Mohan Kuthar

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Apr 20: Vedhika S Das clinched silver and bronze medals at an international-level karate competition held in Malaysia, which saw participation from contestants of 12 countries.

Competing in the 10–12 years colour belt girls’ category (above 50 kg), Vedhika won a silver medal in the kumite division and a bronze medal in the kata division. She is the daughter of assistant engineer Das Prakash of the Mangaluru Public Works Department and represented the Western Institute of Martial Arts Academy.

Her achievement was recognised and appreciated by Assembly Speaker U T Khader, who felicitated her in the city.

Vedhika achieved this feat at the 4th International Shotokan Hayadese Karate Championship held on April 11 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Having started karate training in 2024, it is notable that she has reached this level within just one year. With consistent practice over the past year, she has already earned a yellow belt. Representing the Western Institute of Martial Arts Academy, she trained under the guidance of Kyoshi Surendra B, Kyoshi Victor D’Souza, and Sensei Aneesh B, developing her skills.

Sharing her experience of facing several challenges on the international stage, Vedhika said, “I adopted continuous practice and discipline. To overcome stiffness in kata, I focused daily on breathing exercises and stretching. By deeply understanding the meaning behind each movement, I achieved technical precision. To overcome fear and anxiety in kumite, I practised more sparring and used visualisation techniques to observe my opponent’s movements.”

According to her coaches, focusing simultaneously on the surrounding environment and one’s own techniques during performance is challenging. Specific katas like Pinan Shodan, which form the foundation of karate, pose difficulties. Maintaining proper hand positions and mastering hip movement are major challenges for beginners. Understanding how each movement in kata applies in real combat is essential. Sanchin focuses on stability and close combat, and maintaining stability in low stances like ‘shiko-dachi’ used in Sanchin is difficult. Performing in low stances for long durations requires strong leg and core muscles. Winning in kumite tests timing and mental control. Deciding the right distance from the opponent and when to attack is extremely difficult. Recognising and countering an opponent’s attack instantly is a major challenge. Pressure and anxiety during matches can disrupt planned strategies. Maintaining proper posture and sharp hand movements, visualising the fight in advance, sustaining confidence, and having the speed and strength to execute techniques instantly are crucial, they opined.