The one sure way to get Charne Griesel excited is to talk about judo.

Once you do, it is guaranteed that you will hear that judo changes lives because it abides by a moral code of eight values: courtesy, courage, honesty, honour, modesty, respect, self-control and friendship.

On her LinkedIn profile, Griesel describes herself as a juggler because of her ability to do different things effortlessly and punctually.

“I love what I do, whether training children, coaching adults, or studying for my degree. I take pride in it as I know how hard it is to push myself to achieve my desired results,” explained the Tuks law student during a recent interview.

So, it is no surprise that she was appointed TuksJudo’s new head coach. Griesel has no illusion that she has some big shoes to fill. Under the guidance of the former Bulgarian Olympian Nicola Filipov, Tuks has established a unique tradition of qualifying judokas for the Olympic Games since 2008. Tuks’ judokas have also won gold medals at the African Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Griesel has medalled herself at the African Champs. Filipov described her tactically and technically as one of the best he has coached. Predicting that she would compete at the Paris Olympic Games. Griesel was so committed to doing so that she would put her studies on hold for six months. Unfortunately, it was a case of the mind being willing but the body failing. She broke a finger, injured her vertebra, and tore her meniscus. To top it all, she broke her hand.

But that was not going to keep her away from the judo mats. As a qualified coach, she guided Tamsyn-Lee Stead to win a silver in August at the African Junior Championships in Cameroon. Griesel was also instrumental in getting a judo club in Eersterust, which started two years ago to create awareness for a healthy lifestyle amongst youngsters. Drug abuse in Eersterust is a big problem.

“As everyone knows, you can’t have only one generation of greats and not think about the future. As someone who has been there, done that and got the T-shirt to prove it, I have made my fair share of mistakes. I want to use my mistakes to guide judokas in the right direction. They must be in a better place than I was as a player,” Griesel said about her appointment as Tuks’ head coach.

She believes one of the challenges local judokas faces is a need for more international competition. So, it is easy to get overwhelmed when competing at an African Champs. For example, in Cameroon, the crowd tends to get rowdy. This can be intimidating if you are not used to it. At times, it is challenging to hear what the referee says. As a coach, you must ensure your judokas are calm and relaxed.

“Mental preparation is as necessary as physical preparation. It can be nerve-wracking to stand and wait to fight nearly next to your opponent in the tunnel. So, in Cameroon, I had my judokas doing specific breathing exercises to calm them down. Sometimes I slap them a bit. Not slap, slap. It is more of a pat on the back to remind them to stay focused. You can be the best, but if your head is not screwed on properly, you are going to lose,” she remarked.

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