Martial arts competitors from across Australia came to the Riverina to try their hand in one of the most elite karate tournaments on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Each entrant had spent hundreds to thousands of hours disciplining and training themselves for the Kyokushin regime, all of them hoping to clinch victory.
"It was a really good day," Frank Cirillo of Riverina Martial Arts and Total Fitness said.
"The elite judges we had there said the kids were among some of the best they'd ever seen."
Sensei Frank Cirillo's words rang true for many proud parents, with a large number of Griffith locals earning medals on the day.
"The tournament has a lot of rules but it's just so full-on, it teaches kids how to handle that intense pressure if they were ever put under it," Cirillo explained.
"There's a lot of work involved and when it comes to full-contact, there's no mucking around, you have to be one hundred percent committed."
A large cross-section of fighters came to the event, with competitors of all ages taking to the mat. Some for the first time in their life.
The Exies Bagtown Function Centre served as the perfect venue, as the near-capacity audience hung captivated by the combat.
There were a number of fighting divisions held on the day, ranging from padded kids non-contact to the full-contact adults.
"There were some very high-quality fights in the adults especially," Cirillo said.
"It's very full on, no gloves, no shin-pads, no headgear, no nothing."
Kyokushin is a hard style of martial arts, it teaches students how to confront their fears and deal with them in real time.
Unlike a number of other Australian competitions, Riverina Martial Arts allows hard knocks. This meant an even harder challenge for combatants to embrace.
"On the day everyone rose to the challenge, and yesterday was clear evidence of that," Cirillo added.
The 2020 Karate World Cup in Bali will be featuring a division for kids alongside the adults for the first time.
Judges at the competition in Griffith are confident that some of the children who competed could potentially make the Australian team.
But for now, Riverina Martial Arts students can enjoy their victories and treat themselves to some well-deserved rest.
READ MORE
***
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.