WSKF South Africa: Our Successful Japan Tour – 2023
WSKF Team Event – 2023 – Bloemfontein
16
May
The Tempe Indoor Sports Centre in Bloemfontein recently played host to the highly anticipated WSKF Team Event on May 13th, 2023. The event brought together talented karateka from various regions, spanning different skill levels and age groups. With intense competitions in Team Kumite and Team Kata, the event was a thrilling display of martial arts prowess and sportsmanship. 53 Kata Teams, 30 Kumite Teams! Excellent student conduct, great camaraderie all around, and professional judging made it a smooth tournament. Let’s look at the impressive results achieved by the participating teams.
Kiddies Category:
In the Kiddies category, the team consisting of Paul, Ulrich, and Jonathan from Potchefstroom showcased their dedication and skill, securing the top spot. Their remarkable performance demonstrated their potential for future success in the world of karate.
Female Beginners:
The Bloemfontein contingent was dominant in the Female Beginners category, with two teams demonstrating their talent. Team 1, comprising Amy, Emma, and Lene, emerged as the winners, displaying precision and technique. In second place was Team 2, consisting of Chrisne, Chane, and Chene, who showcased their determination and spirit.
Female Intermediate:
The Female Intermediate category witnessed fierce competition, and the Crystal Park team emerged victorious. With their synchronized movements and focused execution, Refiloe, Raemohetse, and Bokang claimed the top position. The Kestell team, comprised of Marinell, Banele, and Lambert, showcased their skills and determination, earning them a well-deserved second place.
Female Advanced:
In the highly competitive Female Advanced category, the Bloemfontein team once again asserted their dominance. Cherilee, Mariana, and Vyada delivered a breathtaking performance that secured them the first-place position. The Vaal team, consisting of Adi, Boitumelo, and Mari, demonstrated their expertise and dedication, earning them a commendable second place. The Els team, comprising Andrew, Penyao, and Penny, showcased their skills, securing the third-place position.
Female Kumite:
The Female Kumite category was a thrilling spectacle, featuring intense sparring matches. The team from Potchefstroom and Pretoria, consisting of Leonard, Berdine, Erika, Boipelo, and Natalia, emerged as the champions, displaying their exceptional fighting skills. The Bloemfontein team, comprising Cherilee, Mariana, Bridget, Lindsay, and Mile, showcased their strength and technique, securing a commendable second place. The Crystal Park team, consisting of Zondi, Bokang, Njabulo, Refiloe, and Raemohetse, demonstrated their determination and skill, securing the third-place position.
Male Beginners:
The Male Beginners category saw impressive performances from multiple teams. Plettenberg Bay’s team, comprising Kayden, Finn, and Zac, secured the first-place position with their excellent execution. The Kestell team, consisting of Neo, Teboho, and Thloni, exhibited their potential and determination, earning them the second-place position. Once again, the Plettenberg Bay team, with Kayden, Finn, and Zac, showcased their skills and secured the third-place position.
Male Intermediate:
Potchefstroom’s team, composed of Donovan, Janco, and Murray, emerged victorious in the Male Intermediate category, displaying their exceptional skills and technique. The Bloemfontein team, consisting of Mikos, Jante, and Handre, showcased their determination and secured the second-place position. The Knysna team, comprising Kyan, Zac, and Kayden, impressed the audience with their talent, earning them the third-place position.
Male Advanced:
The Male Advanced category witnessed an exceptional display of skill and determination. The Potchefstroom team, composed of Stephan, Jaco, and Elke, delivered a remarkable performance, earning them the first-place position. The team from Kuro-Obi, consisting of Duncan, Sasha, and Declan, showcased their expertise, securing the second-place. The Bloemfontein team, comprised of Ethan, Ehart, and Bridget, demonstrated their proficiency and secured the third-place.
Male Kumite:
The Male Kumite category featured intense bouts of combat, and the Bloemfontein team, consisting of Damon, Ehart, Ethan, Robert, and Handre, emerged as the champions. Their display of skill and determination was truly remarkable. The Bloemfontein team, comprised of Sandile, Fareed, Johanco, Gerrit, and Mikos, showcased their fighting spirit, earning them a well-deserved second place. The Els Karate team, consisting of Andrew, Buchi, John-Daniel, Khwezi, and Alexander, demonstrated their proficiency, securing the third-place position.
