Kyle Burks || Founder & Chief Instructor | 6th Dan | Shihan
Kyle is the founder of Bushido Dojo, which means he gets the prestigious honour of being responsible for absolutely everything — from the standard of the training to whatever mysterious object someone has left in the corner of the dojo this week.
Usually seen smiling, Kyle has perfected the dangerous ability to look completely relaxed while knowing full well he’s about to demonstrate something that will leave everyone else questioning their flexibility, balance, and recent life choices.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, running the dojo, keeping everyone vaguely organised, making painful techniques look friendly, and saying “Just relax” immediately before doing something that makes relaxing impossible.
Teaching style: Approachable, experienced and deceptively cheerful. He’ll explain the technique, demonstrate it perfectly, then watch twenty people produce twenty completely different versions of it.
Founder privilege: Being blamed when the heating is too hot, too cold, or somehow both.
Favourite phrase: “It’s actually quite simple…”
Usually followed by something that is absolutely not simple.
Motto: “Welcome to Bushido Dojo — where everyone’s family… and family gets thrown around too.”
Terry Gosling || Head Instructor | 1st Dan | Sensei
Instructor at our Colchester Club
Terry Gosling is a martial artist, black belt, and living proof that somewhere between “traditional discipline” and “pub landlord who’s had enough” lies true enlightenment.
A veteran of the mats, Terry brings years of experience, a formidable beard, and the sort of presence that makes beginners instinctively stand up straighter. His teaching philosophy is simple: practise properly, respect the art, and never ask how many times he had to re-tie that belt for the photo.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, beard-based authority, intimidating people without actually saying anything, making a black gi look like formalwear, and delivering the word “Again.” with devastating efficiency.
Favourite technique: Whatever you’ve just done incorrectly.
Motto: “There are no stupid questions. But there are definitely stupid breakfalls.”
Greg Kurti || Head Instructor | 1st Dan | Sensei
Instructor at our Bishops Stortford Club
Greg Kurti is a Hungarian martial artist, black belt, and a man who appears to regard “close enough” as a personal insult.
Greg runs on precision, discipline, and the firm belief that if your stance is two centimetres out, civilisation itself may collapse. He doesn’t shout unnecessarily — he simply gives you the look, at which point you immediately correct whatever you were doing, including things you didn’t realise were wrong.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, absolute standards, spotting mistakes from the other side of the dojo, making adults stand like nervous schoolchildren, and delivering corrections with the efficiency of a military inspection.
Teaching style: Strict, exact, traditional, and deeply suspicious of anyone who says, “That’ll do.”
Favourite phrase: “Again.”
Closely followed by: “No. Properly.”
Greatest strength: Discipline.
Greatest weakness: None that he’s prepared to acknowledge.
Motto: “There is the correct way, and then there is what you just did.”
Paul Lewis
Assistant Instructor | 1st Dan | Sensei
Paul brings experience, good humour, and the unmistakable energy of someone who probably has emergency dried meat within arm’s reach at all times. Training can be intense, techniques can be demanding, but morale is rarely a problem when there’s a suspiciously well-stocked bag of biltong nearby.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, South African pride, keeping spirits high, discussing the correct thickness of biltong, and somehow turning every conversation back to dried meat.
Pre-training nutrition: Biltong.
Post-training nutrition: Biltong.
Emergency nutrition: Also biltong.
Greatest dojo concern: Discovering someone has eaten the last piece.
Favourite technique: Anything that can be demonstrated one-handed while the other hand is holding a snack.
Teaching style: Relaxed, cheerful and experienced — right up until someone suggests jerky is basically the same thing.
Motto: “Technique, timing, discipline… and always pack enough biltong.”
Archie Lack || Assistant Instructor | 2nd Dan | Sensei
Instructor at our Kelvedon Club
Archie Lack is a martial artist, black belt, and one of those annoyingly calm people who looks like he’s barely trying right up until someone hits the mat.
Quiet, composed and technically sharp, Archie brings the sort of energy that says, “I’ve already worked out how this ends.” He doesn’t need theatrics, shouting or dramatic facial expressions — just good timing, clean technique, and the confidence of someone who knows exactly where your balance has gone before you do.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, staying suspiciously calm, technical efficiency, making difficult techniques look effortless, and giving absolutely nothing away with his facial expression.
Teaching style: Clear, controlled and precise — with the occasional demonstration that makes everyone else wonder why theirs looked nothing like that.
Favourite technique: The one you don’t realise is happening until it’s already finished.
Greatest strength: Looking completely unbothered at all times.
Greatest weakness: Possibly having too much composure for someone surrounded by people trying to throw each other around.
Motto: “No rush. You’re going down either way.”
Dominic Larner || Assistant Instructor | 1st Dan | Senpai
Based at our Kelvedon Club
Dominic Larner is a martial artist, black belt, and the sort of bloke who looks far too polite right up until you realise he knows several efficient ways of introducing you to the floor.
Calm, composed and suspiciously presentable for someone trained in throwing people around, Dominic brings a more refined energy to the dojo. Where others may rely on shouting and intimidation, Dominic prefers the quieter approach: smile politely, correct your stance, then effortlessly demonstrate why yours was wrong.
Specialities: Ju-jitsu, looking deceptively harmless, technical precision, making difficult techniques look annoyingly easy, and maintaining the expression of someone who absolutely knows what you did wrong.
Favourite technique: The one you were convinced wouldn’t work.
Teaching style: Patient, technical, encouraging — followed by immediate physical evidence that you weren’t listening.
Motto: “Of course you can resist. It just makes the demonstration better.”
