Raptors Martial Arts Club is beaming with pride as they prepare to send 11 of their top students to the 2026 World Kickboxing Association World Championship, set for October 23-25 in Maryland, US.
The club, which is affiliated with Martial Arts SA and Kickboxing Organisation SA, operates gyms in Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp and St Francis Bay.
Raptors MMA chief instructor Shihan Gerhard Coetzee anticipates intense battles ahead as the championship celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary.
The 11 students who will be part of the KOSA SA team at this year’s WKA World Championship event are Maritza Marais, Caleb Siebrits, Leane du Preez, James Marais, Tytian van Rooyen, Liancka Lotter, Arielle Lotter, Maureen Crouse, Luan du Preez and Tristan Roelofse.
They will compete in three separate modes: light, semi-light and low-kick light.
“We currently have 95 students in total,” Coetzee said.
“We are super excited for our students to qualify. It takes a lot of work to get to where they are at the moment.
“They need to have a class attendance of 80%; they need to attend a development, a provincial and a national where they will be selected for the national team to represent SA abroad.
“We have done this many times before.
“Last year in October, we went to England, and I was selected to be the national coach for the South African team.
“We also had 11 students that year as well going to England, and it was a great experience.
“We are currently working towards sponsorships.
“All 11 of my team members have indicated that they would like to represent SA.
“Our only hurdle is funding.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the World Karate Association, and the event is expected to attract athletes from all over the world.”
Coetzee, a former world martial arts champion, said last year’s host country, England, was one of the most difficult teams to compete against due to the large number of students participating in all modes.
So they will be a force to be reckoned with again this year.
However, Coetzee believes his students will perform to the best of their abilities on the world stage.
“We expect our students to perform well. We finished fourth in the world last year.
“So we anticipate better performance from our students this year.
“We have been serving the Kouga region for the past 10 years, and we have expanded significantly.
“Given the high standards we set and the discipline in class, we expect them to perform well.”
He said last year, each student paid R50,000 to travel to England, and that this year, due to the current situation in Europe, the cost should double.
“Unfortunately, we do not receive any financial assistance from any government organisation or sports foundation.
“Last year, our students raised funds, and we plan to do the same this year, which will help us take our team to the world championship.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students, but unfortunately many of them have financial constraints.
“However, we believe we can make a plan to take them over so that they can become world champions.”
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