Full concentration: Leticia in action with a spear at a competition last year. — Photo credit: Tan Toh Soon
I HAVE been involved in wushu since I was seven years old, and have been practising it for half of my life.
Wushu, which literally means martial art, is a sport that integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern Chinese martial arts.
It is compatible with people from all walks of life, be they young or old, and can be done recreationally or as an elite competitive sport.
While my grandfather enjoys practising tai chi, which is a slow and flowing form of wushu to keep himself healthy, I perform taolu routines using weapons like a sword and a spear with power and speed competitively.
My mother initially enrolled me in wushu classes with the main reason of exposing me to the Mandarin language and Chinese culture.
Being brought up in an English-speaking family, I rarely spoke Mandarin at home.
In the fully Mandarin-dominant environment of wushu classes, I began picking up the language and became more confident in using it, acquiring a larger vocabulary and better fluency.
In the beginning, my coach even tried translating some Mandarin phrases into English in response to my blank stare during lessons.
As years went by, I discovered more about the history of wushu and its Chinese origins dating back to about 4,000 years ago.
Thanks to extensive efforts by the International Wushu Federation, wushu has progressed from being a basic self-defence skill to becoming a medal sport in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics.
I am not a sporty person to start off with and joined wushu without knowing how physically taxing it is. I gradually built my strength and stamina over time.
I learnt the importance of perseverance, training repeatedly and pushing myself hard to complete my wushu routines with swifter moves and sharper accuracy.
The process of grasping the important foundations involved panting and sore muscles, often followed by a remark from my coach, “If you feel the pain, it means you are doing it right!”
I persisted and was eventually chosen as a state wushu athlete to join a national wushu competition last year, where elite athletes from around the country gathered to showcase their skills and compete for the championship.
Other than physical strength, wushu helped build stronger mental strength in me, especially during competitions.
Every time I take part in a competition, I try to remain calm and composed to manage excessive stress so that it does not affect my performance on the mat.
I also learnt to take control of my energy and stay focused to strive for the best outcome.
Wushu is not only about combat movements but, more importantly, it builds character.
It has taught me to respect those around me and the meaning of sportsmanship. It has also instilled discipline, punctuality, grit and resilience in me.
These values have moulded me to be a better person as I apply them in my daily life.
The journey may be challenging at times, but there is still much to learn and I will continue to practise this sport.
Wushu is great and it deserves to be shared with everyone.
Leticia, 14, a student in Selangor, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
