FACE-OFF: Wushu vs Taekwondo
10 May 2016
One is a junior black belt Taekwondo exponent; the other, a Wushu practitioner. Find out why our girls in combat are passionate about martial arts.
| Name: Crystal Chia Age: 13 School: Nanyang Girls’ High School Sport: Wushu, specialising in Nanquan (Southern Fist) Power move: A mid-air spin that ends off in a kip-up |
Name: Almanda Mik Age: 11 School: St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School Sport: Taekwondo Power move: Side kick |
| I was impressed… By the first Wushu performance I saw. That was back in Primary One. The performers could do jumps, kicks and flips – they seemed so cool. I decided to join Wushu because I wanted to do all those stunts.
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I was very shy… When I first joined Taekwondo in Primary One. I picked up some skills and techniques quite quickly and started to train my teammates. I’m more confident of myself now and I’ve more friends. |
| The moves might look simple… But they require a lot of strength and technique. In fact, you need stamina to complete your routine. A full routine lasts a minute and a half, but I always feel like I have run 1.6km. It’s intense. |
The punches are easy… And everyone can do them. What I find difficult are moves like the side kick, where you have to be really flexible with your legs. I’ve mastered it quite well now.
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| Practising Wushu relaxes me… And makes me happy. I find myself focusing better on my studies, too. I get restless when I miss a week’s training. |
I may be small in size but… I’ve sparred with others who were bigger than me. I’m good at dodging attacks as I’m fast. I also don’t give up easily.
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| Training would be boring… Without my teammates. They motivate me and I learn from watching them. |
As the vice-captain of the team… I take our training sessions seriously. I get my teammates ready even before our coach arrives. |
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One of my proudest moments… |
I was the torchbearer… |
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