Which would you say is your most memorable fight, and why?
It was my first fight. Being my first fight, I was on edge most of the evening preceding the bout, especially since I had four bouts planned for that evening against well-seasoned fighters such as ‘Festus’ from Walvis Bay’s MMA & Kickboxing Academy.
What was your most disappointing fight?
In all honesty, that fight has not yet happened.
Can you share a bit about your journey in kickboxing, and how you got started?
It started with me wanting to get back into the martial arts scene. I had started my martial arts journey with karate, and due to circumstances, I had to leave the sport for some time. I wanted to return to karate, but was advised to try a more competitive and physically demanding martial art. So, I was directed to try
kickboxing.
I was hesitant, as I thought having a severe visual disability meant I would neither be able to be competitive nor compete at any meaningful level in my career as a kickboxer.
I voiced my concerns to my instructor (Janie Gouws), and he advised me that he had trained a student with similar visual impairments who had become just as competent as his other students, and was willing to train me.
Can you tell us a bit about your family, and their role in your kickboxing journey?
My family is like most families: loving and caring, with its fair share of ups and downs. Growing up in a single-parent household, my mother had to raise me tough. She showed me that if you get knocked down, you get back up and keep on fighting till you make it. You don’t stop and give up because the world is a hard place, and it will not hesitate to make you regret giving up.
My family was hesitant to allow me to start a sport such as kickboxing, which is a combat sport with physical injuries being commonplace, especially head injuries. They had concerns that my ‘visual health’ would decline due to the aforementioned injuries.
After some convincing, they became very supportive, and have been some of my biggest
supporters.
What motivates you to continue fighting despite the challenges of your visual impairment?
I see myself as an underdog, and need to prove to myself that no matter my upbringing, social state or cultural background, if I want to make it somewhere, the only person who can make that happen is me, and me alone.
Have you faced any specific obstacles or misconceptions about your ability as a visually impaired fighter?
Misconceptions: Yes, the main being if you can’t see, how do you hit or fight back?
Obstacles: being visually impaired the way I am means I can still see figures and shapes, and distinguish one shape from the other reasonably accurately. It is all just impossible for me to read faces, names, numbers and so on, as the details become lost.
How do you adapt your training to accommodate your visual impairment?
I try to focus on getting the technique down before worrying about speed or power because, in the end, muscle memory is what makes or breaks some fights the moment you can’t think clearly. So, going on muscle memory as a backup can save you a few hits, and maybe even win you a fight or two. I make sure to try and look at the big picture when it comes to fighting, considering there are only four things that can hit you in the ring (two hands and two feet). All I need to focus on is the overall movement of the person, and where those four things are, not the finer details in every part of their body’s movement.
Can you describe how you prepare for a fight, both physically and mentally?
Physically, I try to keep heavy exercise to a bare minimum, for example, weight training, hard cardio work, and anything that might cause immediate physical injuries and problems. It works by starting with a nice, long, thorough full-body stretch, and finishing with some light cardio. I prefer cycling to get the blood flowing, a few minutes on the light boxing bag, and some basic push-ups and sit-ups to keep the blood flowing and the body ready. I go through a few combinations, and shadow
box a bit to get into the zone.
I don’t eat or drink too much on the day of the fight, only a good solid breakfast, and then just light meals, bread and dry maize/wheat products, and water the rest of the day till the fight.
Do you have any specific training techniques or routines that help you excel in the sport?
Not really. I try to maintain a relatively healthy lifestyle by not drinking, smoking and eating healthy. I usually try to keep my hand-eye coordination sharp, and my overall agility in really good shape to compensate for the visual impairment.
A good way I have found to do this is by skipping rope at least once a day, four to six times weekly,
for a good five to 10 minutes. One of the most important things is to
keep consistent with training, showing up to class every time to train, and to train properly. Don’t ‘cheat yourself’ on exercises. If you want to make it to the top, you need to start training like you are already there.
How do you handle the pressure and the crowd during fights?
The pressure is nothing. A strong will keeps the pressure at bay. The crowd is no problem; sometimes being visually impaired has its perks; the crowd fades into the background, and their cheers become nothing more than static, like a television with no signal.
You mentioned your dream of representing Namibia at the Olympics or Paralympics. Can you tell us more about this goal, and how you plan to achieve it?
I hope to one day represent Namibia on the world stage, even if I don’t bring home a gold medal. I want to show the world that even a small country like ‘Nam’ can produce world-class competitors who have hearts of gold and nerves of steel. With hard work and dedication to the sport, I show up to every class and extra training session to ensure I keep training harder and harder without giving up. With the support of my club (Swakopmund Fight Club) and the international accreditation from WAKO, I am one step closer to that goal.
What message or example do you hope to set for other visually impaired individuals?
Through my martial arts background, I hope to demonstrate to other visually impaired individuals that with dedication, adaptability and perseverance, they can overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
How can society be more inclusive and supportive of athletes with disabilities?
By promoting accessibility, awareness and equal opportunity in sports
What values or life lessons have you gained from both your personal life and your kickboxing career which have helped you succeed?
Consistency, honesty and determination to never give up
On Friday last week, during the exhibition fights, your family came with you to watch and support you. How does that motivate you to fight?
Having my family support me as they did on Friday makes it feel like I can do anything. It also forces me to not give up, and to push just a bit harder till I can’t anymore. It makes it feel like I have truly made a difference and earned their admiration.