Mikhail
Shaw

Coach (Mika) Mikhail began his martial arts journey at 18 in late 2011. What started as a simple search for a fitness gym led him into a Muay Thai class, where he quickly became immersed in striking. After an injury forced him to take time off, he returned through light MMA training.

During an MMA session, he experienced Jiu Jitsu for the first time and was completely overwhelmed. He was effortlessly controlled on the mats by someone much smaller, older, and seemingly frailer — which led him wanting to learn more. From that moment on, he set aside Muay Thai, striking, and MMA to dedicate himself fully to Jiu Jitsu.

He began training seriously in New Zealand before moving to Australia competing between the two countries medaling and winning competitions at the regional and national level, and now continues working and refining his skills at the Brown belt level.

Teaching Philosophy

“Life has taken me through many different seasons, and Jiu Jitsu always remained a cornerstone. Jiu jitsu has helped me grow in ways I didn’t think possible bringing me mental clarity, emotional stability, and a sense of direction during stressful and uncertain times and remains a strong point of reference for a lot of areas in my life.”

“It’s a great vehicle for self-development, self-belief, and mental well-being as you’ll learning discipline, confidence, humility, and resilience.”

Today, he is deeply passionate about passing those lessons on and helping others discover their own potential through the art.

Technical Expertise

Teaching Kids and Teens making classes fun and engaging and Beginner Courses to help new students get a good understanding of the basics of jiu jitsu. Technical specialties include:

Side control escapes

Mount attacks

Half guard

Modern leg-lock game