Although still very young, two members of the Ring Contact Fighting Art (RCFA) Kickboxing Club have already made a name for themselves in South Africa.
Michael Sonnendecker and Liam van Zyl both received their Gauteng colours earlier last year and qualified for the South African Championships in Pretoria that took place on October 20 and 30.
At the SA championships Michael won the silver medal in full semi contact and the bronze medal for points, while Liam won the bronze medal in full semi contact fighting as well as for points.
One of his coaches, Sensei Jorgen Cieslik explained that Michael’s final fight was so close that at the end of the fight they were not sure who would take home the silver and who would take the gold.
The 12-year-old has been fighting for seven years and is a junior brown belt. He said the final fight was a difficult one and that his opponent was older than he was.
Last year Michael also competed in a ring contact tournament in Brits where he won two gold medals.
He said what he enjoys most about kickboxing is that he gets to train really hard because he wants to achieve his senior black belt. The young man already has his eyes on the Junior World Championships later this year.
The ten-year-old Liam has been training at RCFA since he was four, and is currently a junior brown belt.
At the ring contact tournament in Brits last year he also won two gold medals. He explained that his favourite part of kickboxing was the fighting, and that he would continue until he leaves school.
The fighters at the RCFA are currently preparing for the Jungle War competition that will be taking place at the end of February, and also to qualify for the South African Championships in Cape Town later this year.
The RCFA invites everyone interested in the sport to come and join their club. They train from Monday to Wednesday from 17:00 to 17:45, and from 17:45 to 18:30, and are located on Terenure Avenue in Kenmare.
Sensei Jorgen said they are very excited because kickboxing has recently been added to the list of Olympic sports. All their competitions are sanctioned by the South African Kickboxing Association (SAKA) as well as the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO).
For more information, contact Annellie du Preez on 072 2121 870 or Sensei Jorgen on 083 260 0583.
