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IAN POLLET
Copyright Marc Wickert At eight years of age Ian Pollet commenced practising free-style wrestling, boxing, judo and later on, karate. He supplemented his training by lifting weights while growing up in his home of Capetown, South Africa. This was to be the start of his martial arts career, which has spanned thirty-seven years. "They were very humble beginnings where we were working out on a rough floor or an area of soft grass. There was no such thing as mats or a wrestling ring. Sometimes we trained on cement floors, and to us there was nothing unusual about such conditions in those days," says Pollet. At fourteen Ian immigrated to Australia and settled in the New South Wales town of Bonnyrigg where his wrestling skills came in handy. Like most kids arriving as outsiders from a foreign land, Ian was challenged by the school bullies who resented his being different. "As time went by I looked for martial arts academies to improve and expand my skills. Bonnyrigg was all farms then, and I would workout in our paddock, training on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9am until 5pm, with just a short break every two hours. I would work out on the macawara that I made and the duffle bag that acted as a punching bag. My repertoire included karate techniques and the boxing and wrestling methods that I had been shown over the years. "I would go to any karate being taught in Sydney that I thought was good. I travelled to Liverpool, Fairfield, Cabramatta and Bankstown. As you can imagine, I covered a lot of miles, and where I lived the local buses would stop running at night before my classes finished, so I had to walk through the scrub for the last few miles. And there were no streetlights. The dogs would be going berserk. I was only fifteen and I did this six nights a week."
Even at such a young age Ian was open to the benefits of a variety of arts. He was able to dissect a style and pick the best from it whether it was judo, boxing, karate or wrestling. Some of Ian’s instructors were flexible with his swapping and changing, whilst others frowned upon the practice. But Ian has always believed in the adage that if you enter another man’s house you should accept his rules and see where they take you. "Eventually a very talented martial artist from Harvey Bay, Phillip Ralph, travelled with me to the NSW country town of Orange. Prior to this we had trained together under Koh Beng Soo and Ching Peng Wah, who had taught Phillip and me how to do the basics properly. Phillip and I then ventured into the boxing arena to test our karate point-scoring techniques against the boxers. The result was no surprise to me because I’d done boxing before, and the point fighting just didn’t work. We decided to combine the punching techniques from boxing with the kicking skills we’d gained in karate. So it was no surprise to us either when kick boxing became popular in Australia." During the mid 70’s Ian and Phillip would train together six hours daily and then instruct their classes at night. On weekends the pair would travel to Sydney to train with their instructors and compete in tournaments. "Originally our intention was to head off to Malaysia and Thailand and follow the tournament circuit around the world, but I met my wife Sharon and decided to stay on in Orange." Ian and his wife have lived there ever since, with Sharon, their son Ben and daughter Rebecca also becoming high-ranking black belts. Ian believes having all the family involved in karate and running their own studio together, Pollet’s Karate Academy, has made life much easier, although Rebecca now runs a security business in Wadonga, where her martial arts experience often comes in handy.
"We’ve entered tournaments together where all four of us have won our categories on the same day. The sporting aspect of karate has been great, but I believe the most important reward we’ve gained has been our love of the art. We really enjoy the sporting side of karate, but there is a lot more to it than a one-day event. It’s a way of life and it has to carry through life. We all experience the ups and downs of life and if you exercise the principles of martial arts: keeping physically healthy, mentally powerful and spiritually happy you will live a richer life," says Pollet. Ian has trained from 6.30 til 8 every morning for the last twenty-eight years and still enjoys every workout. He supplements his martial arts training with lifting weights and believes in regularly practising kata. "I do katas five to six days per week. Performing katas enables you to separate information and to listen to the rhythm of your body and your breathing. It shows you how to cool down and heat up your body. You learn how to use your energy flow and you feel great from it. Kata is the dictionary of martial arts." Ian doesn’t restrict his arts to any one style, but like a golfer choosing the right stick from his bag of clubs, Ian selects the appropriate technique for the situation. "Each weapon is designed for a different purpose. For example with kicks, if I’m going for a rib I’ll do a side-kick with the heel because it’s round and goes in harder and quicker. If I’m after a certain nerve I’ll do a side-kick using the side of the foot, or I’ll use the flat of the foot if I’m attacking the body, so I don’t get the edge of my foot hurt by an elbow. We also do foot-turning kicks, shin-turning kicks and a variety of other kicks." Pollet instructs with his wife and son in karate, kick boxing, grappling, pancration, weaponry, boxing, te bu and yoga. He also has an additional boxing and judo instructor working at the centre. Ian’s great achievements in the arts have come about through hard work and dedication. But his efforts have paid off. Recently Ian was graded 7th Dan by Professor Barry Bradshaw.
Ian Pollet can be contacted at pollet@netwit.net.au
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