Erika Vorster is riding the wave of success in the black belt rankings after earning her fifth-degree black belt following a grading examination in September.

The achievement makes her one of only six fifth-degree black belt holders in South Africa. This was Vorster’s second attempt at the grading after she fell short at the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona, in July.

“The odds were stacked against me,” said Vorster, reflecting on the exhaustion that followed months of training, planning and preparing for the world championships, as well as the jet lag and enormity of the event.

“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.

Through continued training, learning from her mistakes, perseverance and dedication, Vorster eventually achieved the next level.

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.

Vorster said his journey is an example of the perseverance and humility required to continue working towards such goals.

The grading process was demanding, with the assessment beginning from the moment she bowed before the judges. She had to earn a mark out of 10 and demonstrate her skills in traditional forms, sparring and board breaking. Her traditional forms routine consisted of 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 athletes such as her husband, Master J.P. Vorster, Master Rohan Verwey, formerly from Secunda, and Master Nominee Konrad van Staden for 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 overseas and encouraging international athletes to participate in South African tournaments, they have helped create opportunities for local practitioners to progress beyond previously established limits.

Vorster earned her first-degree black belt in 2005, her second degree in 2011, her third in 2015 and her fourth in 2021. Taekwondo has been part of her life for 25 years. Among her highlights has been qualifying to represent South Africa on international stages.

“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, laughing.

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“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 extends far beyond the physical techniques of the sport.

“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.

Raised with strong discipline, beliefs and structure, Vorster said taekwondo reinforces these values in her life.

She is an instructor at the Victory Taekwondo Family Centre, which she owns alongside her husband and her sister, Cornelia Bosch, to instil these values in their students.

Taekwondo 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.

Taekwondo is also a significant part of the Vorster household.

Her daughter, Sasha-Lee, has competed in tournaments nationally and internationally and currently holds a second-degree black belt. She has recently developed a new passion for extreme forms.

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

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