Two top Finalists of the K-1 World Grand Prix, Ray Sefo (NZ) and Glaube Feitosa (Brazil) are trained by Jayson Vemoa from New Zealand who is more commonly known throughout the martial arts world as Supercharge. As Head Kickboxing Instructor at the Ichigeki Academy in Japan, Supercharge gives us steps of the road taken to get to Tokyo Dome with Team Sefo and Team Ichigeki.
1st step to the Dome, (Team Sefo) Supercharge helps train Ray Sefo for K-1 Korea June 2006. They both travel to Seoul for Ray Sefo (NZ) Vs Ruslan Karaev (Russia). Ray Sefo KO’s Ruslan Karev in the 1st round, 1 minute 42 seconds.
2nd step to the Dome, (Team Ichigeki) Supercharge helps train Glaube Feitosa for July 2006 K-1 Revenge Sapporo, Japan with an epic win over K-1 Japan legend Musashi.
3rd step to the Dome, (Team Sefo) Supercharge and Faii Falamoe (NZ) train up Ray Sefo for K-1 USA. Team Sefo travels to The Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas for the super fight against Azem Maksutaj (Switzerland) whom Ray KO’s in 2 minutes of the third round with a spectacular KO.
Supercharge training Glaube Feitosa (Brazil) and Ray Sefo (NZ)
Team Ichigeki winning against Musashi at K-1 Revenge, Sapporo, Japan
4th step to the Dome, (Team Ichigeki) Supercharge helps to train Glaube and Ray for K-1 GP Eliminations in Osaka Japan in order to qualify for Tokyo Dome GP Finals.
Glaube Feitosa wins against K-1 Oceania Champion 2006 – Paul Slowinski (Australia) securing a place in the final 8 and Glaube a favourite to win the Grand Prix Finals 2006.
Osaka Dome, Japan: Team Ichigeki – Supercharge, Glaube Feitosa, Mauricio Da Silva
(Team Sefo) Ray Sefo loses a close fight to Stefan “Blitz” Leko (Germany) but still manages to qualify as a reserve match for K-1 GP Finals 2006.
Final step – K-1 GP Finals Tokyo Dome (Team Sefo and Team Ichigeki)
Ray Sefo wins his reserve match by 1st round KO in 33 seconds against Melvin Mahoef. Glaube wins his quarter final match against Ruslan Karaev by 1st round KO.
Glaube loses his semi final match against Peter Aerts by 2nd round KO placing Glaube 3rd for the K-1 GP Finals 2006.
This year 2006 Semmy Schilt (Holland) defeated K-1 legends, defeating in the quarter final – Jerome LeBanner (France), in the semi final – Enersto Hoost (Holland) and in the final – Peter Aerts (Holland) to become undisputed K-1 World Grand Prix Champion for a consecutive 2nd time
Semmy Schilt – World GP K-1 Champion 2005, 2006
We catch up with Jayson “Supercharge” Vemoa after the K-1 GP Finals with his thoughts on the year.
TP: You have had a busy year, are there any highlights for New Zealand martial fans that have happened for Kiwi’s in Japan?
Supa: Apart from K-1 Grand Prix Finals, for me I would have to say training and cornering Jordan “Terror” Tai here in Japan with the Ichigeki Academy. Jordan has a new manager this year, Ray Sefo and due to Jordan’s outstanding fight performances at the S-Cup World Finals 2006 (Japan shoot boxing – standing valetudo), winning K-1 Max Eliminations 2006 and winning the Super League (Europe 2006) he has a great future fighting here in Japan. NZ martial art fans should keep a close watch on this young talented fighter in the future.
Supa helping Jordan Tai with his win at K-1 Max Eliminations September 2006 – Tokyo, Japan.
TP: Supercharge your training methods at the Ichigeki Academy have been proven by the results of the fighters you have trained. How do you account for this?
Supa: I feel that with any great fighter at this elite level of fighting you a need good team. We have a great team here at the Ichigeki Academy, Faii Falamoe from NZ, (Muhammed Ali Cup Boxing Champion) a boxing specialist who takes care of our fighters boxing skills, Mauricio Da Silva (Brazil) our kicking specialist from Kyokushin and former trainer to K-1 and Kyokushin legend Filho Francisco (Brazil), and myself; I help strategize both styles together using pad work and sparring with my knowledge and experience to form a complete fighter. We all work together as a well oiled machine with the individual fighters on their particular fight strategy for their game. Each fighter is unique so you have to adapt to each individual fighter. Team Ichigeki has a proven formula that has produced some good results for our fighters and this has not gone unnoticed from the other top camps and fighters here in K-1. Basically talent and toughness will only take you so far, fighters have to realise they need to surround themselves with good people, a good team, especially when you reach this level of competition like K-1.
TP: We know you are now based here in Japan, what is in the future for you here and when is the next time we will see Supercharge in New Zealand?
Supa: I am busy taking kickboxing classes throughout the year here in at the Ichigeki Academy for the general public; they call them Supercharge Kickboxing Classes which are popular, which is lucky for me (laughs).
In February 2007 I will be travelling to NZ to take Kickboxing seminars throughout Auckland and Wellington for IKO Kyokushin to help promote the Ichigeki Academy in the Oceania region for Kyokushin.
The NZ Martial Arts public should be informed there are other roads to K-1. We have from Kyokushin Karate, Filho Francisco (Brazil), Glaube Feitosa (Brazil), Alex Pichkunov (Russia). From Seido Karate, Semmy Schilt (Holland), Sam Greco (Australia), Musashi (Japan), Andy Hug (Switzerland). These Karate-ka have adapted to K-1, why not other martial art talents from the Oceania region. The motto for K-1 is, “All Roads Lead to the Dome”. So in February apart from these kickboxing seminars we are also watching for future talent.
TP: Thankyou for the update from Japan Supercharge. Good luck for 2007 and we hope you keep us posted. It is good to know Kiwi’s are represented so well here in Japan and the K-1 World Circuit.
Supa: Domo Arigato Gozaimasu (thankyou very much).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Also a big thankyou to Fight Times Magazine to have a form of media like this so others can be informed on what Kiwi’s are doing worldwide in the martial arts world
For more updates on this Kiwi you can go to www.supercharge.co.nz
