German Karate family land in Kenya to instil expertise to locals

A German couple from Frankfurt in Germany is in the country for a sojourn in which he shall be imparting a series of life skills training to Karateka enthusiasts.

The training program which is courtesy of Parklands Sports Club seeks to equip the trainees mostly with safety and protection tips especially for girls and women. Level Five Instructors Marcus and Alexandra Engel accompanied by their two children are on their first African tour after stints in their home country and neighboring Switzerland.

Parklands Club’s Sensei Godric Musoga who spoke to People Sport on the sidelines of a training session said it will be a great honor to have the two black belt holders interact with the local fans of the martial art.

“We are running a program called-Karate beyond Boundaries and as such, we have invited a family to Kenya to help train interested people. Marcus and Alexandra will partner with us for about four days and our biggest focus is on children. We have Children Ladies and General Classes which need attention,” said Musoga.

He added: ”The Ladies session will focus primarily on self-defense given how vulnerable they are and so we want them to be courageous. For the adults, we will be looking at inner details of Karate. At the same time, we are excited because our visitors are Physiotherapists who also focus on safe ways of training the body,’’ said the Second Degree Black Belt Trainer.

Giving tips

Musoga hinted that they received the connections of the experts on a Facebook page called Karate at Home where various experts were giving tips on the sport during the Covid-19 period and thus began their relationship and journey.

Speaking separately, Marcus Engel said he is happy with the response from the locals.

“It is my first time in Africa and Kenya has been hospitable to us as a family. Karate is growing here and that is exciting indeed so ours is to enhance training in the modern way. I was invited and from what I have seen, the country can make headways in the sport,’’

Engel went on: ”To practice here is a great feeling and I’m more impressed by the general attitude of Karate lovers. My focus is on technique while my wife will be preoccupied with self-defense,’’

The 50-year-old Physiotherapist added: “In the future, we have requests to go to Denmark, India, Mexico and Spain.

I will also be looking forward to travelling to other parts of Africa to explore the Karate culture if opportunity presents itself.”