Karate mom lives her passion

When meeting the soft spoken, sweet blonde Jane Gardner, you would not assume that she is a black belt martial arts guru.

Ballito’s karate mom was a gymnast from age four and competed nationally, but because she did not have the strength that is required for gymnastics, she took up karate.

“The bug bit from day one and suddenly the only thing that mattered was karate,” she said.

Gardner started competing immediately and it was clear that she had a natural knack for the martial art.

“I was lucky to start training under Sandra Louw and being under her wing for seven years was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Although Gardner competed in all styles, she found her love for Kimura Shukokai and has trained under Arturo Ballossini, a world champion in this style.

“I fell in love with karate, because it is an individual sport which allows you to compete for yourself. At the same time you have the team support, which is so motivating.”

Gardner has competed on all levels and has finished on podiums all over the world.

“One of the highlights was being chosen for the ladies first team last year to compete at the world tournament held in Sun City, where we were placed second. This was really special because I had not competed for ten years,” said Gardner, who took a break when she had her two children, now nine-year-old Damien and four-year-old Jasmin.

She is hoping for a gold at next year’s world championships in Berlin, Germany.

Although she loves competing, her passion has turned to teaching children karate, which she does at Curro school.

“It is so much better seeing your kids succeed than yourself and seeing a child get a move right is the best feeling ever.”

Having said that, Gardner does not believe in pushing children to succeed, as she wants them to push themselves.

“Karate has no age limits and can be therapeutic for children with special needs, because it teaches you to be calm, concentrated and patient,” said Gardner, who teaches children with ADD, low muscle tone and hearing disabilities.

It is not all calm and peaceful though and when the right kick lands, it can cause serious damage, even though it is not intentional.

“Six weeks before taking part in the Sun City world tournament, I broke my sternum during training,” she said, which did not stop her from competing.

The Sensei with the sweet tooth for chocolate loves travelling and one of her favourite trips was to Bali.

“It was a magical experience, as we were there at the time of their festivals the spiritual atmosphere with the beautifully made offerings was unforgettable.”

So next time you see Gardner in her green Land Rover a.k.a. Grasshopper, give her right of way, she is the one with the black belt after all.