Meet Vryheid’s ‘King of Kata’

Karate has always been part of Vishen Bhoonpershad’s life, growing up. In awe of the Power Rangers as a child, Vishen wanted to be one. When he realised he couldn’t, he decided to go one better and emulate idols like Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
After relocating to Vryheid with his family from Stanger at the age of five, Vishen decided to follow his dream and took up karate at the age of eight years old.

Such was his dedication and drive for the sport that, at 15 years old, he was already given a junior class to teach. “As my experience and confidence grew, I started to teach more advanced classes until I started helping students reach Sho Dan (first degree black belt) level.” Now, with 14 years of teaching under his 2nd degree black belt, Sensei Vishen is not only a well-respected senior karateka in Vryheid, but also Chief Sensei at the Dundee Dojo. Though the karate scene in Vryheid is somewhat smaller, Sensei Vishen noted that they are a committed group. “On average, we have between 40 and 60 students. Most of our students range from the age of six to 18, but in total, we are about seven JKA affiliated black belts, with Sensei Hoosen being in charge of the club,” Sensei Vishen elaborated.

“Vryheid Dojo has also always had a strong presence at provincial, national and more recently even at international level competitions. The standard of karate required to compete and win is ever growing and we do our best to prepare our students to do their best on the day of competition,” he added. Though a proud instructor who loves watching his students progress from belt to belt, Sensei Vishen is also a fierce competitor himself who has achieved much in his karate career. This year, prior to lockdown, he won the Men’s Elite Senior Open Kata title at the Northern KwaZulu-Natal JKA Provincial Championships. He also represented South Africa in 2015 at the first JKA All Africa Cup and represented SA again at the 14th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship in Ireland in 2017. “I hope to represent my country at least one more time before shifting focus onto grading and teaching only.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought karate to a halt, but with health being the number one priority, Sensei Vishen is urging people to stay safe and stay motivated.

“Chin up and stay as positive as you can. We will get through this. For those days when it gets a bit tough, don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend or loved one.” A fierce competitor at tournaments, but a friendly face in the dojo, Sensei Vishen is hoping to inspire many others to also follow their martial arts dreams for years to come.

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