WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

The 2009 National All-Styles Australian Championships came to a thrilling conclusion in Melbourne on 28–29 November, with Luke Croxford walking away with the men’s Champion of Champions belt, and Samantha Palmer amazingly picking up a record-breaking third straight Champion of Champions win.



We talked to these karate champions to find out more about their wining ways.

STORY BY JARRAH LOH

SAMANTHA PALMER

Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Palmer from Go-Kan-Ryu (GKR) karate managed to break all the NAS records and claimed herself a third straight Champion of Champions belt in 2009. Here, Sam tells us more about how she managed such a feat.

Was it good to be fighting from home?

It was. I haven’t won a championship fight in Melbourne yet, because the other two were in Sydney and Queensland, so I was glad to have it at home.

What kind of pressure did you have going in?

Well, everyone was saying, ‘Go for three! Go for three!’ because no-one had really done that before at NAS. So everyone was a bit expectant in that way, which was interesting. It wasn’t too bad. I think it helped to drive me a little more because I didn’t want to let my team-mates down or anything. They were all cheering me, so it pushed me further than I could ever go on my own.

Did you train any differently this time around?

This year we had the World Championships for GKR as well, so I had been training really hard for that, so I just kept training as hard leading up to the NAS Nationals. I didn’t really change my training this year, but I just pushed more for the Worlds.

How did you feel going in to it? Were you confident in your abilities?

I was. I was always get nervous on the day of the tournament, regardless. But I was confident, yet still very nervous as always. I felt ready and I felt really prepared. I knew that I wanted it really bad — when I want it bad I just work that much more to achieve it. I wanted it more this year because it was three in a row. There was a lot of good competition this year. Claudine (Chicheportiche) was in again this year and had beaten me at the GKR Nationals, so I knew it was my time to beat her. I had to get her back [laughs]. I knew I definitely wanted it more at NAS.

What did you think of the day and the NAS competition in general?

It was a really good competition. I didn’t spar as many of my Victorian teammates, so it was really good for a change. I usually get them in the first round, but I only sparred one in the finals of the heavyweights. It was great to fight some of the other guys from the other States.

Did you also have your own students competing there?

Yeah, I had quite a few students there and they did really well. A lot of them got first places. I try to focus on my students but at least half an hour before my match, I give myself the time before I compete to make sure I’m in the right headspace and everything.

There was a bit of confusion leading up to the finals fight – did that throw you at all?

It did to begin with, but my coaches — Mark and Karl [Palmer] and Jason — all told me to just focus on my fight and just make sure you win both of them; just focus on what you have to do and don’t change your game plan. I knew it was my day and, not to take it away from the other girls, but I knew I could win it either way. I knew I could beat Nicki, because I’d beaten her earlier that day and I was confident going in to fight Jamie Palmer — I hadn’t fought her before but I was pretty confident that I was faster than her. I was just going to keep on fighting.

Do you have a set plan going into a fight?

Usually, I’m very dominating with the hands and punch a lot more than I kick. But because that is a bit of a weakness of mine, I decided to implement kicks a bit more over the weekend. I did that and managed to get a number of kicks in, and several roundhouse kicks to the head. So that was good, it got me more confi dent in using my kicks. Not letting the score get to me is one of my strengths. Because they score so closely, people often get anxious and worried about it. They just put themselves in a position where they are going to get hit because they forget their strategies and just try and win the next point. I used to do that a bit and I have learned to focus.

How does it feel to win three in a row?

It’s just fantastic. We all went out for dinner that night with the team and it was just so energizing to have everyone so pleased for me that I won. They were all saying it was just so great to be there and experience that three in a row, because no-one had ever done it before — in males either, and a lot of people were like, ‘Wow!’ The team had a lot of faith in me too, so it was great to deliver for them.

Most expected GKR’s Lachlan Carr to go for his third straight Championship belt also.

I said, “Look Lachy, you should be out there with me getting three in a row,” and he goes, “I know”. He injured himself at the GKR Worlds in August. He hurt his back badly and the chiro said, “No way”. The minute he does something it goes back out again. But it was good seeing him there coaching his team-mates.

It must help as a karate teacher to be someone your students can look up to?

I have a lot more people coming to my dojo that want to do kumite with me and learn from me because they know what I have done is proven and what I teach is what I do. I’m also a high school teacher, and its good to be a Year Nine teacher in school because you have a lot more in common with them, because plenty of them do martial arts too. They find common ground. Sometimes I hear funny comments and they’re a bit scared of me.

What are your plans for the next year?

I’m started full-time with the army on 14 February — four years in as an officer in education and I’ll be based in Puckapunyal. I will be developing computer-based technology and websites and CD ROMS and heaps of different things — a bit of a change.

What does that mean for your karate?

It’s a nine-to-five job, so I’ll still be able to fit in karate. You have to do a couple of hours of physical training with the army every day so that will get me even fitter. I hope to go to Japan for the Japanese World Cup next year, so that should be really exciting. I’ll still be teaching at the same time. I think I’ll give NAS a break next year. I think I’ve gotten all I can from NAS, unless there is going to be a World All Styles tournament — then I’d give that a shot for sure. I’m looking at the AKF [Australian karate Federation] circuit next year and the Japan tournament in August.

LUKE CROXFORD

Melbourne fighter Luke Croxford returned to NAS in 2009, after winning the Champion of Champions belt in 2006, to prove to himself he truly was champion-worthy. Here, the 31-year-old tells us what it took to climb back to the top.

