A student demonstrates a stand round kick to his opponent.
WILFRED PILO
“Our weapons are the feet and the hands. The emphasis of Taekwondo in martial art is to use the legs to kick as well as the hands to block and strike your opponent. In Korean Tae means kicking, Kwon is the hand while Do is the art or the way.
“The International Taekwondo Federation has made the martial art very popular as it is based on the speed and accuracy of the legs and hands. It is still very much in its traditional form – unlike the World Taekwondo Federation which has introduced the martial art as a sporting event.
“Thus Taekwondo can be said to be the world’s most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners. The martial art has developed from various other martial arts and it combines combat and self-defence techniques, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy.”
ITF Sarawak Chief Instructor Johnny Chai, a 7th Degree Black Belt, was talking about the martial art to this writer during a quick break. He was taking a breather in between teaching his black belt classes at the Kuching Waterfront on one of their typical Sunday outings. The 47-year-old Chai said that he has been very active in the sport for the last 31 years since he started it in 1978 at SMK Green Road.
“We were very proud then because we were the first school to have a Taekwondo Club in the state. I was very much motivated by Bruce Lee who fought for justice in his movies. His legendary character spurred me to learn more about the martial art. After all, I had plenty of free time then.
“During those days we were trained by the likes of Master Tan In Kok (6th Degree Black Belt), Master Tommy Jees (4th Degree Black Belt ) and the present Datuk Grandmaster Dr Leong Wai Meng, a Malaysian who has now migrated to Greenland,” continued Chai.
According to Chai, the membership was around 200 in the seventies. His most memorable occasion in Taekwondo was when he got his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1985 under Master Lau Kong Lin.
I was young and I loved the technical aspects of the martial art where emphasis is on kicking, distinguishing it from other forms of martial arts .
Chai explained that in Taekwondo, the leg is the longest and strongest weapon. Thus the leg has the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes to the opponent.
“In my younger days, I just loved all those jumping techniques and using them to out-manoeuvre my opponents.
“Learning the martial art is all about discipline and many of my students who are now professionals like lawyers and doctors told me that the discipline they inculcated in Taekwondo made them what they are now,” added Chai.
Chai stressed that how far one can go in life can be reflected by how he can go in Taekwondo and it is the same when he attains a higher instuition of learning like a university, adding that the martial art teaches him the kind of discipline needed to make him strong both physically and mentally.
Training
“After completing my study, I joined the family business so I had plenty of time for training everyday. I jogged to get my stamina and I worked on my fighting skills. I loved every minute of it.
“My training paid off when in the World Tournament at Port Dickson in 1998, I was the overall champion in hyperweight category. We also won the team sparring event. Our team did the longest flying side kick measuring 17.5 feet which still stands as the record today .
“The side kick was executed by Lai Muk Kian. He does not practice Taekwondo now as he is busy with his work as a financial advisor with a financial institution in Kuala Lumpur. I still keep in touch with him and we often talk about the side flying kicks. That is the enthusiasm I have in this martial art!
“Whatever federation you are from, I am a firm believer of the traditional form of martial arts and I want to practice it that way. Once a martial art is converted into a sport, it is not easy to be on top all the time. But martial arts itself is a continuous process,” stressed Chai.
The system of grading Taekwondo
For Chai, he is now the 13th master with a 7th Degree Black belt but like beginners, he started the art 31 years ago with a white belt.
He explained that one can get a first degree black belt after two and a half years of training. The belting grade is as follows: from white to yellow, green, blue, red and then black .
First to 3rd degree black belt holders are called Assistant Instructors while 4th to 6th degree black belt holders are known as International Instructors. Seventh degree holder is a Master, 8th degree is a Senior Master and 9th degree is the Grand Master.
The process of upgrading from one degree to the next depends on the amount of hours one puts into his practice.
ITF Techniques
Chai also revealed that ITF techniques inculcate the mathematical sine waves - the techniques move according the movements of the physical body to create maximum force in every moment according to the theory of power. In almost every moment this sine wave is utilised.
In taekwondo, 70% is kicking and the remaining 30% is hand techniques. There are 24 patterns – the fundamentals of Taekwondo - that you must learn and master.
“I learned all these techniques continuously to be in competition until 1990 when I switched to coaching,” he said.
Expert advice
Chai continues: “Never get into trouble and as much as possible stay away from trouble. Ours is a happy society if there is no trouble.
“Once you have mastered any form of martial art, never use it unnecessarily. Always believe in yourself and the discipline the school of martial art has taught you. Self discipline is more than just a martial art.”
Today, there are between 500 to 600 registered members in ITF Sarawak. For more information, call Johnny Chai on 019-887 1386.Email address itf_sarawak@yahoo.com
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