Michael D'Enett

Instructor

Michael started training Arakan in 2018 when a friend, and also now fellow Instructor, recommended Arakan as a self defence style of martial art. He began training looking for something challenging, other than going to the gym for fitness and health.

Michael attributes Arakan having a huge impact in every area of his life. He believes Arakan has given him untold confidence and empowerment, which he now endeavours to impart to his students. Michael was previously studying his Bachelor of Law, however decided to change careers to become an Arakan Instructor as he felt he could leave a more positive impact into the lives of others. Michael was inspired by the transformation in his friend and also by the other Instructors he was training with, and finds being an Instructor more fulfilling and enjoyable.

The other aspect that drew Michael to Arakan was the whole Arakan team and community. He has found the community to be open and warm, where everyone has each others best interests at heart. He has made some life long friends through training and finds being part of the Club very rewarding.

Some of Michael's greatest Arakan achievements to date are being awarded Student of the Year in 2019 and becoming an Arakan Instructor in 2021. Michael is excited to share this art with others and to help others begin their Arakan journey. Michael's interests outside of Arakan include hanging out with his friends, fitness and reading.

Student Testimonials

Michael has been an amazing instructor! I have been training with Michael since he started instructing and I highly recommend him. He is extremely passionate about the art and very understanding. I'm not the fittest or the most coordinated person but Michael always finds a way to make me feel like I can do it. I have found him to be very understanding and he is able to explain complicated things in really simple terms to help me understand.
Michael has this instinctive ability like many of the instructors to just know how his student after feeling, he genuinely cares for his students progress and encourages the little wins.
Training with Michael is always technical and informative he has a deep understanding of the techniques and what it takes to make the body moves in such a way. Especially for me being long and lanky haha
I'm very grateful for the opportunity to train with Michael.

Mel Armstrong

I am so grateful to have been able to train with Michael. He really kick started my journey into Arakan and supported me in such a passionate and friendly way. He is dedicated to his art, to always improving in it and is full of integrity. He has shown up for me in my Arakan journey in unexpected, kind and very generous ways. He is a wonderful mentor and friend to his students. I highly recommend him to anyone wanting to train in Arakan successfully and with joy.

Ari

Arakan for me was a very private affair at first. I weighed in at 208kg and I was lucky enough Arakan allowed me to train from my own home with my first instructor. A few months in, as my confidence to leave my home was getting better, I was lucky enough to gain extra private training with Michael at a park in Southport. Michael was attentive and helpful with all of my health and fitness restrictions and treated me with respect and patience. It was nerve racking meeting a new instructor and being in a new training environment but Michaels presence, energy, teaching style and calming nature allowed me to continue to be myself. As times changed, I was then given the opportunity to have Michael as my primary instructor. My Skill set and fitness levels have continued to drastically improve and my goals are getting bigger and bigger!! We have now moved my private training to 6.30am in the morning and I'm excited to get out of bed. I'm attending a level 1 group class, participating in seminars and Michael has recently presented me with my one year training certificate.

Everyone I have met through Arakan carries themselves different to the average person. Confidence and content with their heads held high, and that's testament to the high level of our instructors.

Taame

I have been training with Michael for almost 12months now and every lesson I came away with more than I started with. Michael is passionate about Arakan and his knowledge and skills are evident in the way he instructs. He will focus on your individual progression and skills with encouragement and an obvious care for what he does. I always look forward to training with Michael. He is a great instructor, a genuine person and I would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone who wants to begin their Arakan journey. Thank you Michael.

Kel Weston

I started this to learn some self defence and feel safer on my own. After only a few sessions learning from Michael, I already feel so much more confident in my ability to protect myself if needed. I couldn’t recommend his sessions more for anyone looking to increase their skills in this area! He explains everything very well and makes it fun too.

Hayley Bond

Book a complimentary intro lesson with Michael D'Enett

*Limited places available, subject to instructor availability.

"
My son Deklan is a naturally kind and gentle boy, who as an only child has never had to endure the competition and ruff and tumble of other siblings. Reading how daunting and challenging schools can be these days I was very keen to get him involved in self defense but wasn’t sure what was going to be the best fit for him.

In a chance encounter at a community fate we saw the Arakan stand and after talking to the guys I was really impressed with how friendly the team was and how passionate they were to get Deklan into his first lesson. And here is the part that grabbed me the most, the training is done outdoors in parks and school grounds while wearing shirts and shorts and everyday shoes, now that’s real life training. We booked in straight away for our complimentary lesson and Deklan couldn’t wait to get started.

On the day of his first lesson Deklan was quite nervous but Ryan his instructor made him feel completely relaxed and the lesson was a great mix of training and learning through fun games. At the end of the lesson Deklan ran straight up to me and asked if he could do more training tomorrow and the next day, which was a sure sign he loved it. He has now been training for over 3 years and as much as Arakan is about learning self defense and getting fit I have seen Deklan grow in confidence, co-ordination, self respect and self belief.

Deklan now jumps at every opportunity to do extra lessons and group training and he totally loves going to school holiday training days and he wears his Arakan uniform with absolute pride.

I can honestly say I have been totally impressed with how Arakan has taught him practical, useable skills in real life environments and we look forward to many more years involvement with the Arakan family.

"

Mark Sculley

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