Kickboxing in Groningen: gyms, trainers and history

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Introduction

History of this sport

The Early Gyms. The history of kickboxing in Groningen spans several trainers and gyms. Fight Gym Choy-Bo calls itself the oldest kickboxing school in Groningen. According to the club’s own history, Pim Spoelstra started the school in 1992, when he stopped competing. His experience in the ring then continued through coaching others.

Anne Beukema and Kickboxing Chicara. Anne Beukema has an important place in the story KB Groningen tells about its origins. The club calls the trainer at Kickboxing Chicara “the true, serious founder of Muay Thai in Groningen.” Even after his death, his influence lived on through his students. An article by Vechtsportinfo on the club’s website describes him as a Groningen martial arts legend who died too soon.

Lessons Passed On. Gert Flik was a student of Beukema and took over his lessons when his trainer fell ill. Later, Flik started his own school on Rijksweg. The connection between Chicara and KB Groningen shows how knowledge and experience were passed from one trainer to the next generation. Alongside this lineage, Fight Academy Groningen and Shera Fight also have a place in the local scene.

Enfusion at MartiniPlaza. MartiniPlaza became a regular venue for major kickboxing events. Enfusion held fight nights in Groningen in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, among other years. The events brought international bouts to the city and gave fighters from the province a chance to compete in front of their home crowd. Groningen’s kickboxing history is therefore found not only in the gym, but also in the ring at MartiniPlaza.

World Titles on Home Soil. Sarèl de Jong won and defended Enfusion world titles at MartiniPlaza. On November 19, 2022, Dajenka Meijer became the first Enfusion world champion in the women’s open-weight category there. In 2026, Jorina Baars also won a special title at an Enfusion event in Groningen: her tenth world championship. These are different careers that meet on the same urban fight stage.

Local connections

From Chicara to a new generation. The relationship between Anne Beukema and Gert Flik forms a tangible connection within Groningen’s kickboxing community. Flik trained with Beukema, took over his classes when he fell ill, and later started his own school. It shows how a sports school is shaped not only by a name or a building, but also by the trainers and students who carry on the classes.

The province comes together at MartiniPlaza. Events in the city bring fighters from across the province and their supporters to one venue. De Jong, Meijer, and Reemeijer each come from a different place, but all share a connection with MartiniPlaza. Groningen provides the stage for their bouts and title fights. This highlights the regional character of the events without conflating the city and the province.

Sport and connect. KB Groningen describes Koffie & kickboksen as its own concept, running since 2018. It combines sport with having coffee together afterward. Alongside the big fight nights, this shows another side of local kickboxing: training together and making space to connect outside the exercises.

Martial arts facts

Six consecutive Enfusion years: 2014–2019
World title in front of a home crowd: 19 November 2022
Tenth world title in Groningen: Jorina Baars, 2026
Coffee & kickboxing: Since 2018

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Clubs and training locations

Training in this city

Choosing a training goal. If you want to start kickboxing in Groningen, you can first decide what you want to get out of training. Perhaps you want to learn how to combine punches and kicks, improve your fitness, or eventually compete. Discuss your goal with the trainer and ask which group would suit you. The competition ring at MartiniPlaza is one side of the sport; your daily training doesn’t have to be geared toward a competitive career.

Building technique step by step. Ask how the school supports beginners with stance, footwork, punches, kicks, and defense. A trial class gives you the chance to experience how the trainer explains things and whether you get enough time to learn the movements. Also pay attention to how partner drills are conducted and what the rules are for pace and contact.

Sparren is something to discuss beforehand. Find out whether sparren is part of the classes, when beginners take part, and how the intensity is monitored. Also ask whether you can train without sparren. Discuss which gloves and protective gear you’ll need, so you don’t buy equipment in advance that isn’t suited to the class format or the gym’s rules.

Finding a place in Groningen that suits you. Choy-Bo, KB Groningen, Fight Academy Groningen, and Shera Fight are names in the local scene. Check their current information directly with each school: class times, group structure, costs, and coaching may change. If working out together and socializing are important to you, you can also ask about Koffie & kickboxing at KB Groningen.

