Kickboxing

Kickboxing Club Stall at O-Week

2008-02-10T12:06:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

As you’re probably aware, O-Week is on in a couple of weeks!

The Kickboxing Club will have a stall on the Lemon Scented Lawns where a lot of the other Sporting Clubs will be.

The dates for O-Week are Wed 20 Feb, Thurs 21 Feb, and Tues 26 Feb. The times are 11am – 4pm (set up at 10:30am).

We need Kickboxing Club Members to volunteer at the Kickboxing Club stall to give out flyers at the stall and around campus, answer questions from prospective New Members, demonstrate a bit of Kickboxing to passers-by, and maybe even hold pads for people to do some basic boxing combos.

Volunteers will need to wear their Kickboxing Club T-Shirt / Singlet (Muay Thai Shorts & Long Training Pants are optional), and make sure they put on lots of sunscreen on the day!

If you are free on any of those days (even if it’s for a few hours at a time), please email me your available times or give me a call ASAP on 0403 171 328 during business hours and let me know.

Thank you!

Regards,
Kacey Chong

2008 Classes

2008-02-07T22:30:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

I've been getting phone calls and emails from Kickboxing Club Members keen to get back into training, and asking about when classes start up again for 2008.

The first class for 2008 will be on Monday 25 February.

Class times will be the same:

Monday - 6:30pm to 7:30pm (Beginners)
Monday - 7:30pm to 8:30pm (Intermediate and above)
Thursday - 7pm - 8:30pm (All Levels)

The difference this year will be that the Monday 7:30pm - 8:30pm class will be reserved for Intermediate and above only. That is, anyone who has graded with the Kickboxing Club (Level 6, 5, 4, 3, etc). This will allow the more advanced students to progress at a quicker rate without being "held back", and also means that beginners are not overwhelmed.

Other Members who have not yet graded, but have previous martial arts or Kickboxing experience, may be invited to join the Intermediate class.

There will still be plenty of opportunities for students of all levels to train together and mingle in the Monday 6:30pm and Thursday 7pm class.

Fees will remain the same as last year, which is good news. Remember, if you were a Member of the Monash University Kickboxing Club last year (or even before 2007), you will get a discount for your Annual Membership as a reward for renewing your Membership and continuing your Kickboxing training.

Regards,

Kacey Chong

P.S. Our web designer is amending a few more minor things, and will be ready to go live with our new website soon, so all the info above will be updated on the new website then.

Write to Foxsports Feedback

2008-02-07T22:21:00.000+11:00

Hi guys,

If you haven't already done so, this is just a quick reminder to email Foxsports Feedback at feedback@foxsports.com.au to tell them how much you enjoyed the NAS broadcast on Tues 29 Jan, and that you want to see more of the NAS on Foxsports!

Regards,
Kacey Chong

NAS National Championships on Foxsports 3! Tues 29 Jan

2008-01-25T23:29:00.000+11:00

The NAS Australian Championships will be beamed into more than two million households, pubs and clubs nationwide on Fox Sports 3 at 8.30pm prime time on Tuesday 29 January. So put that date in your diary!

The two-hour broadcast will feature all the action of the Black Belt individual sparring, Grand Champion of Champions events, continuous sparring finals and a whole host of spectacular demonstrations from various martial arts styles.

The NAS Championships was televised last year and the overwhelming feedback was so positive that Foxsports have decided to air it again this year!

This is the sort of event that will put martial arts in the same league as other mainstream sports such as boxing, cricket, rugby, tennis.

The ratings will determine whether NAS will be shown on Foxsports in the future, so the more people we have watching it, the more chance we will have of getting NAS (and therefore, Monash University Kickboxing Club Members who compete at the NAS) on TV! This could be your chance to secure your 15 mins of fame!

If you have Foxtel, or know someone who does, make sure you catch this Broadcast or record it on your Foxtel iQ box!

As Victorian Technical Director at the NAS, I was selected to Centre Referee half the Black Belt finals, so you’ll catch a glimpse of me on TV in amongst the fighters every now and then!

Enjoy the show!

Regards,

Kacey Chong

Welcome to 2008!

2008-01-25T22:19:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone has had a great Xmas and NY break. Welcome to 2008!

As you might have noticed, there haven’t been any blog posts in 2007. The reason for this is that we were having a web designer re-design our website and the news was going to go on the website instead of the blog. However, things didn’t work out as planned – the designer delayed and delayed and dragged things out to the point where we had to get a different web designer to do the work. This second designer has been working on our new look for 2008 and it’s almost there.

I will start making some posts for 2008, and also post retrospectively so that prospective members for this year can get an idea of the activities we were involved in last year.

2008 is looking to be a big year for us, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all in class again very soon!

Regards,
Kacey Chong

Shihan Silvio Morelli Seminar - Sat 25 Nov

2006-11-15T16:08:00.000+11:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club is co-hosting a Seminar with our Parent Association, the A.I.M. Academy on Saturday 25 November. The Guest Instructor is none other than Shihan Silvio Morelli!

It's a real privilege to have someone of Silvio's calibre come out to teach a Seminar for the Kickboxing Club, and I'd like to share this opportunity with you to train with one of the most influential martial artists in Australia.

As you know, Silvio Morelli is the President of the NAS tournament circuit and the publisher of Blitz magazine, International Kickboxer, Australasian TaeKwonDo and much more. He's a busy and accomplished martial artist and business man, and it's not often that we get a chance to train with Silvio and "pick his brain" in a training environment.

This will be a rare opportunity to train with Silvio and get to know the personality behind the persona.

The Seminar is open to all styles and levels of experience (it says "Kickboxing Seminar" because it's being hosted by the Monash Uni Kickboxing Club - but the content will be applicable across any stand-up martial art style).

It will be held on Sat 25 Nov 2006 from 1pm - 4pm (registrations at 12:30pm) in the Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton.

The tickets are $40 for General Public and $30 for Kickboxing Club Members.

Click here to view the poster for the Silvio Morelli Seminar.

For enquiries, expressions of interest, or bookings - email info@monashkickboxing.com or give me a call on 0403 171 328 during business hours.

Kacey Chong

P.S. Please note that Sat 25 November is also State Election Day so it would be a good idea to vote in the morning before coming to the Seminar.

Last Class for 2006

2006-10-29T16:31:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club will hold our class for the year on Thursday 7 December (the same week as the NAS National Titles).

We will take a break over the summer and classes will start up again when Semester 1 begins in 2007.

Kacey Chong.

Change to Monday Night Class Times

2006-10-29T16:26:00.000+11:00

Due to exams and smaller class sizes around this time of the year, the Kickboxing Club will hold one class on Monday night and extend the time to 6:30pm - 8pm (instead of having 2 small classes back to back). This way, everyone can mix in and train together as a larger group.

Thursday night class is still on at the same time of 7pm - 8:30pm, as is the Sunday morning extra-curricular class at 10am - 12pm.

Kacey Chong.

NAS State Titles 2006 - Results

2006-10-28T16:42:00.000+10:00

Eli Yarrow represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the NAS State Championships on Sat 21 Oct at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre in the Male Novice Points and Continuous Sparring divisions.

While Eli didn't place in Continuous Sparring, he won through to 3rd place in Point Sparring with a large points difference between him and his opponent. Eli speed and footwork has improved a lot since previous tournaments, allowing him to score numerous 1-pointers, and even a 2-pointer with a high round kick. That's a great achievement for the Novice division, where most competitors play it safe and generally score with 1-point techniques.

Eli has qualified for the NAS National Championships, and I look forward to seeing him represent Victoria on the 9th and 10th December at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre.

Congratulations Eli!

This will be a fantastic opportunity for all Kickboxing Club Members to rally together to support Eli at the National Titles.

Kacey Chong.

Awards Presentation Night - 28 Sept 2006

2006-09-09T21:47:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone,

This year has flown by so quickly, we’re already more than half way through Semester 2!

I know many of you are busy with mid-semester exams and lots of assignments around this time of the year and haven’t been in class lately, so you may not have heard about our Kickboxing Club Annual Awards Presentation Night.

The Annual Awards Presentation Night is our biggest social event of the year where all the Kickboxing Club Members bring their friends and family along for a great feed and lots of laughs, music, games, prizes and entertainment.

There will be Awards of Excellence Presentations for students who have demonstrated outstanding qualities during their training throughout the year, and Grading Certificate Presentations for those who successfully completed their Semester 1 Gradings. Members who have represented the Kickboxing Club at martial arts tournaments or Kickboxing events will also receive recognition as part of the Fight Club.

We will be having our Awards Presentation Night at at a classy Russian restaurant, so if you've never had traditional Russian cuisine before, now's your chance to try something new! There will be a huge 3 course meal with hot platters, cold platter, desserts, and more. Vegetarians and vegans catered for.

We will be providing beer, wine and champagne, and there will also be a bar open. You're welcome to BYO alcohol, and being a Russian restaurant, I'm sure there'll be heaps of vodka going around!

We will be putting on a slideshow of photos from all the events that the Kickboxing Club has been involved in this year, so many of you will spot yourselves up on the big screen. We will also be putting together a video of the NAS competitions, Kickboxing fights, gradings, and seminars that we've been involved in.

There will be plenty of games, prizes, music, dancing and entertainment on the night, which we will keep as a surprise for you and your guests.

Tickets are $55 for Members and $60 for General Public, and this includes your 3-course meal, beer & champagne (and entertainment)!

We'd like to encourage you to bring your partners, friends, parents and other family members along to this event, so if you bring 3 or more guests (who are Non-Members), your guests will receive their tickets at Member prices.

As you can see, this is a huge event, and we'd like you to be part of it - it just wouldn't be the same without you!

Venue: St Petersburg Restaurant, 43 Glen Eira Rd, Elsternwick 3185

Date: Thursday 28 September (there will be no class on this night)

Time: 7pm till late

Dress: Smart Casual.

Tickets: $55 for Members and $60 for General Public.

Group Discounts: Member prices for all your guests when you bring 3 or more guests (Non-Members).

Put your name down on the Booking Form in class to reserve a place at a table for you and your guests!

Kacey Chong.

Interclub Challenge Results - 19 Aug 2006

2006-09-09T21:45:00.000+10:00

The last Interclub Challenge was held on Saturday 19 August at the West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine.

Congratulations to Eric Hatzistavrau, Andy Lin and Chatu Abeysinghe for representing the Monash University Kickboxing Club the Interclub Challenge in their first amateur/novice Kickboxing fight.

All 3 guys had hard fights and represented the Kickboxing Club very well, showing good sportsmanship at all times.

Eric was the first of the 3 to fight. He was up against a much more experienced opponent, and to make things more difficult, his opponent also had a huge height and reach advantage over Eric (despite Eric being 6 foot tall!). Eric fought hard and fast all through his rounds and even though he had trouble getting on the inside of his opponent’s reach, he was not afraid to get hit and demonstrated excellent fighting spirit. Eric’s opponent was too good in this match and won the fight. Great effort, Eric!

Andy was the next fight. Again, this was a tough one for a first fight. Andy also had a good opponent with much longer reach. Andy showed great boxing skill and landed some hard shots, but his opponent also landed a few hard ones on him which caused him to lose balance. Despite being on the receiving end of some well-placed punches, Andy kept on going like a pitbull. In the end, his opponent won the fight, but well done to Andy who shows a lot of potential to do well in future fights.

Chatu was lucky last. Chatu was matched with an opponent with good technique and good combos. This was a nice match with both fighters moving and exchanging well. Chatu made good use of his foot jabs, had good accuracy with his punches and demonstrated good technique throughout his bout. This fight finished in a draw, and Chatu will do well in the future with more focus on his fitness.

Great effort by all 3 fighters in their first fight. They will learn a lot from their experience and can only get better from here.

Thank you to all the Members who came along to cheer on the fighters, your moral support is always appreciated by the fighters!

Photos and videos of the fights will be shown on the big screen at our Annual Awards Presentation Night, so if you missed the fights on the day, make sure you come along to Presentation Night and check out the fights.

Kacey Chong.

Kickboxing Club Social Night

2006-07-27T16:40:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club Social Night, held on Friday 14 July, at the Sidetracked amusement centre was a great success. Everyone enjoyed a light meal prepared by Soulveg, followed by billards where Max really showed off his pool-shark skills.

When the time came for the laser tag, the excitement had really built up and everyone was ready for action. Because there was a good sized group of people, there was always someone behind every corner, especially Eleanor who found a variety of interesting hiding places. The adrenaline packed match left everyone gasping for breath when it was over, with Yahvinah emerging as the Laser Tag master.

The group then moved on to a light game of team mini golf, to cool off after such an action packed game of Laser tag, which proved to be a surprisingly fun activity, and full of laughs. Michelle, topped the charts for her group, just managing to beat Thomas who had put up a good fight; and Albert proved to be the "Tiger Woods" of his group with his patented reverse shot.

Finally, we wound up the night with a variety of games and an air hockey grudge match, after which we were thrown out because the venue was closing. All in all it was a fantastic outing, and there was never a dull moment.

A big thanks to everyone who came along, and we hope to have even more members at future events.

Yahvinah Morris
Vice-President

WASO World Championships

2006-07-23T16:37:00.000+10:00

The World All Styles Organisation (WASO) World Championships was held on the Gold Coast from 30 June to 2 July 2006. While we had 4 Members from the Kickboxing Club qualify for the World Titles, none of them could make it to the tournament due to other commitments or financial constraints.

