The 2007 Australian Stickfighting Team consisted of many top players from Adelaide, and they are training at the International Combative Martial Arts Academy in South Australia, and there was also Master Craig Hayward and his two students from Sydney in the team as well.

The I.C.M.A. Academy of stickfighters are the following players -

Master Vince Palumbo-(coach/player),
Vlad Mihal
John Moore
Michael Harris
Gary Smith
Barry Jamieson
Joseph Scali
Vickie Simos
Andrea Wheatley
Melissa Lopresti  

The Australians really dominated the tournament in every pision of the event, and the Aussie Team went on to win most Gold medals at the tournament held there in Jakarta.

Every member of the Australian team won a medal, either Gold, Silver or the Bronze medal!

Master Vince Palumbo had an outstanding 20 fights in one day, and his great efforts helped him to win the amazing tally of 9 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze medals at the 2007 International Stickfighting Championships.

He was named as player of the tournament by SGM Canete!

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Grand Master Vince Palumbo and
Supreme Grand Master Ciriaco Cacoy Canete

Other World Champions from the Australian Team include the following stickfighting players-
Big John Moore, Joseph Scali, Andrea Wheatley, and Melissa Lopresti.

The Australian Team all literally won the hearts of the initially hostile and very unwelcoming Indonesian crowd of spectators that all just booed the Australian Team when they all first marched out into the big stadium with all of the other countries in the parade of players.

This is when the experienced Master Vince Palumbo told all of his Aussie team members,

"Remain calm,  just keep marching on, don't worry, they'll love us in a couple of days!'."

What he said was true, and in the second day of the big competition, every single time an Australian team member won a fight, the whole team started to dance in the middle of the sports arena, and before they knew it, all of the Indonesian crowd were also dancing in their chairs, and it was a really great atmosphere, because everyone had fun, because they put all the politics and religion aside, and just treated eachother with respect, says Palumbo.

On the closing ceremony of the games, Master Palumbo was awarded with a certificate for the title as 'Grandmaster 9th Degree Black Belt' in CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA from the 88 year old legendary Supreme Grandmaster Ciriaco Canete who is the highest ranked martial artist in all the world, and is the only living 12th Degree Black Belt in the world! 

This rank advancement makes Palumbo who's won 10 World Titles with 100 bouts in the Stickfighting, and is one of the youngest 9th Degree Black Belt Grandmasters in the world.

Master Vince Palumbo receives the rank of 'Grandmaster', after he wins the title as a World Champion in the World Stickfighting Titles in Jakarta in Indonesia 2007.

Master Vince Palumbo recently attended the 4th Cacoy Doce Pares World Tournament for full contact stickfighting along with his Australian team-mates, so after the several months of hard training Master Vince had to prepare a team of 9 sport stickfighters from Adelaide.

Over the days of the World Stickfighting Tournament, Master Vince exhibited some really great refereeing and fighting skills, which is an attribute to his 30 years of experience.

As an observer, it was an education to watch this man who was not afraid to get amongst the action in the "eye of the storm" especially when things were getting out of hand during the 2007 World Stickfighting Championship fights in Jakarta,  and with his keen refereeing eye, so he combined with his discipline and focus, and ensured that the fights were all very clean.

When it was his time to get into the ring and to compete, that's when Master Vince showed everyone why he had previously acquired the rather accurate nickname as "Master Blaster".

Anyone who has experienced a hard blow from Master Vince's stick, knows exactly what it means to be struck by lightening, or as the Filipino's like to call it "Kilat", because the stick strike really rocks you to the core.

The man is a powerhouse, and his opponents will be the first to testify to this with their many  "coloured trophies" or 'Badges of honour' they acquire in the form of bruises, red welts and lines on the various body parts, because his awesome stick power even manages to come rite through the full body armour!

Master Vince's flurry of strikes frequently really does leave his opponents feeling somewhat bewildered and wondering what exactly struck them, then wondering when its their turn to hit.  

Master Vince entered into several fight categories for the 2007 World Championships, and he managed to swag 13 medals back to Australia with 9 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals!

Some of these medals were for the forms event, again demonstrating the persity of skill which this man possesses, not only is he incredibly tough, but this man can be graceful too!

On the presentation evening after the games, the Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Canete then awarded Master Vince with the well-deserved title of 'Grandmaster', so with this comes the rank of 9th Degree Black Belt in Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and he also got graded to 8th Degree Black Belt in the empty hand fighting martial art called Cacoy Pangamot Jujitsu.

There is frequently a discussion in martial arts circles about whether or not the Masters and Grandmasters should compete in these types of tournaments, and it is my own opinion as a martial arts student, that I don't think there is anything more compelling and so inspiring than seeing the art of Stickfighting put in action by an experienced Grand Master/Master fighter.

Its a real great inspiration to see an instructor "Walking his walk, and not just talking his talk!"

The precision and finesse, not to mention speed, power and accuracy of each strike is a big step-up from the stick-work one witnesses at the beginner's level of tournament stickfighting.

Grandmaster Vince Palumbo has now had in total over 200 fights in the combat sports ring and fighting arena, his includes his over 100 stick-fights, so Grandmaster Vince Palumbo must be complimented on his vast array of skill, as a gifted teacher (for adults and children), and as an International tournament referee/judge, or even as a mentor for his many students.

The Australian team would like to congratulate Grandmaster Vince Palumbo with all of his  tremendous efforts over the many years that he has been involved with teaching martial arts.

He's come a long way from humble beginnings of his training in 1974 as a junior boxer!

I often hear Grandmaster Vince say these inspirational words to his students at the gym:

"To dream is to believe, so go dream, do believe, and then try hard to achieve your glory!"

I truly must say that Grand Master Vince Palumbo is a real living testimony to this quote.

WRITTEN BY DR ANDREA WHEATLEY
World Stickfighting Champion 2006 and 2007.