The WSKF Team Event held at the Tempe Indoor Sports Centre in Bloemfontein was a resounding success, showcasing the talent and dedication of karatekas from various regions and skill levels. The event highlighted the spirit of competition, sportsmanship, and camaraderie within the karate community. Congratulations to all the participants and winners for their outstanding performances. Their dedication and passion for karate continue to inspire and promote the growth of this ancient martial art.
Langebaan – Championship & Prizegiving – 2021
11
Nov
With much anticipation, Langebaan Dojo finally had our internal championship this past Saturday, 6 November 2021.
Everyone was so excited to be competing again. Especially after 2020 and Covid-19. It seems things are finally getting a little bit more normal.
It was our beginners’ first time in a competition environment, and they were superstars!
All karateka had so much fun and did amazing.
We had our prize-giving after the championship to praise all the karateka for being impressive!
All the hard work during this year definitely paid off!
Langebaan Dojo is ready to start 2022 with a bang!
National KSA Open and Elite Championships – 2021
11
Mar
Results from the Vaal
Congratulations to our following Vaal students on their achievements at the National KSA Open and Elite Championships in Tongaat, KZN this past weekend!
Lebohang Motshweneng won Gold in the Open Junior Male Kata division, achieved Bronze in the Junior Elite Male u76kg Kumite division and Bronze in the Open/Elite Male 14-17yrs Team Kata division.
Malose Makhafola got Silver for the Open Junior Male u61kg Kumite division and achieved Bronze in the Open/Elite Male 14-17yrs Team Kata division.
Declan Gerber won Gold in the Elite Cadet Boys Kata division and achieved Bronze in the Open/Elite Male 14-17yrs Team Kata division.
Sasha Rogowski achieved Bronze in the Open Cadet Girls Kata division.
Your dedication, hard work and humble attitude are what makes you the champions that you are. Well done!
Results from Centurion
We’d like to congratulate sensei @wenettejordaan for receiving two bronze medals at this past weekend’s KSA National Elite Championship. 
x1 Senior Female Kata x1 Senior Female Kumite (-61kg).
x1 Senior Female Kata x1 Senior Female Kumite (-61kg).Results from Bloemfontein
The past weekend 15 students from SKA competed in Durban at KSA Elite and Open champs. We were blessed to win 12 Elite and 6 Opens medals.
WKF African Games in Morocco – Herman van Wyk
09
Feb
Herman van Wyk started Karate at the age of 6 in 2010 at Shotokan Karate Academy. Herman’s dream was to become a Black belt. Herman started to compete in competitions. In 2014 Herman Competed at the SA Championship and won his first Gold Medal and became the South African Champion for Boys Kumite at the age of 10. Herman was invited to represent South African in Zambia. We promised Herman that one day when he is old enough to travel with the team he can Represent his Country.
Since 2014 Herman was selected as the Free State team and competed at all the South African competitions. Training hard and rewarded with good results.
Herman was selected to train at the High-Performance Centre of the Free State in 2016. Herman trained hard and was performing at the top level. As a little boy, Herman had a dream and with hard work and commitment, Herman was working towards making his dream come true. In 2018 and 2019 Herman was Karateka of the year at Shotokan Karate Academy. October 2019 Herman graded for his Shodan and he achieved his goal of becoming a Black Belt. January 2020 Herman was invited by Karate South Africa to represent South Africa in Morocco. Herman’s dream came true, he is old enough to represent his country and travel to Morocco with the South African team. Herman received his Protea Colors.
Herman trained every day two times a day for 3 weeks. As the going gets tough the tough get going. Sensei Quentin Rourke prepared Herman for this experience of a lifetime. Everyone was supporting Herman and motivating him through the blood, sweat and tears of training hard.
