Where are they now?

A little about me

My name is Mikaeel Shah, and I was part of the graduating class of 2016, however I made the decision to finish my studies in 2015, Year 11 and pursue my career in Martial Arts.

My time at school

During my time in school, I always had a passion and drive for Martial Arts. It’s been one of the most influencing factors in my life, through its discipline, character-building and the way we’re taught to defend ourselves. It’s taught me not only the physical benefits of self-defence, but given me the mental strength to fight for myself and to reach my goals in life. I needed this strength, particularly in my younger school years, where I struggled to “fit in” socially and never really felt accepted by fellow peers. However, this didn’t prevent me from chasing my dreams. I began working part-time as a martial arts instructor at IMC Liverpool, where I continued to build my skills, achieve my black belts and high rankings in all disciplines. I built on my confidence in teaching all styles of martial arts from children to adults, as well as learning how to run a martial arts business. I broadened my learning, learning from successful businesses, to not so successful, and began to understand what it takes to be an effective martial arts business owner.

The start of my journey

Year 11 began to demand a lot of my focus, naturally, however I simultaneously came across an opportunity to take my dream to the next level. After consulting with my parents and teachers, we made the decision that I wasn’t progressing in school physically or mentally, so it was time to pursue my dream. It took hours upon hours of hard work and dedication teaching children Martial Arts, to build my reputation as an instructor. This landed me a traineeship as a full time instructor at IMC, while also doing correspondence courses through TAFE in business and fitness.

After school

After school I worked extremely hard, learning and developing myself as an instructor. I soon came to realise that I didn’t have the HSC to fall back on, so I opened my mind, thought outside the box, set my goals higher, and built my dream to be even bigger than I imagined. I didn’t want to be a small-time instructor anymore, so I took it upon myself to shadow my boss, and learned everything from broadening my teaching knowledge, to learning the ins and outs of administration and management. I was given this opportunity within three schools, so I naturally absorbed a lot of knowledge.

My dream came true

In April 2018, I was gifted the opportunity to open my own school, U4C Martial Arts. It specialises in Karate, Kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu. Having been open for just over a year, I ran into many hurdles and challenges, sometimes not knowing if I was doing things right, but I continued to learn and seek advice when I needed it. I will never stop learning.

My best piece of advice

“Your attitude determines your altitude”. Having the right attitude in every situation life throw at you, really can make a difference in the outcome. The best decision I made was to surround myself with people who were driven and brought my attitude up, therefore closer to my goals. If you break down your dreams, they turn into goals, those goals written down turn into plans and those plans lead to success”

Sensei Mikaeel Shah

U4C Martial Arts Academy

Unit 6, 1-3 Ferngrove Place, Chester Hills NSW

Mob: 0468 404 065