AJ Kearns

Director of Guardian Defence, AJ heads up Guardian Krav Maga as Chief Instructor, using his many years of experience to guide and formulate the system and syllabus.

Motivated by seeing his friend attacked, AJ started his martial arts journey in 2000, firstly learning Taekwondo (World Taekwondo Federation), and then going on to study Kobudo (Okinawa International Kobudo Australia). He started assisting with classes in 2002, went on to attain a First Degree Black Belt in both styles (First Dan Black Belt - WTF Taekwondo - Certified by Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters, South Korea;
First Dan Black Belt - RyuKyu Kobudo - Certified by Kyoshi Robert Slywa), and began teaching both at the Academy of Martial Arts in Sydney from 2004.

His interest and study of reality based systems began in 2002, and he went on to become certified as an Advanced Civilian Krav Maga Instructor by Dr Itay Gil of Protect Krav Maga in 2006. He has since gone on to be certified as Krav Maga Chief Instructor by Tactical Krav Maga, Krav Maga Practical Instructor by Roy Faiga, Wingate Institute (Israel), Youth Krav Maga Instructor by Lior Offenbach Combat Krav Maga. AJ is also a certified Instructor in Floro Fighting Systems certified by Raymond Floro, and Instructor in Kinetic Fighting - Integrated Combat (A-E) certified by Paul Cale.

AJ is also a member of the Australian Army, serving in a reserve capacity with the Royal Australian Armoured Corp.

AJ continues his association with Paul Cale (Former Australian Special Forces Sgt, Kinetic Fighting - Integrated Combat) and Dr Gil (former Chief Krav Maga Instructor of the Israeli counter terror and hostage rescue unit YAMAM) and has also trained with the likes of: Roy Faiga (Shi-Heun Krav Maga, Wingate Institute); Avi Abeceedon (10 Dan Degree, K.A.M.I - Israeli Krav Magen Assoc.); Ran Nakash (former Chief Commander of Krav Maga Instructional Unit within the Israeli Defence Force (IDF)); Danny Netzer (Chief Commander of the Krav Maga Instruction Unit, IDF); Itay Danenberg (KMI), John Whitman (Krav Maga Alliance); Roy Elghanayan (Krav Maga LA); Lior Offenbach (Combat Krav Maga); Ray Floro (Floro Fighting Systems); Richard Dimitri (SAFE International, Senshido); Chris Roberts (SAFE International); Dave Pauli (ISR Matrix), David Krstic (Gracie Jiu Jitsu).

He is also a certified Personal Trainer and has being called upon many times, as an expert in self-defence for national television (Channel 7 Sunrise, Channel 9 A Current Affair, Channel 31), Radio (TripleM, Gold104.3, 3ZZZ, 3CR 855AM, 4BC, FoxFM, 2dayFM, Mix 101.1), Magazines (Australasian Taekwondo Magazine, Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, Bare Essentials Magazine, 3008 Docklands Magazine, Nine To Five Magazine, Take 5 Magazine, LOTL Magazine) and Newspapers (Herald Sun, The Age, The Leader, BNews).