The day at the NZ Dojo house began with Dan Puru enjoying a morning boogie while his new roommate Mitch Schoemaker clapped along. However, the household was not aware of the bad luck that was headed their way. Wake-Up CallCoaches Toks Fale and Tony Kozina arrived at the Dojo house bringing with them an empty Read More …
Week 9 – The Lock DownA mandatory isolation bubble for everyone in New Zealand was put in place. Members of the NZ Dojo young lions programme could choose to live in only one bubble. Richard Mulu revealed that half of the trainees were living at the NZ Dojo house in Mangere East, while the other Read More …
Footage from last week’s Exhibition event showed family and friends of Daniel Puru at ringside, watching him compete. Puru shared that his friends were oblivious of his ability to grapple, He jokingly responded that it was because they had never seen him in a fight before. The Soul TakerTangi Ropati, the Strength & Conditioning Coach Read More …
The Exhibition – The Night BeforeThe trainees were at the NZ Dojo setting up the facility in preparation for the Exhibition show. Andrew Villalobos, the Senior Lion explained there were some major improvements amongst the trainees over the last couple of days after they overcame some setbacks. One of which was the letting go of Read More …
The ChefWhile training at the NZ Dojo, Warren Walters discovered the similarities between the Dojo’s training system and his background as a chef of 17 years. The hierarchy and the bonds that are formed are essential to the system in both disciplines. Many years ago, Walters injured his shoulder in a car accident. Unfortunately for Read More …
Cigar and Whiskey After a month of intense training, Toks Fale is having a wind down at his waterfront apartment in Auckland city. Week 5 At the NZ Dojo facility, the trainees are in the middle of a very rigorous workout. Some members of the class appear hurt; however, the pain has not stopped them Read More …
The South From Dunedin in NZ’s South Island comes AJ Visagie. The culture and landscape between South Auckland and Dunedin are vastly different due to Dunedin’s cold climate and landscape. The culture also has a strong Britishness about the city. Visagie a native of Dunedin, came to the NZ Dojo, to gain some life experience Read More …
The Hill One Tree Hill is one of many landmarks where the NZ Dojo trainees hold their outdoor workouts. Located in central Auckland, this volcanic peak span 182 metres (597 feet) and 20 square kilometres (7.7 square metres). For this workout, the trainees had to run together in a line around the entire area ten Read More …
Family Ties The trainees are shown at the NZ Dojo house (located in Mangere, South Auckland) doing various chores around the property. The Dojo house was previously the family home of Toks Fale where he grew up; subsequently converted into a dormitory for the trainees. Fale shared that as one of eleven siblings, the family Read More …
Lion’s Roar premiered with Toks Fale introducing himself and giving a brief history of his journey as the first non-Japanese wrestler to train at and successfully graduate through the world-renowned NJPW system in Tokyo. By immersing himself in the training and the Japanese culture, Fale earned the respect of NJPW and was able to open Read More …