Competing in the opening round of the National All Styles competition at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra, 10 students claimed 21 gold, 11 silver and three bronze.

“I’m pretty happy about it all,” says Fifth Dan instructor Robert Graham, who heads up the dojos. 

The students claimed medals in point sparring, continuous sparring and kata (form) events. 

No stranger to competition himself, Graham says performing katas – a series of motions displaying form and technique – is more challenging than a scoring spar round. 

“You only have to focus on the one person when you’re sparring, you’re looking them in the eye, but kata is harder because all eyes are on you.”

But for students, the nerves can be flowing before all contests, as for many it is their first outing on a competition stage. 

“A lot of these kids have never done it [tournament competition] and I'm just really lucky to have these students that train really hard and listen.”

A pre-tournament ritual sets the mood; clasping his hands shut, Graham calls the students in to a huddle and calmly tells them “here in my hands, I hold the key to victory, but you have to look very closely”. 

Then as the students all lean in for a glimpse, Graham reveals a set of dentures and the entire group bursts in to laughter. “You can lighten the moment and you just have a bit of fun with them, it breaks the tension and then they can compete without the nerves,” he says. 

“We are empowering our kids by them competing in events like this, they see just what they’re capable of and can go to do great things.”

Outclassing a lot of large respected dojos across many forms, Graham said he was thrilled with the efforts across the board. 

“Credit to all of them in every event, I couldn’t really pick what I liked the most because they all work so hard and the medals are proof of that.”

Graham said he liked to be ringside for his students as he could see things his students might not, then call techniques that the youngsters would perform instantly on reflex, potentially scoring points. 

He thanked 4^th Dan instructor Graham Cooper and 1^st Dan instructor John Cornwall for helping out during the tournament to watch over the students in various arenas. 

The three dojos praised organisers and referees of the National All Styles event and said they had been “polite, welcoming and good people to work with”. 

The students are now looking forward to round two competition in the Australian Martial Arts competition.