When, why, and how did you start your training in martial arts?

I was seven years old when my parents took me to my first aikido class; it was in Thornbury and I trained under Sensei Joe Thambu. My sister’s best friend, Alia Nichols [Sensei Joe’s niece], was training there and invited us to train with her. Since then I have loved everything about martial arts and what it has to offer — especially karate.

You’ve practiced several different styles. Could you tell us more about that?

That’s correct; over the past 24 years I have trained in aikido, karate, hapkido, and taekwondo. In this time I have had the honour of training with some of the best instructors in the industry, such as Sensei Joe Thambu, Sensei Jason Knight, Sifu Dana Wong, Sensei Nick Spanu, Saster Joon-No and Sensei Bruce Hyland. I feel every martial art style has something great to offer and training in different styles has molded me into the martial artist I am today.

Where are you training now?

I am training Ishinryu karate in Seaford with a reputable karate instructor, Sensei Bruce Hyland. Sensei Bruce is a great instructor, he loves karate and teaching, and he unquestionably knows tournament fighting. Since training with Sensei Bruce, he has inspired, motivated and taught me things I wish I had learned years ago. I feel training with Bruce and his students has really made a difference this year to my performance in competition, especially the NAS Nationals. My other training consists of gym work and training with my old Black-belt student and good friend, Kurt Lazarrotti, whom I feel is showing great signs of being a threat for the NAS Champion of Champions title in 2010.

How does it feel to win the Champion of Champions title of 2009?

It feels great — extremely satisfying and very rewarding. When I think about the amount of hours I have spent training, winning certainly makes it all worth the while. I was told after winning NAS in 2006 that to win once means you’re a winner; to win twice truly proves you’re a champion, so I guess it feels like I have now earned the title, Champion of Champions.

As you mentioned, you won in 2006 — where were you the past two years?

After winning the 2006 NAS Nationals I took a break from competition to focus my attention on teaching, training and travelling. I competed on the odd occasion; however, I could not commit to the training regime required for regular, high-level competition. I have always been strict about not competing if I felt under-prepared mentally or physically, so I did not enter the last two Nationals. I always knew I would compete on a regular basis again and enter the NAS Nationals. However, there was no plan for a ‘comeback win’ – then again, I never compete to lose.

Lachlan Carr must be pretty disappointed as he was going for three straight belts…

I met Lachlan Carr for the first time this year at the Nationals and congratulated him on his two straight belts, which is a great achievement. I was surprised to hear he wasn’t competing and a little disappointed myself, as I would have liked to have seen him in action, even competed against him.

What kind of pressure did you have going in?

I have always felt pressure, maybe not from my coaches directly, but pressure I put on myself to do well for them and for me. I may have added more pressure on myself heading into the Nationals this year as winning again would definitely prove to me that 2006 wasn’t a lucky win. Having my fiancé, family and friends in the crowd also added pressure, as I really wanted to do well for them. My sponsors, Villa & Hut, who have supported and assisted me with my training and competitions this year, were also hoping for a win too. I feel I perform better with pressure, it adds to my motivation.

Did you train any differently this time?

I wouldn’t say that I trained any differently than previous years; however, I did train extremely hard and pushed myself to the limits. I added slightly different training methods into my gym regime with lots of different aerobic and anaerobic exercises. I really wanted to increase my fitness, stamina, speed and explosive movement, as I knew this year’s Nationals were going to be tougher than ever and there would be many extremely talented fighters there. In regards to my karate training, I solely worked sparring drills and tournament fighting. I also added some boxing and kickboxing to increase my fitness and stamina.

How did you feel going into it? Were you confident?

I felt great. I felt relatively confident within myself, as I was prepared mentally and physically due to my preparation leading up to the Nationals. Placing first at the NAS States also added a sense of confidence in my abilities. Unfortunately, I was nursing a torn oblique and an injured right knee, which slightly affected my core strength and my kicks, which I heavily rely on.

What did you think of the day and the NAS competition in general?

I think the whole weekend of competition was well organized, well run and the refereeing was very fair and unbiased. To be honest, throughout the year, Victoria NAS has been run extremely well. David Auty and his team of judges and referees have done a great job. Victoria winning the State-versus-State on Saturday on home soil was a great way to start off the weekend of competition from my perspective. I think the competition in general over the entire weekend provided us with great entertainment, strong fighters and a very high level of skill, especially from some of the younger martial artists coming up the ranks. Each year the level of skill gets better, faster, stronger and more exciting, and this year was no exception.

Will you return to defend your title this year?

Well, if my sponsors Villa & Hut pay for my travel expenses next year to defend my title then, yes, I will for sure [laughs]. To be honest, I would like to, as long as I keep training hard and stay fit, then there is no reason why I won’t. There is no denying it, to attempt a third championship belt would be great, so maybe that’s all the motivation I need. My plans for 2010 are to compete regularly in the AKF and NAS tournaments and if I am lucky enough, defend my title. I will continue to train personally with my good friend Kurt Lazarrotti and with Sensei Bruce Hyland as I feel I have improved a lot since training with him and his students. I will keep up the gym, boxing and kickboxing, as this has been great cross training for me. It should be an exciting year and hopefully a successful one.□

Blitz Martial Arts Magazine MARCH 2010 VOL. 24 ISSUE 03