COACHES

Team Judo Kai is dedicated to teaching the principles, values and techniques of Kodokan Judo. Our coaches are all competition tested, and NCCP certified with many years of experience. Come try “The Gentle Way” with us.

- Sensei Mike Lavoie

Sensei Mike Lavoie: Mike, one of the founders of Spryfield Judo Kai and Dartmouth Judo Kai, is a dedicated Judoka who has competed extensively throughout his relatively short 17 years in Judo. Holding the rank of Shodan (Black Belt), Mike is a certified NCCP coach and currently holds 6th place in his division in World Veterans' Judo. Mike credits Judo with “quite literally saving my life”. Starting at age 30, Mike was a 300lb smoker on the fast track to heart disease. Now Sensei Mike spends his time spreading the values and principles of the Judo lifestyle.

Sensei Abbi McCoullough – Abbi McCoullough is a Shodan (first degree Black Belt) who has been a member of Nova Scotia's high Performance Judo team. “I like judo because we have a community unlike any other sport that I've experienced, it's such a friendly sport, you make friends with people from all over Canada, all over the world even. Also, it's a great distraction, as soon as I walk on the mats, no matter how bad my day was, everything goes away for a while, all the problems in my world disappear.”

Abbi McCullough

Sensei Nick MacFarlane - A current member of the Judo Nova Scotia Grading Board and national-level competitor in his youth, Nick has competed and trained with some of the best around over the course of his Judo career and enjoys sharing that experience and knowledge with our members as he supports the kids' classes and leads our 13+ program in Dartmouth.

Sensei Chris Cormier - Chris is the lead instructor for the kids' classes in Dartmouth and assists (or occasionally leads) our adults class. His goal as a coach is to create an environment where our members have their best possible experience on the mats, whether they're a recreational beginner, an athlete with high-performance goals, or a seasoned veteran looking to stay in shape and mobile (or anything in between).

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