If Machiel Grobler “shoots” at the right moment this weekend in Tunisia, there is a real chance that he could win a medal in beach wrestling during the African Beach Games.
Don’t worry; the Tuks wrestler is not planning to kill anyone to medal. “Shooting” is a slang word wrestlers use when discussing an attack during a bout.
According to Grobler, timing is of the essence when “shooting”.
“There is much more to wrestling than just stepping onto the mats and pinning your opponent. A bout lasts six minutes. You got to be focused every minute. Being tactically savvy definitely helps. If you can pre-empt your opponent’s next move, it is the right time to ‘shoot”.
Grobler seemingly has near mastered the art of doing so. Earlier this year, during the African Championships in Tunisia, he won a bronze medal in the under-92kg category. He did the same during last year’s Champs. As a junior in 2019, he finished 8th in his weight category at the World Championships.
According to Grobler, he started to wrestle at the age of five.
“I was born with an eye defect. It impacted on my ability to keep my balance. It was my father who decided that through wrestling, it might improve. It did not take me long to get hooked.
“I will be forever grateful to my dad. Over the years, he has sacrificed many hours to get me to training and take me to events to compete. He never once complained. It is easy to take it for granted.
“There was a stage where I wanted to quit the sport as I felt my results did not justify the long and hard hours I had put in. My dad made me sit down. We had a long discussion during which he explained that I had already achieved more than I had realised. Therefore it would be a pity if I quit. So I continued.”
The Tuks wrestler is a newcomer to beach wrestling. The first time he competed was after the African Champs in Tunisia. There was an informal tournament to introduce the sport to Africa’s wrestlers. Grobler finished third.
Beach wrestling takes place on the sand. It is a standing-up position style of wrestling, where no moves happen while on the ground. All bouts last for a single period of 3 minutes. Points are awarded for certain moves. If any part of a wrestler’s body, except the feet, contacts the ground, it results in a takedown. Takedowns are awarded one point. One point is awarded to a player if the opponent is pushed out. Two points are awarded for a takedown where the back makes contact with the ground. The first to three is the winner.
The other Tuks athletes who will be in action at the African Beach Games are Bea Meiring (wrestling), Amica de Jager (swimming) and Alexandra Ennis (rowing).