High kicking CX karateka
A huge number of karateka belonging to the International Japan Karate Association (IJKA) dojos in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay donned their gis and tightened their belts to take part in an inter-dojo competition last weekend.
The competition, solely for karateka from the local dojos, was held on Saturday 23 October at the hall at the Anglican Church in Unity Street and served as a year-end competition for both dojos.
While competition isn’t the sole manner in which the karateka can gauge their abilities, for the nearly 100 juniors and seniors that took part it provides a good way to measure how far they’ve come in the past year.
The competition is held every year and serves as a fitting conclusion to the fourth term as well as the year’s activities for both dojos. The competition started in the early morning with the junior white belts division and continued right up to senior brown belts (16 years and older) in the afternoon.
Photo gallery: Inter-dojo competition in Knysna
Boys and girls competed in mixed divisions and got the chance to show off their prowess in both kata and kumite disciplines.
Medals were handed out to those who excelled, with judges acknowledging katas and kumite separately.
“It’s been a fantastic day of competition, with everybody showing off their best and performing so well,” said John Peach, sensei for both dojos, upon conclusion of the day’s proceedings. “Thank you to all of those who stopped by today to show their support for everyone taking part. You play such an important role in the competitions.
“Competitions of this nature are vital because they help prepare us for when we go on to compete at higher levels.”
‘We bring you the latest Knysna | Garden Route news’