Kacey Chong attended the tournament as the Assistant Technical Director for Victoria, gained her International Accreditation as an International Judge and Referee, and was kept busy refereeing throughout the tournament.

The Finals were held on Sunday 2 July – there was only one ring operating and all the attention was focused on that centre ring. The pressure on the Officials to make the right calls was just as high as that placed on the competitors. Only the most experienced Officials were chosen to officiate at the Finals, and Kacey was selected to judge and referee at the Finals.

Following her success at the World Titles, Kacey received a promotion to Technical Director for Victoria the day after the tournament, and will now be responsible for running Australian Referees Board (ARB) Seminars to train NAS judges and referees on the application and interpretation of tournament rules. At the tournaments, Kacey’s role is to two-fold – one as a senior judge and referee in the ring - and the other as a Marshall who oversees the performance of the Officials, ensures that the tournament rules are correctly and fairly applied, and resolves any disputes from coaches and parents.

Annual General Meeting

2006-07-20T16:32:00.000+10:00

Thank you to all the Kickboxing Club Members who attended our AGM on Thursday 22 June 2006 and nominated and voted for our 2006/2007 Office Bearers and Committee Members.

Congratulations to the following Members who were elected at the AGM:

President – Kacey Chong
Vice-President – Yahvinah Morris
Treasurer – Gleb Shinkarsky
Secretary – Marianna Tassakos
Marketing Officer – Albert Teoh
Social Events Coordinator – Andy Lin
Sponsorship Officer – George Santis
Internet Marketing Officer – Eric Hatzistavrou
General Committee Members – Chatu Abeysinghe, Leon Cooper, Eleanor Clyne-Kingshott, Wai-Yip Khong

The new Committee will be busy doing its best to promote and develop the Monash University Kickboxing Club on behalf of its Members.

Hakarac Martial Boxing Seminar

2006-07-18T16:28:00.000+10:00

Perth Instructor Mannie De Matos was invited to share his style of Hakarac Martial Boxing in a Melbourne Seminar on Friday 16 June, hosted by Kacey Chong of the Monash University Kickboxing Club and Robert Halaijian of the A.I.M. Academy.

The Seminar covered the technical fine points of the footwork, strikes and defenses employed in Hakarac, pad and shield drills for conditioning people for both ring-fighting and self-defence, as well as variations on training methods for preparing fighters and pushing them to their limits.

Mannie also shared his real world experience acquired from over 15 years working in the security industry, demonstrating various restraining procedures used by law enforcement and security personnel, and explaining how people can use the ‘predator mindset’ to gain an advantage over their attackers in self-defence situations.

My intention is to provide an environment for continuous learning, and inviting Mannie over to teach a Seminar on Hakarac was a great opportunity to see what concepts and drills could be incorporated into our current training syllabus. My impression of Hakarac (which means ‘many ways’ in Mannie’s native East Timorese dialect) is that it blends the best hand skills the traditional martial arts has to offer with the efficiency of modern day western boxing.

Check out page 12 of the latest edition of Blitz Martial Arts Magazine (August 2006 – Vol. 20 No. 8) to see our Blitz n Pieces article on Mannie’s Hakarac Seminar and our group photo!

Kacey Chong

John Wayne Parr Seminar

2006-07-12T16:25:00.000+10:00

On Sat 27 May, a group of Kickboxing Club Members attended a Muay Thai Seminar by one of Australia's best Muay Thai fighters Wayne Parr (aka John Wayne Parr or JWP). This Seminar was organised by Kru Mark "The Hammer" Castagnini, who taught a Seminar for us as a Guest Instructor last year.

The JWP Seminar was held at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, with over 100 people attending.

JWP covered many topics, including getting as much power out of every punch you throw, Muay Thai kicks, knees and elbows, partner drills, defence against punches and body shots, defence against elbows, against kicks, footwork, counters, setting up shots, long knees, and grappling. There was question time at the end and JWP even did 10 rounds of light sparring with 10 different guys in his final preparation for his fight with Wanlop.

The JWP Seminar was a fantastic opportunity to meet and learn from a world class Muay Thai fighter who is still currently fighting, and in his prime. Not only is he very knowledgeable about Muay Thai & a great champion in the ring, he is also a genuinely humble, down-to-earth, all-round nice guy – very likeable and full of enthusiasm for the sport.

Kacey Chong

Walt Missingham Jeet Kune Do Seminar

2006-07-10T16:18:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club and Parent Association A.I.M. Academy hosted a Jeet Kune Do Seminar by Sifu Walt Missingham (assisted by Sifu John Stevens) on Saturday 20 May 2006.

The Seminar was a great success, with over 40 people attending from different martial arts backgrounds. Sifu Walt provided a fascinating insight into the man behind the persona, and covered some of Bruce Lee’s most fundamental philosophies that can be applied to any martial arts styles.

Most martial arts styles teach a specific counter against a particular technique or lock. While Sifu Walt could have spent a lot of time teaching in this manner during the Seminar, he instead taught a set of principles that would help students disengage or counter a lock, no matter what the lock was. He encouraged the Seminar attendees to go away and practice putting on different locks and experimenting with different ways of countering the lock according to the principles. This way, there is real learning and creativity being applied, not just rote learning where students memorise moves by mechanical repetition without real understanding of how and why the counters work.

Sifu Walt also taught a drill that was aimed at producing maximum punching power while keeping balanced and advancing on the opponent. His explosive power was impressive, and anyone doubting the power of his punch should hold pads for him! Sifu Walt also demonstrated the one-inch punch and explained the fine-tuned mechanics behind it.

When it came to the knife-defense, Sifu Walt spoke about the research he’s done on prison knife-fighting systems, and how to recognise various positions of weapon concealment. He shared his own experiences with knife attacks and emphasised the seriousness of the consequences of being in such a situation. Seminar participants were taught simple yet effective defenses against knife encounters, and became aware of how difficult it was to handle an aggressor armed with a bladed weapon.

All in all, this was one of the best Seminars ever held by the Kickboxing Club, and we’ve had people asking us to keep them posted about when the next Walt Missingham Seminar will be held!

To read more about people’s experiences at the Walt Missingham Jeet Kune Do Seminar, go to our Testimonials page.

Kacey Chong

Queen's Birthday - Public Holiday

2006-06-09T16:01:00.000+10:00

Yes, Kickboxing Club Instructors will be running classes on the Queen's Birthday public holiday - Monday 12 June.

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 2 - Results

2006-05-09T10:24:00.000+10:00

Marianna Tassakos, Ju-Lin Lee, Yahvinah Morris and Eli Yarrow represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at Qualifying Round 2 of the NAS tournament on Sun 7 May at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre.

Marianna bowed out of Points Sparring early on, but had the edge over Yahvinah in Continuous Sparring. Marianna controlled the distance well, crowding Yahvinah at close range and preventing Yahvinah from using her reach advantage, and eventually winning the bout. Marianna did not do enough to win against her taller opponent in the finals, and placed 2nd in the Female Novice Continuous Sparring division.

As this is only her 2nd tournament, Ju-Lin did a good job in placing 3rd in the Point Sparring and 4th in Continuous Sparring. Her technique and ringcraft has improved since the last tournament, but she will need to push her opponents more to secure a decisive win.

Having just come back from training after being overseas for a year, Yahvinah did well to place 2nd in Point Sparring after defeating competitors from other styles, and 3rd in Continuous Sparring after losing to Marianna and winning against Ju-Lin.

Eli placed 4th in the Continuous Sparring, losing to the competitor who eventually came 1st in that division. Eli puts in a lot of effort into his training, and his determination, perserverance and change in tactics has won him 3rd place in the Male Novice Point Sparring division. Great result, Eli.

I was not able to be ring side at all their bouts, as I had recently been promoted to Assistant Technical Director for Victoria, and was occupied with judging, refereeing and marshalling throughout the tournament. However, from the bouts that I did see, Marianna, Ju-Lin, Yahvinah and Eli showed excellent sportsmanship and represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club very well.

Thank you those of you who came down to support and cheer on our competitors, and special thanks to Albert Teoh for filming all the action!

All 4 competitors - Marianna Tassakos, Ju-Lin Lee, Yahvinah Morris and Eli Yarrow - have placed within the top 5 of their divisions and have qualified for the World All Styles Organisation (WASO) World Championships, which will be held on the Gold Coast on 30 June to 2 July. WASO is a huge tournament that runs over 3 full days and will have over 35 countries competing.

Well done and congratulations to Eli, Yahvinah, Ju-Lin and Marianna! I hope to see them at the World Titles, representating Australia.

Kacey Chong

Training During Easter Holidays

2006-04-12T15:41:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club will continue to train over the Easter Break.

Sunday morning class at 10am - 12pm will be run on Sun 16 April.

On Monday night (Mon 17 April - Easter Monday), the Beginners class will be held at 6:30pm - 7:30pm and the Intermediate class will be held from 7:30pm - 8:30pm.

Monday Night class usually goes till 9pm, but the Sports and Rec Centre will be closing early and we have to be out of the venue by 8:30pm.

Kacey Chong

Feedback on Muay Thai Seminar by Shihan George Kolovos

2006-04-11T15:37:00.000+10:00

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Shihan George Kolovos for making the time to come down to Monash and sharing his knowledge with the Monash University Kickboxing Club on the subject of Muay Thai (especially as he has not been well this week).

The purpose of putting on any Seminar is to learn from other Instructors and discover more distinctions between techniques and training methods, and see what we can apply to our own training.

It was great to see the variations within Muay Thai between different schools. It’s interesting to note that there are so many ways to throw the same technique and to assess the pro’s and con’s of each method.

For example, the way Ajarn Chai Sirisute teaches the upward diagonal elbow or spinning back elbow is different from the way Kru Mark Castagnini teaches it, which is again, slightly different from the way Shihan George Kolovos teaches it (which could be different again from the way you or your Instructor teaches it).

To be aware of the differences and the advantages or disadvantages of each way of elbowing (or kneeing or clinching, etc) gives us the opportunity to find out which way works best for us as individuals (or which method works best against certain opponents or in particular scenarios), rather than sticking to one way just because that’s the only way we know.

The other good thing about training in a Seminar format is that the Guest Instructor can break things down, stop and take the time to explain concepts in detail, unlike a regular class, where the focus is usually on getting as much “physical action” into a session as possible.

The feedback from the students whoe attended has been very positive. Everyone enjoyed the seminar and got a lot out of it, and they’re looking forward to training with George at future Seminars.

Kacey Chong

P.S. Thanks to Darren Bauer for coming down and assisting George – he did a great job.

Muay Thai Seminar by Shihan George Kolovos

2006-03-31T15:53:00.000+11:00

Shihan George Kolovos has over 30 years of experience in the martial arts, is a highly respected Instructor, and Blitz Magazine Hall of Fame Instructor of the Year in 2003. He will be sharing his wealth of knowledge in traditional Muay Thai at this Seminar.

The first hour will cover various Muay Thai pad drills where you will learn how to clinch and control your opponent using the correct footwork, as well as elbow and knee from close range for maximum effect.

The second hour will focus on sparring drills where we will apply the clinching techniques learnt earlier in the seminar, as well as effective counter-attacks and escapes from the clinch.

The Seminar is open to practitioners of all martial arts styles, and will cater for beginners to advanced levels.

Bring your boxing gloves, shin pads, Muay Thai pads, mouthguard and groin guard (for males) – some equipment will be supplied.

Date: Friday 7th April 2006

Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm (Registration at 7pm)

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Building 1, Sports & Rec Centre, Wellington Rd, Monash University, Clayton (Please note that we might relocate to Squash Courts 12 & 13, depending on numbers).

Seminar Price:
General Public - $20
50% off for Kickboxing Club Members - $10

Dress: Full Uniform for Kickboxing Club Members

This is an excellent opportunity to meet George in person and get to know him as an instructor. He has been bringing traditional Muay Thai back from Thailand for 8 years, and I’m sure everyone will benefit from participating in this Seminar.

Bookings are essential as numbers are limited.

To reserve your place at the Seminar (or for more information), register in class or contact me on 0403 171 328 during business hours.

Kacey Chong

Interclub Challenge - Sat 25 March

2006-03-24T22:42:00.000+11:00

As I have announced in class over the last few weeks, the next Interclub Challenge will be held on Saturday 25 March at the West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine.

Competitors are to register at 12:30am, with the first fight scheduled for 1pm. Competitor fee is $20, to be paid on the day.

As our classes have started just a month ago, our fighters have not done sufficient training and sparring, so they will not be entered into this Interclub Challenge. However, we will have a few entered in the next one, which will probably be held in about 2 months time.

Remember, if you are interested in competing under semi-contact Kickboxing rules, you must attend the Interclub Challenge as a spectator first before competing. There will be around 40 fights throughout the day, and spectator fees on the day are only $5.

Kacey Chong

P.S. Apologies for the late post. I've been trying to post this message all week and the same error message kept coming up - it's finally gone through.

Important - Change in Training Venue!

2006-03-15T17:02:00.000+11:00

For the next couple of weeks, we will be moving our training to a new venue. Previously, we've had our Monday & Thursday night classes and Sunday morning classes in the Martial Arts Hall.

We will be in Squash Courts 12 & 13 on the following dates:

Thurs 16 March
Sun 19 March
Mon 20 March
Thurs 23 March
Sun 26 March
Mon 27 March
Thurs 30 March

Monash Sport has yet to confirm availability of the Squash Courts from April onwards. Once Monash Sport confirms this, I will update the blog to let you know.

