Gichin Karate South Africa

The Discovery Recreation Centre is buzzing with activity at almost all hours of the day and night. Every Tuesday and Thursday night, against the background sound of a piano melody, several voices can be heard shouting in unison. These are the voices of the karatekas of Gichin Karate South Africa as they kiai.

‘Kiai’ is a Japanese term used in martial arts for the short yell or shout uttered when performing an attacking move.

The recreation centre has been the home of Gichin Karate South Africa for 14 years. The dojo was opened by Sensei Shane Anthony, who passed it on to his most senior and trusted pupil, Sensei Dale Booysens. Dale has maintained the teachings and standards of his sensei, continuing his good work.

Dale became interested in karate at the age of 12, when Sensei Shane would visit his school and host exhibitions. Soon after, he opened a dojo where Dale became his pupil.

“When he did exhibitions at our school, Sensei Shane did not have a dojo. But I was interested in karate and asked how I could become his pupil. Shortly after that, I started training hard under his tutelage,” he said. A love and passion for karate has kept Dale involved in the martial art, and he has represented Gauteng West in various national tournaments.

“I have a love and passion for the art. That is what has kept me going for so long. It has given me self-respect, respect for others, discipline, and stability, and has taught me to never take things for granted. Karate has given me so much and I want to make sure my pupils learn these values too,” he said.

It has been six years since Sensei Dale took over the dojo as head instructor. He’s been working hard to ensure he trains his pupils to appreciate the lessons of the martial art.

He continued, saying, “I am strict with my pupils, but not in a harsh way. One of the most important aspects of karate is respecting authority and that is what I try to instill in my pupils. Being diligent, disciplined and having a trusting relationship are other aspects of karate I try to teach them, some as young as 6 years old, just as they’ve been instilled in me.”

Sensei Dale added that a good work ethic is the most important key to succeeding, both as an instructor and pupil. “Being an instructor has been amazing and rewarding for me. When a talented pupil walks through the doors and excels, that’s an expected outcome. But what makes my role here challenging and worthwhile is when a child who knows nothing about karate and is not very talented excels. Those are the pupils who are willing to work hard and be moulded to achieve at the highest level,” he said.

Sensei Dale’s main goal is to open his own karate studio where his pupils can learn and practice karate at their leisure. “That’s my dream,” he said, “because we can only train at certain times at the rec. If I had my own studio, my pupils would not be restricted to training only at certain times and their development and progress would be better,” he said.

For more information on the club, contact Sensei Dale on 076 981 6513.

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