CMA Focus - Fit

CMA Fit Trainer: Rodney Buchanan 

Rodney assist CMA Dojo head couch Kobus Van Zyl in ensuring business compliance, currency and relevance. 

With 30+ years of knowledge and experience in martial arts, coaching and fitness training achieving personal accomplishments as a Shodan in Kyokushin Karate, AFTK Certified Instructor, Cert IV Fitness Personal Trainer, NRL Sports Trainer Level 1, ASC Community Coaching practitioner and experiences via varied levels of personal training, competing, providing first aid and WHS services. 

CMA Fit Head Coach: Kobus Van Zyl

Kobus van Zyl leads CMA Dojo fitness class with over 30 years of martial arts and strength training experience, bringing a results-focused yet supportive coaching style to every session. Kobus is a registered schoolteacher that currently coaches' rugby, athletics, and other school sports at a high school level, giving Kobus a clear understanding of youth development, teamwork, and safe physical progression. 

Kobus began his martial arts journey in South Africa, where he developed a deep foundation across multiple disciplines over several decades, coaching martial arts fitness classes at a local gym in his hometown, building programs that blended striking, conditioning, and functional strength. In 2008 Kobus achieved 1st place at the South African Kickboxing Championships, demonstrating high-level competitive skill and commitment. As a teenager, Kobus earned state colours in Olympic wrestling adding a strong grappling and takedown base to his striking background along with many years of weight training experience into his programming, with a strong focus on injury prevention, longevity, and real-world performance.

Moving to Ayr, Queensland Australia, Kobus continued his coaching career running kickboxing fitness and aerobics-style classes at two local gyms to help adults improve fitness and confidence. In addition, Kobus trained students in powerlifting, with two of his schoolboy lifters breaking the Australian schoolboys bench press record under his guidance. Expanded his reputation in Ayr as a coach who combines technical precision with safe, progressive strength and conditioning methods.

Kobus holds a 1st Dan black belt in Goshinkai kickboxing, brown belt in Shotokan karate, and 5th grade in Taekwondo, reflecting formal recognition of his technical level across striking combat arts. Kobus has competed in multiple martial arts disciplines over his career and is the current MKA Kyokushin heavyweight veteran NSW champion (2025/2026) and is currently practicing what he coaches by actively competing to keep his skills sharp and his coaching grounded in real competition experience gaining practical insight into striking, grappling, and full-contact combat formats.

Kobus continues to maintain compliances, currency (WWVP, HLTAID011 PFA) and relevance in training, learning, and refining methods that benefit all who Kobus trains or coaches of all ages and levels towards building strength, confidence, and resilience through karate-based fitness. When not busy training at school or CMA Fit, Kobus offers private martial arts classes for personalised technique refinement alongside group fitness sessions.