Michael Pavel Kliment
Born
Uitenhage, South Africa (10 July 1972)
Married
to Janka with two daughters, Mikaila and Mija
Grade
6th Dan WJKA/WUKO
5th Dan JSKA
Previous
4th Dan KWF
3rd JKA
2nd Dan Funakoshi
Honorary 1st Dan Goju Ryu
Profession
Businessman
Highest Honor achieved
As competitor
1996 JKA World Champion (team kumite)
2000 JKA World Champion (team kumite)
1992 European SNP Champion (ind. kata)
1994 Bronze Medal European University Championships (ind. kata)
1995 European SNP Champion (ind. kumite)
1997-99 Member of National Protea Team (ind. and team kumite)
Many National Style and All Style Championships (ind. kumite)
1992 PE Technikon Sportsman of the Year
2008 Commonwealth Champion (team kata)
2008 International Kanazawa Cup Champion (team kata)
2008 Zone 6 African Champion (team kata)
Highest Honor achieved
As coach
1996 till present time Eastern Province Head Coach
2005 Eastern Cape Head Coach
1996 Junior National South African Protea Coach (Johannesburg,
WKF)
1998 Junior National South African Protea Coach (Namibia, WKF)
2000 Junior JKA coach (mainly team kumite) (Wales)
2002 JSKA National Head Coach (Germany)
2004 JSKA National Head Coach (Pretoria)
2004 SASSU National Coach (Serbia)
2004 Eastern Province Sports Council Coach of the Year
2004 Senior National South African Protea Coach (Mexico, WKF)
2005 Junior National South African Protea Coach (Cyprus, WKF)
2006 Eastern Cape Head Coach
2007 Eastern Cape Head Coach
2006 Eastern Province Sports Council Coach of the Year
2007 Eastern Province Sports Council Coach of the Year
2007 JSKA National Head Coach (Spain)
2007 JSKA National Head Coach (Italy)
Ambitions
To improve the quality of Karate in South Africa
To achieve success for South Africa on the World scene
To prepare our athletes for the Olympic Games
To make South Africa a feared karate nation in the World
PROFILE
I have grown up with Karate. At the age of 6 I started Funakoshi Karate under Sensei Kenny Tawse in Port
Elizabeth. I won many National style and all styles championships, but never was given the opportunity of
competiting at international events as South Africa was under that terrible regime in the 70’s and 80’. As
my family comes from the old Czechoslovakia, I had constant contact with their home Town University
and Karate schools. My first official Karate visit was 1990 when I went to Slovakia for 6 weeks of intense
Karate training while visiting my grandparents. They shared their kumite exercises while I helped them
with their kata applications and understanding. This was a start of a very long relationship with Sensei
Josef Poliak, who at this stage was the assistant coach of the Czechoslovakian National Karate team. Later
1996, he became the National Karate coach of the Slovakian Republic until present time.
On my third visit to Slovakia, I was awarded an honorary Shodan from the Slovakian Goju Ryu association
for my help and knowledge in kata participation. In 1992, I opened up my club and in doing so, twinned my
club with the University of Banska Bystrica karate club in Slovakia. This university club has won many
European University Championships. Also in this year, a small South African team was put together to tour
Austria, Hungary and then Slovakia for the European SNP Cup. I competed in both kumite and kata, and
won the Championship title in kata.
In 1993, I was selected to represent South Africa at the World JKA Championships held in Johannesburg.
This was a great learning experience, and held my head up high. I even gave the defending World
Champion, Yamaguchi, a good go in my fight. I only lost by 2-1, but the video will show you a different
story.
In 1994, I toured Europe once again. France, Germany, Austria and Slovakia were the countries I trained
with and then competed in the European University Championships were I was placed third, behind the
Current European Kata champion. I experiences at this event, taught me that our training methods in South
Africa was very wrong and so I decided to align my training methods accordingly. This was really put into
place in 1995, when 10 of my students were selected for the JKA South African team to Switzerland. My
club students brought back 4 medals. I also toured later in the year and competed at the European Snp Cup
were I took gold in the men’s under 70kg kumite division.