These Squash Courts have been renovated to include a permanent boxing ring, punching bags, speedballs, floor-to-ceiling balls, new mirrors and are fully matted.

To find the Squash Courts, turn right when you first enter the Sports & Rec building and walk towards the basketball courts. Turn right at the Common Room and at the end of the corridor, you'll see the doors for several Squash Courts. Turn left to find Squash Courts 12 and 13.

These two Squash Courts will be renamed in a couple of months to "Boxing Studio" or something similar.

Our Training Times remain the same for now, but will change over the next few weeks. So please keep checking this blog so you can be informed of the change in Training Times.

These are our current Training Times:

Monday

6:30pm - 7:45pm: Beginners
7:45pm - 9pm: Intermediate & above

Thursday

7pm - 8:30pm: All Levels

Note: All Members can attend both Beginners and Intermediate classes, but the focus of each class will be different. For example, in the Beginners class, the focus will be on the beginners and in the Intermediate class, the focus will be on the senior students.

Kacey Chong.

P.S. A full report on Ajarn Chai Sirisute's Melbourne Seminar will be posted soon.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

2006-03-10T11:19:00.000+11:00

This is a great opportunity to train with a genuine Muay Thai master "in your backyard", without having to travel to Thailand.

This Seminar is highly recommended to all Kickboxing Club students who are serious about their training!

Venue: Norris Bank Primary School, Settlement Rd, Bundoora
Date: Mon 13 March 2006 (Labour Day Public Holiday)
Time: 5pm - 8pm (get there by 4:30pm to register and start warming up)
Cost: $35
Dress: Full Uniform
Bring: Your gloves & shin pads (Kacey will bring the Club Muay Thai pads and focus mitts)

If you haven't already made payment, you can do so at this Sunday's class (10am - 12pm in the Seminar Room - not Martial Arts Hall this weekend, as Commonwealth Games Teams are using the Martial Arts Hall).

Alternatively, make payment to Kacey Chong on Monday 13 March before the seminar and get your name ticked off the Kickboxing Club list. Make sure your name is spelt correctly on the Club list, as this will be submitted to the Seminar Organiser for Seminar Certificates that will be given out to you at the end of the seminar.

If you're new to the Kickboxing Club and don't have a full uniform yet, come to the Sunday morning class this Sunday to purchase your uniform.

Non-members are welcome to participate in the seminar as part of the Kickboxing Club group, so if you have any friends who may be interested in going to Ajarn Chai's seminar, let me know.

There are many senior students and instructors who are attending this seminar, and a large group of whom are travelling to Melbourne from interstate, just to train with Ajarn Chai. If these experienced martial artists who have been participating in Ajarn Chai's seminar for many years - year after year - and are still learning and benefitting from training with Ajarn Chai, I'm sure the rest of us will too.

For more information on Ajarn Chai Sirisute, go to http://www.thaiboxing.com/ajarnchai.php and http://www.thaiboxing.com/inosanto-interview.php

Contact me on 0403 171 328 if you have any more queries about the seminar.

Kacey Chong.

Important - Change of Training Times

2006-02-23T12:01:00.000+11:00

Due to clashes in venue bookings, our Thursday night training times have changed temporarily.

Monday
6:30pm - 7:45pm: Beginners
7:45pm - 9pm: Intermediate & above

Thursday
7pm - 8:30pm: All Levels

Note: All Members can attend both Beginners and Intermediate classes, but the focus of each class will be different. For example, in the Beginners class, the focus will be on the beginners and in the Intermediate class, the focus will be on the senior students.

Both Monday and Thursday night classes are being held in the same venue - Martial Arts Hall.

When we move to our new venue in April 2006, our training times will most likely change again, as we re-negotiate with Monash Sport.

Kacey Chong.

2006 O-Week Stalls at Clayton Campus - Sign Up Now!

2006-02-21T15:17:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club is open to all Monash Uni Students, Staff, Graduates, as well as the General Public. We teach the styles of Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing. We also encourage our students to cross-train in other martial arts so that they gain an understanding and appreciation of all martial arts, not just the one/s they specialise in.

While we focus on Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing in our classes, we also run seminars, workshops and training camps on various different martial arts styles, such as Grappling, Locking, Trapping, Filipino Weaponry (stick-fighting & knife-fighting), Jeet Kune Do concepts, Silat, and so on. This gives our Members the opportunity to experience other martial arts and how they relate to Kickboxing.

Each person trains in Kickboxing for different reasons. Some join our Club for the fun and fitness aspects of our training. Some want to lose weight, some to learn self-defense, others like to "vent" their frustrations (in a safe environment!). Some like to challenge themselves in contact or non-contact competition, and others focus on self-development and wish to become instructors one day. Whatever your reasons for starting Kickboxing, there’s no better time than to start now!

We have increased our training hours this year, and we will be upgrading our facilities in late March to include a boxing ring, more punching bags & speedballs, etc. We have a tonne of events going on this year, and while 2005 was a very successful year for us, this year is going to be bigger and better than the last!

The Kickboxing Club will have an O-Week Stall where new Members can sign-up for 2006.

Venue: Lawn area between Campus Centre and IT Building (Building 63), Monash Uni, Clayton
Dates: Wed 22 Feb, Thurs 23 Feb, Tues 28 Feb 2006
Times: 10am - 4pm

There will be Kickboxing Club Members there to answer questions from prospective Members, and they will be happy to show your some of our training equipment or demonstrate some of the things we do in class.

WIN!

Sign-up for a Semester or Annual Membership during O-Week at our O-Week Stall and go into the draw to win your very own "Go ‘n Get" Boxing Gloves to start you off on your Kickboxing training!

O-Week Special Trial Membership

$20 for 2 Trial Classes at the start of Semester 1. Come along to training and give it a go!

Sign up for a Semester or Annual Membership, and we will deduct this $20 from your Semester or Annual Membership Fee.

New Members - 2006

Membership fees include your training fees, as well as use of all Kickboxing Club equipment and facilities during regular class times.

The Semester Membership covers your training for 5 months (Semester 1 = 20 weeks & Semester 2 = 22 weeks of training). The Annual Membership covers your training for over 10 months (Annual = 42 weeks of training).

Considering we have increased our hours of training from 2005, and are in the process of upgrading our facilities to include a permanent boxing ring and more punching bags, speedballs, and other training equipment - our prices are very competitive when compared to other Kickboxing and Muay Thai gyms in Melbourne.

Monash Student - Semester Membership: $90
Monash Student - Annual Membership: $160
Monash Staff - Semester Membership: $100
Monash Staff - Annual Membership: $170
Monash Graduate / Affiliate - Semester Membership: $130
Monash Graduate / Affiliate - Annual Membership: $230
General Public - Semester Membership: $220
General Public - Annual Membership: $400
General Public - 10 Class Pass: $80

Note: The 10 Class Pass is a "casual fee" alternative for General Public who may want to try out classes before committing to a Semester or Annual Membership. General Public Members who sign up for the 10 Class Pass will still need to fill out a Membership Form. The 10 Class Pass is transferable to family/friends, but the new Member will also need to fill out a Membership Form.

Past Members

Please note that previous Members will need to renew their membership again each year.

Anyone who signs up for a Semester or Annual Membership during O-Week will go into the draw to win a pair of "Go n Get" boxing gloves.

So make sure you sign up for yourself and fix up Membership fees during O-Week so you can go into the draw too. This will also reduce the number of people trying to sign up at the start of class.

We like to encourage students to continue their training and reward them for their loyalty, so this year we have a discounted Membership fee for Annual Renewals for past Members.

Annual Renewal - Monash Student: $140
Annual Renewal - Monash Staff: $150
Annual Renewal - Monash Graduate/Affiliate: $210
Annual Renewal - General Public: $380

Note: Annual Renewals are available only to former Members who have signed up for Semester or Annual Memberships in the past. The Kickboxing Club must have a record of your previous Membership to qualify for Annual Renewal.

Training Details (Clayton Campus)

Mondays and Thursdays
6:30pm - 7:45pm: Beginners
7:45pm - 9pm: Intermediate & above

Note: All Members can attend both Beginners and Intermediate classes, but the focus of each class will be different. For example, in the Beginners class, the focus will be on the beginners and in the Intermediate class, the focus will be on the senior students.

Venue
Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre (Monash Uni, Clayton)

Note: We will be moving to a new venue with new facilities in early April 2006.

Regular classes start on Mon 27 Feb 2006. Hope to see you in class very soon!

Kacey Chong.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

2006-02-15T10:21:00.000+11:00

Ajarn (Master) Chai Sirisute is our Muay Thai Master. He is one of the most highly sought-after Muay Thai Masters in the world, and teaches Muay Thai out of the Inosanto Academy in the U.S. Ajarn Chai travels to Australia each year to spread the art of Muay Thai.

This is a great opportunity to train with a genuine Muay Thai master "in your backyard", without having to travel to Thailand.

This Seminar is highly recommended to all Kickboxing Club students who are serious about their training!

Venue: Norris Bank Primary School, Settlement Rd, Bundoora
Date: Mon 13 March 2006 (Labour Day Public Holiday)
Time: 5pm - 8pm (get there early to start warming up)
Cost: $35
Payment: Make payment to Kickboxing Club by Thursday 9 March 2006

Non-members are welcome to participate in the seminar as part of the Kickboxing Club group, so if you have any friends who may be interested in going to Ajarn Chai's seminar, let me know.

For more information on Ajarn Chai Sirisute, go to http://www.thaiboxing.com/ajarnchai.php and http://www.thaiboxing.com/inosanto-interview.php

Be sure to put this dates in your diary early on so you don't miss out!

Kacey Chong.

NAS Extreme

2006-02-13T16:20:00.000+11:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club was not represented at NAS Round 1, as it was on earlier in the year than usual (due to the Commonwealth Games) and our regular classes have not yet begun.

The new rules dubbed "NAS Extreme" rewarded more difficult techniques such as high kicks, spinning kicks to the body & takedows with legal follow-up with 2 points, and spinning & jumping kicks aimed at the head with 3 points. Punches and other kicks to the body are still awarded 1 point.

These new rules implemented in the Black Belt Divisions saw many more spectacular high kicks and fantastic spinning kicks attempted, and quite a few of those awarded as well. This has made the competition more exciting to watch as a spectator and more challenging as a competitor.

For more info on the new "NAS Extreme", see the National All Styles Website.

Kacey Chong.

NAS Round 1 - Sun 12 Feb

2006-02-07T16:59:00.000+11:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club will be getting involved in the National All Styles (NAS)Championships in 2006.

There are new rules being trialed in the Black Belt division, as well as extra divisions being created.

See National All Styles Website for more details on the new "NAS Extreme".

The National Titles for the NAS will be held in Melbourne this year, so those of you who qualify for the Nationals will not have to travel interstate to compete.

Even if you have competed in the NAS previously, I highly recommend that you attend Round 1 to get an idea of how the new rules will affect you. Those who have not competed in the NAS before, but would like to do so, will need to attend Round 1 as a spectator also.

Note that there is a new venue. The NAS will no longer be held at the Springers Leisure Centre:

New Venue: Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Aughtie Drive, Albert Park
Date: Sunday 12 February 2006
Time: Competition starts at 9:30am.
Spectator Fee: $8 for Adults, $6 for Children

Note that Sunday morning class will be on this Sunday 12 Feb from 10am - 12pm, so you can still train in the morning then come by the tournament after class. The adult divisions generally begin later in the day.

Kacey Chong

2006 Upcoming Events

2006-01-23T12:47:00.000+11:00

The following are the first of the many events for the Monash University Kickboxing Club in 2006:

Sunday Morning Classes

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Dates: Sundays, commencing Sun 8 Jan 2006
Times: 10am - 12pm
Cost: $10 for the 2-hour class
This is the perfect opportunity to cross-train in Filipino weaponry (stick-fighting, knife defense), Filipino Kickboxing, trapping, grapping, and ground-work.
Sunday morning class is open to Kickboxing Club Members, as well as Non-Members.

Fighters Fitness Training

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Date/Times: Mondays and Thursdays 6:30pm - 7:30pm (starting 6 Feb 2006)
Students who wish to compete in Semi-Contact Kickboxing fights this year must attend Fighters Fitness Training, which will be held every Monday and Thursday one hour before class starts.
Fighters will start with skipping as a warm-up, then stretching, then running, followed by strength work.
Those of you interested in competing in the NAS (National All Styles Championships) are also encouraged to attend Fighters Fitness Training whenever possible.

