 Yes, it did and a very good afternoon. Welcome to the touchline on Y25 from Bernardo Kumu and I'll be here for the next two hours talking and taking you through what has happened in the world of sports and a lot we have in our trade today. This lovely afternoon of course not forgetting that there is the Africa Cup of Nations ongoing of course round of 16 kicking off today and we'll be telling you how Namibia will be meeting Angola and also fancing the chances between two so on rivals that's Niger and Cameroon. Of course the two matches will be live on KBC Channel 1 from evening that's at 8pm and also Cameroon Nigeria will be at 8pm and will be preceded by the Namibia against Angola. All that and much more of course in our segment later we'll be discussing in depth about how the teams, how the 16 teams did make it and what were the surprises as well as some of the casualties of that particular tournament the Afghan locally. There is the ongoing AK third meeting at the Nyaya National Stadium of course at 30 Kenya putting in top gear all the preparations being an Olympic here making sure that the athletes are ready and in foam ahead of the selection and trials for the 2024 Pari games and not forgetting the opening round of the 13 leg WRC World Rally Championship which is happening in Monte Carlo of course the third leg will be here in Kenya that's the Sapphire Rally later on in March. All that and much more including the interviews very good afternoon welcome to the touch line of course on set to have Barry Sila as usual Barry is the sports writer from the people daily he's also here to give his insights into this particular conversation that we'll be having today and our guest today is a Kenpo Karate coach that Alex Onyango from Ama Studios in Ongataronga Karibuni Sana gentlemen on set today. Yes and Alex I think you are the guest Barry a regular here senior couple of times but it's the first time that we're meeting on this particular platform by a very good friend as well in this particular industry of sports writing and journalism but Alex maybe you could begin by telling us how did you find how did you come up with Ama Studios and what's basically Kenpo Karate in Kenya. Thank you very much Mr. Kumu. Ama Studios did not just pop into my brain but this came as a result of challenges in Kenpo, Kenpo Karate and I wanted something more, I wanted to take Kenpo to the next level. Yes and that's what your background yourself what motivated to pick on Kenpo Karate you had maybe carried the national flag in previous championships and so you saw it fit to now give back to society or share the knowledge that you have. Yes actually I did not start my martial art journey as a Kenpo artist I started my journey as a Taekwondo student. Later on I joined Shatokan as the art that was found where I was going to school but later on when I came to the city that is Nairobi city I was staying in Langata. I went to inquire if there is art anywhere around then I was told we have art here but it's new and it's called Kenpo. Have you ever heard about Kenpo then I say it's not one of the arts that I know because during those time the only known arts were Shatokan and Taekwondo. I say because I love martial art then why not give it a try that is how I started my Kenpo journey. Yes and what are the some of the basic characteristics of Kenpo Karate? Kenpo Karate is divided into three major divisions and one is the basic part of it the self defense and the freestyle. This is different from the other art that I used to train in because freestyle entertains and fascinates at some point knowing how to handle things knowing how to move with the techniques in a rapid fire succession. You can move with the techniques in that speed and at the same time you ensure that the principles of either the clock system or the principles of motion to ensure that economy of either energy or economy of the strikes that you are using yet you sell deliver to 100%. Yes and what are just like many of the martial arts you know they have like philosophical or spiritual findings you know but what does Kenpo preach and how do you pass that over to the trainees? Kenpo is like any other martial art and as I will say martial art is always about you know the mind, the body and the soul. So one Kenpo can you know give you the meditation part of it. Kenpo can give you the entertainment part of it and the most unique thing about Kenpo is the discipline aspect. Discipline in terms of how well can you articulate your technique, how well can the technique that you've learned you can use them for good and how well can you display them on the platform when given a chance. On that same issue the discipline issue Kenpo is one of the art that you can blend whether you go to play this different art or the other different art you can still you know play by the rules and still win within their rules. Yes and now at Amas Studios have you gotten a chance to represent the country, get players out there and expose them to international championships and how has it been you can talk about maybe 2023. 2023 was one of the wonderful years because since Amas Studios was founded that was way back in 2016. We've done a lot of national competition in the county with other Kenpo Federation, with other Kenpo practitioners in different counties, cities. The last was in the seminar Kuru July 2023 where my studio team was number one and we felt that now is time we try if these kids you know they are better the way we've seen them better can we try them internationally so that we be sure that whatever that you are passing on to them works not only within our country but also outside. We got a chance to go and play in South Africa that is Cape Town where we made several teams Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe there were some others from Senegal and South Africa itself. I went with a team of nine players and we managed to scope 25 medals and two trophies. So through that I believe that whatever we are passing on to practitioners in Kenya here as Kenpo East is something worth an international recognition. How crucial was your performance in South Africa? How do you build it this year now? This year we were thinking if possible we also welcomed them because you know you don't always love being a visitor somewhere else. Sometimes also you have to welcome them back to feel how it feels to have visitors at home because when we went there the hostility there was something that I've never experienced. They were so good to us and they were taking us around. Anything the kids because I was having kids from five years old to all this was around for 14 years old. The hostility that they gave us we felt like we were a family. During the times that we were not engaged in martial arts because you can't play martial arts from morning to evening we found ourselves they teach kids on how to make some called the mayoneses some of the veggies that you eat with the french fries. For them martial arts is not just kicking and punching it also carries the discipline of kids knowing how to conduct things in the house. You don't eat on a plate then you leave it there for maybe house manager to come and pick it. This kid must have a responsible I can go get my food, prepare it, eat it then take it, wash my dish. So for me it was one of the platforms that I was not only learning the art itself. When we were there one thing also I came to realize that they don't separate arts. They are back in South Africa. We were competing with the