Raymond Liew has transformed himself from a five-year-old who didn't enjoy the sport into one of Australia's top junior exponents of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo.

The 16-year-old Endeavour Hills youngster booked his ticket to the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji, in November, with victory earlier this month in the WTF Presidents Cup in Canberra.

Competitors from as far and wide as French Polynesia, Korea and New Zealand took part in the event, with hosted different weight categories in three age groups, Cadets, Juniors and Seniors.

Liew defeated Brazilian Diego Cordeiro in the final of the Junior Male A-55 category to secure one of two spots in the division.

The high-skill and dedication that was on display was a far cry from the disinterested child who first tied up a belt.

"It was nothing serious to start with, it was more to get me out of the house, and I really didn't enjoy it, to be honest," said the second dan black belt.

"But now I love it. I started competing about three years ago and it changed the way I think about the sport.

"At the club you just fight against the same people, but with competition you meet new people, enjoy different experiences, and see a variety of different fighting styles."

The year-11 student at Wellington Secondary College in Mulgrave trains at Joon No's Taekwondo in Dandenong, and has already had overseas experience competing in events in Thailand and Korea.

Liew said those experiences were invaluable for his progression.

"The different fighting styles change even more when you go rom state and national level to international competitions, you can really see the difference and it's a great learning experience," he said.

Taekwondo is a sport where competitors score points by landing punches and kicks on their opponent's chest guards and helmets that have electronic sensors attached.

There is no punching to the head, with one point scored for a punch or a basic kick to the chest, two points for a spinning or back kick, and three points for a successful kick to the head.

Liew said having the right mix of technique, fitness and tactics was crucial to success.

"At training we concentrate a lot on fitness and technique and put them both to the test in separate sparring sessions," Liew said before praising his coach, Master No, for the impact he has had on his competition results.

"My coach has really given me a different perspective to my fights," Liew said.

"When you're concentrating so hard on fighting it's difficult to build a strategy, but he helps me with my tactics during each fight.

"And I want to thank my mum (Fiona). She has been there for me all the way and she supports me, takes me to training, and pays for the competitions."

Written by David Nagel