Shihan Tony Bowden is a 6th Dan Black Belt in Kyokushinkai Karate. Shihan Tony is a highly regarded and well-known and respected heavyweight Karate champion who dominated the tournament circuit for over 10 years. Is it any wonder he earned the reputation as the hard man of Kyokushin Karate! Shihan Tony’s fighting career began in the 1980’s where he competed in Kyokushin tournaments along with Non-Contact or FAKO tournaments as they were called in those days. It was the Kyokushin Tournaments that gave him the satisfaction of competition that he was wanting, and so began a successful competition career. In 1977 Tony entered the first Australian National Tournament held by the AKKA in the Sydney Town Hall this was the first time that a tournament of any style had been held here, Sosai Mas Oyama was the guest of honour at our first Nationals. That year he took second place in the Heavyweight Division due to a compound fracture of the finger forcing him out of the tournament. Tony’s greatest disappointment was not being presented the winner trophy by Sosai Mas Oyama. Tony returned the following year in Melbourne to take out the Heavyweight Division and come second in the Grand Champion. Tony went on to taking 3 more championships and 3 Grand Championships after which they ceased holding that event. In 1979 Tony represented Australia at the World Titles in Tokyo, Japan to which I made it through to the final 32. With my final fight on the last day of a three day tournament, against a young Japanese instructor Sensei Koichi Kawabata, losing on decision it was won of Tony’s greatest fights. Shihan Tony now focusses his time and energies expanding and improving the state of Queensland where he has held the National Camp for the past 20 years along with holding the Queensland State Titles. Shihan now has dojo’s in Townsville , Mackay, Gladstone, Ipswich, Kingscliff, Palm Beach and Nerang.

Carlo Giampietro is a 4th Dan in ITF Taekwondo. Carlo owns and operates Elite Taekwon-Do an ITF Taekwon-Do club and and manages a team of dedicated and proficient black belt teachers. Carlo is a well known name withing Australian Taekwondo circles with a club now celebrating over 18 years of service in the local community. Carlo also teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and operates his academy under the Team Norton BJJ Academy. Carlo Giampietro is dedicated to the positive development of his students in a physical and mental sense. Carlo believes in the power of improving lives through martial arts and has a mission to provide the best training possible to students under his banner, in his local area of Beverly Hills in Sydney and beyond. on BJJ.

Mark ‘The Hammer’ Castagnini is Founder and Head Instructor of Hammer’s Gym and is one of the most highly respected names in Australian Muay Thai Kickboxing. Mark began his martial arts training under Shihan Emin in Kyokushin Karate. His competitive nature lead him to kickboxing and then Muay Thai kickboxing. Castagnini’s fight career peaked in 1995 when he won the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) Australian Cruiserweight Muay Thai title against Romolo Pio. In the same year Mark won the National All Styles Victorian Black-Belt Championship, which he won again in 1998. Mark has been appointed the VAMAA (Victorian Amateur Martial Arts Association) Vice President, which is a Victorian Government recognised association. Castagnini regularly travels to Thailand under the umbrella of the World Muay Thai Council (WMC). His trips allow him to keep up to date with the latest training methods and bring back the improvements to share with Hammer’s Gym’s students. In 2006 Mark received an award from the president of the WMC for his dedicated promotion of Muay Thai in Australia. As well as this he also was given the award for the development and popularization of Muay Thai in Australia. Mark has been an ongoing ambassador for the sport and continues to receive recognition from the WMC. Mark has many years experience working in the martial arts industry. He was previously general manager for Blitz Publications which produces the “International Kickboxer”, which was named the best fight magazine in the Oceania by the WMC. As well as this Mark hosted his own show on Fox Sports called “Hammer Time”

Chris Clayton lives in South East Queensland Australia, where he and his wife Maree operate their Remedial Therapy Clinic in the regional City of Toowoomba. Chris is a certified Anatomy Trains Teacher and Structural Integrator as well as being a movement therapist where he implements Anatomy Trains in Training concepts as the backbone of his movement therapy strategy. Chris’ first love was and still is the martial arts, where he teaches for free and strives to be a perpetual student, a journey that has spanned 40 years or more so far. He feels very fortunate to be able to have Tino Ceberano Hanshi as his Martial arts teacher and mentor. It was in his early years of training, where he saw his first martial arts instructor successfully treat fellow students when they presented at class with basic injuries. Chris was immediately profoundly interested in what he saw, when he asked his teacher what he could do to follow the healers path, his teacher pointed him to anatomy, Chris has been following that advice ever since. Chris has been in the coaching/training industry for over 35 years and holds Diplomas in Sport Development, Sport Coaching and Fitness. Since 2007, Chris has taught Sport Coaching and Fitness qualifications for the Australian College of Sport Development and YMCA Brisbane as an industry partner. Over time, it became ever more apparent, that the best way to improve an athlete or client was to be able improve them where they were most vulnerable. This led Chris to continue his learning and integrate manual therapy into his work, eventually resulting in Chris becoming an ATSI practitioner. Chris has toured with AP Lindberg of Anatomy Trains in Training a number of times in Australia and more recently to Taiwan in June/July 2018, with this being the first time that Anatomy Trains in Training had been taught in Asia. Chris and his wife Maree have shared a number of martial arts adventures travelling to the Philippines and Okinawa as well as all over Australia. Chris is also a member of Tino Ceberano's research and development team (RDT). Like most Martial Arts teachers, Chris just likes to help people learn and grow. Most days will see him training or teaching Karate, Tino Ceberano's Go Ju Kalis and Arnis (Filipino Dulas Madirigma).

Matthew Chugg is a 7th Degree Black belt in Taekwondo. Matthew is a former Australian Champion who has dedicated his adult life to changing the lives of students through the practice of Taekwondo. Matthew is a well know and respected martial art figure, having established one of Australia's most successful organisations with his business partner Mike Flanagan. a well established Taekwondo school - Flanagan Chugg Taekwondo, with his business partner Matthew Chugg. Martial arts has become a way of life for Matthew, the success in training students to be the best they can be is probably the best way to define an instructor who is a strong role model for many hundreds of students.

Peter Volke is a 7th Dan Black Belt Shihan Peter Volke is an iconic figure in the world of full contact karate. As a champion fighter himself he has proven time and time again that hea has the formula to train champions and set anone on the right path in life. As the Director of the Australian Branch of the Shinkyokushin Organisation, Shihan Volke is responsible for the growth of the organisation and the direction of its members. As a lifelong and committed martial artist Shihan Volke is dedicated to improving the lives of all students who attend his organisations Karate classes, through a traditional, no fuss, grounded but caring approach to training.