After nearly four decades of being involved in martial arts, Col Osborn says there is little that compares to his latest endeavour.
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The Forster MMA owner has been working with children with autism to increase their confidence, enhance their motor skills and generally equip them for a world that doesn't always play nice - and he says the benefits have well and truly exceeded his expectations.
"It's certainly the best thing I've done in martial arts," Mr Osborn said.
"It's alright to knock someone out, but to see kids achieve something you would've never thought they'd achieve is unbelievable."
Mr Osborn has been offering the Autism Skills Development program since Forster-based charity the Samuel Brett Nelson Kickstart Foundation donated $3000 in August to fund it.
This has allowed children with autism from the local area to complete four free sessions with Mr Osborn.
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He held a large block of sessions in the September school holidays, largely working with the children individually, and said the response was fantastic.
"We did 39 sessions," Mr Osborn said.
"There were about 15 kids."
Better than the response, however, were some of the outcomes of the program, with Mr Osborn describing the improved self-confidence and self-belief he witnessed as particular highlights.
"The self-belief coming out is very evident," he said.
"You're trying to give them skills that are transferable into other aspects of their lives."
Also encouraging is the fact that several of the kids who went through the program have continued to train with Mr Osborn, which is not something he expected.
He's also been able to run sessions intermittently throughout the week and says the program continues to deliver benefits.
"We just had a girl in this morning who was petrified of walking through the door and 30 minutes later she was grinning like a Cheshire cat," he said.
Mr Osborn says he hopes to offer his next big block of sessions through the program in the Autumn school holidays.
To find out more, visit the Forster MMA Facebook page.
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