Fighters Classes

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Date: From 6 Feb 2006 to 23 Feb 2006
Times: Mondays and Thursdays 7:30pm - 9pm
For 3 weeks leading up to the start of Semester 1 (when our regular classes officially start), Fighters will be working on sparring drills, non-contact and contact sparring, as well as endurance drills to start getting them ready for their fights
NAS Competitors are also welcome to train in the Fighters Classes

O-Week Stall 2006

Venue: Lawn area between Campus Centre and IT Building (Building 63), Monash Uni, Clayton
Date: Wed 22 Feb, Thurs 23 Feb, Tues 28 Feb 2006
Times: 10am - 4pm
The Kickboxing Club will have an O-Week Stall where new Members can sign-up for 2006.
All Kickboxing Club Members are encouraged to be involved in Kickboxing Club Stall during O-Week, as this is a great opportunity for us to promote Kickboxing / Muay Thai and the Kickboxing Club.
Please note that previous Members will need to renew their membership again each year, so please do so at the O-Week Stall during O-Week so that we are not signing-up too many people during class time.
We will need 2005 Members at the O-Week Stall to take turns answering questions, signing up Members, and handing out flyers.
Members who are attending the O-Week Stall will need to arrive at 9:30am to set up stall, and pack up by 4:30pm.
If you are able to volunteer to help out at the O-Week Stall, we would very much appreciate it. Please contact Kacey Chong on 0403 171 328 or info@monashkickboxing.com
Note that there will not be a Demonstration Team in 2006, as we will be focusing on training Fighters during the weeks leading up to O-Week

Regular Classes

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Dates: Mondays and Thursdays, commencing Mon 27 Feb 2006
Times: 7:30pm - 9pm
Classes officially begin on Mon 27 Feb 2006.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

This is a great opportunity to train with a genuine Muay Thai master "in your backyard", without having to travel to Thailand.

This Seminar is highly recommended to all Kickboxing Club students who are serious about their training!

Venue: Norris Bank Primary School, Bundoora
Date/Times: Mid-March 2006 (to be confirmed)
Cost: To be confirmed
For more information on Ajarn Chai Sirisute, go to http://www.thaiboxing.com/ajarnchai.php and http://www.thaiboxing.com/inosanto-interview.php

More information to follow as we get closer to the dates of the above events. Be sure to put these dates in your diary early on so you don't miss out!

Kacey Chong.

Grading Results - Semester 2, 2005

2005-12-16T12:11:00.000+11:00

Semester 2 Gradings were held on Friday 2 Dec for Levels 5 & 6, and Sunday 4 Dec for Level 4.

Congratulations to the following Members who successfully completed their Gradings:

Level 6

Eric Hatzistavrou
Vinh Nguyen

Level 5

Azzan Al-Balushi
Steven Lay
Ju-Lin Lee
Andy Lin
Vinh Nguyen
Eli Yarrow

Level 4

Scott Gyngell
Wai Yip Khong

I hope you will all keep up your training and continue to improve your skills and develop your attirbutes to the best of your ability.

Kacey Chong.

Kickboxing Club Training Camp

2005-12-15T11:54:00.000+11:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club held our first Training Camp at Anglesea Recreation Camp on Friday 9 Dec - Sunday 11 Dec 2005.

We covered the following topics over the weekend:

Self-Defense / Street-Fighting
Filipino Single and Double Stick Fighting
Advanced Muay Thai
Filipino Knife Defense
Trapping & Grappling
Multiple Attacker Drills
Filipino Kickboxing
Advanced Kicking

Everyone who attended the camp enjoyed it thoroughly and the feedback has been very positive, both from the students and the instructors who participated. While everyone got a lot out of the training sessions, the students also had a lot of fun socialising in the informal environment. Many of the students have expressed an eager interest in holding another camp in 2006, so we may be holding another one in mid-2006.

It seems like the most popular sessions were the stick-fighting and the trapping & grappling. Although we don't usually cover these topics in our regular Monday and Thursday classes (as they are considered extra-curricular), we do work on weaponry as well as trapping & grappling in our Sunday morning classes.

So those of you who want to take your cross-training further should definitely train regularly in the Sunday morning classes, which are held from 10am - 12pm in the Martial Arts Hall. Sunday morning classes have already commenced (on 8 January 2006), so get to it!

Hope to see you all at our 2006 Kickboxing Club Training Camp!

Kacey Chong.

Grading Recommendations - Semester 2

2005-11-23T15:23:00.000+11:00

Semester 2 Gradings will be held next week on Friday 2 Dec for Levels 5 & 6, and Sunday 4 Dec for Level 4.

For those of you who are new to the Kickboxing Club, the Grading System consists of 6 Levels, beginning with Level 6 and working its way up to Level 1, followed by the Black Shirt Level (equivalent to Black Belt).

The Grading System allows you to set goals for yourself, continue to develop your technical skills as well as your physical and mental attributes, and ensure that you learn everything within our Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing curriculum.

Those of you who want to develop your leadership skills further and give back to the Martial Arts all that you have gained may want to become Assistant Instructors, and eventually Instructors yourselves one day.

You will need to work through the entire Grading System, become a Black Shirt, and undergo Instructor Training as there are distinct skill sets required to become an Instructor.

Students who are recommended for Grading by Kickboxing Club Instructors will be invited to the Grading. Being recommended for Grading does not involve technical ability alone. We’re looking for people who not only turn up to class, but turn up the intensity and put in the effort.

We’re also looking for other qualities, such as determination, team spirit, fighting spirit, leadership, curiosity, integrity, and commitment & contribution to the Kickboxing Club. These qualities will become more and more important as you move up the ranks.

Grading is not compulsory. However, it is highly recommended for your development and demonstrates to Instructors that you’re serious about your training and committed to self-improvement.

Congratulations to the following people for being selected to grade for Level 6 on Friday 2 Dec 2005. The Grading will be held in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 10pm (you will need to arrive 15 mins early to start warming up).

Iraj Ahmadi
Jacob Chylinksi
Leon Cooper
David Ford
Eric Hatzistavrou
Pascal Heeraman
Daniel Hourigan
Eu-Gene Lim
Vinh Nguyen

The Level 5 Grading is scheduled for the same night as the Level 6 Grading - Friday 2 Dec 2005 in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 10pm. Congratulations to the following people who have been recommended for Level 5:

Azzan Al-Balushi
Marwan Al-Juma
Steven Lay
Ju-Lin Lee
Andy Lin
Vinh Nguyen
Eli Yarrow

The Level 4 Grading will be held on Sunday 4 Dec from 12pm - 2pm in the Martial Arts Hall. Congratulations to these students who have been recommended for Level 4:

Matthew Gillet
Scott Gyngell
Wai Yip Khong

Everyone listed above has trained consistently with the Kickboxing Club this year and improved significantly.

Those of you who have been recommended for Grading will need to pick up the Grading Requirements from me in class. You will find that the Level 6 Grading Requirements are fairly simple and straight-forward, but the Requirements become progressively more difficult and demanding as you move up the Levels.

Students who are grading must attend the grading in full uniform. The Grading Fee ($30) needs to be paid before the Grading.

Be sure to confirm your attendance at the Grading with me in class by Mon 28th Nov 2005. Alternatively, you can contact me on 0403 171 328 or info@monashkickboxing.com.

Thank You.

Keep up your hard work!

Kacey Chong

Upcoming Events!

2005-11-08T18:01:00.000+11:00

Although Semester 2 is over and we're nearing the end of the year, there are still some more events in the Monash University Kickboxing Club 2005/2006 Summer calendar:

Kickboxing Club Gradings

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Date/Times: To be confirmed (the Gradings will most likely be held the week before the Training Camp)
Cost: $30
Students recommended for Grading will be notified in the next couple of weeks

Kickboxing Club Training Camp

Venue: Anglesea Recreation Camp, Inverlochy Street (off Great Ocean Road)
Date/Times: 6pm Fri 9 Dec to 4pm Sun 11 Dec
Cost: $130 for Members
Register & make payment ASAP, and notify us of any dietary requirements (eg. vegetarian)

Ajarn Chai Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

This is a great opportunity to train with a genuine Muay Thai master "in your backyard", without having to travel to Thailand.

This Seminar is highly recommended to all Kickboxing Club students who are serious about their training!

Venue: Norris Bank Primary School, Bundoora
Date/Times: Early March 2006 (to be confirmed)
Cost: To be confirmed

For more information on Ajarn Chai Sirisute, go to http://www.thaiboxing.com/ajarnchai.php and http://www.thaiboxing.com/inosanto-interview.php

Training for O-Week Demonstration Team

Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton
Date/Times: Late January 2006 (to be confirmed)
The Kickboxing Club Demo Team will train for 4 weeks leading up to Orientation Week and perform a Demonstration/s in front of the O-Week crowd
All Kickboxing Club Members are encouraged to be involved in the Demo Team and Kickboxing Club Stall during O-Week
This is the best opportunity for us to promote Kickboxing / Muay Thai and the Kickboxing Club

More information to follow as we get closer to the dates of the above events. Be sure to put these dates in your diary early on so you don't miss out!

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club Training Camp (9 - 11 Dec)

2005-11-08T17:14:00.000+11:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club will be holding our first Training Camp at Anglesea Recreation Camp on Friday 9 Dec - Sunday 11 Dec 2005.

The Kickboxing Club Training Camp is held for Kickboxing Club Members to do some hard Intensive Training in a focused yet fun environment.

This is your opportunity to learn some of the more advanced techniques and tactics in Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing, as well as cross-train in other Martial Arts such as Filipino Stick-Fighting, Knife-Fighting, and Trapping & Grappling.

Cross-training in other Martial Arts is essential to broaden your understanding of the Martial Arts and become a well-rounded Martial Artist.

While you will recognise a lot of the techniques and concepts, most of the topics covered are more advanced than what we’ve been doing in classes.

We will move through concepts and combinations quite quickly, so don’t worry if you don’t perfect it first time around at the camp!

Use the summer break to work on some of the things you learn at camp, and there will also be plenty of opportunities next year to improve on what you do at the camp.

We will arrive at the camp around 6pm on Friday 9 December, settle in and have dinner, followed by one training session. Saturday will involve 5 different training sessions, as well as our Beach Theme Night at dinner time.

We will have a couple of sessions on Sunday morning, followed by lunch, and pack up by 2pm. Then we’re off to the beach for a hard fitness session to finish with a big bang!

These are the topics we will be covering during the 9 Intensive Training Sessions over the weekend:

Self-Defense / Street-Fighting
Filipino Single and Double Stick Fighting
Advanced Muay Thai
Filipino Knife Defense
Trapping & Grappling
Multiple Attacker Drills
Filipino Kickboxing
Advanced Kicking
Beach Fitness Training

The price for Kickboxing Club Members is $130. The price includes:

2 Nights Accommodation
All Meals (including breakfast, lunch, dinner)
24-access to Tea and Coffee-Making Facilities
Fresh fruit throughout the weekend
9 Intensive Training Sessions (each session is at least 1.5 hours long)

The Kickboxing Club Training Camp is a big event on the Club Calendar, and it’s a rare opportunity for you to train intensively with your Instructors over 3 days, as well as socialise with fellow Club Members.

So make sure you register, make payment for the Training Camp ASAP and give us details of your dietary requirements (eg. vegetarian).

If you need to join a car pool to get to Anglesea, be sure to organise this during class. Classes are currently still running on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30pm - 9pm in the Martial Arts Hall up until Thurs 8 Dec.

For more information about the Training Camp, contact Kacey Chong on 0403 171 328 or info@monashkickboxing.com

Change of Plan - No Class on Sunday 30 Oct

2005-10-28T14:58:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club will not be holding a Sunday class on Sunday 30 Oct due to low attendance during the university exam period.

Sunday classes will continue on Sun 6 November in the Martial Arts Hall from 10am - 12pm.

Kacey Chong.

Sunday Class on 30 Oct - Daylight Savings

2005-10-24T16:55:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club will continue to run Sunday classes from 10am - 12pm for Members who want to work on their sparring and sparring attributes.

The first hour is based around sparring drills and sparring, and the second hour focuses on cross-training (such as locking, grappling, ground work, weaponry, etc.).

As this is an extra-curricular class, it's $10 for the 2-hour class.

Sunday classes will run from Sun 30 October until Sunday 4 December 2005 in the Martial Arts Hall.

Don't forget that Daylight Savings begins this Sunday 30 Oct. You'll need to move your clock forward one hour at 2am Sunday morning.

Kacey Chong.

Classes Will Continue Throughout Exam Period

2005-10-20T16:51:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club will continue to run classes on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30pm - 9pm in the Martial Arts Hall during the Monash University Exam Period.

So classes will run as normal from Monday 24 Oct until Thursday 8 December.

We will finish up our regular Monday and Thursday night classes just before our Training Camp, which will be held in Anglesea on Fri 9 Dec to Sun 11 Dec. More details on the camp to come.

Kacey Chong.

NAS State Championships - Results

2005-10-17T16:43:00.000+10:00

Matthew Gillet, Marianna Tassakos and Eli Yarrow represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the NAS State Titles on Sun 16 October at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre.

All three of them have improved greatly throughout the year, especially Eli, who has been training particularly hard and doing extra work during the Sunday morning classes with Senior Instructor Robert Halaijian. Eli achieved 3rd place in the Male Novice Continuous Sparring, which is a fantastic improvement from the last tournament.

Both Marianna and Matt did well to place 4th in their divisions, and all three have qualified for the NAS National Championships, which will be held on the Gold Coast on 26th and 27th November.

Well done and congratulations to Matt, Marianna and Eli!

Kacey Chong

NAS State Championships - Sun 16 Oct

2005-10-05T15:36:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to compete at the National All Styles State Championships:

Jacob Chylinski
Matthew Gillet
Marianna Tassakos
Bryan Wicaksono
Eli Yarrow

Not everyone gets to compete at State level, so well done to these guys (and girl) for finishing in the top of their division and qualifying for the State Championships!

Matt, Marianna, Bryan and Eli will represent the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the NAS State Titles on Sun 16 October.

Please note that the venue for the State Titles is different from that of the Qualifying Rounds. The State Titles will be held at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, Parkville (near the Melbourne Zoo).

