Durban — Losing weight and keeping fit usually top the list of New Year’s resolutions for most people, but few last beyond the first month.
Laoshi (teacher) Ethan Sicard is on a quest to prove that you can bolster your health, increase mental fitness and have fun no matter your age or physical condition, all while learning valuable self-defence skills.
Every Saturday morning, the martial arts teacher and his students practise tai chi in Berea Park, while his Renshi Kung Fu martial arts school has several studios in Durban and even offers classes online.
“It’s a gentle method of going to the gym. It includes stretching, cardio, muscle building and reflexes, but it’s a lot more gentle on your body to get into and to continue for long periods.
“There’s hardly any physical weight that you need to pick up or equipment you need to use, you basically just need to be able to stand to do tai chi,” said Sicard.
He says the cognitive and physical abilities of those who practise tai chi, especially in the elderly, are significant and you can even practise in a wheelchair.
For those who worry they might want to give up before reaching their health goals, Sicard is proof of the enduring attraction of the sport.
“I was a very energetic child and did a lot of sports. I was always interested in combat sports, and what kept me going was a mixture of tai chi being interesting and the teacher being charismatic. It was annoying sometimes to get up early and not visit my friends but I always just wanted to go back,” Sicard said.
Now 24, he has been practising since the age of 6, competed in his first tournament at 10 and has several international competitions and gold medals under his belt.
Not only did he enjoy learning and progressing from belt to belt, but as a child diagnosed with ADHD, the slow measured movements of tai chi helped him pace himself, focus and with constant goal setting, encouraged him to continue and succeed.
When Sicard was 13 he went to China, the home of tai chi, and says just knowing that he was close to Wuhan, its birthplace, was a thrill.
“It was encouraging because we would see random people in the park doing tai chi, you’d see people in halls doing tai chi. It was so big there, you felt you were around people who were much more aware of their health and weren’t content with their bodies growing old; people who still think that age shouldn’t stop them from being able to move and do physical activities.”
Sicard said there were various aspects to tai chi, and while many thought of it as just a slow meditative practice, it also had a combat component that included acrobatic moves like flying kicks and which was used in Mixed Martial Arts.
He said it was not unusual for people to practise tai chi well into their seventies.
Sicard added that learning tai chi was important in South Africa where gender-based violence was rife and self-defence skills could save your life.
“You learn how to end things quickly.”
It was also a valuable tool for those recovering from addiction because it helped with focus, he said.
While it might have started out as a hobby when he was younger, teaching various forms of martial arts has become a full-time career.
Like most parents, Sicard’s encouraged him to get a degree and so he studied architecture at the University of Greenwich in the UK, then trained as a chef, but martial arts is his “happy space” and he found his way back.
If you are brave enough to stick to your goals of becoming fit and focused, you can try out a class at www.renshikungfu.com or contact him on 074 071 5332.
Independent on Saturday