JKA karate holds hard-working sensei
In 1998 Forner won gold medals with his Germiston team at the time in both kata and kumite at the South African National Championships.
JKA Benoni Karate, based in Airfield, Benoni, was opened in 2019 by sensei Mike Forner shortly after the JKA Dojo had closed, and he believes they are growing steadily.
“It was very slow and difficult in the beginning, being early winter and without any members or a venue. However, we are affiliated to SAJKA (South African Japan Karate Association) which has a very good reputation in South Africa with many dojos throughout the country,” explained Forner.
“Even though there are several karate clubs in Benoni affiliated to other organisations, we are growing steadily although we were forced to close for seven months in 2020 due to Covid.
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“We continue to follow strict protocols and conform to the compliance requirements as laid out by SAJKA and Karate South Africa (KSA), to whom we are also affiliated and which is, in turn, is governed by the SA minister of sport.”
Forner started his karate career in 1974 at Dynamic Karate Benoni with sensei Buddy Gibson, who has recently retired.
“From 1977 I also trained in Orange Grove with sensei Stan Schmidt, founder of SAJKA,” he said.
“On a visit to Japan in 1977 with a group led by sensei Stan, we trained at the Japan Honbu Dojo in Tokyo and we were privileged to watch the second IAKF World Shotokan Karate Championships.”
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Forner continued training with Schmidt and other top JKA Instructors such as senseis Gordon Richardson, Keith Geyer, Derrick Geyer, Les Stevens and Rory O’Donoghue over the years.
“Since January 2016 I have been training in the Early Birds Instructors’ Class at the SAJKA Honbu Dojo in Johannesburg with the current chief instructor, sensei Johan la Grange,” he said.
“I still compete in the annual SAJKA Gauteng and national tournaments.”
In 1998 Forner won gold medals with his Germiston team at the time in both kata and kumite at the South African National Championships.
Other achievements he has gained include:
• 2019 Gauteng veteran men’s kata gold and SA veteran men’s kata gold
• 2018 Gauteng veteran men’s kata silver and SA veteran men’s kata bronze
• 2017 Gauteng veteran men’s kata silver, Gauteng veteran men’s kumite gold, SA veteran men’s kumite silver and graded 4th Dan at SAJKA National Grading.
If you are interested in joining JKA Benoni Karate or for more information on what they have to offer, contact Forner at Jkakaratebenoni@gmail.com
