Potgieter bags Roku-Dan title at grading

After 32 years of practising and teaching karate, Sensei Janien Potgieter successfully passed her grading and holds a 6th Dan black belt.

The grading was in Cape Town during December and her 6th Dan, also referred to as Roku-Dan, took six years to achieve.

“It is a great achievement indeed and I am happy to have passed my grading. I had a lot of support from my club members, family and friends,” said Potgieter.

Potgieter was also ranked the second highest woman graded in Shotokan Karate South Africa.

“It is truly an honour to be ranked the second highest woman in our style,” she said.

This senior instructor at The Dojo Kempton Park said passion for the sport was what had kept her going over the years.

“I started karate when I was 13. I had always done dancing and ballet, but my cousin, who was doing karate at the time, kept telling me about her karate and that I should join,” explained Potgieter.

“I kept ignoring her until one day when I decided to go see what it was about. After the first class, I went home and told my mother to cancel the dancing and I carried on with karate.

“My passion has always kept me going in the sport, grading from one belt to the next.”

The local Sensei is also a qualified judge and has travelled to Japan to judge at the world championships.

Potgieter’s advice to other karatekas who aspire to reach 6th Dan and beyond is: “Understand that it is a continuous learning curve and you must always look forward and never look back,” she said.

Potgieter said she would be working towards her 7th Dan for the next seven years.

Karatekas at The Dojo Kempton Park meet every Monday and Thursday from 7pm to 8pm.