Skye Knoester competes internationally in Judo with the South African flag pinned to her back, her journey firmly rooted in the shared Budō heritage that unites martial artists across disciplines. While most OSSU readers come from a karate background, there is a wealth of insight to be gained from the other branches of Budō, where the same principles reveal themselves through different expressions. Born into a dojo family and shaped by the guidance of her father, 6th Dan Sensei Oscar Knoester, she represents a lineage where discipline, timing, and composure are expected long before medals arrive. Training out of the UK while competing internationally for South Africa, Skye operates on a stage where strategy, distance, and mental control matter just as much as physical power — principles every serious martial artist understands. Her arena is throws instead of strikes, but the language she speaks is unmistakably the same.
> Gold (PTA African Open)
> Gold and Silver (Algiers African Open)
> Bronze and 7th (Montreal Panamerican Open)
> Bronze ( Yaoundé African Open)
> 5th African Championships and 5th in other African Opens
> Current Active competitor on the IJF world tour
What is your earliest memory of Judo that made you realise this was more than just a sport for you?
I think my earliest memory was when our club used to host a club competition at a hall behind my house. The whole club would come to help my parents set up the night before, on Friday. It was always about much more than just helping. We would end up fighting, doing randori and generally just messing around.
On competition day, we had athletes and parents helping from early morning until the end of the event. Afterwards, everyone would come back to our house for a braai, which was my favourite part at the time. I must have been around five or six years old then. That was when I really started to see that this sport creates bonds that last a lifetime and that we are all really one big family through Judo.
How did being raised in a dojo environment shape your mindset toward discipline and competition?
Being on the mat since birth has definitely shaped who I am today and how I approach everything in life. Having both my mom and dad as my coaches and being raised in a dojo taught me a type of discipline that I carry closely with me. It taught me how to approach situations in a way I don’t think schools can necessarily instil in kids. It created a very determined and confident mindset. It was comforting having both my parents on the mat with me growing up and giving me that extra support. But it also taught me to push through things whether I’m tired, happy, sad or even unmotivated. It gave me a level of consistency that I don’t think I would have developed from other sports.
Was there a moment where you consciously chose Judo as your path rather than simply following the environment you grew up in?
Yes, there have definitely been a few moments in my life where I consciously chose Judo. I think the first time I faced that decision was in my early teenage years. That’s when there’s more pressure to fit in, go out and be part of the social group at school. There were definitely times when I missed birthdays and trips with friends because of Judo. To be honest, there were moments as a teenager where I struggled with it. Not because my parents forced me, but more because of the internal pressure of deciding between a normal teenage life and Judo. Even now, competing on the world tour, I still miss trips, birthdays and important life events with people I love because I’ve chosen Judo and I have goals I want to achieve. These days it’s not really a question anymore. I simply plan everything else around Judo. But growing up, that freedom to choose between social life and the sport helped shape how I approach it now.
What does it feel like stepping onto an international mat representing South Africa?
This question is quite emotional for me. Living away from home to pursue my dream is already tough. When I started competing internationally more regularly, I initially felt quite anxious and even a bit embarrassed at times. When you go to training camps or competitions where you’re often the only South African there and you’re travelling with the GB squad, it can be daunting. A lot of European countries sometimes look down on you because they see your country as weak in Judo, simply because the sport isn’t as widely practised as it is in their countries. At first, that gave me mixed emotions and made me feel like an outsider. But that quickly changed. I realised that people might see me as the underdog, but I’m going to give them a fight that makes them remember me. Having the South African flag on my chest fills me with pride. It connects me to home when I’m far away, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was born and raised in South Africa, and it’s an honour to represent our country on the world stage.
Has competing abroad changed the way you see South African martial artists and their potential?
This is a tough question. Being exposed to so many different styles of Judo and training methods naturally makes you compare things. In South Africa, Judo is already at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the world. We struggle with funding, travel distances, and access to enough training partners and facilities. Combat sports are individual sports, but they also rely heavily on having training partners to improve. Training overseas really showed me how many partners and opportunities there are compared to back home. However, it hasn’t changed my belief in our potential. South Africans are incredibly driven people. I believe that with better opportunities and more support for combat sports, we could absolutely become dominant on the world stage.
What qualities do you think South African fighters naturally bring that others sometimes underestimate?
I often think about the Springboks when I answer this question. South Africans have a different kind of spirit and fight in them. My coach is British and he still jokes about how aggressive my fighting style is and how I never give up. He says it’s the South African in me. Even though we often start at a disadvantage internationally, we have a determination that allows us to go head-to-head with some of the strongest Judo nations. There’s something about proving people wrong that brings me a lot of joy. We have a unique kind of fight in us that I think is unmatched in many ways — not just in Judo, but in sport and in life.
What are the biggest advantages and challenges of training overseas while representing South Africa?
Advantages
- Constant exposure to top-level athletes
- Access to international training camps
- Better medical support
- More cost-effective opportunities for competition
Challenges
- Not always feeling part of a team
- Being far away from home
- Sometimes feeling alone
Do you ever feel the pressure of carrying both personal expectations and national representation at once?
Yes, definitely. I’ve always been a very competitive person in everything I do — whether it’s something small like hiking with my family or competing at world championships. After taking two years away from Judo and coming back to pursue it full-time, I put a lot of pressure on myself because I felt like I needed to catch up. Moving to another country meant learning a completely new style of Judo in an elite club environment. Training with athletes performing at a high level while trying to reach those levels myself added even more pressure. When I return to South Africa to compete, I also feel a certain spotlight on me. Not in an arrogant way, but because people know me and they notice the differences in my Judo now. With my family having a strong presence in South African Judo and in the IJF, I’m always very aware of how I perform and represent myself. I want to make South Africa proud, and I want to make my coach and family proud too.
In the opening seconds of a match, what is happening internally?
Before every fight my coach and I analyse videos of my opponent. So I always go into a match with a plan. In the opening seconds I’m looking at how my opponent stands — whether they are left- or right-handed. That determines how I approach the fight and how I adjust my stance and initial exchanges. At the same time I’m trying to stay calm and not rush into attacking too early.
Karate practitioners often talk about timing and distance. How do those ideas appear in your Judo?
Timing is absolutely everything in Judo. I’ve learned the hard way that forcing techniques or being out of sync with your body can completely change the direction of a fight. Distance also plays a big role in my style. I prefer having space when I fight. I tend to keep my distance and move in and out a lot. The best way to describe it is sometimes “hit and run” Judo. With that style your timing has to be perfect or it can cost you the fight.
Is there a technique that has become part of your identity as a competitor?
Movement is a massive part of my Judo. Without movement I can’t really do my style of Judo. At my club we don’t practise static techniques. Everything comes from constant movement. The throws that have really become part of my identity are ko-uchi and sode, both of which rely heavily on movement.