This is a big event which will determine who qualifies for the National Championships, and all Kickboxing Club Members are encouraged to come along and support our competitors at the tournament. Spectator fees are only $10 for adults - a small price to pay to watch the best in the Victoria fighting it out on the day.

See you all there!

Kacey Chong

P.S. There WILL be a Sunday morning class running on the same day (Sun 16 Oct) in the Martial Arts Hall from 10am - 12pm as per usual.

NAS Results for Round 3 Now Posted on NAS Website

2005-09-29T13:35:00.000+10:00

Jacob Chylinski, Marianna Tassakos, and Bryan Wicaksono represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at NAS Round 3 on Sun 24 July.

NAS has published these results for Round 3 on their website last week with 1st, 2nd and 3rd placings for each division.

To view these results, go to http://nationalallstyles.com.au/tournament-results/vicrd3-05-tourna-results.php

If that link doesn't work, go to http://nationalallstyles.com.au and:

Click on Tournament Results (on the left navigation pane)
Scroll down till you see "Vic Tournament Results 2005"
Click on the link "Tournament Results Vic Rd 3 - 24th July 2005" (results for Round 4, when Ju-Lin Lee, Marianna Tassakos and Eli Yarrow competed should be released soon)
Scroll down to the bottom and click on the link "Click to Download Tournament Results Vic Rd 3 - 24th July 2005"

The NAS also did an Official Profile on me, which is on the same webpage as the Round 3 Tournament Results. This is the article:

"Kacey Chong was a competitor at NAS tournaments before she was asked to become an official, a job she has now performing well for five years. The 23 year-old has been involved with martial arts most of her life including traditional taekwondo as well as sport and Olympic taekwondo, and has a 2nd degree Black belt.

She formed the Monash University Kickboxing Club and is its Chief Instructor. Currently, close to 50 students attend the class each week. Kacey enjoys teaching and encourages students to follow the club’s mission statement, ‘To empower people through martial arts.’

As far as officiating goes, she likes being part of the environment. “I like to see different styles come together and show good sportsmanship and fighting spirit,” she says. On the other hand, Kacey agrees that sometimes it can be a bit pressured when the spectators get a little agitated and are yelling too much at the ring, but it’s all part of the day. Kacey has also judged at the Nationals, and says, “It’s a great atmosphere with all the states going up against each other, there’s a lot more team spirit.”

She is looking forward to the coming rounds at NAS and her main focus is to continue teaching martial arts and get as much enjoyment out of it as possible."

I hope those of you who have competed at the NAS will also move on to officiate at the NAS as you become more experienced in competition and one day achieve your Black Shirts. It will give you a valuable insight to the competition and you will gain a lot more respect for the difficult job that Judges and Referees have to do. This will also be an opportunity for you to give back to the Martial Arts community, as you have no doubt gained a lot personally from training in the Martial Arts.

Finally, we look forward to supporting Marianna Tassakos at the State Championships on 16 October - more details to come.

Kacey Chong.

No Sunday Class on 2 October

2005-09-28T22:55:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club normally runs Sunday classes from 10am - 12pm for Members who want to work on their sparring and sparring attributes. The first hour is based around sparring drills and sparring, and the second hour focuses on cross-training (such as locking, grappling, ground work, weaponry, etc.).

As this is an extra-curricular class, it's $10 for the 2-hour class.

There will be no Sunday class this Sunday 2 October 2005, as the Martial Arts Hall has been booked out by another group.

Sunday classes will continue as of Sunday 9 October (same time), in the Martial Arts Hall.

Kacey Chong.

Kickboxing Exhibition Fight Night Results

2005-09-27T13:13:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club held its 3rd Annual Kickboxing Exhibition Fight Night on Friday 23 September at the Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton.

Our Members were matched against each other in Amateur Light-Contact, Semi-Contact or Full-Contact Kickboxing Bouts.

Congratulations to the following Members who fought on the night:

Marwan Al-Juma
Azzan Al-Balushi
Christophe Blet
Crimson Cheung
Jacob Chylinski
Scott Gyngell
Eric Hatzistarou
Pascal Heeraman
Ju-Lin Lee
Eu-Gene Lim
Andy Lin
Eli Yarrow

All the Fighters demonstrated good form and good control. Many of them were matched against an opponent who was much taller and/or heavier than them, and showed great fighting spirit and mental strength in taking on an opponent with a significant reach and weight advantage.

Thank you to all our volunteers on the night who made everything run smoothly:

Kacey Chong (Referee)
Zheng Chong (Cameraman)
Leon Cooper (Photographer)
Snefru Dawood (Referee)
Vinh Nguyen (MC & DJ)
Chats Jayasuriya (Snack Bar)
Dhyana Mallawarachchi (Tickets)
Rebecca Spencer (Ring Manager)

Thank you to all the spectators who came along to support the Fight Night and all our Fighters.

It was a great night, and our Fighters learnt what it was like to fight under pressure. Everyone had at least 2 fights on the night, and some had 3 or 4 fights. This gave them the opportunity to spar with a variety of opponents, and also test their level of fitness.

I hope we can continue to put on Fight Nights like this in future years, as it serves as an excellent platform for those who wish to develop their competitive side and work on their psychological attributes, as well as physical skill.

Well done to all of you!

Kacey Chong.

No Sunday Class on 18 Sept

2005-09-14T21:44:00.000+10:00

As this is an extra-curricular class, it's $10 for the 2-hour class.

There will be no Sunday class this Sunday 18 Sept 2005, as Guest Instructor Robert M. Halaijian will be interstate.

However, Sunday classes will continue as of Sunday 25 August (same time), in the Martial Arts Hall.

Kacey Chong.

Kickboxing Exhibition Fight Night

2005-09-13T19:11:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club is holding its 3rd Annual Kickboxing Exhibition Fight Night on Friday 23 September at the Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash Uni, Clayton. Doors open at 7pm. First fight at 7:30pm.

Our Members will be matched against each other in Amateur Light-Contact, Semi-Contact or Full-Contact Kickboxing Bouts.

There will be a snack bar open with food and drinks available, as well as a raffle with great prizes to be won.

Fighters are encouraged to bring along all their friends and family to cheer them on - it'll be a great night for spectators.

Spectator fees are $5 for Members and $10 for Non-Members. For groups of 3 or more, it will be $5 each.

Look forward to seeing everyone there!

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 4 - Results

2005-09-13T18:30:00.000+10:00

Ju-Lin Lee, Marianna Tassakos, and Eli Yarrow represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at NAS Round 4 on Sun 11 Sept.

Marianna showed good variety of offense and defense, and placed 3rd in the Female Novice Point Sparring Division. She will most likely qualify for the State Championships on Sun 16 Oct.

While Ju-Lin didn't place in her divisions, she demonstrated very good technique in the Continuous Sparring, and great ringcraft, slipping and bobbing & weaving effectively. Her opponent had a huge reach advantage, and Ju-Lin would have done better by standing her ground and side-stepping, instead of moving back. It was a great experience for Ju-Lin and she'll be back at the NAS next year, aiming to improve her performance.

Eli went out hard & fast and was aggressive in his Continuous Sparring. However, he ran out of steam towards the end, and needs to work on fitness, technique and lighter footwork. All of Eli's opponents were significantly taller than him, and he found it difficult to get in close enough to score in the Point Sparring. Nevertheless, he had heart and showed good sportsmanship, and we hope he continues to develop his skills.

Overall, it was a good day of competition, and all our competitors gained valuable experience that will serve them in their Martial Arts training.

Kacey Chong

Update - Interclub Challenge

2005-09-13T18:25:00.000+10:00

I had planned to enter Vinh Nugyen into the Interclub Challenge on 16 September to represent the Kickboxing Club. However, Vinh has torn a ligament in his left shoulder during training and it will take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. We hope he makes a full recovery and will fight at a future Interclub Challenge.

Those of you who want to fight at the Interclubs should still attend and watch the competition.

Kacey Chong

Interclub Challenge - Sat 17 September

2005-09-06T16:44:00.000+10:00

The next Interclub Challenge will be held on Saturday 17 September at the West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine.

Competitors are to register at 11:30am, with the first fight scheduled for 12pm. Competitor fee is $20, to be paid on the day.

Vinh Nugyen (and possibly Andy Lin) will represent the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the Interclub Challenge.

This will be Vinh's first Kickboxing fight, so get there at 12pm so you don't miss out!

All Members are encouraged to attend the Interclub Challenge and support Vinh.

Remember, if you are interested in competing under semi-contact Kickboxing rules, you must attend the Interclub Challenge as a spectator first before competing. Spectator fees on the day are only $5.

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 4 - Sun 11 Sept

2005-09-06T16:35:00.000+10:00

Qualifying Round 4 of the National All Styles Championships will be held on Sunday 11 September at the Springers Leisure Centre, 400 Cheltenham Road, Keysborough.

There will be 3 Members representing the Monash University Kickboxing Club at Round 4 of the National All Styles Championships - Ju-Lin Lee, Marianna Tassakos and Eli Yarrow.

Ju-Lin, Marianna and Eli will be competing in the Novice Point Sparring and Continuous Sparring Divisions. The Continuous Sparring is on first thing in the morning on Ring 5 (females then males). Then the Point Sparring is on latee in the afternoon (again, females first, then males).

Note that competitors must check-in at 8am - 8:45am on the day of competition and be in full uniform (including Club Jacket).

Marianna came first in the Female Novice Point Sparring and Continuous Sparring at Round 3, so by competing in Round 4, she will qualify for the State Titles. You must compete in at least 2 NAS Qualifying Rounds a year, and place 1st, 2nd or 3rd to qualify for State Titles.

It will be the first NAS Tournament for Ju-Lin and Eli. So be sure to come along and cheer them on at the NAS.

Get there at 9am if you can (or drop by after Sunday morning class), and wear your Kickboxing Club T-shirt / Singlet / Club Jacket.

If you're interest in competing in a non-contact tournament and pitching yourself against practitioners of other Martial Arts, you'll need to attend the NAS tournament as a spectator before competing.

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 3 Results

2005-08-02T11:48:00.000+10:00

Jacob Chylinski, Marianna Tassakos, and Bryan Wicaksono represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at NAS Round 3 on Sun 24 July.

They demonstrated good form and great sportsmanship at all times, and represented the Kickboxing Club well. Thanks to all the Members who came down to support our competitors with all their loud cheering!

While Bryan didn't place in this divisions, he certainly demonstrated his range and fluidity, as well as excellent technical ability. At just 17 years of age, he has shown the potential to achieve a lot in the Martial Arts.

Jacob's competitive nature came out in the ring, and he did very well to come 4th in the Male Novice Point Sparring at his first competition, and placed 2nd in the Continuous Sparring as well.

Marianna took out both her divisions, placing first in the Female Novice Point Sparring and the Continuous Sparring - all this at her first tournament too.

Overall, it was a great day of competition, and these guys gained valuable experience that will serve them in their Martial Arts training.

Kacey Chong

Result for July Interclub Challenge

2005-08-01T16:28:00.000+10:00

Nicolas Jarron represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the Interclub Challenge on Sat 23 July.

His fight was scheduled to be the 2nd fight of the day, but one of the fighters in the 1st fight didn't show, so he ended fighting slightly earlier than expected.

Nicolas has a background in Savate, a French style of boxing, and he did well in his first Kickboxing fight against his opponent, who had a bit of a reach and weight advantage.

While his opponent won on points, Nicolas gained some good Kickboxing experience he can take with him back to France.

Thank you to all of you who came along to support Nicolas and cheer him on!

Kacey Chong

Early Bird Tickets Extended to Sunday 7 August!

2005-07-27T15:20:00.000+10:00

As many of you will already be aware, the Monash University Kickboxing Club will be holding an Awards Presentation Night on Thursday 18 August for all our Members, and their family and friends.

The closing date for the Early Bird Special has been extended to end of Week 3, Semester 2 (Sunday 7 August), so don't delay! Get your tickets now!

Venue: St Petersburg Restaurant, 43 Glen Eira Rd, Elsternwick 3185

Date: Thursday 18 August (there will be no class on this night)

Time: 6:30pm till late

Dress/Theme: Come dressed as your favourite Martial Artist, Martial Arts Superstar, Super Hero, or just plain 'Hero'. There will be Mystery Prizes for Best Dressed and Worst Dressed! If you're not able to participate in the Theme Night, then the dress code will be semi-formal.

Tickets: $55 for Members and $60 for Non-Members.

Early Bird Special (time extended!): $45 for Members and $50 for Non-Members (if tickets are bought by Sun 7 August).

More Discounts! $5 off for you and and your guests when you bring 3 or more guests (Non-Members).

Put your name down on the Booking Form in class to reserve a place at a table for you and your guests!

Kacey Chong.

P.S. For more information on our Awards Presentation Night, scroll down to see the entry titled "Presentation Night - Thursday 18 August" posted on Friday 22 July.

No Sunday Class on 31 July

2005-07-26T16:26:00.000+10:00

As this is an extra-curricular class, it's $10 for the 2-hour class.

There will be no Sunday class this Sunday 31 July 2005, as Guest Instructor Robert M. Halaijian will not be available. However, Sunday classes will continue as of Sunday 7 August (same time), in the Martial Arts Hall.

Kacey Chong.

Interclub Challenge Draw

2005-07-22T15:28:00.000+10:00

I've just received the draw for the Interclub Challenge on Saturday 23 July.

Nicolas Jarron will be representing the Kickboxing Club and his fight will be the second fight of the day.

