Ben Pollett
Gichin Funakoshi, known as the “father of modern karate” taught that the ultimate aim for the marital artist was not victory or defeat, but rather the perfection of the character of its participants.
For Pollet’s Martial Arts instructor Kyoshi Ben Pollett it is a philosophy he has come to appreciate more the longer he trains
“After 38 years non-stop training in martial arts, I still think of myself as a beginner. Even after 38 years of experience, I'm still learning,” says Ben.
“Do I remember any of these trophies?” he says, indicating the shelves packed with trophies on the wall of his Orange dojo. “Ultimately, all those tournaments, it was just building character. Teaching me to overcome fear and overcome adversity. Teaching me to stay focused and work for something that I want. And teaching me not to give up; that is ultimately what it is about.”
Ben’s father Ian Pollet is also a life-long martial artist. Originally from South Africa, Ian Pollet began training wrestling and boxing before finding karate. He was inducted into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 1997 and today is an 8th Dan Black Belt operating a successful chain of highly regarded martial arts schools.
“I never thought at any stage that I was not going to do martial arts,” says Ben. “Growing up, I was always the little guy under all the older fighters. My father was a fighter himself at that stage and his team was going around fighting all over the place and I was following them everywhere and wanting to be like them and now I've done it my whole life.”
In fact, Ben remembers, at a young age, telling a teacher he would be a “professional karate guy” with his own dojo, a dream he is happy to be living today.
“When you believe in your dream and stick to your guns and don't lose focus it will happen. As long as you are passionate and give it all you've got,” he says.
Ben had his first fight in competition at just five years old and said he loved testing his skill against an opponent.
But today he is more interested in putting into practice the philosophical lessons learned from his art.
“I've fought all over the world in all different places and now I'm not competing so much anymore, I'm more competing with myself, a daily competition to be the best that I can,” he says.
“I use it now to keep me balanced, keep me healthy, keep me clean… At the end of it all, when your body's not working, not moving as good as it used to, but you keep the lessons that training taught you. It makes you a better man and able to teach people from your experience.”
These days Ben spends most of his time in the Orange Dojo, sometimes up to 10 hours a day, sharing his knowledge with the next generation of young martial artists.
“I've enjoyed my day in the sun, now it is the new guys, it is their time you know — they can go out and win things and learn things about themselves like I did,” he says.
Ben recently was awarded the rank of 7th Dan Black Belt, a grading that was nine years in the making.
For him, the rank itself is less important than what it represents about his own character growth.
“I don't train for these grades; I could have a rag on my hip and it wouldn't matter. I train every day and I do my martial arts to build character,” says Ben.
“I'm happy with the progress for myself — I've got plenty of errors left, so much — but I know bit by bit I can eventually if God allows me, to get it all together before I die and that's good.”