Nash Kellett kick-started the journey from karate student to teacher before he began grade school.
“I started taking karate lessons in 2003 at the Royal Oak location of Canada’s Best Karate when I was four,” Kellett said. ”I got my black belt when I was 13 and started working as a teacher by assisting my instructor. That eventually led to me becoming a head instructor at the Esquimalt location in 2021.”
Canada’s Best Karate, which was started in Ontario by Bob Mueller, has five locations in the Victoria area, with another set to open in Sooke.
“Bob was a top competitor in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Kellett said. “He trained with the best and decided to open his own dojo (a room where martial arts are practiced) academy in 1994.”
The Sooke location in the new residential-commercial development on Otter Point Road near Municipal Hall is scheduled to open in January, and will be managed by Mueller, his son, Leigh, and Kellett.
“Leigh’s been responsible for most of the expansion in B.C.,” Kellett said. “He’s a former world-champion kickboxer and oversees the management of all of the dojos. ”
Kellett, who has been busy competing in a lot of tournaments lately, just returned from a World Karate and Kickboxing Union championship in Calgary.
“You can see the interest is growing in leaps and bounds,” he said. “There was three of us from Canada’s Best Karate competing, and we were all pumped and excited to show off our skills at the international level and learn some new techniques and styles. It was a great experience.”
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Although Canada’ Best Karate in Sooke will welcome all ages, Kellett will specialize in kids karate, starting at age four.
“Our main focus is on building karate skill, character, confidence, and that starts with kids from day one,” he explained. “We want to open all avenues, whether it’s just learning the skills of karate or preparing to compete at the highest levels.”
Another feature Kellett believes will appeal to parents is the aim to be as flexible as possible with scheduling to accommodate their schedules.
“The plan is to be open Monday to Saturday starting with 45-minute classes at 4 p.m., and we’ll add more classes as the studio grows,” he said. “We love to do (school) pro-D days and have spring break and summer camps, and those will be open to anyone, not just club members. Once you give it a try, it’s hard to walk away. We get a lot of feedback from parents that it’smade a real difference in their child’s growth in a lot of areas.”
For more information, visit canadasbestkarate.com. You can also contact Kellett at 778-365-3135, or email langford@canadasbestkarate.com.