The rule in protecting oneself

A KNOWLEDGE of basic self-defence techniques comes in handy in times of emergency when one is confronted by petty criminals like snatch thieves. Although you might not get the better of your opponent, the practical defensive steps could help you escape.

T.L. Taekwondo Academy acting head instructor Eddie Lim stressed martial arts skills required practice, and a person who had just learnt it would not be able to put up a fight.

“However, when we learn, there is still a chance (to run and seek help); if we don’t, then there is no chance at all as we’ll be overpowered,” Lim told the audience after his taekwondo demonstration at the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Lim, 24, and his team had been invited to stage the demonstration by the Bukit Bintang MCA Youth wing with the objective of creating public awareness of the importance of picking up self-defence skills in the wake of the prevalence of snatch thefts and other crimes in the country.

“The four key points to remember are Avoid, Surrender, Escape, and Fight as the last resort.

“By ‘Avoid’, I’m saying to prevent being targeted as a victim by walking with confidence and against the traffic. Criminals often look for easy victims,” Lim said.

He said that by ‘Surrender’, he meant that a victim should give the thief whatever valuables he wanted.

“However, sometimes, the thief is not content with just cash or valuables, especially when the victim is a lady. Therefore, the most practical thing to do is to kick or punch him in areas that hurt most, and for this, you might need basic martial arts skills.

“Then, Escape by running to crowded places. If all else fails, then Fight. Fighting should come last as this requires training – and a lot of common sense, too,” he said.

Lim, with a 4th Dan Black Belt, has 16 years of experience in taekwondo, which he started learning at the age of eight.

He is a former national exponent, having represented Malaysia in international championships. His successes include the gold medal at the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam.

Lim said it was important that victims not think about fighting when confronted, but run as far and as fast as they could after distracting the attacker, especially if he was armed.

Bukit Bintang MCA Youth chairman Patrick Leong said the demonstration was held at Central Market as it was a tourist spot. The martial arts demonstrations are being held weekly throughout this month.

“Many tourists come here and we hope they can be safe, too, with these tips. Besides introducing defence skills, we hope the demonstration will also promote health and discipline among the youths,” Leong said.

Leong said they hoped to organise such demonstrations on a more regular basis in future.

A Shaolin Temple Boxing demonstration was held next. The modern Shaolin martial art places emphasis on good health, good mindset and good discipline.

The Shaolin Temple Boxing movement, or Shorinji Kempo in Japanese, started in Malaysia more than 40 years ago, with its headquarters in Sabah. It has since expanded to the Klang Valley, with the latest branch in SunwayMas Commercial Centre.

Demonstrating the martial art was SunwayMas branch instructor Hartono Ishak Dawood.

Meanwhile, Lim said his academy would be conducting a practical seminar, for adults and youngsters above 13 years old, on June 7, from 7.30pm to 10pm.

“In the case of the children, we want to instil in them values like “never say die” and that success does not come easy. Pain is also part of the game if we are competing seriously in games,” he said.

“Instead of charging the usual price of RM120, we will be slashing the fee to RM30 per person (adult or child) for this public awareness programme. And, for one adult and one child, just add another RM20 (total RM50).”

T.L. Taekwondo Academy is located at No. 30, 1st Floor, Kampung Batu, Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. For details, call 03-6251 9687.