Randburg kendoka ready for World Champs
SUNDOWNER – Local kendoka aim to put South Africa through the group stages at the World Kendo Championships.
Three Randburg kendoka have been selected to represent South Africa at the World Kendo Championships in the Korea Republic.
The South African kendo side has been training together at different Joburg venues since October last year and will be one of 52 national teams competing for glory in September.
Kendo is a traditional Japanese martial art that utilises the samurai fighting style but with a bamboo sword, called a shinai, and protective armour.
Points can only be scored during a fight when one kendoka strikes another with a killing blow, that is to the head, neck, wrist or stomach.
Natalie Morris, a Sundowner resident, was the first woman to win the fighting spirit award at last year’s European Kendo Championships and aims to win the same award at World Champs.
“Kendo is all about staying calm in chaotic situations,” she said. “You need to concentrate and react quickly when there is shouting and a lot going on.”
Morris, Grant Maddison of Honeydew and Sebastian Holscher of Douglasdale all agreed their goal is to see South Africa through the group stages of the tournament.
There will be three countries per group, but the groupings have not been revealed yet.
SA coach, Michael Grice said South Africa does not quite match up to some of the biggest European teams but SA is better than we are given credit for in kendo.
He said he has had the team working on attacking and counterattacking techniques and having a complete mindset.
This ranges from being aware of the size of an international kendo court to preparing mentally for the large crowds and the way international referees might oversee games.
Maddison added he wants to learn practical knowledge regarding kendo at World Champs and bring that knowledge back to SA to advance the sport here.
Holscher said his forte is defending well as he reads his opponents and then sets them up for failure. This will help as he competes in two best of three round fights, and aims to win every round.
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