The Sunday Mail
It looks like the old adage “it’s a man’s world” won’t go away in karate.
Indeed, karate is not for the faint-hearted and one may be tempted to think that karate was made for men only.
However, there is a 21-year-old girl who is out to prove that karate is not a man’s world.
Young Brenda Dunduru has seen four of her friends quit since she started training kyokushin two years ago under 2009 International Karate Organisation Kyokushinkaikan First World Karate champion Samson Muripo.
To her, there is a strong link between her Christian beliefs and martial arts.
“The practice is not easy, but for me I have learnt a life lesson. As a Christian, when a challenge comes you know there is victory behind it. When one is in the dojo, they go through pain and sweat. And just like a temptation, if one doesn’t endure the training they won’t make it. So, there is this strong link between my Christian beliefs and martial arts. That endurance I display during training is the same I put into life to succeed,” the Domboshawa-bred karateka said.
And for women who are known to care more about their beauty, engaging in this full contact sport, which is full of risks, is not easy.
We know of world champion Muripo, who was once poisoned at a tournament in Tokyo six years ago. His face still bears the scars as evidence of that incident.
In spite of all those risks, Dunduru feels kyokushin has brought out the confidence that was hidden inside her before she started training.
“When one trains, there is a confidence that naturally builds itself inside them. They become that person who can’t be pushed away and be punched down. Once I started training, it gave me the courage even to walk alone during the night because at one point I know if provoked I can defend myself and conquer.
“In addition, I used to maintain my silence, especially within a group of people. My attitude was to let others speak their mind even when I knew some of the issues were wrong. This (kyokushin) has changed me whether I am in the dojo or at home. Now, if I feel like passing a comment even when it provokes someone, I say out my mind without worry,” Dunduru added.
Petronella Kanyamuka Lichanda (28), the only girl who trains at a Highfield dojo, enjoys karate rather than dread the pain that comes with the sport. And to her, it’s a way to shed some excess weight while keeping fit at the same time.
“I used to weigh 74kg and now I am at 66.As a little girl, I always picked up fights and I grew up intending to take up boxing. Now, my intention is to be a karate teacher,” the Highfield-bred karateka said.
Just like any other woman, Lichanda hopes to be married some day. But she has had to deal with men who are scared she could beat them up.
“They really wonder and think I could beat up a man if ever I was to be provoked in a relationship. But you learn to be disciplined. If I am asked to choose, I won’t quit karate,” Lichanda, who has gone through a year training kyokushin, said.
Muripo, who has six female karatekas at his dojo, said despite a lack of sponsorship to support women karatekas, societal expectations also hindered women from pursuing the sport.
Having trained female karatekas including Maud Tsikai, who went on to get a black belt in 2004 but quit after getting married, Muripo has seen an improved participation trend in female fighters
“I discovered that female karatekas learn the fundamentals of karate with speed than their male counterparts.
“Men are strong and tougher. But most of the time I receive women students who are adults and to tame them to become fighters takes two to four years for them to be able to take the heat.
“They come as adults to probably lose weight. The moment they become technically better, they get married, usually to a man who doesn’t like them to train karate and that becomes the end of the story,” the 2009 world champion said.
