Canberra self-defence practical protection for women

Realistic self-defence techniques!

Independent Spirit, Community Driven.

This is why Ray Flaherty is committed to offering free self-defence training to women in Canberra.

You may already be training in the martial arts and would like assistance with your training using focus mitts and kicking pads to enhance your cardio workout and blocking skills. It's all free, as I want to give back to the community and promote women's self-defence and health.

Having witnessed his mother endure abuse from his drunken father at the age of eight—and experiencing abuse himself—Ray was profoundly influenced by those early events. Over the years, while working alongside women in various companies and later through his massage business, he has heard many heartbreaking stories of abuse suffered at the hands of women's partners, both male and female.

These experiences have fueled his commitment to providing practical protection for women by helping them develop essential self-defence skills. His goal is to equip them with basic techniques that may help protect themselves and their children.

Ray is an independent practitioner, not affiliated with any single national organization. This allows him to collaborate with Canberra-based dojos that share his core values: practical, effective techniques over flashy sport styles; openness to learning; mutual respect; and a strong focus on real-world self-defence.

Previously, Ray trained and taught Shotokan Karate in Canberra, where he earned one of his black belts and greatly valued the supportive community of students and instructors. In 2025, he completed further training overseas, earning a high-level black belt within the Tze Lung Cha family, where he has been training privately since the age of 12.

This system is not widely known and is typically only accessible by invitation, unlike many modern martial arts that are publicly available.

To maintain a safe and respectful environment, Ray has a strict policy: he does not train individuals with a history of violence, regardless of gender.

Students are also required to hold a current Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration, supporting a consistent, respectful, and accountable training community.

If these values resonate with you, Ray welcomes you to get in touch.

Based on 2024–2026 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), ACT Policing, and local Canberra advocacy reports, here are the verifiable facts regarding women’s safety and self-defence in the ACT.

1. Safety Statistics in the ACT (2024–2026)

Perceptions of Safety: According to the 2025 "Our Lives: Women in the ACT" report, perceptions of public safety among women in Canberra have declined since 2023.

Incident Rates: 17% of Canberra women surveyed in 2025 reported experiencing domestic, family, or interpersonal violence in the preceding 12 months.

Police Activity: In the 2024–25 financial year, ACT Policing attended 4,478 domestic and family violence-related incidents (averaging roughly 12 per day). This represents a 33% increase in reported incidents over the last five years.

High-Risk Demographics: The 2025 report identified that young people in Canberra aged 16–19 are the age bracket most likely to experience violence.

2. National Context for Women

Stalking & Harassment: ABS data shows that 1 in 5 women in Australia has experienced stalking since the age of 15. Of women who experienced face-to-face harassment, 97% were harassed by a male perpetrator.

Sexual Assault Trends: Police-recorded sexual assaults in Australia reached their highest recorded number in 2024–25 (over 40,000 victims). However, only approximately 7.7% to 8.3% of women who experience sexual assault by a male actually contact the police.

Location of Incidents: Nationally, 74% of physical violence incidents involving a stranger occur in non-residential locations (public spaces, transport, etc.), while the majority of incidents involving a known person occur in a home.

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Ray Flaherty's Martial Arts & Other Training

Ray's Training

Martial Arts Training

Ray has been training in the martial arts since the age of 12 years in Judo, Wing Chun, Karate, Chin Na, Muay Thai, Arnis, and more under different high-level students, Senseis, Sifus or Masters of different styles.
Grandmaster Chan Tze Lung (Chinese family name) from Japan has graded Ray to a higher black belt level and has mastered his full training. Ray has trained under Grandmaster Chan and his late wife, and now his wife, Master Yoko, for over 30 years and still does to this day. This is a multi-style training within the family, and part of their training goes right back to the Heian Period (794–1185). This is also where Ray learnt the healing arts for over 30 years and still does as a closed-door student. (This is not a commercial martial art like Karate and Kung Fu, and is not well-known like others due to who he taught and the way it was taught, as it was for people in the personal protection area, and definitely not for competition.) So there is no website or classes given, as you have to be picked at a young age. Ray has been training since he was 12 years old and has passed the full senior Master's instructor level on his last Asia trip in 2025.
Ray has trained in Tai Chi (Yang Style and a session with Master Fu Sheng Yuan in Canberra in 1993 from China), Chi Kung and more.
As a private student, Ray trained under Sensei Mark Greville in the 80s in Shorin Ryu, Shorinkan Okinawan Karate. (Ray fixed Sensia's Marks' 4-wheel drive bodywork for private lessons) Sensei Mark was one of the best teachers and a humble man he has trained under.
Diploma, Black Belt Shotokan (Graded by 7th Dan Murakami Sensei from Japan, with Yuki Senpai on their trip to Australia in 1992.
Ray trained under Master Kanazawa, 10th Dan, when he came to Canberra from Japan.
Trained under Sensei Tim Duffy, 3rd Dan North Canberra Shotokan Karate, Ray was hand-picked to run his one-day class in Sensei Tim's dojo in North Canberra. Ray was also the assistant instructor for South Canberra Shotokan Club under Kerry Flynn, 3rd Dan, world champion at the time.
Ray has also done training with Practical Wing Chun in Canberra, but no longer does!
Teaching women's self-defence for many years and still does it for free.

Overseas Training & Teaching 2018, 2019, 2024, & 2025
Back from Asia, 3rd of July 2025, with training and a full grading to 6th Dan Master level. There are no levels past this other than Gandmaster.

In 2024, I returned from my overseas trip to Asia for a brief break, also for training and meeting with my international police and sports clients. Got back on 16/07/24.

Back again from Thailand, learning new skills on 6th October 2019 and also massaging overseas clients with my pain management sports massage and stretch therapy. Hong Kong training was cancelled due to the unrest in Hong Kong.

Came back on the 7th of July 2018 from my Asia trip, learning new skills and teaching my pain management to massage therapist friends in Hong Kong, Thailand and his martial arts training in Japan and a grading to 5th Dan.

Other Training

Psychotherapy to help with awareness of various emotional and psychological challenges, such as anxiety, depression, trauma and more.....
A Diploma of Psychology to develop a deeper understanding of the human mind and behaviour.
Certificate 4 Allied Health Exercise Programs HLT42507 in Occupational therapy & Physiotherapy assistant units in exercise for recovery.
Assist with the development and maintenance of the client's functional status.
Conduct group sessions for individual client outcomes.
Assist in the rehabilitation of clients.
Assist With Client Movement.
Support the fitting of assistive devices and more.
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury.
Introduction to Physiotherapy Diploma.
Provide First Aid HLTAID011. (Updating)
Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation HLTID009. (Updating)
Provide Basic Emergency Life Support HTLID010. (Updating)
Certificate upgraded from TAA to TAE40110 4 Training & Assessment.
SISFFIT014 Instruct Exercise To Older Clients.
Diploma of PTSD Awareness.
Diploma in Pilates.
Diploma of Mindfulness Instructor.
Diploma of Mediation Instructor.
Diploma of Counselling Skill Set.
Certificate 4 in OHS Safety BSB41407.