Karate might be just a combat sport to some and to some, a martial art but for Karate South Africa’s vice-president and Shito-Ryu Karate dojo in Soweto founder, Sensei Sydney Hoaeane it is a tool to build discipline, concentration and self defense especially in the midst of the shadow pandemic, Gender-Based Violence (GBV). On Saturday, October 2, Hoaeane held a karate event at the Orlando Communal Hall and the focus was on women in karate. Hoaeane has been doing karate for over 40 years.
“GBV is a nightmare in our communities and I believe joining karate classes can equip women and children with the necessary skills to be able to defend themselves against GBV, so we encourage more women to join. The global pandemic had hit us hard, especially in contact sports such as this one, but we did not backdown, we practiced and even had virtual training sessions, even better, we could connect with other karatekas from Japan,” said Hoaeane.
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“We start them from as early as 5 years of age and groom them as they grow up, and teachers at the schools that some of my young karatekas go to, can attest to the fact that, they are among the well-disciplined learners with a greater ability to concentrate in class,” he added.
The training sessions take place weekdays, at the Orlando Communal Hall.
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