Amanzimtoti kickboxers off to SA champs
They are five of the seven KZN competitors who will compete in SAs, and all are from the local club.
KICKBOXING father and son coaching duo, Shihan Wessel (55) and Sensei Ivan (21) Marais of Combat Zone Kickboxing, along with three of their students, setoff on Thursday, 25 April for Pretoria to compete in the South African Kickboxing Championships.
They are five of the seven KZN competitors who will compete in SAs, and all are from the local club.
The Maraises, along with Shalai Berends, Jayden Steenkamp and Lungani Shinga, met the requirements at the KZN trials to be selected to go on to compete in SAs.
Wessel and Ivan have lived in Gauteng their whole lives, and only made the move to Amanzimtoti some years ago.
Kickboxing had always been a part of the Marais family, as Wessel’s father (Ivan’s grandfather) donned a black belt in karate.
“In Gauteng kickboxing is a popular sport,” explained Wessel.
“There are over 56 clubs that compete. In KZN, there are only six clubs, of which only two compete. We hope to grow kickboxing in this province.”
The duo enlightened the Sun as to what a complex sport kickboxing is, and how its surpasses being classified as a sport but becomes a way of life.
“At our kickboxing training, we teach ka-la, which is a self-defense technique. We do a lot of fitness, cardio (which the women students enjoy) and plyometrics, as well as aim to instill five pillars to live by, namely integrity, sincerity, self confidence, discipline and efficiency,” explained Ivan.
Wessel took up kickboxing at the tender age of three, and his son Ivan, who is now 21-years-old, has been involved in the sport for some 12 years.
Sensei Ivan has four South African titles behind his name, and last year even broke the national record for his high kick, which reached a height of 2,7m.
Wessel has been going to SA champs for as long as he can remember, and was vice-president of the Gauteng kickboxing team.
Shihan (which means master) Wessel now feels fulfilled just by hearing a simple ‘thank you’ from his pupils, or seeing them do well and grow in the sport.
Both father and son are international referees and will be refereeing the KZN fights at the upcoming champs in Pretoria.
With many decades of experience and titles between them, the duo alternate coaching at training sessions.
“We have been told by some of our students that even their academic results at school have increased since taking part in this sport,” explained Ivan. “This could be due to having to take away the discipline, efficiency and other character-building traits from the training.”
The duo are certain that Shalai, Jayden and Lungani are going to excel at the upcoming nationals, and most importantly do themselves proud.
The Amanzimtoti community can be proud of churning out five of the province’s seven competitors who are going on to compete in nationals.
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