CUPECOY--Henderik Ekema represented St. Maarten in three World Championships in England.
Now as a dad he looks back at his life and realizes the martial arts training he started at age five has helped him throughout his whole career.
With nearly 30 years of martial arts experience, Ekema is a Sensei (instructor) and now he wants to give back.
“Martial arts for children is a fun way to teach respect, discipline and working together,” said Ekema.
“This is the foundation kids need to build on to lead them into a good adult life.”
The students also learn better self control, hand-eye coordination, focus and listening skills. They develop a healthy lifestyle and become physically fit. Sports are also credited for helping children do better in school.
The sensei will be starting classes for children age 3 to 6 on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 9:45am. He will also be conducting classes for older children and adults on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:00pm.
The classes will be hosted in the iFearLess Kickboxing Academy located in the Dojo at 'Incredible Fitness and More' gym facility in the Rainbow Beach Club Building in Cupecoy.
Antonio Gosilio owns the gym. He is a nutritionist as well as a Mauy Thai Kickboxer. Gosilio is well known in his native land of Curacao and the Netherlands where he trained top athletes In the Muay Thai and bodybuilding for international competitions.
Ekema worked with Gosilio on his build-up to both World Championships, first in 2015 and again through 2016. Ekema had planned to compete at a third world championship in 2017, but Hurricane Irma arrived and changed everything. In the mist of the recovery, Ekema trained and competed again in 2018. He occasionally considers another try at the World Championships.
“It takes a lot of work and time to prepare for that level of competition,” admitted Ekema. “For now I want to concentrate on the children.”
Ekema looks around the dojo, smiles and says, “This place is amazing. It is a good safe facility with the best materials.”
The sensei is also organizing self defense and kick boxing classes just for ladies. They are set for Monday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15pm.
Incredible Fitness and More is located at 149 Rhine Road in Cupecoy. For more information call 544-4606 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
