Mom makes new karate memories
JULIE Naidoo’s involvement in karate has been an extraordinary journey.
Growing up as the tomboy of her family, her journey into the discipline started under unusual circumstances.
“I had the misfortune one fine day of facing my dad’s infamous cane for doing something naughty as usual.
“My mom promptly enrolled my siblings and I into karate classes to learn discipline. I was around 12-years-old at the time.
“We belonged to the SKISA organisation and trained with Hanshi Sonny Pillay for a short while,” said Naidoo.
After being inactive from karate since her youth when she earned her orange belt, Naidoo re-entered the sport. She enrolled her daughter Nyska into karate classes in Morningside six years ago.
After watching Nyska train in the dojo for three years, Naidoo decided to join the class in order to keep herself occupied and learn self-defence.
“I would love to see more women practising the art of karate, if not for any other reason than simply to empower yourself and your children with the skills needed to protect yourself and your family, should the need arise,” said Naidoo.
“I made the daunting decision to go back to this art after being motivated by other karate moms in the class.
“And the thought of sitting idle while watching Nyska train was counter-productive.
“I will never forget the day that I put on my ice white karate gi as a white belt (beginner) and joined Shihan Brando Pillay’s karate classes in Durban North,” added Naidoo.
She has fond memories of karate over the years and is particularly gratified by the fact that she has gained knowledge and skills to defend herself.
The most memorable achievement for her so far has been her orange belt grading.
“I had snapped my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in my left knee during kumite training and had to have ACL reconstructive surgery which was beyond painful.
“After taking a break from karate to heal for a few months, I went back to training as I did not want history to repeat itself when I quit at orange belt.
“I never gave up and went on to grade to my orange belt and last year earned my brown belt,” said Naidoo.
She is aiming to eventually achieve her black belt. Her inspiration is her daughter Nyska, 12, who is the top athlete in her age division for kata and kumite.
“My daughter has carved a path of her own in this sport… we simply provided her with the support to achieve her goals and dreams.
“When I decided to start karate, I knew that for me competing was never an option or consideration as I knew that this was her time, and all I wanted was a front row seat in her journey,” said Naidoo.
Due to historical injustices, many sporting codes remain male-dominated.
Naidoo does, however, believe that karate is a code which is achieving great progress in terms of increasing access to opportunities for women, especially on the competition circuit.
“While it is encouraging to note that there are significantly more women practising karate nowadays, it is unfortunately still a male-dominated sport and that I believe is due to the perception of many that combat sports were only for boys.
“Our dojo is a clear indication that this status quo is being challenged as you will find that the number of males vs females is close to a 50/50 split. It is critical that our young girls are equipped with these life skills, especially in this day and age,” said Naidoo.
She is the executive director of Coastlands Hotels and Resorts and credits her husband Ashwin Jagasur for being a major source of motivation to herself and Nyska.