Teaching discipline to the youth
| GIRL POWER: The beginner's class of the Port Alfred Goju-Kai Karate-do meets at the Goodwill Centre in Campbell Street on Mondays, and the first class of the evening is an all-girl affair. From left (back row) are Shadai Nelson, Casey Valentine, Lauren Swartz with sensei Clive Naidoo at the back and (front row) Caithlin Marais and Lisa Vogel Picture: ROB KNOWLES |
ROB KNOWLES
DISCIPLINE is the key word at the Goju-Kai dojo, based at the Goodwill Centre in Campbell Street every Monday evening where students of karate learn the basic principles of the sport.
Sensei Clive Naidoo has had difficulty in the past finding a suitable premises to teach his students, but is grateful the Goodwill Centre was made available to him.
"It's quite small,” said Naidoo, fresh produce manager at Woolworths at Rosehill Mall, "but at last we have a place where I can teach the children the art of Goju-Kai karate.”
Naidoo believes karate is more than a sport, and can affect every part of a student's life
.
"When I was young, like a lot of the children in the area, my family was poor and crime was rife,” said Naidoo.
"The only alternative to crime was to take up a sport, and I was fortunate to take up karate. If not, my life could have turned out considerably different,” he said.
"Among other things, karate teaches discipline. That's important for these children who don' have money and could easily be seduced into a life of crime.”
Naidoo believes karate teaches self respect as well as respect for others. He currently teaches 22 of the area's youth and would take on more students, except that the size of the dojo limits the numbers he is able to enrol.
Talking about the students in the dojo between 5pm and 6pm, Naidoo was particularly pleased they were girls. 
"In the next few months the girls will progress to their first (yellow) belt,” said Naidoo. "I have another group who are more advanced who attend between 6pm and 7.30pm, as well as a few adults.
"Karate saved my life,” he said. "And I would like to help other children learn as I did.”