Mixed Martial Arts |20 February 2016

Morne Swanepoel to run second series of workshops

 For the first big event of the year, the Seychelles Mixed Martial Arts Association will be hosting Morne Swanepoel for a second series of workshops and seminars from February 29 to March 2 at the Roche Caïman dojo.

Morne, who is based in Durban, South Africa, has been training and teaching martial arts and fitness since 1976 and holds and impressive resumé with black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, traditional karate and Yuishinkai Kobujutsu among others.

In addition to serving as a professional Mixed Martial Arts coach for several professional fighters, Morne shared his extensive knowledge and experience when training members of South Africa’s Specialised police units, VIP protection units and even members of the Los Angeles and New York police departments. He also served two years with a specialised anti-hijacking unit and another three years with a specialised undercover unit in South Africa.

The first workshop which is being held on Monday February 29, 2016 is a women’s self-defence session and will provide those taking part with knowledge and techniques which can be applied in real life situations.

On Tuesday March 1, there will be a workshop on MMA and is targeted for both existing athletes and those looking to try out the sport for the first time.

Meanwhile, the workshop on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) will be held on Wednesday March 2 and is also targeting both existing practitioners and those looking to try their hand at the sport for the first time.  All workshops are being held at the dojo from 6pm to 7.30pm and entry fees are R150 per person taking part or R100 for those who prefer to attend as spectators.

Seychelles Mixed Martial Arts Association chairman Adrian Nanty said: “The reality is that Seychelles is not as safe at it used to be and we continue to see an increase in crime despite the hard work being done by our police force. Sometimes having the most basic knowledge in self-defence can be the difference between life and death so we believe the self-defence class is especially important for women and girls considering the significant increase in break-ins, assaults and domestic violence over recent years.

“With regards to the Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu workshops, we strongly encourage all those who are already training to participate since these workshops are usually significantly more expensive and promise to accelerate your improvement in a single session. Yet, for those who have never tried either Mixed Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, these workshops present a perfect opportunity to learn about these sports while providing the opportunity to meet others who are already training.”