Fights start at 12pm - so get there before 12pm to make sure you don't miss out. The first fight of the day could be cancelled if one of the fighters doesn't show up, which means Nicolas could be on earlier than expected.

Once again, the address is West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine, and the spectator fee is just $5.

Hope to see you all there supporting Nicolas!

Kacey Chong.

Presentation Night - Thursday 18 August

2005-07-22T11:12:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club will be holding an Awards Presentation Night on Thursday 18 August for all our Members, and their family and friends.

This is the largest social event for the Kickboxing Club this year, as we will be giving out Grading Certificates, as well as Awards of Excellence to Members who have displayed outstanding qualities (ie. Outstanding Excellence, Encouragement Awards, Most Dedicated, Best Newcomer, and so on).

The Presentation Night will be held at a classy Russian restaurant, so if you've never had traditional Russian cuisine before, now's your chance to try something new! There will be a 3 course meal with more food that you can eat! Hot platters, cold platter, desserts, and more.

We will be providing beer and champagne, and there will also be a bar open. You're welcome to BYO alcohol, and being a Russian restaurant, I'm sure there'll be heaps of vodka going around!

As you will already have heard by now, there will be a Martial Arts Theme for the night. Come along dressed as your favourite Martial Artist, Martial Arts Superstar, Super Hero, or just plain 'Hero'. It will be worth your while to make an effort with your costume on the night, as there will be fantastic Mystery Prizes for Best Dressed and Worst Dressed!

Some ideas for the Theme Night include Tomb Raider, any Kill Bill character, James Bond, Bond Girls, Batman, Bruce Lee, Superman, Ong Bak, any character from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, character from The Matrix, Rocky, any Arnold Schwarzenegger character, any X-Men character, Vin Diesel from XXX, Spiderman, any WWE Wrestler, any character from The Incredibles. Don't feel limited by these suggestions, be creative and come up with your own ideas!

By the way, please don't come as Charlie's Angels or Walker - Texas Ranger, as these have already been taken! : )

We will be putting on a slideshow of photos from all the events over the past 3 years that the Kickboxing Club has been running, so many of you will spot yourselves up on the big screen. We will also be putting together a video of the demonstrations, NAS competitions, gradings, and seminars that we've been involved in.

There will be plenty of entertainment on the night, which we will keep as a surprise for you and your guests.

The fundraising raffle will be drawn at the end of the night, and there will be lots of great prizes to be won, so be sure to support your Club and buy lots of raffle tickets! The proceeds from the raffle will go towards buying you more training equipment and subsidising you for the Kickboxing Camp we're planning for the end of this year.

Prizes include Dinner for Two vouchers at local restaurants, Private Lessons with Guest Instructor Maestro Robert M. Halaijian, 12-month subscriptions to Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, 12-month subscriptions to International Kickboxing Magazine, and more!

Tickets are $55 for Members and $60 for Non-Members, and this includes your 3-course meal, beer & champagne (and entertainment)!

There's an Early Bird Special available. Buy your tickets before the end of Week 2, Semester 2 (by Sunday 31 July 2005) and you'll get Member tickets for $45 and Non-Member Tickets for $50.

We'd like to encourage you to bring your boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, parents and other family members along to this event, so if you bring 3 or more guests (who are Non-Members), you and your guests will all receive $5 off your tickets.

As you can see, this is a huge event, and we'd like you to be part of it - it just wouldn't be the same without you!

Venue: St Petersburg Restaurant, 43 Glen Eira Rd, Elsternwick 3185

Date: Thursday 18 August (there will be no class on this night)

Time: 6:30pm till late

Dress/Theme: Come dressed as your favourite Martial Artist, Martial Arts Superstar, Super Hero, or just plain 'Hero'. There will be Mystery Prizes for Best Dressed and Worst Dressed! If you're not able to participate in the Theme Night, then the dress code will be semi-formal.

Tickets: $55 for Members and $60 for Non-Members.

Early Bird Special: $45 for Members and $50 for Non-Members (if tickets are bought by Sun 31 July).

More Discounts! $5 off for you and and your guests when you bring 3 or more guests (Non-Members).

Put your name down on the Booking Form in class to reserve a place at a table for you and your guests!

Kacey Chong.

Sunday Class Will Be Running on Sun 24 July

2005-07-20T16:59:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club WILL be holding a Sunday class this weekend on Sun 24 July from 10am - 12pm.

Those of you who are NOT competing in the NAS Tournament on the same day are encouraged to train in Sunday class, then head off together to the NAS Tournament after class. You should be just in time to see Brian, Marianna and Jacob compete, as they will competing after lunchtime.

Kacey Chong

Bring A Friend Day - Mon 25 July

2005-07-19T15:26:00.000+10:00

The Monash University Kickboxing Club is holding a "Bring A Friend Day" on Monday 25 July.

If you're a current Kickboxing Club Member and you have friends who are interested in Kickboxing, you can bring them along to class on Monday night. They can train for free on the night.

For each friend you bring, you will get a raffle ticket that will go into a draw on Presentation Night. Remember, you must be there on Presentation Night to claim your prize!

Kacey Chong

NAS - Round 3

2005-07-15T16:37:00.000+10:00

Qualifying Round 3 of the National All Styles Championships will be held on Sun 24 July (yes, the day after the Interclub Challenge!) at the Springers Leisure Centre, 400 Cheltenham Road, Keysborough.

There will be 3 Members representing the Monash University Kickboxing Club at Qualifying Round 3 of the National All Styles Championships - Bryan Wicaksono, Jacob Chylinski, and Marianna Tassakos.

Bryan is 17 yrs old, so he'll be competing in the 16 - 17 yrs 5th Kyu to Black Belt Point Sparring Division and the 15 - 17 yrs Open Continuous Sparring Division.

Marianna and Jacob will be competing in the Novice Point Sparring and Continuous Sparring Divisions. All the Divisions above will be on in the afternoon, after lunch, in Ring 5.

Note that competitors must check-in at 8am - 8:45am on the day of competition and be in full uniform (including Club Jacket).

It will be the first NAS Tournament for Bryan, Marianna and Jacob. So be sure to come along and cheer them on at the NAS. Get there around midday, and wear your Kickboxing Club T-shirt / Singlet / Club Jacket.

Again, if you think you might want to compete in a non-contact tournament and pitch yourself against practitioners of other Martial Arts, you'll need to attend the NAS tournament as a spectator before competing.

Kacey Chong

Interclub Challenge - Sat 23 July

2005-07-15T16:28:00.000+10:00

As you should already know, the Monash University Kickboxing Club has been invited to compete at the Interclub Challenges, which are regularly held in West Sunshine (every 6 to 7 weeks).

The next Interclub Challenge will be held on Saturday 23 July at the West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine. Competitors are to register at 11:30am, with the first fight scheduled for 12pm.

Nicolas Jarron will be the first Kickboxing Club Member to represent the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the Interclub Challenge. Nicolas is a French exchange student who has trained in Savate (French boxing) for 2 years. He has not fought under Kickboxing rules before, so this will be his first one.

We're not sure what time Nicolas' fight is on, so get there at 12pm so you don't miss out!

All Members are encouraged to attend the Interclub Challenge and support Nicolas (loudly). Remember, if you are interested in competing under semi-contact Kickboxing rules, you must attend the Interclub Challenge as a spectator first before competing. Spectator fees on the day are only $5.

For more information on the Interclub Challenge, see the entry "Interclub Challenge - Sat 4 June" that was posted on 16 May.

Kacey Chong

Level 6 Gradings - Fri 22 July

2005-07-14T16:25:00.000+10:00

Kickboxing Club Level 6 Gradings are on Friday 22 July from 7pm - 10pm in the Martial Arts Hall. Get there 15 mins early to start warming up. Be in full uniform.

All Kickboxing Club Members are endcouraged to attend and support those who are Grading, and if you haven't graded before, you will get an idea of what is expected of you when you do grade.

Kacey Chong

Level 4 and 5 Gradings - Fri 15 July

2005-07-13T15:21:00.000+10:00

Kickboxing Club Level 4 and 5 Gradings are on Friday 15 July from 7pm - 10pm in the Martial Arts Hall. Get there 15 mins early to start warming up. Make sure you're in full uniform.

Those of you who are Grading for Level 6 should attend the Level 4 and 5 Gradings to support those who are Grading, and get an idea of what is expected of you at your Grading next week.

Kacey Chong

Grading Recommendations - Semester 1

2005-06-21T18:56:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone,

It’s been an eventful year so far with the Kickboxing Club performing O-Week demonstrations, attending Ajarn Chai Sirisute’s Seminar, hosting a Street-Fighting Seminar by Maestro Robert M. Halaijian, hosting a Muay Thai Seminar by Kru Mark “The Hammer” Castagnini, organising an Ong Bak Movie Night and social BBQ, buying 10 new kickshields from our fundraising efforts, and having two of our students represent us at the National All Styles Championships – all in Semester 1.

And now, Semester 1 Gradings are approaching. For those of you who are new to the Kickboxing Club, the Grading System consists of 6 Levels, beginning with Level 6 and working its way up to Level 1, followed by the Black Shirt Level (equivalent to Black Belt).

The Grading System allows you to set goals for yourself, continue to develop your technical skills as well as your physical and mental attributes, and ensure that you learn everything within our Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing curriculum.

Those of you who want to develop your leadership skills further and give back to the Martial Arts all that you have gained may want to become Assistant Instructors, and eventually Instructors yourselves one day. You will need to work through the entire Grading System, become a Black Shirt, and undergo Instructor Training as there are distinct skill sets required to become an Instructor.

Students who are recommended for Grading by Kickboxing Club Instructors will be invited to the Grading. Being recommended for Grading does not involve technical ability alone. We’re looking for people who not only turn up to class, but turn up the intensity and put in the effort.

We’re also looking for other qualities, such as determination, team spirit, fighting spirit, leadership, curiosity, integrity, and commitment & contribution to the Kickboxing Club. These qualities will become more and more important as you move up the ranks.

Grading is not compulsory. However, it is highly recommended for your development and demonstrates to Instructors that you’re serious about your training and committed to self-improvement.

Congratulations to the following people for being selected to grade for Level 6 on Friday 22 July 2005. The Grading will be held in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 10pm (you will need to arrive 15 mins early to start warming up).

Iraj Ahmadi
Azzan AlBalushi
Marwan Aljuma
Christophe Blet
Neil Boce
Andrew Bruce
Jacob Chylinski
Patrick Durel
Nadia Fung
Pamela Gan
Nirlep Khaira
Steven Lay
John Leong
Eu-Gene Lim
Andy Lin
Mark Moule
Vinh Nguyen
Kaitlyn Nibaldi
Amalie Peake
Phi Pham
Connie Pu
Russel Quill
Mihiri Subbhawichrama
Sahan Sulhawccharama
Rob Woodworth

The following people have already graded for Level 6, and will be working through the Grading Requirements for Level 5. They will be advised closer to the date if they are ready for the Level 5 Grading, which is scheduled for Friday 15 July 2005 in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 10pm:

Ka Chai Fong
Runxuan Gan
Matthew Gillet
Scott Gyngell
Wai Yip Khong
Ju-Lin Lee
Rebecca Spencer
Gleb Shinkarsky
Eli Yarrow

The following people have already graded for Level 5, and will be working through the Grading Requirements for Level 4. They will be advised closer to the date if they are ready for the Level 4 Grading, which is scheduled for Friday 15 July 2005 in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 10pm (same night as Level 5 Grading):

Chatu Abeyshinge
Marianna Tassakos

Everyone listed above has trained with the Kickboxing Club since the start of the year (or earlier), and have trained consistently and improved significantly.

Those of you who have been recommended for Grading will need to pick up the Grading Requirements from me in class. You will find that the Level 6 Grading Requirements are fairly simple and straight-forward, but the Requirements become progressively more difficult and demanding as you move up the Levels.

You will need to confirm your attendance at the Grading with me in class by Friday 1st July. Alternatively, you can contact me on 0403 171 328 or info@monashkickboxing.com.

Thank You.

Keep up your hard work!

Regards,

Kacey Chong
Chief Instructor
Monash University Kickboxing Club

Next Committee Meeting on Thurs 23 June

2005-06-21T18:53:00.000+10:00

The next Committee Meeting for the Kickboxing Club will be held on Thursday 23 June from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Sports and Rec Cafeteria area, instead of the Pool Meeting Room.

Kacey Chong

Queen's Birthday (Public Holiday)

2005-06-08T00:58:00.000+10:00

Yes, Kickboxing Club Instructors will be running class on the Queen's Birthday public holiday - Monday 13 June.

Kacey Chong

No Sunday Class on 12 June

2005-06-08T00:56:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club will not be holding a Sunday class on this Sunday 12 June.

However, Sunday classes will resume on Sunday 19 June.

Kacey Chong

Next Committee Meeting on Thurs 16 June

2005-06-08T00:53:00.000+10:00

The next Committee Meeting for the Kickboxing Club will be held on Thursday 16 June from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Sports and Rec Cafeteria area, instead of the Pool Meeting Room.

All Committee Meetings will be held in the Cafeteria area from now on to save on venue hire costs.

Note that there will be no Committee Meeting on Thursday 9 June.

Kacey Chong

Last Class for Semester 1 - Thurs 2 June

2005-06-01T10:32:00.000+10:00

The last class for the Kickboxing Club in Semester 1 will be on Thursday 2 June.