In 1996, I was selected for the JKA South African team for individual kata and kumite, and the team
kumite along side Senseis’ Shane Dorfman and Clem dos Santos. The World Championships were held in
Greece. We made history by dethroning the big champions Japan and eventually winning the World
Championship by beating the then WUKO/WKF World Champions, Germany. I also had 10 students in the
Junior Protea team that competed at the WKF Junior World Champions in Johannesburg. I was selected as
a coach for this team. I produced my first ever Junior all styles World Champion at this event. My new
training methods was starting to work and kick in.
In 1997, I mainly concentrated more on long distance fighting as there was no international tours. I was
selected into the Senior South African National Protea squad, and so started my career in the South African
National Protea Karate team. I was in the team for three years and in doing so competed in 2 Zone 6
African championships and won the U70 kg kumite titles, was in the squad for the African Games and
championships. Senseis’ Ian le Roux and Sandra Louw were our coaches after Sensei Edward Mtshali.
In 1998, I had students selected in the JKA National and the Junior Protea team. At the JKA World
Championships in Switzerland. Once again I had 10 students in the team and once again we won 4 medals
for the club. At the Junior Zone 6 African Championships, I had 5 students and they won a total of 2 gold, 2
silver and 2 bronze medals. I was also selected as the Junior National South African Protea coach. I was
also selected for the Senior National South African Protea team which competed against New Zealand in a
test match and also against Eqypt and New Zealand in the triangular tournament at the Carousel in Pretoria.
I was undefeated in both events.
In 2000, I had 12 members in the JKA South Africa team for our final JKA World Championships, which
were held in Wales. My club brought back 3 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals. I also coached the boys
under 18 team kumite team to an unpredictable win against all odds in their large division. My principles to
them was to stick together and count on each other for support, and to enjoy each and every fight. This
worked to its maximum.
In 2002, I became the Head Instructor of new fledgling association, the Japan Shotokan Karate Association
of South Africa. I took my first delegation to the JSKA World Championships in Germany, my small team
won 5 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals. This was again a great learning experience as the Slovakian all
styles team came to train with us on three occasions. We learnt that kumite is more than just kumite.
In 2004, I sent a 16-man JSKA team to the 2nd JSKA World Championships in South Africa, where my
students alone took 13 gold, 2 silver and 10 bronze medals. My best achievement was putting together a
very young ladies team kumite side. They consisted of a 15 year old, a 16 year old and the oldest a 21 year
old in the ladies open team kumite division. They completely dominated the division and won the world
championship hands down.
Later in the year my top student, Ronel Jantjes won the African Ladies Cup and came second to Karin
Prinsloo in the ladies open kata division. She was selected to represent the Senior South African Protea
National Karate team in Mexico for the WKF Senior World Championships. I assisted Sensei Andre Kok
with coaching and I believe we made a formidable team. Ronel placed in the last 16 in the ladies open kata
division. I also coached the SASSU National team for the World Student Games in Serbia. This team could
not achieve as it was very depleted due to financial constraints. I also coached the Junior South African
National Protea karate team in Cyprus in November 2005.
2008, member of the South African National Protea Karate team for Unison Kata. Won both the 2008
Commonwealth Karate Championships (Scotland) and the 2008 International Kanazawa Cup(Mauritius)
for Unison Kata.
My ultimate goal is to put South African karate back on the World Karate stage. I have been in contact and
training with the Slovakian National Karate team every year since 1992 and have learnt many great secrets.
I have also had sessions with Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, France and the Czech Republic. I was
also asked to represent Slovakia at the WKF Senior World Championships in Sun City 1996, but was
warned by Imtiaz Abdulla, the President of Karate South Africa, that I would forfeit my chance to represent
South Africa in the future, so I declined their invitation.
I have had the pleasure in training with the following Japanese masters in my life time: Asai, Tanaka, Abe,
Enoeda, Nagaki, Matsunami, Isaka, Yahara, Kanazawa, Yamaguchi, Naito, Murakami, to name a few. My
South African instructors that influenced my life has been Kenny Tawse, Chris Mance, Shihan Stan
Schmidt, Shihan Norman Robinson and my karate father, Shihan Malcolm Dorfman.
I believe that I have untapped talent and ability to get the best out of karate athletes. I have coached the
Eastern Province for many years and they always ask me first to help when it comes tight situations. I give
development clinics every month in the previously disadvantaged areas for free and do it for the love of the
sport.
This is my story.
Michael Pavel Kliment