JKA is a way of life for this dedicated father, daughter duo

For father-and-daughter duo, Johan and Marjohanè Swart, JKA is a way of life, which has deepened their bond on and off the dojo mat.

Johan, a 5th Dan JKA Sensei, began his JKA journey in 1991 when he was 19.

“As a child I was always intrigued by karate. After finishing school, I seized the opportunity to join a karate dojo,” he said.

His passion for JKA only grew, leading to astonishing achievements, including representing South Africa in the 1990s.

In 2006 he earned the prestigious title of SA JKA Men’s Kumite Open Silver Medallist.

Johan has overseen the Northern KwaZulu-Natal JKA for SA JKA since 2009 and has successfully run dojos in Newcastle, Volksrust, and Dundee.

Johan was recently selected as the national coach for the junior SA JKA squad that will compete this month at the Gichin Funakoshi Cup in Tokyo, Japan.

His dedication and commitment to the art of JKA have helped him become a highly respected figure in the JKA community.

Although Johan no longer participates in competitions, he remains a fierce and dedicated instructor who motivates and supports his students with great enthusiasm and diligence; always encouraging them to improve and aim for the next level.

“I have seen many students go through their karate paces under my guidance – going from white belts to achieving their coveted black belts, with several students participating in the JKA World Championships.”

One of his proudest moments was when his daughter, Marjohanè, obtained her Shodan (first-degree black belt) in 2022 when she was just 14.

She recently obtained her Nidan (second-level black belt).

Marjohanè started her JKA journey when she was four, training as a ‘dinky’ under her father in one of his nursery school training sessions. At the age of six, she moved over to the Newcastle Dojo.

12 years later, she is still excelling and has proven her talent in the sport, racking up a total of ten medals at the seven national championships she has competed in.

This year, she achieved gold for Kata and gold for Kumite in her respective divisions at the NKZN JKA Regional Championships.

Marjohanè was awarded KZN colours and she represented the province at the SA JKA Championships in Johannesburg in May. There, she achieved first place (gold), earning her SA JKA National Colours.

Marjohanè is among the group of students representing South Africa at the Gichin Funakoshi Cup in Tokyo, Japan, in the 16-18 black belt division for Kumite and Kata.

For the Swart family, karate is not just a shared passion, but it has become a tool that has truly strengthened their bond as father and daughter.

“Karate always interested me as a kid and I am blessed that my kids are also interested in karate,” said Johan. Marjohanè said her dad taught karate at her creche. “I had the opportunity to train with my dad from the age of five which was awesome. From there it was normal for us to train together, and when I was six, I went to his ‘big’ Karate dojo,” said Marjohanè.

he continued: “Training together has strengthened our bond. My brother is also a second Dan in JKA karate, so it gives us a lot to talk about when we are together. We encourage each other to believe in oneself.”

Marjohanè said going to the World Champs in Japan with her dad is ‘the most rewarding experience. She will be a contestant and Johan will be by her side on the floor as a national coach.

Asked how he balanced the roles of being a father and instructor when training his children, Johan replied: “I just try to be fair and treat my kids as students when we train, but after training, I put on my father cap and listen to what they say and try to see it as they see it.
This is not always easy.”

Asked how she experienced having her father as her instructor, Marjohanè stated: “It helps as I am not afraid to ask my dad/instructor any questions, and my dad pushes me very hard to do my best.”

According to her, some of the most important and valuable lessons her father had taught her over the years were to never give up… as the motto on his karate T-shirt reads: “To try anything, you must work to achieve something.”

Moving forward, Johan and Marjohanè plan to continue training for as long as possible and hope to one day run a big JKA karate dojo together.

“In karate you always learn; it does not matter how long you have been doing karate,” they concluded.

For any information regarding classes and fees please contact Sensei Johan Swart on 083 658 7157.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and request an add on our WhatsApp (082 874 5550).