There is a side to Dr Michael Black that his patients don’t see. A few nights a week he trains karate in a North Balwyn dojo, actually the same one where he grew up from the age of ten years training under his first Sensei, Tino Ceberano Shihan. Fifty years on, he has co-authored Tino Shihan’s biography and it is being launched in Sept 2022, titled “TINO – The Father of Australian Karate.”
The North Balwyn karate club opened in 1970 and is still going strong. It was called Goju Kai karate back then and had a name change in the nineties to IGK Victoria. It’s been fifty-two years since the dojo opened in that location, after a few years at Canterbury, and the style of Goju Ryu karate is still popular and benefiting students of all ages with improvements in fitness, balance, coordination and multi-skilling as well as self-defence, something that Dr Black appreciates as a chiropractor. He highly recommends it to his patients and believes that regular practice, like Tai Chi or dance, yields great benefits to help posture and prevent falls.
The story of Tino Ceberano is a fascinating one. It took five years for Dr. Black to research and write the 500 page book to present and preseve his first Sensei’s story. Dr. Black says the lessons he learned as a young man have kept him in good stead for the rest of his life and he’s proud to write his first book and self-publish it. Patients at the clinic will see the poster of the front cover and are welcome to purchase a copy. There will be a series of book launches in Sept 2022 in Victoria and Queensland where many martial artists will attend to pay respect to a man they popularly call the “Father of Australian Karate” for the leadership, energy and innovation that he showed introducing the ‘art of the empty hand’ to thousands of Australians and overseas.
Tino Ceberano often says, “I aspire to inspire before I expire,” showing his joy of teaching and positively impacting the lives of others. He is stil actively teaching today at the age of 80 years and show no signs of stopping his energetic pace. He loves hearing how his students forged their spirits to change their own paths, improve their lives and attain their goals. Karate is a lifestyle for many whereby strengthening the body improves the state of mind and brings focus to their life. Families often get involved and some compete at tournaments to show their best. Others do their best, regardless of the age and health, just to keep up and do better than than the week before. It’s a personal journey and different for each person.
It is often said that the battle is never with another but with the person within. Karate is about finding yourself, exploring your real potential and pushing boundaries. Tino Ceberano has certainly shown many the path to self-improvement and Dr Michael Black feels in his heart that it’s a worthy story to share with everyone. He is proud to have worked closely with his first karate Sensei on the project, and to complete the book after COVID delays and lockdowns. The book can be ordered by submitting their details to Dr. Black on the book launch website at https://www.tinoceberano.com.au or when attending the Doncaster clinic. Call 9509 7691 or email info@tinoceberano.com.au for more information. Books will be mailed anywhere.
