28
fitness
The HEALTH | AUGUST, 2018
IT admin by
day, capoeirista
instructor by
night
An esquiva under a Bênção – a
straight forward frontal push kick.
Father of two speaks
of the rich culture in
capoeira and how it
has transformed him
F
ATHER of two, Kahlil
Abdul Hakim is a
capoeirista who found
himself immersing into
the martial arts after an
initial interest shown by his son who
had wanted to join the classes. Seeing
the classes as a way to bond with his
son, Kahl soon went on to discover
Capoeira was more than just a martial
arts disguised under a dance. It came
with a background rich in culture
teaching its practitioners about
respecting the community, culture
and one another.
An IT and Administration
Transformation Office head by day,
Kahl noticed he was gaining weight
while working. Despite the runs and
marathons he was participating in
followed by Brazilian jujitsu he was
practicing, Kahl saw very little change
to his increasing weight.
“With that kind of weight, I was
Kahl demonstrating a kick known as an
Aú Aberto.
prone to back and leg injuries and my
posture was really bad.”
Kahl then started with changing
his diet and rather than eat three
big portions a day, he would go with
smaller portions five to six times
a day instead. With calisthenics in
the evening, Kahl finds the time to
practice the martial arts at night.
When things started picking up,
one of the instructors had approached
him to become an instructor and for
the past two years, Kahl has been
teaching capoeira to kids.
Capoeira among Malaysians
According to Kahl, Malaysians have
not grasped the true understand-
ing of the martial arts. With over
10 schools around, only five of the
schools actively teach capoeira. Every
month, capoeira practitioners have
‘Public Roda’; a gathering formed
by participants of different training
schools in one place.
“At this point, we are all seen as
neutrals and even if you are new,
you can still join and play with the
experienced fighters”, says Kahl.
He adds that the experienced fight-
ers would look out for the younger
ones as well.
No limits
With participants as young as three
years old and as old as 46 starting
their first class, Kahl enthused that
there is no age limit when it comes
to capoeira.
“I started at the age of 34 and it’s
been four years since. Capoeira is
all about flexibility and despite the
common apprehension about stretch-
ing and hand stands, practitioners will
still be able to perform simple hand
movements and cartwheels. There
are even handicapped practitioners
who has been practising the martial
arts for over two years,” he said.
Ballerinas
from Aurora
School of
Dance.
Suhaili
Micheline.
Ballet for health
B
LACK Swan and The Nut-
cracker are the most common
references anyone has of ballet.
But how often has anyone attributed
this dance form to health benefits,
both physically and mentally.
Growing up with frequent visits
to her mother’s dance school, Aurora
School of Dance vice president
Suhaili Micheline emphasised how
ballet shaped her perspective after
all these years and the role the dance
has played in keeping both her
mental and physical form fit.
Gracing the dance floor since the
age of three, the dance artiste said
with discipline and perseverance
being the key to keep practising
ballet, the dance form has certainly
been a big part of her keeping her
mental health growth strong.
From dancing in a closed space
to performing in front of crowds,
ballet has not only proven to be a
confidence booster for herself, but to
her students as well. Multitasking as
a dance tutor, Suhaili has witnessed
the dance form help her students
boost both their self-esteem and
confidence.
Ballet for weight
Ballet has long been accompanied
with stigmas where the dance is
believed to be only for long legged
and tall dancers.
“On the contrary, you can practise
the dance as a hobby or to compete in
com