Latest update January 21st, 2025 5:15 AM
Jun 19, 2016 Sports
With families in Guyana increasingly becoming caught in a “time squeeze” just as their counterparts in many other countries, such as in the United States, so too did the Ramlal family with the parents Nadia and Paul Ramlal finding
themselves working longer hours, and taking less vacation time with their young children as they sought to balance the many demands of work and family.
However in January of 2011, after their two daughters Rebecca and Rachael expressed an interest in martial arts, they decided to enroll them in the Guyana Karate College, one of the finer karate institutions in the country.
At that time Rachael was a very petite six years old in Prep A with Rebecca just a little older at eight years old in Primary One, both attending the prestigious Marian Academy. The following year in September 2012 their brother and youngest sibling Jonathan, decided he wanted in as well, and joined the GKC at a mere five years old whilst in Nursery Two at the same Marian Academy.
Karate, the Ramlals found, was a fun way for all three to achieve fitness and focus, teaching them self-discipline and socialization skills.
For three days in each week they practiced this martial arts’ particular skills, which included kicks, punches and blocks, each requiring concentration and strict attention.
Progress was marked by the belt system, which took them from a white belt through a variety of colors until black, with testing for each new level, being done every four months by Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-A-Tai 9th degree black belt and Chairman of the world karate organization, the International Karate Daigaku, with both Rebecca and Rachael earning the coveted black belts (shodan rank) on November 15th 2013.They both went on to attain their 2nd dan black belts (Nidan rank) two years
later, while Jonathan achieved his shodan black belt, on November 29, 2015 at eight years old. It should be noted that Rachael presently a 2nd Dan black belt (Nidan Rank) which she earned on 26th June 2015 at just 10yrs 6 months, is currently the youngest female 2nd Degree black belt across the globe under the umbrella of the world karate organization the International Karate Daigaku.
However this is not all for the Ramlal siblings in karate-do, but rather they also have been making Guyana proud with Rachael and Rebecca becoming gold medalists at both the Caribbean and the South American Karate Championships in team kata, Bunkai and enbu. Additionally they became gold medalists at the World Karate Championships in team Bunkai and bronze medalists and in team enbu at that tournament held in Toronto, Canada, whilst their brother Jonathan was a kata bronze medalist at the South American tournament and excelled at the World Karate Championships, winning gold in team Bunkai and team Kata, a silver in individual kata and a bronze in team enbu, and individual kumite.
The Ramlals are convinced that the benefits they have derived from Karate-do go beyond their outstanding achievements in the martial art as Rachel, Rebecca and Jonathan have all been excelling academically with continuous A+ performances at their school and with the girls also involved in ballet, music, and chess, whilst their brother Jon is an avid table tennis, chess and music enthusiast.
Impressed with the physical and mental benefits associated with karate training which includes increased
fitness, focus, and self confidence, all of which extends across the lifespan of a practicing Karateka, Nadia their mother decided in 2015 to join the dojo herself and now proudly carries the rank of a purple belt or 4th kyu and will be grading in another few weeks for her brown belt or 3rd kyu rank.
Nadia is convinced that there are also family strengthening properties associated with training together as a family, as it is more than just an opportunity to be together in time and space, but also a chance to explore and enjoy a shared interest, and in so doing contribute to a sense of closeness within the family.
It is the unwavering opinion of the Ramlal family that many more young people should get involved in the martial art of karate-do, especially young girls, now that bullying and domestic violence has become so perverse in our society.
By providing benefits such as confidence, discipline, respect, self-control, leadership, stress relief, and self-defense; martial arts helps persons of all ages including the children who are being bullied, and women in situations of domestic violence.
The world of karate was traditionally a male dominated environment. However, a new wave of enthusiasm for female martial artists has been surging through the world, including Guyana.
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