Welcome to Karate Zone
Meet our lead ‘Sensei’ (instructor) Meghan Smit, a 5th Dan black belt in JKS, Shotokan karate. Meghan has 24 years of karate experience! She has represented South Africa since 2007 as a junior and has achieved numerous medals at the Karate South Africa National events, UFAK African Championships, AUSC Region 5 Championships, All African Games as well as the JKS World Championships. She was one of only 5 South African athletes eligible to compete at the 2021 Olympic Qualification Tournament which was held in Paris and she kept the dream alive with a 7-3 victory over Denmark and a narrow 1-0 loss against Norway.
Karate is a martial art originating from Okinawa, and the word ‘Karate’ in Japanese means ‘empty hand’. It is a combination of various facets- kihon (basics), kata (form) and kumite (fighting) combining punching, blocking, kicking and well as throwing techniques to form an all-round self-defense art. Additionally there is also a sport component where Karateka can test their skills against different opponents.
Our sub-instructors provide instruction for the Little Ninja’s (age 4-6) and Superheroes (age 7-12), and our senior instructors take over from age 13 and up. We believe that a strong foundation is key and we will build everything from basic movements, strength, flexibility, coordination and most importantly effective technique.
As a brand-new Karate Dojo, we will join the JKS (Japan Karate Shoto-Renmei) federation with headquarters in Japan through yearly affiliation and we will also look at opportunities for our karateka to compete in the sport-karate fraternities (including JKS competition) where possible and as the belt level reaches the pre-requisites.
Feel free to contact us meg.booyens@workoutzone.co.za or 082 642 5409