Choose a club

Start with your goals. A long club history or a well-known coach can be interesting, but it doesn’t automatically tell you which martial arts school in Groningen is the best choice for you. Decide whether you want to train recreationally, learn technique, or compete. Then ask how the school supports that goal and which classes are suited to your experience and age.

Compare the coaching. Ask how beginner classes are structured, how many people attend, and how much attention you’ll get during exercises. During a trial class, pay attention to the explanations, how members interact, and how the coach supervises contact training. An environment where you can ask questions and learn at your own pace is more important than an impressive name by itself.

Make safety a priority. Ask about the rules for sparren, how training partners are matched, and what protective gear is required. Find out what you need to bring to your first class and whether equipment can be borrowed. That way, you can experience the atmosphere and class format before deciding what gear or membership you need.

Choose a place you can keep going to. Check how the location and class schedule fit into your daily routine in Groningen. Compare travel time, costs, and options for trying a class. It’s easier to train regularly when the practical details work for you and you feel comfortable with the group. Check current terms and opening hours with the school directly.

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Athletes with a connection to this city

Fighters from the province on the city stage. These fighters’ connection to the city of Groningen comes through their bouts at MartiniPlaza. Sarèl de Jong, Dajenka Meijer and Martin Reemeijer are from towns in the province, not the city itself. Their appearances in Groningen give the galas a distinctive regional significance: supporters can watch fighters from their own area compete on a major stage.

Sarèl de Jong. De Jong is from Meedhuizen. At MartiniPlaza, she won the Enfusion world title several times and successfully defended it. RTV Noord described one of those victories as her fourth world title: two in the under-64 kg category and two in the under-61 kg category. Her connection to the city lies in the title fights she contested there, while her roots remain in Meedhuizen.

Dajenka Meijer. Meijer is from Kiel-Windeweer, in the municipality of Midden-Groningen. In October 2021, she became WAKO K1 world champion. On November 19, 2022, she reached another milestone at MartiniPlaza: in front of her home crowd, she became the first Enfusion women’s world champion in the open-weight division. Her world titles belong to two different organizations and should therefore not be treated as one and the same title.

Martin Reemeijer. Reemeijer is from Stadskanaal and has fought several times at MartiniPlaza. His appearances as a regional hometown hero give him a place in Groningen’s gala story. In this case, the city is the competition stage where supporters could cheer him on, not his place of origin.

Jorina Baars. In 2026, Baars won her tenth world title at an Enfusion gala in Groningen. She is not a fighter from the city, but her title victory did take place on Groningen soil. This milestone therefore belongs to the history of events hosted by Groningen.

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Trainers with a connection to this city

Pim Spoelstra and Fight Gym Choy-Bo. Spoelstra was instrumental in founding Choy-Bo. The club describes how he built up his martial arts experience at Chakuriki Gym and Sportcentrum KOPS. The school also mentions that he trained with Peter Aerts from 2006 to 2019. According to the club’s history, he started Choy-Bo in 1992 after ending his competitive career. His background as a fighter and his continued training are part of the story behind the Groningen school.

Anne Beukema and Kickboxing Chicara. KB Groningen describes Beukema as a key pioneer of Muay Thai in the city. His significance also lies in the people who learned to train with him and later went on to teach themselves. This teacher-to-student lineage can be seen in Gert Flik, who took over his classes when Beukema fell ill. Chicara’s influence thus remained present even after Beukema’s death.

Gert Flik and KB Groningen. Flik started out as Beukema’s student and went on to become a trainer and gym owner. After taking over his teacher’s classes, he later opened his own school on Rijksweg. KB Groningen and Vechtsporten Groningen connect his name with this local training story. KB Groningen also offers Koffie & kickboxing, which combines working out together and then having coffee.

Sirano ’t Zand and Fight Academy Groningen. Fight Academy Groningen presents Sirano ’t Zand as an experienced kickboxer with more than fifteen years of experience. His school is one of the places shaping Groningen’s kickboxing scene. Those who want to train there can contact the school to ask about coaching, class formats, and options suited to their own level and goals.

Shera and Shera Fight. Shera initially started his school in Suriname and later brought it to Groningen, his birthplace. Shera Fight has been around since 2010. His story adds a different path to the local training scene: a gym that started elsewhere and then continued in Groningen. For anyone looking for a school, the current class offering matters more than just the founder’s background.