Hoaeb gives online kickboxing classes

By Michael Uugwanga

KICKBOXING is a sport that has taken off in recent years and local kickboxer Lesley Hoaeb is not letting Covid-19 get in his way of giving lessons to enthusiasts.

Hoaeb used to train at the Namibia Kickboxing RSFA Academy in Walvis Bay before the gym was forced to close due to lockdown regulations since March. In view of this, Hoaeb was therefore forced to find an alternative way to train and teach his students; hence the decision to take his lessons online.

Hoaeb currently has more than 263 students countrywide and says he is happy that he continues to teach and also keep in shape while waiting for the situation to normalise.

He gives online classes daily between 18H00 and 19H00 to his many kickboxing students; most who are still learners.

“Everything is going well so far.

I am just trying to keep myself and my students fit.  I am trying my level best. It has been a very tough and challenging year due to Covid-19.  Each day I give classes to different groups.  Some of these students are busy with their final examinations, so it is very difficult to have the session on a daily basis with each and every one,” he said adding, “I could have been fighting in the US and in South Africa.  One has to defend a title every second month.”

Hoaeb is a super-lightweight world champion, a title he won in Swakopmund this year at the King of the Ring event.

Namibian Kickboxing Federation president, Anita de Klerk said the federation was supposed to host five championships before Covid-19 disrupted everything.

“We were supposed to have NKF qualifiers and the Desert Storm event. We are not allowed to host any competitions therefore we will focus only on 2021.

We do not get any financial assistance from the Namibia Sports Commission … so far the only thing happening is the Zoom classes for students”.