Brava: Kickboxing coach for 20 years trying to create a martial arts team on the island

Ousmane Diouf is a native of Senegal, he was runner-up twice in kickboxing and for 20 years he has lived and worked in Brava, where his “biggest dream” since he arrived was to create a team in the sport.

Ousmane Diouf, in an interview with Inforpress, said that he has always trained in this type of martial arts and in karate.

When he arrived in Brava, 20 years ago, he came up with the idea that on the island he would find some group that he could join in the martial arts, but as he didn't find it, he decided to create his own group, as a way of not staying still and making people fall in love with other sports other than just football.

However, he saw his dream “fall apart” when he did not find a suitable space and he saw that on the island, people are not so easily interested in other sports.

Due to lack of space, he opted for kickboxing, because, as he explained, karate is more difficult, requires more material conditions, a special room and, as he does not have the means to acquire everything that this modality requires, he decided to teach and practice what space allows. .

“Most people who attend my classes, even if they are free, are teachers from other islands and some of my students I manage to demonstrate the importance of the modality”, said Ousmane Diouf, a little disappointed.

Even so, he added that his class has no more than 12 students and only five or six are permanent, because, in the case of teachers from other islands, when they find a transfer they have to leave, leaving the gap.

This obstacle thus prevents having a stable group and every year, they almost always start from scratch.

At the moment, he pointed out that they are training in a classroom at Escola Secundária Eugénio Tavares, where every day they have to arrange the chairs to find a little space to allow them to train.

In addition to the lack of interest on the part of people and a space, Ousmane Diouf also said that he has no support and has already been offering free training for 20 years.

He referred that the Cape Verdean Karate Federation told him that if they had a space they could support in material terms, but as they don't have it, it was not possible and without support, he has already given up on seeing the island inserted in the universe of martial arts, continuing with the workouts just to keep in shape and teach those who want to learn to later dedicate themselves.

Asked about the attempt to start with the children, he explained that at first he even tried, but the room was small, it was in a multipurpose room and the number of children was uncontrollable, ending up giving up.

Regarding the adults, he made it clear that while he was on the island, or even elsewhere, he would always insist on people, encouraging them to train in other sports.

“I have always insisted that people train other sports that are not just football, because this is limited because at 30 they end up abandoning their career and then they drink and do not advance any further and martial arts while we are alive and health we train until we die”, he concluded.

MC/CP

Inforpress/end