrates the diverse expressions of Karate through the eyes of its practitioners. Here, our differences bring us together.

But the spirit of K-CON can be lived beyond simply being an annual event. It could be part of our lifestyle as Karateka- those who have chosen Karate as a means of finding personal strength, social connection, and life's purpose.

​Only if we leave our egos and prejudices behind and cultivate in our hearts the pride of what we therefore represent- unity.

Here, we found The Lionheart Network- a community of Karate practitioners that share the spirit of K-CON.

Thereafter, we brought about Lionheart Academy to be a place for people to come enjoy Karate in all manner there is for a lifetime.

NOTE: Lionheart Academy and its associated insignias are legally registered entities. Unauthorized use, representation, and reproduction of these entities is a criminal offence by law.

What is KARATE?

"Why do Karate at all?"

Karate literally translates to "empty hands" (空手), and this martial art of Okinawan/ Japanese origins bears many forms across various schools and lineages (think Kung Fu).

Spirited, explosive, and dynamic movements involving kicks, punches, and other methods of unarmed combat are common perceptions of what we know to be Karate.

Today, Karate is enjoyed by tens of thousands of practitioners across the world from different walks of life- young, old, physically abled or otherwise...

Essentially, Karate is a path to realizing your personal potential through expanding the abilities of your body, mind, and spirit, as if guided by the question: "With these Empty Hands, what am I capable of?" 

Through Karate, you learn to use your whole body to move, strike, and grapple, while expanding your stamina, strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Its physically and mentally demanding nature inculcates positive values such as respect, determination, and camaraderie, among many others.

There's a plethora of ways to enjoy Karate- through sports, self-defense, or simply as a fulfilling means of personal development.

At LHA, we bring you a Modern Practical Martial Arts experience that points directly to what you're looking for, in a manner that is authentic to their founding traditions, and delivered to you at the highest standard of practice.