Julie Connell

BJMA Affiliated Club: Connell Muay Thai, Point Cook VIC

After training in Melbourne we moved to Central Victoria, Bendigo and Castlemaine, where my husband Mark and I really developed our martial strengths as a team. We had to rely on each other more and in the early days, always taught together. Being a school teacher, teaching was natural to me but being physical wasn’t. It was the other way for Mark, so we learnt from each other and developed our clubs together.

We became the Head Instructors, for Bendigo and surrounding areas and held this for 25 years. Our clubs produced over 100 junior and senior black belts / black singlets.

BJMA has given my family a common passion. Something we can share and carry together, keeping each other working at our martial arts through the tough times and when celebrating our successes.

We hosted successful tournaments for many years as well as ran school and prison programs. I also delivered regular sessions to teens who had been victims of abuse for agencies in Bendigo.

We have trained around Australia and overseas in Japan, Bali, Myanmar and many times in Thailand.

Moving to Melbourne we changed direction and opened Kidz Kickboxing and Muay Thai. I have been training women in self defence/kickboxing at home and in local community centres as well as running programs in schools.

Teaching is in my DNA and I will continue sharing my knowledge and skills as long as I have a student willing to train with me.

If you are beginning your training, don’t just see the physical. As a woman, martial arts training fundamentally changed who I was, and I developed an inner strength that wasn’t there before. I have used this strength daily in my career and feel very comfortable with whom I have become.

Kysohi Julie Connell.

• 1985 Commenced training at Briar Hill, Melbourne.
• 7th Degree – BJMA Kickboxing (Muay Thai)
• 7th Degree – Zen Do Kai
• Shodan-ho – Go Te Ryu Karate
• Created and coded the first www.bjc.com.au webpage in the late 1990s for Soke Bob.
• Member of the inaugural Victorian Steering Committee, serving 3 years.
• Co-writer Kidz Karate Curriculum.
• Part of the team to develop and run Instructor courses (Victoria)
• Member of the team to create the state-wide Kidz only training days (Victoria)
• Organised the Women’s Pink Belt Day to raise money for the Cancer Council.