2018-07-09Staff Report 2 Carlos Kambaekwa WINDHOEK – Ten karatekas from the revered Kyokushin Kenbu Kai Karate Club were graded during a well-attended grading ceremony at the modernized Westlane Dojo Karate Gym in Pionierpsark on Saturday morning. The karatekas were graded in the both the children and adult class that saw karatekas move to the next level, the proud recipients of either orange belts, maroon belts, yellow or green belts. Ananias John Kambimbi, Gabriel Nambinga, Tonderai Chuhumbiri, Pertty Chuhumbiri, Charlie Steytler, Austin Mawashu, Salome Mangaba, Vinoliah Mangaba, Habani Munyungano (all orange belts), Roelf Stytler (purple belt), Bond Ngonga Kayelu (yellow belt) saw their hard work rewarded. Head coach of the gym Sihan Simba Mangaba, a sixth degree black belt holder, urged parents to enrol their children for karate lessons. He said “a child in karate is a child out of prison away from the evils of society”. Quizzed about possible injuries that can be incurred during this particular sporting discipline, Mangaba was quick to defuse any fear. “Any contact sport is bound to cause injury but there are fewer injuries in karate than football, rugby or boxing. Karate offers loads of health benefits since athletes can train without shoes and when the body is being heated up with the floor it cures about 36 diseases.” “Like I said. It’s not only concentrated on the sporting aspect, we also teach leadership skills, discipline and self-confidence through karate,” he insisted. The club boasts a membership 184 paid-up members ranging from children aged 5 to adults with the oldest active member 54 years old. A total of 184 nations worldwide form part of the popular Kyokushin Kenbu Kai style while 42 countries on the African continent compete in this particular sporting discipline. The athletically built Mangaba is senior trainer of the club and holds a 6th degree black belt from the home of karate, Japan, in 2016, and is a much sought-after internationally acclaimed trainer whose functions are not only confined to Namibia. Mangaba is scheduled to take karatekas through the ropes during an European tour of Germany, Greece, Poland, Italy, and will also be a student at a high-profile training camp in Japan in November later this year. 2018-07-09Staff Report 2