Those who joined up with the Semester Membership will have their last class on Thursday 2 June.

There will still be training on Mondays and Thursday (same time, same place) during the exam period and mid-year break (12 classes over 6 weeks). If you have a Semester Membership and wish to continue training during 6 weeks between Semester 1 and 2, as well as Semester 2, then you will need to renew your Semester Membership and pay your Semester Membership Fee next week.

Those who have joined with Annual Memberships will be able to train right through the mid-year break until the end of Semester 2 - no need to renew your Membership.

Good luck for your exams!

Kacey Chong

Interclub Challenge - Sat 4 June

2005-05-16T11:32:00.000+10:00

Through my contacts and positive dealings with other Kickboxing and Muay Thai Instructors, the Monash University Kickboxing Club has been invited to compete at the Interclub Challenges, which are regularly held in West Sunshine (every 6 to 7 weeks).

The Interclub Challenge is a friendly amateur competition geared towards Kickboxing and Muay Thai clubs. Competitors are entered by their Instructors and matched according to gender, weight and experience. Competitors can fight under Boxing, Kickboxing, K1 or Muay Thai rules (full Thai rules - elbows and knees allowed).

All rules are fought Semi-Contact (only light contact to the head allowed), and full protective gear is to be worn - mouthguard, 16 oz. gloves, shin pads, groin guard (for males), and elbow and knee pads where applicable.

Being an amateur competition, the fights last for two one-and-a-half minute rounds with a 30-second break. There will be a referee to control the contact and flow of the fight, and judges who will determine a winner and runner-up, but all competitors will walk away with a trophy for their efforts.

Depending on the range of competitors entered in the competition, you could have more than 1 fight on the day, which will give you extra experience in the ring.

The next Interclub Challenge will be held on Saturday 4 June at the West Sunshine Community Centre, Kermeen St, West Sunshine. Competitors are to register at 12:30pm, with the first fight scheduled for 1pm.

Keeping in line with our policy where competitors must first attend a competition as a spectators as an essential part of their research and preparation for an event, none of our Members will be competing at the next Interclub Challenge on 4 June. However, if you are interested in competing at the Interclubs this year, I highly recommend you come along to watch the Interclubs on 4 June so as not to delay your own entry into the competition.

Many of you have shown interest in competing in a Semi-Contact competition such as the Interclubs. This is positive and shows great enthusiasm. However, you will need to train regularly (and train hard) with the fighters and demonstrate not only physical ability, but also a certain level of maturity and psychological skill before you will be given the opportunity to compete.

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 2 Results

2005-05-16T11:03:00.000+10:00

For Matthew Gillet, Scott Gyngell and myself, the day started very early as I had to arrive at the venue at 8am for an Officials Meeting for Judges and Referees, and the guys had to check-in by 8:45am.

Matt and Scott were not due to compete until late in the day, as they were in the last 2 divisions running on Ring 3.

The Male Novice Point Sparring and Continuous Sparring has always been a huge division at the NAS, with around 20 competitors. Yesterday was no exception.

The action was fast and furious, with each competitor giving it their all. Scott started out with a reach disadvantage and was outscored in the Points Sparring, bowing out the competitor who would finish with the 3rd placing in that division.

Matt did well to score with a quick round kick to the head, but was also outscored in the Point Sparring by a Kung Fu practitioner with quick hands.

Scott started with all guns firing in the Continuous Sparring and dominated most of the round with good kicking combos, but appeared to be slowing down towards the end. He said after the bout that he thought he was leading and had done enough to win it, but as I've said many times before, in an elimination tournament, you have to give it 100% - especially towards the end, as the final seconds of the bout are the freshest in the judges minds. Scott received a split decision with one judge giving him the win, but 2 judges giving the bout to his opponent. Good work, Scott - now you know how much intensity is required of you next time you compete!

Matt also did well in his first round of Continuous Sparring, moving around the mat with good footwork and showing a good variety of techniques. He won his first round, and went on to compete against a Karate practitioner in the second round. Matt was showing good variation again, but was throwing single attacks and double combinations, which was not enough to beat his opponent, who went on to take 2nd place in the division. Well done, Matt - work on your combo's and you'll do much better next round.

Both of our guys represented the Monash University Kickboxing Club with pride and good sportsmanship, and did us proud. They are both highly motivated young men, and are now even more determined to get better results in Round 3. They'll keep up their training and no doubt improve their game for the next tournament.

Thank you to all the Kickboxing Club Members who came along to support the guys. Your cheers were heard throughout the hall and are much appreciated by Scott and Matt. Some of you will also be competing in Round 3 of the NAS Tournament, so I hope you've observed the tournament carefully and know what to expect when it's your turn to step in the ring.

Kacey Chong

National All Styles Championships - Round 2

2005-05-12T09:47:00.000+10:00

Qualifying Round 2 of the National All Styles Championships will be on this Sunday 15 May at Springers Leisure Centre, 400 Cheltenham Road, Keysborough.

Two of our Members, Matthew Gillet and Scott Gyngell will be representing the Monash University Kickboxing Club at the NAS Tournament.

Matt and Scott have been training for the NAS for the last few weeks and will be competing in the Male Novice Point Sparring and Continuous Sparring Divisions. They are scheduled to be on Ring Three in the afternoon, after lunchtime. However, keep in mind that a division can be moved to another ring in the interest of time.

This is an Official Kickboxing Club Event, and all Kickboxing Club Members are encouraged to attend the NAS Tournament as spectators to support and cheer on our guys. Spectator fees are only $8 and the Tournament runs for the whole day - from 9am to about 5pm.

Those of you who want to compete in the NAS Tournament (or think you might be interested in competing) are required to attend at least one NAS Tournament as a spectator before you will be allowed to represent the Kickboxing Club in that Tournament.

This allows you to get a feel for the atmosphere, learn how the Tournament is run, understand the rules and how they are interpreted by Tournament Officials, know what is expected of you as a competitor, and observe the standard and styles of your potential opponents.

Don't forget to wear your Kickboxing Club T-Shirt or Singlet on the day and remember that even as a spectator, you will also be representing the Kickboxing Club at the Tournament, so be on your best behaviour.

Hope to see you all there on Sunday!

Kacey Chong

New Equipment - Thanks To You!

2005-05-05T11:59:00.000+10:00

Comparatively speaking, Kickboxing training is very equipment intensive. We use different types of equipment to aid our training. For example, focus mitts are used as targets to work on technique, accuracy, coordination and reflexes, and punching bags are used to work power and distancing, etc.

Those of you who have just joined the Kickboxing Club this year have been fortunate to walk into a Club that provides you with all the equipment you need - focus mitts, bag gloves, Muay Thai pads, punching bag, speedball, floor-to-ceiling ball, skipping ropes, 16 oz. boxing gloves, different types of headgear, shin pads, hand mitts, and more...but it hasn't always been this way.

In the beginning, we didn't have any of our own equipment, and had to borrow most of it from our Parent Association, the A.I.M. Academy. It was not until we started putting on fundraising events that we were able to buy our own equipment.

As you will appreciate, our training equipment is very important for your development, and this stuff doesn't just fall out of the sky or appear magically.

We have organised two fundraising events so far this year - our BBQ on campus and the Movie Night where many of you went to watch the Muay Thai movie, Ong Bak.

Thank you to all of you who took part in these two events, as you have cheerfully contributed to the Club's ability to buy new training equipment for you. I'm happy to announce that we now have 10 brand spanking new Kickshields for your use in class!

I hope you will continue to support your Club and take part in future fundraising events, so you can help make your Club the best Martial Arts Club at Monash University!

Kacey Chong

Mark Castagnini Seminar

2005-05-03T21:32:00.000+10:00

As you know, the Monash University Kickboxing Club has invited Guest Instructor, Kru Mark “The Hammer” Castagnini to teach a Seminar on Muay Thai this Friday 6 May 2005. The Seminar will be held in the Martial Arts Hall from 7pm – 9:30pm.

When I invite Guest Instructors to teach Seminars at the Kickboxing Club, I invite the best in the industry, Instructors who have had years of experience and are experts in their field. I do not bring in Guest Instructors unless I’m sure that they will add tremendous value to your training, broaden your horizons and deepen your experience of the Martial Arts.

Kru Mark is one of the most distinguished Muay Thai Instructors in Australia. He is a former WKA Australian Champion with over 20 years of experience in the Security Industry. He is the Head Instructor of his own Martial Arts School, Blitz Thai Kickboxing, and a Member of the World Muay Thai Council. Some of you will recognise him as a Fox Sports Specialist Commentator for Kickboxing / Muay Thai fights televised on cable TV.

Kru Mark is dedicated to the art of Muay Thai and travels to Thailand with his students every year to continue his training and bring the art back to Australia. You will be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to tap into his expertise for a fraction of the cost and time that he has had to invest in traveling to Thailand.

Kru Mark will be teaching traditional Muay Thai techniques and principles, as well as the application of Muay Thai techniques on the street in real world self-defense scenarios.

Grab this opportunity to learn from one of the best Muay Thai Instructors in the country. Do not take this for granted, as you will be wasting a great opportunity to learn and grow as a Martial Artist and Muay Thai practitioner.

Make sure you put your name down for the Seminar on the Registration Form in class on Thursday night if you want to attend. If you can’t make it to class on Thursday, then email or SMS me on 0403 171 328 to let me know you’re attending the Seminar (make sure you include your name in the SMS!).

Try to get there around 6:30pm to start warming up and fix up fees if you haven’t already paid for the Seminar. The cost is $20 for Members and $30 for Non-Members. If you have friends who you think would like to attend, feel free to invite them. Pay your fees on Thursday night to avoid queuing on Friday night and missing out on the start of the Seminar.

Hope to see you there.

Kacey Chong

Anzac Day (Public Holiday)

2005-04-22T14:18:00.000+10:00

Yes, Kickboxing Club Instructors will be running class on Anzac Day - Monday 25 April.

Kacey Chong

Robert Halaijian Seminar

2005-04-20T14:07:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club hosted the Street-Fighting Seminar by Maestro Robert M. Halaijian on Friday 15 April.

We had a great turnout for our first Seminar of the year, with over 30 of our Members attending and several Non-Members participating also.

Robert covered many aspects of self-defense scenarios from both the physical and psychological angles. He incorporated Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Filipino Kickboxing, as well as the Filipino Martial Arts (known as Eskrima, Kali or Arnis) into the Seminar, giving students a unique perspective on Street-Fighting and the challenges that come with it.

Kacey Chong

Maestro Robert Halaijian's Street-Fighting Seminar

2005-04-05T13:44:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club regularly hosts Seminars and Workshops for Members to broaden their experience of the Martial Arts and learn things they wouldn't otherwise learn in our normal group classes.

There are some aspects of the Martial Arts that are better taught in Seminar format where students can focus on specific topics, get into certain modes of thinking, experiment with techniques and scenarios, as well as ask lots of questions!

Our first Seminar of 2005 is on Street-Fighting, and will be taught by Maestro Robert M. Halaijian.

Maestro Robert is a 6th Degree Black Belt, graded by Grandmaster Dionisio A. Canete of the legendary Doce Pares Group of Cebu, Philippines.

During the 12 years that Robert has been teaching Martial Arts, he has trained World Class Full-Contact Stick-Fighters, many high-profile Instructors from other Martial Arts styles, as well as members of the Australian Police Force, Security Guards, and Prison / Correctional Officers.

He is the Founder and Chief Instructor of the A.I.M. Academy (the parent association of the Monash University Kickboxing Club) and we are privileged to have Maestro Robert start the year off for us with this Seminar – definitely not to be missed!

This Street-Fighting Seminar will cover many aspects of self-defense scenarios from both the physical and psychological angles, focusing on unarmed as well as armed combat.

It will be based on Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Filipino Kickboxing, as well as the Filipino Martial Arts (known as Eskrima, Kali or Arnis), and is suitable for all men and women, beginners to advanced. No experience is necessary.

Kickboxing Club Members can bring friends or family along to the Seminar if you think they'd be interested or you feel that they will benefit from this training.

Date: Friday 15th April 2005
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Venue: Martial Arts Hall, Sports & Rec Centre, Monash University, Clayton
Seminar Fee: $20 Kickboxing Club Members $30 Non-Members

Make sure you register for the Seminar during class and pay your fees before the Seminar so that you don't miss out on the start of the Seminar!

Kacey Chong

Movie Night A Great Success

2005-04-03T13:36:00.000+10:00

The Kickboxing Club Movie Night was a great success - we had around 30 Kickboxing Club Members attend. Everyone loved the Muay Thai action in the movie, Ong Bak, and I've had several students ask for more! So we could well have another Movie Night coming up!

Around half of those who came along for the Movie Night also went out clubbing afterwards at the Icon Bar, where I hear some of you got up on the bar for a bit of a dance!

Hope you all enjoyed this opportunity to mingle and get to know each other better. And a big Thank You to Ju-Lin and Marianna who helped organise this event.

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club Movie Night | Ong Bak | Fri 1 April

2005-03-29T23:12:00.000+10:00

As you know, the Kickboxing Club is holding a Movie Night to see Ong Bak, the Muay Thai movie that's currently screening.

Date: Friday 1 April. Movie starts at 8:30pm (Arrive at Cinemas at 8pm)
Venue: Lumiere Cinemas, 108 Lonsdale Street (corner Exhibition St - near Parliament Station), Melbourne CBD
Cost: $10 per ticket

As this is a fundraising event, we encourage you to invite all your friends along.

