Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup attends a taekwondo class for kicks
TAEKWONDO classes have a reputation of being geared towards children and teenagers, and adults who attend generally have been doing it for years. But this is not to say that a novice adult can’t pick up and learn taekwondo from scratch.
I recently joined a class organised by Pusat Seni Mempertahankan Diri Action in Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak South at the suggestion of my colleague Loong Wai Ting.
She is a fourth degree black belt holder and has been practising for 19 years.
The class is held every Sunday, aside from the occasional festive season break such as during Christmas or Chinese New Year. It starts at 8.30am, although it’s not unusual to see a few students coming in late, particularly if it’s raining.
We practise at the school’s open assembly hall, where we start with some light running and stretching exercises. The head instructor — or Master as he’s called — leads the session or otherwise, he delegates it to a senior member of the class.
Stretching takes about half an hour, going from top to toe. It includes push-ups, rotations for the neck, hip and ankles, as well as leg splits. I find some of the movements similar to yoga but these are done with a more down-to-earth feel — less Zen, more pragmatism.
Stretching is an important component of taekwondo as it trains the body to become more flexible. It also keeps the practitioner from getting injured when doing high kicks later on.
KICKING AND PUNCHING
Proper taekwondo training starts with punching. We punch high, low, left and right. Then we open up the palm for some swiping action and again, going high, low, left and right.
This is followed by kicking — front kicks, side kicks, roundhouse kicks and chopping kicks. Kicking is then combined with punching, and the whole class would move forward and backward as we go through the motion.
There are proper names for these movements but being in a class with 20 other people, it’s just easier to follow the Master’s instruction and watch what the others are doing. The session lasts for about 20 minutes, and it’s a full body workout and quite strenuous.
After a five-minute break, the class separates into groups depending on the student’s taekwondo skills. A newbie or a junior is paired with a senior, who would teach the finer points of each movement, as well as its proper technique. Sometimes props are used, such as a kicking bag.
There’s a lot of repetition, and you need to do the same movement over and over. Repetition helps in perfecting the form. The more you do it, the more confident you become. You will kick higher and with more strength. You become more in control of your limbs and you know exactly where to land that punch or kick.
One of the instructors stresses on the importance of voicing each movement, like that “Hi-yah!” you hear in martial arts movies, although less dramatic in this case. Basically, you shout and expel air from your belly before commencing to kick or punch.
It’s part of what helps you stay in control of your action. It is to remind you that each movement is deliberate and that you’re not just going through the motion.
POST TRAINING
The class ends shortly after 10am. I admit it’s strange to be back in a school compound, along with having primary and secondary school students as classmates. It’s easier for them, I think, as they’re more flexible and have (lots) more energy. Taekwondo on a Sunday morning feels like an opportunity to hang out with their friends.
An adult wanting to learn might get a bit shy in this situation. However, Master Jason M.K. Lim assures me that all are welcome to come and learn. He’s also open to holding adult-only classes if there’s demand for it.
What I like about the class is that you get to do things at your own pace; the instructors won’t make you do more than what you are able to. There’s no shouting or harsh commands. Perhaps it’s something to do with having children in the class. You don’t want to be the bad guy and have a student cry off to their parents.
That said, those kicking exercises can be tough and I was certainly hurting the next day. A taekwondo class doesn’t raise your heart rate like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and how much calorie you burn would depend on how active you were. But I find taekwondo to be a great way to exercise and has the added benefit of learning self-defence moves.
As you continue training, you will get the chance to sit for an exam and upgrade to a higher rank or belt. A newbie starts off as a white belt, this is followed by yellow, green, blue, red, poom (black and red) and black.
TAEKWONDO
Organiser: Pusat Seni Mempertahankan Diri Action
Where: Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak South, Jalan Gempita 1, Taman Salak Selatan, Kuala Lumpur
When: Every Sunday, 8.30am
Fee: RM30 monthly
Difficulty level: Easy for beginners
Training essentials: Taekwondo uniforms, or regular exercise clothes for newbies. Shoes not required.
Duration: 90 minutes