Wanderers Karate Club congratulates Bongi Ngwenya and other participants who made the SA Japan Karate Association Gauteng team and will compete at the SA Japan Karate Association national championships on May 17 and 18.
Ngwenya explained that he was privileged to be among the chosen participants. “The Wanderers Club is rooted in immense history within SA JKA and JKA on both the national and international stages. On an international stage, the Wanderers Club produced many decorated, world-class leaders, instructors, and karateka in its tenure. Within the dojo, the club thrives on its ability to create an environment rich in diversity characterised by karateka of all ages, abilities and different walks of life.”
In terms of preparation, the karate participant explained that he expected to see quality karateka that ranged from the multiple experienced instructors that lead each training session, to the large contingent of highly experienced fellow karateka to train with at the competition.
Ngwenya followed the following training regiments leading to tournaments, “The dojo has multiple training sessions scheduled between Monday and Saturday of each week assisting karateka in our preparation. The Gauteng under 21s, seniors, veterans, and masters karateka have team training in preparation for the tournament.”
Outside of these sessions, he continues with his normal gym routines and individual karate sessions where he focuses on specific criteria. With life’s responsibilities,
He considered expectations and goals simultaneously and tried to be as realistic and objective as possible in the upcoming competition.
“I’ll evaluate aspects such as my preparation time, capabilities, the capabilities of other competitors and capabilities in comparison to his competitors’ capabilities. If I meet those expectations and goals, great. If not, what can I learn from the experience and build on for the next competition? The SA JKA national championships will be a challenging event and I will, to the best of my ability try to prepare as best as possible to produce favourable results.”
Ngwenya stressed the importance of mental preparation before competitions, “Without being mentality prepared and strong, you can still lose before you have even set foot on the tatami. I think what separates the good from the greats is their mentality.”
He concluded and said everything that could be achieved at the tournament would always be a result of a team’s effort.
“From the parents/guardians who make whatever sacrifice(s) to ensure us karateka have the ability to do what we love, to the fellow karateka who push us to be our best each day, to the various instructors at the Wanderers Club who always guide and motivate us to be better, thank you.”
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