Secunda taekwondo champion Erika Vorster has earned her fifth-degree black belt, becoming one of only six practitioners in South Africa to hold the rank, reports Ridge Times.

The achievement followed an unsuccessful grading attempt at the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona, in July. Vorster returned to the challenge with renewed determination and passed her grading examination in September.

“The odds were stacked against me,” she said, reflecting on the exhaustion after months of training and preparation, compounded by jet lag and the demands of competing at the world championships.

“I did everything that I was supposed to, but the standard was so high that it just was not good enough. I was okay with failing because it meant that I had to work harder. There is always more you can fix. Nothing will ever be perfect,” she said.

Vorster continued training, learnt from her mistakes and persevered until she reached the next rank.

She also highlighted fellow taekwondo athlete Hennie Neethling from Secunda, who earned his fifth-degree black belt after holding the fourth degree for 22 years.

His journey, she said, demonstrated the perseverance and humility needed to keep working towards a goal.

The grading was demanding

The grading was demanding, with the assessment beginning the moment Vorster bowed before the judges. She had to earn a mark out of 10 and demonstrate her proficiency in traditional forms, sparring and board breaking. Her traditional forms routine comprised 84 moves.

“It is so nice to see how everything is opening up for South Africa. For so long, fourth degree was it in SA. There was no way of getting past the fourth-degree rank,” she said.

Vorster credited her husband, Master J.P. Vorster, Master Rohan Verwey, formerly of Secunda, and Master Nominee Konrad van Staden with helping to raise the standard of taekwondo in South Africa. The three are currently the only sixth-degree black belt holders in the country.

By competing internationally and encouraging overseas athletes to participate in South African tournaments, they have helped create opportunities for local practitioners to progress beyond previous limits.

Presenting SA internationally

Vorster earned her first-degree black belt in 2005, her second degree in 2011, her third in 2015 and her fourth in 2021. She has practised taekwondo for 25 years, with qualifying to represent South Africa internationally among the highlights of her journey.

“Personally, when I started, my main goal was getting the cammo belt. It’s so cool. It’s only the fourth belt in our system, but who would not want a camouflaged belt?” she said with a laugh.

“Every rank has its own glory. For me, my first-degree black belt was great, second and third were nice, but then I got to my fourth degree, where the strip is down the pants, which is wow.

“And now I have moved from the bars to the star, which is equivalent to a one-star general in the military. I get to be a one-star general.”

For Vorster, taekwondo is about far more than physical techniques.

“The whole programme is written into personal development and growth, group development and growth, community growth and leadership training.

“Taekwondo is a big part of who I am that I cannot differentiate between what I would be without taekwondo and what I am with it,” she said.

Vorster said the discipline, beliefs and structure she grew up with were reinforced through the sport.

She teaches at Victory Taekwondo Family Centre, which she owns with her husband and sister, Cornelia Bosch. Together, they aim to instil these values in their students.

The centre caters for students of all ages, from toddlers to seniors.

“We are big on developing personal skills, how you carry yourself and how to avoid a situation from escalating. It’s a whole system other than doing moves,” Vorster said.

A family affair

Taekwondo is also a family affair. Her daughter, Sasha-Lee, has competed in national and international tournaments and holds a second-degree black belt. She has recently developed a passion for extreme forms.

“I encourage adults to join their kids in taekwondo,” Vorster said.

She added that the system helps practitioners improve their body alignment, posture and movement while learning to work with their joints.

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