Inducted into A.M.A.H.O.F. (Inc)
AMAHOF Exemplary Martial Artist
W.K.U.H.O.F for 2026
AMAHOF Exemplary Martial Artist
Leonard Montagnana serves as a Principal Instructor of the Federation Honbu alongside Shihan Jay Icasiano and Kyoshi Chris Bailey, and is a Board Member with Grading Authority for the Australian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Chinese Boxing Federation of Instructors. In this capacity he contributes to governance, technical standards, instructional direction, and grading across all academies.
Leonard began training in 1986 at the age of seven under Kaicho Adam Bradshaw and Kancho Barry Bradshaw at the Macleod YMCA Judo and Jiu-Jitsu Club, remaining their direct student and assistant until their passing. He received the Federation’s Instructor’s Award in 1993 and 1995 for character and leadership, and in 1996 was awarded his Shodan in Judo by Kancho Bradshaw; the first under-eighteen to do so since Kaicho Adam.
From 1992 to 2001, Leonard was an active competitor, winning multiple Federation titles across junior and senior divisions. In his final competitive year, he won all five Federation Jiu-Jitsu Open Division events, and later returned in 2010 to win the inaugural Kancho Barry Bradshaw Masters Competition.
Appointed to the Board of Examiners in 2002, Leonard has contributed to grading, syllabus development, and technical standards for more than two decades. In 2011 he was awarded the title of Renshi and appointed Lead Instructor at the Honbu.
Since helping guide the Federation’s transition to a not-for-profit organisation in 2018, the Federation has grown to more than 250 members across nine academies.
Leonard holds a Shihan title, Rokudan (6th Dan) in Jiu-Jitsu, Godan (5th Dan) in Judo, and Master Level 4 in Sil Lum Hung Kuen.