IT was a successful outing for the Mount Gambier Martial Arts Academy when a group of 12 students faced a Chikara One Match Challenge in Melbourne.
Of the 12 fighters, just four were experienced, with three of those returning victorious.
Sensei Charlene Riley, Lachlan Clements and Liam Povey all won their fights, while Karl Leggett, Zoe Parham Hawke, James Scott, Sienna Hawke, Summer Williams, Riley Hink, Layla Hawke, Lachie McCann and Zahn Batty all competed.
The inexperienced fighters competed to gain experience in the sport, with many never having seen a full contact fight live, let alone participated.
For head instructor, Sensai Greg Povey, the weekend could not have gone better.
“We had inexperienced fighters who ranged from eight years old, through to adults, with the oldest 27 years old,” Povey said.
“We had a variety of first-timers in various age groups and they all went as expected for their first time.
“We did not send them over to win, we sent them over to get experience, to get a taste for it and see how they could handle themselves under immense pressure.
“They all handled themselves really well.”
Povey said the experienced fighters stood out, with their knowledge of the sport coming to the fore.
“The experienced fighters knew what they had to do,” he said.
“They came out, moved well, looked for the openings and hit the openings.
“They controlled the distance, fought their fight really well, performed well and won.”
A total of 120 competitors entered the event at the Melbourne Knights Stadium in Sunshine and Povey said it provided invaluable experience for the budding students.
“It was good to take over so many fresh faces who were all about to start their full contact journey,” he said.
“They have not seen anything like that before.
“Some of them entered it for the first time without seeing what it was like.
“For the newby coming in it does mess with them a bit.
“Their nerves will mess with them, the unknown of what will happen when they step on the mat with all the eyes on them.
“But they all handled it pretty well and did the club proud.”
Povey said it was an important competition for those inexperienced fighters to gain experience, especially the younger members.
“The good thing is, if you can expose them at a younger age they will handle it better as they get older,” he said.
“They put padding on the kids until they are about 14 years old, then start stripping some of it away, so it is a good learning curve for the beginners.
“Some of these kids are under 10 years old, so we never put pressure on them to win.
“They get in there, have a go, block attack, move, hit, get hit and get a feel for it.
“If they win, that is a bonus, but if they do not, they had a go and that is all we are looking for.”
As a coach and instructor Povey said much of his time was taken up mentoring the inexperienced group, coaching them during their fights and providing feedback.
He said that was a tough prospect at times.
“They were all so nervous, they fed a lot of nervous energy on to each other,” Povey said.
“You want them to fall into a habit during their fight where they are on auto pilot and reacting instantly with muscle memory.
“It takes a while, but once they are experienced that is when it starts to happen.
“My job is to get them focused.
“You just have to go over the simple stuff they need to do.
“You just keep reinforcing it as they are warming up and as they are sitting down waiting for their name to be called to fight.
“You just have to sit there with them and give them a few pointers, refresh their memory.”
Overall Povey said considering the inexperienced group, the competition was a success for the club.
But he said there was more to it than just competing, with the sport also providing good life lessons for all the students.
He said the fights take place under immense pressure, where the students are on their own and must make instant decisions in a short, intense period of time.
He said that extended to the core principles of being a karate student, which included respect, to be humble and polite, while working hard to achieve a goal.
“We have such a good culture at the club, we do not have students thinking they are better than other students,” he said.
“Everyone is happy for each other and they cheer each other on.
“We try to test the character of everyone, to put them on the right path about what it is meant to be like to be a karate pupil.”
