# Arakan Martial Art > Arakan Martial Art is a practical, real world self defence system taught across Australia. It is based on Rakhine Thaing, the traditional fighting system of the Arakan (Rakhine) region of Myanmar, and was established in Australia in 1993 by Founder and Chief Instructor Robert Kyaw. Full time professional instructors teach one-on-one private lessons and small group classes in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, plus live online lessons over Zoom. New students can book a complimentary first lesson. Key facts: - Arakan is not a sport or competition style. There are no points, rules or tournaments: training focuses on awareness, avoidance, de-escalation and simple, effective responses to untrained, unpredictable attackers. - Every new student starts with a private lesson built around their fitness, goals and concerns. Complete beginners are welcome; no previous experience or fitness level is needed. - Most instructors teach full time and are available seven days a week, with male and female instructors. Every instructor completes the Arakan Instructor Development Program. - Locations: Gold Coast (head office and Australian home base), Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, Melbourne and Perth, plus online lessons anywhere. - Programs: private lessons, small group self defence classes, self defence for women, men, teens and juniors, lessons for people with ASD, lessons for survivors of domestic violence, training events and seminars, corporate team building workshops and online Zoom lessons. - Phone: 1300 13 23 11. Head office: 5/175 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227 (office 07 5580 8345, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm). - Book a complimentary first lesson: https://www.arakan.com.au/complesson.aspx - Sister sites: Arakan Martial Art for Kids (https://www.arakankids.com.au/) and the DFND self defence training app (https://www.dfndapp.com/). ## About - [What is Arakan Martial Art?](https://www.arakan.com.au/what-is-arakan-martial-art-5.aspx): History of the art, its Burmese roots and how it is taught today - [Our Instructors](https://www.arakan.com.au/instructors.aspx): Instructor profiles, including Founder and Chief Instructor Robert Kyaw - [Become an Instructor](https://www.arakan.com.au/instructor_development_program.aspx): The Arakan Instructor Development Program - [Testimonials and Videos](https://www.arakan.com.au/video.aspx): Students talking about their training - [Contact](https://www.arakan.com.au/contact.aspx) ## Lessons and programs - [Private Lessons](https://www.arakan.com.au/private-lessons-3.aspx): One-on-one lessons, seven days a week - [Group Self Defence Classes](https://www.arakan.com.au/group-self-defence-classes-12.aspx) - [Arakan for Women](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-for-women-8.aspx) - [Arakan for Men](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-for-men-7.aspx) - [Arakan for Teens](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-for-teens-3043.aspx) - [Arakan for Juniors](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-for-juniors-9.aspx) - [Self Defence Lessons for ASD](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-lessons-for-asd-31.aspx) - [Self Defence Lessons for Survivors of Domestic Violence](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-lessons-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence-1037.aspx) - [Training Events](https://www.arakan.com.au/training-events-11.aspx) - [Online Zoom Lessons](https://www.arakan.com.au/online.aspx) - [Book a Complimentary Lesson](https://www.arakan.com.au/complesson.aspx) ## Locations - [Training Locations](https://www.arakan.com.au/training-locations-13.aspx) - [Gold Coast](https://www.arakan.com.au/gold-coast.aspx) - [Brisbane](https://www.arakan.com.au/brisbane.aspx) - [Ipswich](https://www.arakan.com.au/ipswich.aspx) - [Sunshine Coast](https://www.arakan.com.au/sunshine-coast.aspx) - [Sydney](https://www.arakan.com.au/sydney.aspx) - [Tweed Heads and Byron Bay](https://www.arakan.com.au/tweedbyron.aspx) - [Melbourne](https://www.arakan.com.au/melbourne.aspx) - [Perth](https://www.arakan.com.au/perth.aspx) ## Self defence questions answered - [All self defence questions answered](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-questions-answered.aspx) - [What is self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/what-is-self-defence.aspx) - [What is the best martial art for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/best-martial-art.aspx) - [Martial arts vs self defence](https://www.arakan.com.au/martial-arts-vs-self-defence.aspx) - [How long does it take to learn self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-how-long.aspx) - [Can a woman defend herself against a larger attacker?](https://www.arakan.com.au/can-a-woman-defend-against-larger-attacker.aspx) - [Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu realistic for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-vs-bjj.aspx) - [Is boxing good for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-vs-boxing.aspx) - [Is MMA good for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-vs-mma.aspx) - [Is karate enough for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/is-karate-enough-self-defence.aspx) - [Is Krav Maga effective for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/is-krav-maga-effective-self-defence.aspx) - [Is Muay Thai good for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/is-muay-thai-good-self-defence.aspx) - [Is Taekwondo practical for self defence?](https://www.arakan.com.au/is-taekwondo-practical-self-defence.aspx) - [Realistic self defence](https://www.arakan.com.au/realistic-self-defence.aspx) - [Realistic personal safety](https://www.arakan.com.au/realistic-personal-safety.aspx) - [Awareness in self defence](https://www.arakan.com.au/awareness-self-defence.aspx) - [Before a fight starts](https://www.arakan.com.au/before-fight-starts.aspx) - [Self defence under pressure](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-under-pressure.aspx) - [Self defence and chaos](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-chaos.aspx) - [Self defence vs combat sports](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-combat-sports.aspx) - [Learning to fight vs learning self defence](https://www.arakan.com.au/self-defence-learning-to-fight.aspx) - [Arakan for first responders](https://www.arakan.com.au/arakan-for-first-responders.aspx) ## Corporate - [Corporate Team Building Workshops](https://www.arakan.com.au/team-building-workshops.aspx) - [High Performance Training](https://www.arakan.com.au/high-performance-training.aspx) - [Corporate team building articles](https://www.arakan.com.au/corporate-team-building-articles.aspx) ## Optional - [Blog](https://www.arakan.com.au/blog.aspx): News, member stories and self defence articles - [Supporting the Community](https://www.arakan.com.au/supporting-the-community-18.aspx) - [Photo Gallery](https://www.arakan.com.au/gallery.aspx) - [Demonstration Videos](https://www.arakan.com.au/demonstrationvideo.aspx) - [Sitemap](https://www.arakan.com.au/sitemap.xml)