By Carl Steward
Oakland Tribune columnist

Posted: 10/20/2009 08:06:51 PM PDT

Updated: 10/21/2009 06:46:59 AM PDT

FULL CONTACT kickboxing may seem like a strange choice of sports for a child with self-confidence issues, especially a painfully reticent little girl.

But for Antioch’s Katrina Nahe, kickboxing not only changed her life in a positive social way, it served to unlock rare athletic skill and determination her parents had no idea existed.

“When she was 6, she was so timid,” her mother, Rosie Flores. said. “She was scared of everything, even her own shadow.”

But today, at 12, Katrina is 90 pounds of fast, focused fury who has garnered the nickname “The Storm” for her nonstop ring relentlessness. She has become an international kickboxing champion so proficient that Nahe competed at the International Kickboxing World Championships in Orlando, Fla., in July, where she captured the junior welterweight title by defeating defending champion Tori LaRose of Pacific, Mo., in a three-round, six-minute performance that was decidedly Pacquiao-like for its nonstop action.

“It was a toe-to-toe war all the way,” Katrina’s father, Gabriel Nahe, said. “It was so exciting that when she finally won, I couldn’t even swallow.”

Indeed, the title bout has to be seen to believed, and fortunately, it’s posted on YouTube under Katrina’s name. Her mother put the video to music in order to drown out her father’s yelling in the background.

Gabriel and Rosie weren’t sure what they were getting into six years ago when they enrolled their daughter in Guila’s Hawaiian Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts Fitness Center at the suggestion of a relative. But they were willing to try anything that might diminish their daughter’s timidity.

During her first three years, Katrina competed in kumite, a point-based sparring form of karate. As she admitted herself, “I sucked.” But late in 2006, her trainer, Dennis Guila, decided she might be better suited to kickboxing, and she hasn’t looked back since.

For one, she’s never lost in 40 sanctioned bouts, despite the fact that in several local and regional competitions, a shortage of female competitors necessitated that she had to fight against boys.

“And she beats them,” Rosie said. “I remember one boy she fought who gave her a look like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding with this girl.’ She put a whipping on that kid.”

“They might get one or two punches in, but then I take care of them,” Katrina added.

While Katrina has risen in rapid fashion to the rank of world-class junior champion, her personality has also come out of the corner. Her parents steadfastly believe kickboxing and the self-confidence she derives from her success facilitated a dramatic change in her overall makeup.

“At first, we thought, ‘OK, maybe this will help her,’” her mother said. “But, oh, what a change. She’s still a little shy, but this is the best thing we could have ever done for her. It opened her up a lot and really brought out what was inside of her.”

Guila said this is not an uncommon transformation for children who take up martial arts at his Antioch facility. But he is often reluctant to push younger kids into kickboxing unless they demonstrate both the skill and the will to become very good at it.

“It’s a much tougher sport to be involved with,” Guila said. “In many instances, it will break the hearts of students, and therefore you lose them. But when I saw that Katrina had the spirit, dedication and willingness to try something new, I decided it was time. Needless to say, we found her niche in kickboxing, and she has taken it to great heights.”

Guila, an eighth-degree black belt, is a former world champion himself, winning the World Kickboxing Association heavyweight title in 1983 before giving it up to teach in 1995. He currently has a number of MMA champions in his academy, among them Nick Chinchilla and Hugo Rivera of Oakley and John Duenas and Logan Kauth of Antioch in addition to Katrina.

“He’s a great teacher because has so many different techniques,” Gabriel Nahe said. “If you fight the same way all the time, sooner or later you’re going to lose. But Dennis teaches you how to adapt to different fighters and their styles.”

Guila said there are eight fundamental styles in kickboxing and Katrina already can recognize all of them and make adjustments quickly. It also helps that she is left-handed, which makes it difficult for opponents to defend her quick, powerful jabs and hooks.

Her kick? Katrina landed one to the midsection of her semifinal opponent in the IKF Championships, doubling her over and ending the fight in 38 seconds. That set up her battle with LaRose, whom she admitted was her toughest opponent ever.

“That was probably my most exciting fight ever, but I pretty much knew I’d won,” Katrina said.

She maintained she’s into kickboxing for the long haul and hopes one day to open her own academy, as well as become a clothes designer. That latter ambition may help explain why a 12-year-old girl loves kickboxing so much.

“I love winning the big fat belts,” she said.