KYOKUSHIN karate, the budo (martial art) that strives to be the strongest school of karate, will forge a step ahead with the 15th Asian Open Shinkyokushin Karate tournament this year.
With bare-knuckle fighting and no use of protective equipment, it appeals to practitioners as a way to toughen up the body and mind.
Favoured as a practical and realistic approach to self-defence, kyokushin quickly sets itself apart from other schools of karate by embracing full body contact.
The adopted emblem inspired by the Japanese word kokoro (heart) represents the unification of the spirit, technique and body.
The organiser tasked to set the stage for this year’s Asian meet is the local kyokushin dojo, Shinkyokushinkai.
Shinkyokushinkai chairman Melvin Cha said “our karate emphasises on training to push ourselves to the limit and never giving up easily, just like in real life”.
“We have to build up our bodies to take punches and kicks, I used to feel the pain but after much training I can take the impacts and the brings me much confidence even when I face the world outside as I don’t easily give up.” said Shinkyokushinkai branch chief of Malaysia Chung Kin Meng.
“That is the beauty of this martial art,” shared the 48-year-old exponent, who picked up the art while studying in Japan.
This year’s tournament will see 160 fighters coming from 19 countries in the region and spread across six weight categories.
Among the 160 fighters, 12 will be fighting under the Shinkyokushinkai banner with some fighters travelling from Terengganu and Johor, including Mauritian student Farzanah Aumeer.
Recent 2014 national champion Marcus Cha along with Shahran Masood, Arthur Chai, Desmond Chong and Albert Tan will be expected to hold their own along with members of the dojo.
Included in the mix of international fighters are Kazakhstani lightweight champion Dmitry Moiseev, Japanese openweight All Japan three-time champion Yuki Maeda and 2012 All Japan heavyweight champion Yuji Shimamoto.
Team captain Shahran Masood said although there was a while more until the tournament, they would continue to maintain their form and push till the end.
“You can see us putting it on the line, fighting smart, taking some risks and we are going to be prepared.” he said.
“Malaysia is going to be very competitive in the tournament, we are going to make it very tough for the other countries.
“I am optimistic we will get at least top three in one or of the categories” he added.
In an effort to promote the martial art, 700 tickets will be handed out to schoolchildren around the Titiwangsa area.
“We wish to expand the presence of full-contact karate through Shinkyokushinkai in Malaysia.” said Chung.
“To do that, we have to organise events because with bigger events, we will be able to draw more recognition.” he added.
With the costs for organising the tournament running up to RM200,000, they might have to dig into their own pockets to make it happen.
At this stage, a lack of sponsors means only 30% of the amount can be covered by fees collected from their dojo classes.
The one-day tournament will take place on Sept 20 at the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa stadium and the organisers also plan to donate proceeds to the humanitarian organisation, World Vision.
Although the closing date for registration is May 31, they have already received enough entries and there is currently a waiting list.
The dojo also aims to be a contender to host next year’s World Full Contact Karate Open Championships.
The non-profit community club runs classes for all within the residential area of Aman Suria in Petaling Jaya. For details, call 012-277 1856 (Chung) or 012-377 7196 (Melvin).
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