There are also plans to go out to a nightclub after the movie (more details to come).

You'll need to register for the Movie Night ASAP by filling out the Registration Form during class and pre-paying for the event (as we will be pre-purchasing the tickets as a group booking).

All proceeds will go towards new equipment for YOU!

Thank you for your support.

Kacey Chong

Easter Monday (Public Holiday) - Mon 28 March

2005-03-18T10:35:00.000+11:00

Yes, Kickboxing Club Instructors will be running class on Easter Monday - Monday 28 March.

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club Movie Night - Ong Bak

2005-03-15T14:18:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club will be holding a Movie Night as a relaxed, social event where New Members can meet each other and make new friends.

The movie we're planning to see is Ong Bak, a Martial Arts flick with a Muay Thai theme, which is a perfect for Kickboxers like yourselves.

So please try to refrain from going out and watching the movie right now, as we're in the process of organising a time and venue for the Movie Night.

We'll let you know as soon the details are confirmed.

Kacey Chong

Student Survival Week - Wed 23 March

2005-03-15T14:11:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club will have a Stall at Student Survival Week (SSW) on Wednesday 23 March from 11am - 3pm on the lawn outside the Martial Arts Hall.

People who sign up on the day will go into the draw to win gym memberships (raffle provided by SSW).

All Kickboxing Club Members are encouraged to come down to the Kickboxing Club Stall on Wed 23 March if they get a chance. You can help the Committee Members out at the Stall, talking to prospective members, telling them about our classes and upcoming social events, answering any questions they might have, or signing up new members.

Any help will be appreciated!

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club BBQ - Tues 22 March

2005-03-15T14:04:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club will be putting on a BBQ for Club Members and friends on Tuesday 22 March from 12pm - 2pm between the Menzies building and Campus Centre.

Rock up to the BBQ wearing your Kickboxing Club T-Shirt or Singlet, and you'll get FREE sausages and drinks. The idea is for Members to promote the Kickboxing Club on campus for a day.

Otherwise, it's $1 for sausage & bread, and $1 for drinks. The aim here is to cover costs, but any profits will go towards buying new equipment for you guys.

So be sure to bring all your friends along!

Kacey Chong

Labour Day (Public Holiday)

2005-03-09T10:07:00.000+11:00

Kickboxing Club Instructors will be working on Labour Day - just for you : ) - even though it's a Public Holiday.

So yes, class will be running on Monday 14 March.

See you there!

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club Committee Meeting - Thurs 10 March

2005-03-08T11:04:00.000+11:00

The next Kickboxing Club Committee Meeting will be held on Thurs 10 Mar from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Social Room (next to the Martial Arts Hall).

All Kickboxing Club Members are welcome to attend.

Kacey Chong

NAS Round 1 - Sun 6 March

2005-03-04T10:43:00.000+11:00

Those of you who are interested in competing in the National All Styles Championships should go along to Round 1 of the NAS this Sunday 6 March at Springers Leisure Centre, Keysborough.

Get a feel for the competition, soak up the atmosphere, check out your divisions and see what your competition is like. There will be many different Martial Arts styles competing, so this is a great chance to observe how the other styles fight.

For more details on competition rules and tournament dates, check out:

http://www.nationalallstyles.com.au

Kacey Chong

First Class for 2005

2005-03-02T10:33:00.000+11:00

Our first class for 2005 had a great turnout of about 40 students, many of whom were new. It was also good to see last year's Members return to continue their training with us.

We gave you an overview of basic Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing techniques, a taste of what's to come. Bear in mind, that this is not how every class will be. You'll find that each class is different and we'll focus on different things as you progress throughout the year.

If you haven't read our Safety Regulations and Code of Conduct yet, please do so before the next class:

http://www.monashkickboxing.com/code.html

http://www.monashkickboxing.com/safety.html

Kacey Chong

Welcome to New Members

2005-02-28T15:11:00.000+11:00

Welcome to all our new Members who have just joined us this year!

I'm excited to announce that our first official class for 2005 will be on tonight (Monday 28 Feb).

Our classes will run on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30pm - 9pm in the Martial Arts Hall. Watch this space for future updates on whether classes will be held on various Public Holidays, Mid-Semester Breaks and Mid-Year Breaks.

See you all there!

Kacey Chong

Ajarn Chai's Muay Thai Seminar

2005-02-27T20:51:00.000+11:00

Every year, dedicated and loyal students make the trek (well, it's a trek for some of us!) to learn from one of the most sought-after Muay Thai Masters in the world.

This year was no different. Ajarn Chai Sirisute taught his Muay Thai Seminar in Melbourne today in a packed-out hall.

He taught many combinations, incorporating elbows, knees, boxing, kicking, checking and plam escapes. While some of these combos were difficult for beginners to grasp, Ajarn Chai's patience meant that students were given time to learn them correctly. He spent some of the time walking around the class, checking and correcting people's technique.

Although there was a lot to be learnt technically, some of the most important messages that Ajarn Chai teaches at every Seminar were:

Always respect other Martial Arts and never put down other Martial Arts
It doesn't matter what Martial Art you practice, it's the person that matters
"If I can do, you can do" (one of Ajarn Chai's famous quotes)
Keep going, and never give up!

All in all, it was a fantastic day with a great turnout from the Kickboxing Club. We were well-represented, with 10 of our Students attending. Next year, we're going to try to outdo that number and bring an even bigger team to the Seminar!

Kacey Chong

Successful O-Week

2005-02-25T16:30:00.000+11:00

We had a very successful O-Week this year. Our Demo's went without a hitch and the crowd absolutely loved it!

The crowd favourites were the contact sparring between Yahvinah and Gleb, and the Self-Defense Scenarios at the end.

Congratulations to the Demo Team for such a great performance!

Thank you to all the Committee and Club Members who helped out at the Club Table, answering questions, signing up new Members and and giving out flyers. Your contribution is very much appreciated.

We had a lot of new Members sign up during O-Week and many people planning to come along to our first class on Monday night, so it should be a fairly big class.

We will have a Club Table on Tues 1 March for new sign-ups, as well as previous Members wanting to renew their Membership.

See you all in class!

Kacey Chong

Fundraising Raffle Tickets

2005-02-22T16:06:00.000+11:00

We're having a Raffle during the first few weeks of Semester 1 to raise funds for new equipment for you guys, so your support for the Raffle would be much appreciated.

The Raffle Tickets are just $2, and will be available for sale from Mon 28 Feb.

Prizes include:

Kickboxing Club Annual Membership (valued at $180)
16 oz. Boxing Gloves (valued at $96)
Kickboxing Club Full Uniform (valued at $70)
Kickboxing Private One-on-One Lessons (valued at $50)
Kickboxing Club T-Shirts (valued at $25)
Kickboxing Club Trial Memberships (valued at $20)
Kickboxing Club Exhibition Fight Night Tickets
And more...

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club O-Week Demonstration - 2nd Timeslot!

2005-02-18T15:36:00.000+11:00

Good news! I've managed to secure us a second timeslot for our O-Week Demo. Both timeslots are approx. 20 mins:

Wed 23 Feb at 2pm
Thurs 24 Feb at 10am

Be sure to tell everyone who approaches you at the Club Table about the Demo and Demo Times.

I'll make up some A5 Flyers that will have the Demo Times on it as well....

Let me know asap if you can't make either of these timeslots...

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club Committee Meeting

2005-02-17T17:28:00.000+11:00

The first Kickboxing Club Committee Meeting of the year will be held on Thursday 17 Feb at 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Social Room (next to the Martial Arts Hall).

The Agenda for the Committe Meeting is as follows:

O-Week Table & Demo (Responsibilities)
Membership Fees & Training Fees
Membership Forms & Cards
Posters & Flyers
Events for 2005
New Public Officer (Yahvinah will be away travelling overseas for a year)
Equipment and Uniform Inventory
Rearrange Equipment and Uniforms
Other

Kacey Chong

Preparation for Ajarn Chai Sirisute's Seminar

2005-02-16T11:05:00.000+11:00

There will be a special class on Thurs 24 Feb from 7:30pm – 9pm in the Martial Arts Hall for those of you who are going to Ajarn Chai’s Muay Thai Seminar.

The purpose of this class is to run through some of the techniques and combinations that Ajarn Chai regularly teaches in his Seminars, and also inform you of etiquette expected at the Seminar.

You will need to make your payment of $30 (or $35, depending on whether we have at least 10 in our group) on Thurs 24 Feb so we can secure our group booking.

Once again, Ajarn Chai's Seminar on Muay Thai will be held on Sunday 27 Feb 2005 from 1pm - 4pm (it could go overtime) at Norris Bank Primary School, Settlement Road, Bundoora, Victoria.

Remember, you MUST attend in Full Uniform at the Seminar. Bring your camera if you'd like a photo with Ajarn Chai after the Seminar.

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club O-Week Club Table

2005-02-16T09:07:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club will have a Club Table at O-Week, where people will approach to ask questions and sign-up. We will also allow Monash Students/Staff to have a go at punching focus mitts in the area behind the Club Table so they can have a taste of what our training is like.

The Club Table will be operating on Wed 23 Feb, Thurs 24 Feb and Tues 1 Mar from 10 am - 4pm on all three days.

Monash Sport will be running competitions in the Sports Activities Area, and the Kickboxing Club will be involved in putting on some competitions, so this should add some fun and excitement to the day.

If you can make it to O-Week and help out at the Club Table, your contribution would be very much appreciated. The more people we have at the Club Table, the better the atmosphere and image of the Club. Let me know if you can make it to O-Week on 0403 171 328 or info@monashkickboxing.com

Once Semester starts, it will get a bit hectic in class because a lot of people will be signing up, so if you can sign yourselves up and pay all your Membership and Training Fees during O-Week, that'll save us a lot of time in class.

Hope to see you at O-Week

Kacey Chong

Kickboxing Club O-Week Demonstration

2005-02-16T07:14:00.000+11:00

The Kickboxing Club Demonstration is scheduled for Wed 23 Feb 2005 at 2pm.

The Demo Team will meet at the Club Table at 1pm to warm up and run through the Demo beforehand. The Demo Team needs to make its way over to the stage 10 mins before 2pm.

For those who are wondering what the Demo will be like, it will be performed to music and involve:

Shadow Boxing
Focus Mitt Work
Kicks and Knees on Kickshields
Muay Thai techniques on our Thai pads
Contact Sparring
Self-Defense Scenarios (eg. hair pulling, bear hug, multiple attacker, ground attacks, and weaponry attacks).

I would encourage all Kickboxing Club Members to come along to O-Week and support the Demo Team, who have been training hard since the start of Feb to put on this Demo.

Kacey Chong

Ajarn Chai Sirisute's Muay Thai Seminar

2005-01-30T11:57:00.000+11:00

Ajarn Chai Sirisute, our Muay Thai Master, teaches Muay Thai out of the Inosanto Academy in the US. He travels the world teaching seminars, spreading the art of Muay Thai, and is one of the most highly sought-after Muay Thai Masters in the world.

Many Martial Artists travel to the Inosanto Academy in the US just to train with him, but fortunately for many of us, we will have the opportunity to train with Ajarn Chai in Melbourne next month.

Ajarn Chai's Seminar on Muay Thai will be held on Sunday 27 Feb 2005 from 1pm - 4pm (it could overtime) at Norris Bank Primary School, Settlement Road, Bundoora, Victoria.

This Seminar is highly recommended for ALL Kickboxing Club Members, as it is a rare opportunity to train with an authentic Thai Master, and you will learn a lot from Ajarn Chai.

You MUST attend in Full Uniform. Bring your camera if you'd like a photo with him after the Seminar.

If you are able to attend, please let me know on 0403 171 328 as soon as possible so I can confirm our numbers and make a group booking. If we can get a group of at least 10 people, the cost of the seminar will be slightly cheaper, at $30. Otherwise, it will cost $35 per person.

Kacey Chong

Join The Kickboxing Club Demonstration Team

2005-01-30T11:50:00.000+11:00

Each year, the Kickboxing Club performs demonstrations during O-Week to raise the profile of the Club and promote Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Filipino Kickboxing.

This is your opportunity to be part of the Kickboxing Club Demo Team.

The Demo Team trains on Mondays and Thursday at the Martial Arts Hall from 7:30pm - 9pm, starting on Thursday 3 Feb 2005 until Thurs 24 Feb.

The Demo's are planned for Wed 23 Feb, Thurs 24 Feb and Tues 1 Mar (Monyx has yet to determine the dates and times, but you will get the details as soon as they are confirmed).

There will also be a Club table on the above dates, where people can ask questions about our training and sign up. We need volunteers to help out at the Club Table.

If would like to volunteer to help sign up new Members, or if you've been training with us for at least one Semester and you would like to be involved in the Demo Team, contact me on 0403 171 328.

Kacey Chong

Welcome to the Monash University Kickboxing Club

2005-01-05T18:23:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year!

We hope that you and your loved ones were not caught up in the tsunami and our thoughts are with those who were affected by the event. Thank you to all those who have given generously to the cause.

On a lighter note, 2004 has gone by in a flash and now we're facing a new year. It's time to set some challenging and exciting goals for 2005, and follow through on New Year Resolutions.

Those of you who registered for the Leadership Program (24 & 31 Jan 2005) will need to confirm your attendance by contacting Kacey Chong at info@monashkickboxing.com
Until then, take care...

Monash University Kickboxing Club Committee