Health conscious clients have forced martial arts instructors to change their agendas in the training halls

By Ravi Nagahawatte
Advertisement boards that hang outside most martial arts institutes in Sri Lanka might confuse a few but not the majority. The message is clear: If you are a fitness buff walk right in. Martial arts gurus in Sri Lanka are now facing a challenge to cater to fitness enthusiasts who will easily outnumber those who wish to learn fighting in any given class.
Grand Master Hassen Khalid, a fourth dan black belt holder from Karate Budokan International, says that he was able to foresee this change many years ago. “Once a student asked me whether he could leave after doing the physical fitness exercises that led to more vigorous forms of fighting-oriented training? That’s the day I realized that the focus in martial arts classes would shift towards fitness and started preparing to meet this new challenge,” Khalid told The Nation.
The stressful lives that people lead in the corporate world forces employees to go in search of health clubs or martial arts classes that make them fit but don’t snuff the life out of them. “The majority want to concentrate on improving their health and learning a little bit of martial arts,” said Khalid who has been a martial arts instructor for the past 37 years.
The new fitness trend that has set in has forced martial arts instructors to adjust their training schedules to cater to the demand for fitness. The ‘fitness bug’ creeping into martial arts classes has in a way made the role of the instructors that much easier. “Now no one needs to be motivated to get fit,” said Khalid who teaches fei quan do, a fighting form which he founded.
Gone are the days when students came out exhausted after attending a martial arts class. Khalid makes sure that each individual stretches properly and does enough physical exercises in his class. He also teaches yoga and tai chi. “It’s very important to get a feedback when people say that they felt fit at work, not comments like their shoulders or legs hurt after training. People who do the right amount of training live longer than those who tire themselves through sport,” he said. Khalid’s tip for a successful workout is to finish it within an hour.
Khalid strongly recommends exercise forms like ti chi and yoga instead of aerobics because they can be continued in old age.
The fitness fanatics who attend martial arts classes also bring another challenge upon instructors. If the instructors need to stay in business they have to look good themselves. “No one wants to see a frail and sick looking master teach them. One doesn’t have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, seven-time Mr. Olympia, to be the instructor of a martial arts class. But you have to be fit enough to convince students with your actions that what is taught in the class is right,” said Khalid who incorporates a 30-minute brisk walk into his own training schedule which revolves around fei quan do, tai chi, weight training and yoga.
Khalid said that martial arts instructors could no longer have everyone in the class train according to a common schedule. He said that it was important for the instructor to have a good understanding of his charges in terms of their age, physical capabilities and health.
There are instances when beginners demand that Khalid raises their fitness levels in double-quick time. Khalid then stresses that the best method is to take the slow and steady approach where one should improve his or her fitness level step by step. “There are many who want to perform like Bruce Lee. But it seldom strikes their mind that Lee trained very hard to achieve his fitness,” he explained.
Asked what he wanted to preserve from his training in this changing world where martial arts instructors are forced to find easy ways to replace what’s difficult to do, Khalid had this to say, “I will never change my approach to one step sparring which is essential for anyone to become a class fighter. This is the training that builds courage and confidence and helps a martial artist realize his full potential,” he said.

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Prominent choices for fitness

Tai Chi Chuan
Tai Chi Chuan, also known as Tai Chi, is an internal Chinese martial art. There are different styles of T’ai Chi Ch’üan, although most agree they are all based on the system originally taught by the Chen family to the Yang family starting in 1820. It is often promoted and practised as a martial arts therapy for the purposes of health and longevity, sometimes even to the point of being taught exclusively as an exercise technique ignoring martial applications entirely (some recent medical studies support its effectiveness). T’ai Chi Ch’üan is considered a soft style martial art, an art applied with deep relaxation and soft movements to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial art styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.
Yoga
Yoga is a family of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. It is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. In India and across the world, Yoga is seen as a means to both physical health and spiritual mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga.
Yoga as a means of spiritual attainment is central to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and has influenced other religious and spiritual practices throughout the world. Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavas Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanajali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others. In recent times yoga has been used as part of training schedules for sports teams.
Weight training
The use of weights (dumb-bells and barbells) in fitness and body building schedules have been a common practice since Joe Weider (Founder International Federation for Body Builders) gave physical culture a shot in the arm through his annual muscle contest - Mr. Olympia. The majority of people who train with weights don’t aspire to be professional body builders but want to sport bodies that can be the best advertisement for that old dictum ‘health is wealth’. Today’s gymnasiums offer clients the opportunity to train with various exercise machines that promise fabulous work-outs. But the weight sets made of cast iron still remain the best bet when one wants to improve muscle tone in double-quick time.
Power walking
Thousands of doctors recommend it. Hundreds of studies extol its benefits. It’s simple. It’s enjoyable. You can do it virtually anywhere. And, when it’s done right, walking can blast away fat as fast as jogging--maybe faster. Even better, walking is easier on your joints, since you hit the ground with less than half the force you do when you jog. As a result, you’re less likely to have your fitness goals sidelined by soreness or injury.

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4 x 4 Challenge 2006 a success

“4 x 4 Challenge 2006” was successfully worked off from the 1st - 4th December 2006 at Deraniyagala where 19 competitors took part in Sri Lanka’s toughest 4 x 4 event organized by the Four Wheel Drive Club (FWDC) with the assistance of SLARDAR.
A combination of rally driving and obstacle driving was introduced to the competitors for the first time in the event’s history.
A firm favorite for the TSD, veteran rally driver Pubudu Wickrama of SLARDAR with his trusty Landcruiser BJ40 took part and performed well. Surprisingly, all novices to the TSD stage also performed extremely well without getting lost on their way.
The track was specially designed at Aspic Plantations with their staff’s assistance. Special thanks to all the competitors & spectators and to all “Those Who Dared” to make Sri Lanka’s premier off - road event “4 x 4 Challenge 2006” a roaring success.
(Release from Diesel & Motor Engineering Company Limited)

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Ahamath does Hercules proud

T.M. Ahamath stole the limelight at the annual Mr. Hercules Body Building Championship worked off at the Janasetha Foundation Hall in Pokunuwita recently.
Ahamath, who took part in the flyweight category, displays razor sharp definition in his muscles and didn’t have any trouble convincing the judges that he was the best man in his class.
Some of the other body builders who shone were Kandamullage Janaka of Bandaragama Provincial Council (bantamweight) and Gamini Priyantha Pathirana of Soysapura Community Centre who won the lightweight class.
The championship was judged by R.L.J Navaratne, President Navaratne Body Building Institute.
The winners of the respective weight classes were as follows:
Flyweight-T.M. Ahamath (Soysapura Community Centre), bantamweight- Kandamullage Janaka Bandara (Bandaragama Provincial Council), lightweight-Gamini Priyantha Pathirana (Soysapura Community Centre), welterweight-L.H.Nilantha (Lifestyle), middleweight-Niranjan Dharmapriya (Soysapura Community Centre).