House of Tinkerbell is sticking to its mandate of building champions and instilling confidence as it prepares for big events in the coming months.

MMA fighters Gift “The Day” Walker and Peace Nguphane are gearing up for high-stakes bouts set to take place in April.

Walker will compete in an EFC fight at the Performance Institute in Sandton, while Nguphane is set to fight in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in Pretoria.

Kruger spoke about the difference in preparation between junior-level fighters and more seasoned athletes.

“The juniors still have a lot to learn through having fun. If they have fun and don’t get injured, one day they can be champions. But not everyone stays long enough to see that season, so you need to make sure that in the short time you have with some fighters, you’ve instilled confidence and made an impact,” Kruger said.

He added that senior fighters like Nguphane, Walker and Nathaniel Komana undergo more technical training as they set their sights on making it big.

“They are obsessed with the craft. They have got crazy dreams that require crazy hustle. You can walk into the gym at any time of the day and you’re likely to find them here.

“With these fighters, we focus on conditioning, wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu. You also have to upskill them because this is a fast-growing sport and they need to keep up with the changing times,” Kruger said.

Some of the other milestones include Dante de Beer, a junior MMA fighter who was recently selected for the Gauteng team.

“For the first time in years, we have also got a big amateur team, which is great for the future of the sport. I’ve got five guys making their debuts soon who are preparing for their fights,” he said.

He explained that people come to House of Tinkerbell for different reasons, which the gym tries to cater to.

“You may find that it’s only five per cent who aim to be champions. Some guys come here because they feel vulnerable and want to be empowered. Some come to fight depression, lose weight, for health reasons, to release stress, and others come to become champions.

“So what we do when you get here is hook you up with a coach, establish your reason for being here and work towards meeting that need,” he said.
Kruger says the secret to maintaining a long-standing gym is to give it to God.

“Everything that happens in this gym is done to glorify Jesus. God can use this sport, whether Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing or MMA, as a tool to create better humans,” he said.

He encouraged parents to keep their kids active.

“In order to build an amazing next generation, you need to keep the kids busy, keep them off their tablets, do something for their health, constantly improve your relationship with people and encourage them to focus on their studies,” he concluded.

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