Kenpo. We are competing with Shotokan. We are competing with Mantis the praying mantis. We are competing with Taekwondo and Goju and many other arts. So for them they have a unison platform where they agree on the rules. The ground rules because sometimes the traditional martial art have their rules that sometimes it's not favoring Kenpo or Kenpo have rules which are not favoring other arts. So for them they are one step ahead of us by unifying the rules. Unifying the rules where each and every practitioner is given a platform without being separated or segregated that you belong to this art and we belong to this art so we cannot mingle and play together. Yes and maybe Barry will come in after you answer this one. I mean you talk about how Kenpo, Mantis and other arts are no separated. Would you think that this can be replicated back here? Every journey starts with a step and where there is a belief there is always a way. And I believe the like-minded coaches who are open, you know martial arts are about an open half cup you learn every day and whether you are a black belt, you are a grandmaster, you must always create a room that simple free space where you can learn from others whether they are just a first degree or they are first done in black belt they have something unique that might change whatever that you've worked for maybe for 30 or 20 years that put you in a platform where everyone can see. So for me I believe the like-minded coaches who feel that they are a half cup and they need more. This is the same thing they can also replicate to their students and eventually to the whole nation. Barry? You coach maybe the scene in Kenya. How would you rate it? Because the way you are saying it's like the southern nations are more advanced. I believe they have more tournaments, they have more coaching infrastructure but the challenges especially with financial support how big of an impact is it in Kenya? One thing I would stress on is in Kenya there is what we call my way is the way my art is the art. And if all the coaches can get that stigma out of their head and they become also students at the same time they are coaches but any time something is more superior than what you have you'll want to understand it because I will not talk about either Taekwondo, Shotokan or Kenpo if I don't have the in depth of the specific art but that will be malicious. So in terms of finances we are not at upper hand like them because they will charge their class at maybe 7,000. As we charge maybe class as low as I don't know how much depending on the location of where you've located your club and I will say every little coin that comes into you you don't paste it on what you are giving out to the student. If I decided to be a coach I have to give it 101% because that is what I love doing unless you are in that profession by default I want to train people and get some few coins because eventually training people is not easy you will get tired especially when those coins are not coming to you but you see the numbers in class. So when I talk about finances sometimes I don't want to get into but with the little support and little recognition of either the government the clients understanding that these coaches also need also the money to propel their life those two things can help. The government will come into your aid let me say you've been invited to maybe a national championship international and you guys have tried your best we cannot go there depending on the expenses maybe you were invited in the U.S. where visas issues and all that now this is where the government I believe from my point of view this is where the government should chip in and help facilitate such. In terms of federation are they helping much? In terms of federation now that one I'll not get into it because I'll be out on the politics of a martial art because I've said the like-minded you get into the politics of everything sometimes you don't develop it. So I mean from the discussion is it an oxymoron for Kelpo to come together for everything for all the arts to come together to form one body and go forward as a team is it an oxymoron? I'll be very honest from my point of view because the division of arts there has to be something that triggered it out and you can come into a common thing maybe we do events together where we have roles that we've agreed on that these roles will cut across whether it's a shotokan as a art taekwondo as a art kujo, kenpo and when you have those roles then you can play you can do events together but once the division is there everyone has paved their path paved their way and at times you don't share what we call the syllabus and when we don't share the syllabus like different schools yet like let me just say class 8 at times there is a national exam that cut across whichever way your coach was teaching you your teacher was teaching you but now won't approve that who is better than the other or which could perform better than the other is now when we have a national event we rules that cut across all arts and what's the future of kenpo? kenpo started in kenya way back in 1997 that which was much later after other arts the two major arts were in play and like any other business getting kenpo to be understood was only possible in the cities because kenpo started in the capital city of kenya that is in Nairobi God rest his soul grandmaster Ahmed Kwanzara is the one who brought kenpo in kenya and I'll say in Africa because there was no kenpo anywhere in Africa when he brought it he tried to teach those who would accept the art those who found realize that maybe this thing has something that have not experience in other art those who came for the trials I want to try and they left there are those who stick to it and some of those coaches they've taught several of us and we also we've again spread the tendrils of kenpo to ensure that kenpo is penetrating to the grass roots kenpo nowadays if you say kenpo in kenya even machinani they'll ask you those guys who wear black gi initially the only gi which was known was a white gi that's a karate uniform and kenpo came as a unique thing they started with black gi we've spread it all over though in different federations because our syllabus are different if to name but just a few my federation is American Kenpo Jujitsu there is one of us one of my friend who was supposed to be with me today I think he's got somewhere is representing kenpo Legasi Paka I have another one who is representing Tiger Academy that is a Chinese kenpo then we have the African kenpo as one of the kenpo federation we have Mantis Kenpo we have Leo we have Yehu those are just to mention but a few maybe as we wind up just in a few seconds what are the forthcoming championships just briefly forthcoming championships that the kenpo karate and our students are looking forward to this year this year we were looking forward to host an international championship between July, August July, August, September where we will love all kenpo to come join and other arts because what I experience in South Africa was the roles that all arts can compete in a fair and level manner so we are looking also to host to replicate what we saw our South African compatriots doing in their country bringing the unison over martial arts that's Alex Onyango the kenpo karate coach I believe that we will have him in subsequent touch line shows thank you so much Alex for making time and gracing touch line this afternoon yes and of course we take a break we'll be back on the touch line