At the African Championship in Morocco, the division for Cadet boys U 70 kg was a small division. Herman competed and Received a silver medal. Herman’s dreams came true Black Belt and Protea colours. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible. If you can dream it you can do it.
Special thank you to Sensei Quentin Rourke for years of training and believing in Herman van Wyk. When times were tough Sensei Quentin you motivated Herman to just keep on going at the end everything is worth the effort.
WSKF South Africa Japan Tour – 2019
11
Aug
The WSKF South African team of 15 members departed from Johannesburg on Sunday, 11th August, to Tokyo via Dubai. At Haneda airport, Tokyo, the team was picked up by bus and travelled to the Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro.
South African Team in South Africa and at Tokyo Haneda Airport
The first day in Japan was used to recover from jetlag and to do some exploring. The team travelled to the famous Takeshita Street in Harajuku by train where they walked around and started to feel part of the Japanese community.
Harajuko and team at Yoyogi Park
A special training session with Isaka Sensei was held on Thursday. A three hour stretching session was conducted by Isaka Sensei where he taught exercises to stress the importance of muscle and bone movement. His famous quote, “Move like animal”, was heard repeatedly during the great training.
Training with Isaka Sensei
Friday was a day off from training and the team visited Shibya, where some took photographs at the famous Hachico sculpture and some took pictures of the night-lights at the busiest street crossing in the world.
Shibuya Night Lights and Hachico Sculpture
The team travelled to the beautiful seaside town of Kamakura on Saturday, where they visited Gichin Funakoshi’s shrine and trained with Kawasaki Sensei. This training session was full of energy and students were able to do test one on one fighting techniques, as well as some kata training (Hangetsu).
Training With Kawasaki Sensei in Kamakura
The official WSKF Technical Seminar was held from the 19th to 21st August 2019 at the Tokyo Budokan in Ayase. The seminar was conducted by WSKF World Chief Instructor, Hitoshi Kasuya Sensei (9th Dan). Days were hot and humidity was high. The sweat poured to the ground from time to time due to the heat and the intensive training combination. Each class started with warm up exercises and the importance of which exercises should be done before training was discussed. After warm up, class would commence with the three elements that make up Karate, namely: Kihon, Kumite and Kata. Special spin techniques, combination kumite techniques and the four sentei Kata’s (Bassai-Dai, Jion, Enpi and Kanku-Dai) were worked on and discussed.
Technical seminar at the Tokyo Budokan in Ayase
All country referees and judges would remain after training each day to practice and discuss the rules of the upcoming competition. On Wednesday, 21st August 2019, Kasua Sensei conducted the Dan examinations. It was a pleasure to see Mike Dukas Sensei (8th Dan) be invited to sit on the Dan grading panel. The following members successfully passed their gradings:
- John Rust : Rokudan (6th Dan)
- Phillip Venter : Rokudan (6th Dan)
- Simone Roig y Collado : Godan (5th Dan)
- Andrio Lombaard : Godan (5th Dan)
- Cobus Nienaber : Yondan (4th Dan)
- Lebo Motswaneng : Shodan (1st Dan)
WSKF Team Kumite Challenge – 2019
17
Jun
It’s a cold morning on Monday, 17th June, and the air is buzzing with excitement as people stream in to the WSKF team challenge hosted at PMSC Kopanelo Indoor Sport Centre, Potchefstroom. Months of preparation have passed and now it’s time to put the energy on the floor! The focus of this unique event is all about building skill and camaraderie within WSKF.
Over a hundred competitors and over thirty officials line up for the opening bow and are ready to go at 8am. The championships started with the Team Kata divisions with each team giving their all and looking strong. There was clearly a lot of preparation at each and every competing dojo!
After a winning Unsu Team Kata by the Potchefstroom senior team, there was a quick break before the Team Kumite challenges kicked off. This was structured over two floors with a round robin of six men and six ladies teams. Ranging from 7 years old to over 21s, with 5 in a team. Each one competing against his own age group and earning points for their team see them progress higher up for the final challenge.
That wraps up an awesome day of karate WSKF style – everything fair, well organised, and in the spirit of true budo! New friends made and new challenges set for the next team challenge coming next year.
