Peter Rich

Peter Rich is a 4th Dan in Kyokushin Karate. Peter began his karate career at an early age, but knew he was hooked from the start. After several years of training, he started to enter every tournament and was without a loss in full contact for his first twenty fights. Peter also became a valuable member in the Eltham Ippon team which managed to win four consecutive Teams Championships and the AKKA Ippon Shobu Teams Tournament. Peter trained in a variety of dojo's to hone his skills, and continued his competition.

 In 1996 he entered the New Zealand International tournament and was pushed up into the Heavyweight division and had his eyes opened to the hard hits of the Heavyweight division, never the less he came home with a second place trophy. 1996 also saw him win the Full Contact Karate Cup , place 3rd in the Ultimate Challenge and grade to Shodan (Black Belt). He narrowly missed selection for the World Weight Category Tournament but traveled as assistant coach for Maria Gibilisco who won the Womens Heavyweight division. His teaching started as a Green Belt teaching the Eltham Kids and has seen him teach in Williamstown and Moonee Ponds including the B squad, a group of up and coming fighters from Sensei Kolovos' Dojos. In 1997 he had a slow year and although not having put in the work he entered the Australian Championships and was reminded of the need for preparation after being knocked out by a third dan from South Africa and defeated with thigh kicks by Peter Graham in the Gippsland Tournament .But the following year he entered the Nationals again and won the Gippsland tournament and the Canberra ring tournament. 1999 saw him open his own club with the Gibilisco sisters and this was the birth of the successful Fighting Arts Fitness Centre www.fafc.com.au