By Fanuel Chinowaita
Sakubva, Mutare — Turf Ninjas have taken a major step towards strengthening combat sports in Manicaland with the launch of an academy and the hosting of a two-day referees and instructors workshop held on Friday and Saturday at Beithall in Sakubva.
Speaking during the workshop, Turf Ninjas Chairperson Knowledge Nyamhoka said Manicaland was endowed with sporting talent but continued to lag behind due to financial and organisational limitations.
“I have discovered that we have a lot of talent in Manicaland in terms of sports,” said Nyamhoka. “Standing here, I am holding belts, including an international belt won by Junior Knowledge. The metal belt is an African continental belt, while the other is a national title. However, due to financial constraints, we sometimes fail to travel outside the country to compete.”
To address these challenges, Nyamhoka announced the establishment of the Turf Ninjas Academy, which he said is internationally registered and will focus on grooming young athletes and creating structured development pathways.
“We want to train students while they are still young,” he said. “Martial arts should benefit children positively and keep them away from hooliganism and street fighting.”
He added that the academy has brought on board seasoned martial arts practitioners, including Master Solo, whose career dates back to the era of the late Master Mushoriwa, and Master Charles Sambare. According to Nyamhoka, the academy will offer training in disciplines such as kickboxing, taichi, karate and other martial arts codes.
As part of efforts to professionalise competitions, the workshop drew teachers and sports instructors from schools including Churchill and Mukumbe, among others. The programme focused on standardising officiating through training in refereeing, judging, scoring and proper match recording.
“We need referees, judges and recorders to be trained the standard way of doing things so that our competitions are recognised and credible,” Nyamhoka said.
The Referees, Corner Judges and Instructors Workshop covered both theoretical and practical components, including ring and tatami setup, boxing ring standards, the use of blue and red corners for opposing fighters, and correct ring dimensions, which include a standard 6×6 square ring or a 20×20 feet ring.
Turf Ninjas also unveiled its leadership structure, with Knowledge Nyamhoka as Chairperson, Parwaungana Fortune as Vice Chairperson, Allan Chinewaita as Secretary, Nelson Banana as Treasurer, Adam Chemwanyisa as Events Organiser, Fanuel Chinowaita handling Publicity, and Taisekwa Benevolence responsible for Administration.
Organisers said the successful hosting of the workshop marked a significant milestone in the professionalisation of martial arts in Manicaland, with plans already underway to roll out structured training programmes through the newly formed Turf Ninjas Academy.