Solis Ortis Karate hosted yet another very successful Open Day on 19 January 2019. Sensei Eugene Oosthuizen welcomed more than 80 potential new karateka and parents with a brief history of the dojo, now in its 41^st year.

The day kicked off with a demonstration by Sensei Eugene and his Black Belts. These senior karateka demonstrated Tekki Shodan kata, juyi ippon kumite (semi free fighting) and a bought of dojo-style free fighting. The audience was in absolute awe, judging by the oohs! and aahs! that could be heard.

The Black Belts were followed by Sensei Sandy Oosthuizen’s minis. These are little karateka range from ages two-and-a-half to five years. The mini class focuses on fundamental movement skills and aims to develop gross motor skills. These skills are very important not only to excel in karata, but also to develop other sports as well as concentration.

The minis were followed by the coloured belt classes starting from white belts up. Sensei Eugene explained the Five Maxims, which all Solis Ortus karateka try to follow. The Maxims as explained by Sensei Eugene are:

• Character – karate is perfect to build a person’s character. One must be develop humility in victory and grace in defeat.
• Etiquette – there is a certain etiquette in karate, and especially at Solis Ortus. Etiquette teaches respect, towards yourself as well as others.
• Sincerity – one’s actions must always be sincere. Karate therefore requires a person to always act honestly.
• Perseverance – karate is hard, and Solis Ortus trains very hard. This teaches karateka to not only persevere in their karate career, but also that daily life, from school and exams through to work, family and friendships, requires dedication and effort. Always endeavour to be the best you can be.
• Self-control – karate requires self-control. Self-control requires discipline in everything one does.

The highlight of the Open Day was when Sensei Eugene invited all the potential new karateka onto the tatami for a round of practice. Everyone was awarded with a crisp, brand new white belt to start their karate life.

Solis Ortus looks forward to welcoming everyone that attended to the formal classes, as well as anyone else who is interested.

OSS!