Christchurch & Woodend

Raise a kid who can't be broken.

Bullying doesn't stop because a parent hopes it will. It stops when a child has the confidence, composure and physical skill to know it can't touch who they are. That's what we build — every class.

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32%of NZ boys bullied a few times a month or more

25%of NZ girls — among the highest rates in the OECD

Source: OECD PISA 2022 Country Note, New Zealand

A confident young student training in class at Shizoku Martial Arts

BULLYPROOF◆ SELF DEFENCE◆ CONFIDENCE◆ RESILIENCE

The Reality

You can't supervise your way out of this one.

You can talk to the school. You can talk to your child. You can't be in the playground, the group chat, or the bus at 3:15pm. The only lasting fix is a kid who carries their own confidence with them — and knows how to hold their ground if it comes to that.

1 in 3

New Zealand 15-year-olds are bullied at least a few times a month. Across the OECD it's closer to 1 in 4.

Worst in the OECD

NZ has repeatedly ranked at or near the bottom of the developed world for school bullying, across successive PISA cycles.

35%

of NZ children aged 13–15 report being bullied at least once a month — among the highest rates UNICEF recorded.

13%

don't feel safe in the corridors, the canteen or the other in-between spaces at school. It isn't only the classroom.

A Decade, No Change

NZ bullying rates barely moved in the ten years to 2019 — and cyberbullying rose. Waiting it out hasn't worked.

Confidence, Not Size

Kids who present as an easy target are targeted more. Bullies read body language and confidence before anything else.

Sources: OECD PISA 2022 Country Note (New Zealand); UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 14 (2017); Youth2000 survey series, University of Auckland.

And it doesn't stay in the playground. New Zealand research links frequent bullying to skipping school, significant depressive symptoms and self-harm — which is why "they'll grow out of it" is the most expensive advice a parent can take.

Talking about bullying matters. So does giving your child something practical to stand on — that's where we come in.

The Shizoku Method

Five things a bully can't argue with.

We don't teach kids to fight. We teach them to stand differently — and that alone changes how they're treated. Everything below is built into the class structure, not bolted on as an anti-bullying "unit."

Confidence

Every belt earned is proof, not participation. Kids who know what they're capable of stop presenting as an easy target — and bullies target confidence, not size.

Self-Discipline

Structure and control, drilled weekly. A child who can regulate their own reactions in the dojo can hold their composure in a corridor when someone's trying to provoke one.

Self-Defence

Practical, age-appropriate skill — not for starting anything, but for knowing exactly what to do if a situation turns physical. That knowledge alone reduces fear.

Resilience

Training builds a body and a mind that recover from setbacks faster. Stress that used to overwhelm becomes stress they've handled a hundred times before.

Respect & Empathy

Taught both ways: how to expect it, and how to give it. Kids who understand the impact of their own actions are far less likely to become the problem themselves.

The Evidence

This isn't a hunch. It's measured.

Every dojo says training builds character. Researchers have actually tested it — with control groups, randomised assignment and independent observers. Here's what they found.

Aggression Down

A meta-analysis pooling 12 studies and 507 young people aged 6–18 found a medium effect of martial arts training on reducing aggression. Not a single gym's claim — the pattern across the whole literature.

207 Kids, Randomised

Children were randomly assigned to martial arts or ordinary PE for three months. The martial arts group gained more in self-regulation, prosocial behaviour and classroom conduct — and scored better on a mental maths test.

93%

of NZ students say it's a good thing to help someone who can't defend themselves. The willingness is already there. What's usually missing is the confidence to act on it.

To be straight with you: these studies looked at martial arts training generally, not at our dojo specifically, and no class comes with a guarantee. What the evidence does support is the direction — structured, disciplined training changes how children handle themselves. That's the whole basis of what we do.

Sources: Harwood, Lavidor & Rassovsky (2017), Aggression and Violent Behavior 34, 96–101; Lakes & Hoyt (2004), Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 25, 283–302; OECD PISA 2018.

Beyond Defence

This isn't just about surviving the playground.

Bully-proofing is the starting point, not the destination. The same training that protects your child also builds the kind of kid other kids look up to — the one who steps in, not away, when someone else is being targeted.

A senior student mentoring a younger student at Shizoku Martial Arts

From Target to Leader

We've watched shy, anxious kids become senior students who mentor the next intake. Accountability, empathy and respect aren't separate lessons — they're what the belt system is built on. It's why parents stay long after the original worry has faded.

Find Their Class

One dojo, every age, the same standard.

Christchurch (Shirley) and Woodend Community Centre. Every programme runs on the same core values — Education, Inspiration, Empowerment.

Other Sports

✗Builds fitness and teamwork — rarely targets personal confidence directly

✗No practical self-defence skill

✗Progress is team-based, not individually tracked

✗No structured focus on discipline or composure under pressure

Shizoku Martial Arts

✓Confidence is trained directly — it's the point of the class

✓Practical, age-appropriate self-defence skill

✓Belt system tracks each child's own progress

✓Discipline and composure drilled weekly, built into every session

5–7 yrs

Little Dragons

First steps in focus, following instructions and standing tall in a group.

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8–12 yrs

Youth Martial Arts

The core bully-proofing years — confidence, discipline and practical self-defence.

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13+ yrs

Kickboxing

High-energy striking discipline for kids who want a more athletic outlet.

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13+ yrs

Teen & Adult Self Defence

Real-world scenarios for the pressures of high school, socials and beyond.

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Locations

Two places to train.

Christchurch — Shirley/Mairehau

1 Shirley Road, Mairehau, Christchurch 8013

Woodend

Woodend Community Centre, School Road, Woodend

Parents Tell Us

"It's definitely helping my child focus more and build strong determination. You can see it in how they carry themselves now, not just in class."

— Shizoku Martial Arts parent, Christchurch

Give them the class where this changes.

One free trial. No pressure, no obligation — just a chance to see what a confident kid looks like a few weeks from now.

Book Your Free Trial Class

Opens the trial-booking pop-up

Shirley, Christchurch & Woodend Community Centre — spaces limited per class.

FAQ

Straight Answers for Parents

Will this teach my child to fight?

No — we teach kids to stand differently, which is what changes how they're treated in the first place. Self-defence is one part of five, taught as a last resort, not a first instinct. The goal is a child who never needs to use it because they no longer read as an easy target.

My child isn't sporty or confident — will they keep up?

This is exactly who the programme is built for. Confidence isn't a prerequisite here, it's the outcome. Every belt is earned proof of progress, tracked individually — there's no team to hide behind, and no one to fall behind.

What age can my child start?

From 5 years old. Little Dragons (5–7) builds the foundations — focus, following instruction, standing tall in a group. Youth Martial Arts (8–12) is the core bully-proofing programme. Kickboxing and Teen & Adult Self Defence (13+) carry it into the teenage years.

How is this different from a normal sport like football or swimming?

Team sports build fitness and teamwork, but rarely target personal confidence directly, and progress is measured as a group. Our belt system tracks each child's own growth, with discipline and composure drilled into every single session — not left to develop on its own.

How quickly will I see a change?

Every child is different, but parents consistently tell us they notice it in how their child carries themselves within the first few weeks — not just in class, but at home and at school.

Where are classes held?

Shirley, Christchurch, and the Woodend Community Centre. Same core values, same standard, at both locations.

Is the free trial really free, no obligation?

Yes. One free class, no pressure and no obligation — just a chance to see what a more confident version of your child looks like.