Matthew started training at age 13 in Ancaster, Ontario in 1986. His enthusiasm for the rigours of karate became apparent early, as he quickly dropped baseball, hockey, basketball, tennis, and squash. While packing for summer vacations, Matt would argue with his parents about bringing his weapons. They were surprised to get out of bed to make coffee, only to find Matt outside already sweating from practice with his sai, bo, jo, or tonfa.
Matt imposed two rules on himself: never miss a class, and practice in between. After two years, he started to assist with kids classes, and eventually was at the dojo up to 20 hours per week. As the top student of O’Sensei Ralph Corvino, Matt also trained directly under the late O’Sensei Richard Kim, Hanshi several times a year for fifteen years at numerous seminars and camps. During a degree in Japanese Studies from McMaster University, Matt lived and trained in Japan for a year.
He moved to Calgary in 2002, and has been teaching continuously since.
*Certified Double-Goal Coach with the Positive Coaching Alliance
After finishing a semi-professional football career in the 1970s, Sensei Corvino began his gruelling and relentless training regimen under the incomparable Dennis Farbatiuk (d. July, 2014), who by many accounts was the late O’Sensei Richard Kim, Hanshi’s most gifted student. After a few years under Farbatiuk, Sensei Corvino established the Ancaster Karate Club, and soon earned a place as O’Sensei Kim’s direct disciple. Sensei Corvino’s unusually unflinching dedication to the principles of perfection, and the fervency and extreme discipline with which he approaches the art is unmatched by any other instructor. He has trained thousands of students over the years, and his decades of wisdom and creativity continue to benefit those who have been lucky enough to have trained under him.
O’Sensei Richard Kim, Hanshi was a karate legend who trained under the mysterious Yoshida Kotaro, as well as under and alongside some of today’s martial arts founding personalities, including Yabu Kentsu, Arakaki, Mas Oyama and Ueshiba. At the time of his passing in 2001, O’Sensei Kim was the only surviving graduate of the Budo Semmon Gakko, or martial arts college, held a 9th dan in karate and kobudo, a 5th dan in Judo, was the head of the Zen Bei Butoku Kai, had been the boxing champion of the Orient with 42 fights, spoke six languages, was a Shingon Shugendo priest, and was regarded as a walking encyclopedia of martial arts history and philosophy. Enough can never be said about this historic figure who had mastered far more than the art of karate.