Kempton Park resident prepares for slap fight
The fighter will be the main event at the Punisher Slap Fighting Tournament in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
Kempton Park resident and slap fighter André du Preeze is excited about his next fight on April 1.
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The fighter will be the main event at the Punisher Slap Fighting Tournament in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
Du Preeze, also known as Boere Piston, was introduced to the sport by his friend from high school.
According to Du Preeze, the sport of slap fighting is slowly growing in South Africa.
“The sport is fairly new in the country. It started as the Ultimate Slap Fighting Club which now has two clubs, Dominant- and Punisher Slap Fighting,“ he told the Express.
He said many people don’t know much about the sport.
“We are trying to get as many people involved in the sport as possible. There are even girls U18 who have joined.”
Through the sport, two competitors slap each other for three rounds, with a 30-second recovery period in between or until one of them is knocked out.
He said competitors from rival clubs stand at a table and a coin flip determines who slaps first.
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“Each person has three slaps to slap the person in front of them down.”
Du Preeze only has six months of experience in the sport and has already made a name for himself.
He said slap fighting requires a lot of preparation and facial exercises.
“The sport mostly requires you to do weight training to strengthen your arms. Neck training strengthens the neck and in jaw training, we don’t forget to chew lots of Chappies.
“It’s all about technique and with every event you have a new technique,” he said.
Although Du Preeze only has one win over his six months in the sport, he is positive his next fight will be successful.
“I won my first fight six months ago at Presleys in Boksburg and my opponent at the time was 145kg while I was 133kg. I was shocked that I even broke his jaw.
“My second fight will be against a 168kg rugby player and I am still 133kg. I may not be heavy in weight, but I am big at heart.”
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In most tournaments, participants receive medals, but at the Punisher Slap Fighting Tournament, there will be a belt up for grabs.
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