Self-help self-defence fitness

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KNYSNA NEWS - Women of Hornlee, Knysna, are taking their fitness and safety into their own hands, with local sports trainer Herley Julies leading a community fitness programme that doubles as self-defence training.

As people right across the world can attest, lockdown has taken a big toll on fitness, with many falling into a sort of 'lockdown slump'.

However, it has also left its mark on South African women as the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) rose once again while the vulnerable women were locked up with their abusers.

The lack of fitness and training has taken a particular toll on those who were used to playing sport on either a social or club level. Structured amateur sport hasn't been played in Knysna for months, and this prompted members of Hornlee's netball fraternity to approach Julies to help them regain their fitness. Julies not only saw it as an opportunity to help the ladies with their fitness, but to also provide self-defence training.

Photo gallery: Herley Julies teaching fitness and self-defence

"Gender-based violence is a big problem all around the country, and it is unfortunately no different in Hornlee," Julies said. "So when I was approached by one of the netball ladies, I wanted to provide women of the community with an accessible fitness programme that also gave them the opportunity to learn some self-defence tactics."

Julies kicked off his programme on Tuesday 12 January and has held the training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday since at 17:30, training in a small municipal park behind the Hornlee Clinic.

"I feel very lucky that I am able to help the ladies keep fit and active, while also teaching them how to keep themselves safe," Julies said. "There has been so much progress with the ladies in the short time we have been training. They are all so determined, and I am very proud of them."

The group has grown from only four to just over 30, with ladies of all ages joining the training every week.

Jeran Pietersen completes one of the various exercises.