Congratulations to the all the winners and all students who took part in this fun event!
UWKFSA National Championships
30
Mar
4th UWKSA Nationals
Students from our Centurion dojo were invited to the 4th UWKSA Nationals on the 30th of March. The competition was endorsed by the WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) and was held at the South African Lipizzaners Hall. The day kicked off with a great treat, as the competitors were accompanied by two of the majestic Lipizzaners with the competition walk in.
There was great spirit all around as the first junior events started followed by the senior events. The competition was well run and it was a very fun day for the entire team. We sent a small senior team to compete and they came back with great results.
● Pierre de Klerk : 1st Kata
● Morrie Swart : 1st Kumite
● Carien Hartzenberg : 2nd Kata
● Pierre de Klerk : 2nd Kumite
● Morrie Swart : 3rd Kata
3rd Place for Lebo Motshweneng ate the KSA Nationals
25
Mar
Lebohang Motshweneng from WSKF Kuro-Obi Shotokan Karate-do Institute, Sasolburg Dojo, received third place in Kumite at the recent KSA National Championships held in Cape Town on the 16/17th March 2019.
Lebo received his Free state colours during trials held in Bloemfontein on the 9/10th February 2019.
History: In 2010, at the age of 6, Lebo’s karate career started under Sensei Bryan Dukas. He started competing in 2012 at the age of 8 where he was chosen to represent Sedibeng at District Level, where he achieved highly.
In 2014, when he was 10 years old, he was fortunate to have the opportunity to compete at Provincial level, National level, and then be selected to represent our country at the Zone 6 competition.
In 2015, due to his performance, he was selected to represent South Africa at the 9th Youth World Cup in Croatia. This was a great honour for him, as he got exposure and the opportunity to learn from his peers who came from different parts of the world.
Currently: Lebo trains basically every day. His main training dojo is at Sasolburg Dojo but also trains with other WSKF instructors in the Vaal Region. Before competitions, Lebo puts in a huge amount of effort to attend extra classes with instructors that can assist him from a technical point of view. Lebo has a mindset of “back to basics”, because like he says: “I have learned from my instructor if my basics are good the rest will fall in place.”
Word from his current Instructor: “In this past 8 years I have seen Lebo develop into the karateka he is today, Lebo has a deep passion for karate. He is a hardworking and dedicated karateka, always eager to learn. Throughout the years he has become a great young role model for new young karateka. I see him growing up to be an established senior black belt and exhibits the qualities of assistant instructor in the dojo one day, he is one of the top performers in karate overall. His achievements speaks louder than words. As a member of WSKF karate, I have found Lebo to be motivated and a responsible student who master technique and applies it well. He ask questions to ensure that he has a firm understanding of the technique. Lebo is self-motivated and gets along with all his fellow karateka”.
Congratulations to other members of the WSKF Kuro-Obi Shotokan Karate-do Institute, Sasolburg Dojo who also received their Free State colours, Ulani Erasmus, Declan Gerber and Sasha Rogowski.
WSKF SA National Development Championships – 2018
03
Oct
The WSKF South African National Development Championships was held this past weekend in Vanderbijlpark. This biennial event is a highlight on our calendar and has, once again, proven to be a huge success!
The development championships caters for members of all belt levels under the age of 21. This year’s event had WSKF members entered from all over South Africa, and even as far as Namibia!
The principles and standards of WSKF karate was clearly present as competitors competed in kata, basic kumite and free fighting. We are proud of each of our members and are happy to see that the medals were evenly presented across all dojos – highlighting the high level of standardization across all dojos.
A special congratulations to the following trophy winners:
– WSKF Best Tournament Spirit : Team Namibia lead by Leandro Sitler Sensei
– WSKF Best Female Competitor : Ulani Erasmus
– WSKF Best Male Competitor : Duncan Rogowski
The tournament ran smoothly and on time. It’s success was a result of so many members working together, including the table officials, judges, referees, instructors, first aid staff, kitchen staff, organizers, parents, and, most importantly, the children!
Thank you to all involved!