A ‘blessing’ to hockey learners

“There are so many life skills a person learns from sport, particularly hockey."

July 16, 2020

Charmaine Mazibuko 2 minutes read

Local hockey coach, Blessing Khumalo (31) is fondly known as ‘Mr K’ and has spoken about how he relishes coaching and watching young children grow through the sport of hockey.

He said although he might have rare bad days, the children he coaches always put a smile on his face.

“Sometimes I may be having a bad day, but then a child will run up to me shouting ‘coach’ and they hug me, and suddenly my day is instantly better,” he smiled.

Khumalo believes parental support for their child’s sporting endeavours is vital to building confidence in a child.

“There are so many life skills a person learns from sport, particularly hockey. These include values such as self-discipline, team work and respect for each other. Hockey has opened so many doors for me. I was able to travel to many places in the country because of hockey. Children can even be granted bursaries through the sport to study further if they are focused and do well. There is a world of possibilities through sport, the talent and skills just need to be properly unlocked with guidance,” he advised.

Khumalo believes his greatest achievement to date is the formation of the New Age Hockey Academy, with his friend and close teammate, Dean Bond, who he has lauded as one of the best people he has ever met.

“Dean is a proper hockey guy. I am learning a lot from him while we grow our academy. We try to teach the children all the hockey skills they need. I always tell the students that everything is a process, like learning your A,B,C’s – you have to take everything one day at a time. The purpose is to grow and improve hockey within the community, and also give children the opportunity to practice and learn new skills on AstroTurf.”

Watch Blessing explain his journey through hockey:

Khumalo concluded that his greatest wish is to inspire change, help young children realise their talents and how to use them, to go on and be an agent of change in the world.