SELANGOR junior judo exponent Surekhalavanya Mohan has proven that she is not terrified of taking on the boys in her age group.

The 10-year-old said she was comfortable competing against boys.

“I am not afraid of the boys as I have been training with them. I am always looking for a stiffer challenge against a tougher opponent,” she added.

Girl power: Surekhalavanya (left) throwing off her brother Yugendran during a sparring session.

Although she settled for second best in the combined Under-10 (below 53kg) comprising four exponents at the recent Selangor Junior Championships, the SK Convent, Kajang pupil was voted as the Most Promising Girl Judoka.

In the opening bout of the round robin competition, she went down to the eventual winner R. Raja of SRJK (T) Kajang.

“It was an even contest and I tried to put a fight against him. But, he caught me by surprise when he floored me with a sudden sweep,” Surekhalavanya said.

Last year, she edged her elder brother Yugendran Mohan to pick up a bronze medal in the combined Under-Nine (below 46kg) category at the Selangor junior meet.

Surekhalavanya took up judo along with 11-year-old Yugendran by chance more than two years ago.

Her mother, Thanga Devi, said she wanted her children to explore a different form of martial art as part of their physical pursuit.

“We lived near the Selangor Judo Association’s training centre in Bandar Teknologi Kajang. The children were curious about having a go at it when they noticed the place because they do not offer judo in school.

“We felt that it was safer for them to pursue judo because they can reduce the exposure of getting hurt under a controlled environment.

“They do not inflict injuries by punching and kicking. Besides learning it for self-defence, it also offers them the opportunity to excel and showcase their potential,” added Thanga Devi.

Currently, Surekhalavanya goes through the paces twice a week under the charge of Johnathan Wong to polish her combative skills such as breakfall techniques, competitive throws and ground work.

“I enjoy the group sessions and the company of my training buddies at the centre.

“I am striving for improvement. Next year, I am aiming to do better and secure a gold medal at the Selangor junior competition,” said Surekhalavanya, adding that her favourite move is the major outer reap throw.

Selangor Judo Association coach Wong Joon Meng praised the emerging talent for showing up regularly for training.

“She has been showing her willingness to learn. Although she has proven her abilities in the state junior tournament, it will be too early to predict on how far she will progress.

“Her recent achievement is only a stepping stone for her to advance. It takes between four and five years to nurture and develop an accomplished junior exponent.

“We are hoping that she will make the grade to represent Selangor at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in the future,” said the former national champion Joon Meng.

Having a brother who learns the art, is also an advantage as she could execute the drills to perfect her skills against her brother at home.

“Besides the proper training at the gym, we have drawn up easy programmes for them to follow at home.

“They need to perform the drills on their own to improve on their co-ordination, endurance, flexibility, speed and strength,” Joon Meng added.

FACT FILE

Name: Surekhalavanya Mohan

Date of Birth: 17 April 1999

Ht: 1.47m Wt: 46kg

School: SK Convent, Kajang (Year Four)

Hobbies: Badminton, football

Ambition: Astronaut

Favourite Sports Personality: Nicol Ann David

Coach: Johnathan Wong

Achievements

2008

- Selangor Junior combined Under-Nine (below 46kg) third

2009

- Selangor Junior combined Under-10 (below 53kg) second

- Selangor Junior Most Promising Girl Judoka

Photos by SAMUEL ONG

THE Selangor Judo Association's (SJA) newly established training centre at Bandar Teknologi Kajang is the result of combined effort from parents and volunteers.

After seeing how his two children benefited from taking up judo, businessman Chew Eng Kian transformed a floor of his shoplot unit in Bandar Teknologi Kajang into a training centre furnished with proper training mats.

Johnathan (back) pays close attention as the trainees practice.

“Besides learning a form of self-defence, judo grooms youngsters to develop good character at an early age. Our aim is to provide the opportunity for them to learn the art,” said Chew.

The facilities at the centre set up in August include multi-station weight training equipment, a recreational area, a television lounge and changing rooms.

In addition, a mural depicting slick judo moves is the pride and joy of the centre.

“The thought of retiring from teaching judo was sitting at the back of my mind when we were told to move from our previous location.

“At the same time, we were also shocked with Chew’s goodwill gesture when he offered us his premises for free,” said SJA honorary secretary Susan Cheah, 49.

Two young trainees practicing at the centre.

Currently, the centre has about 100 trainees aged between four- and 55-years-old undergoing training for recreation, competition, self-defence and combat.

Classes are conducted on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday mornings.

Even the more than one-hour drive from Ampang is no deterrent to SMK Taman Kosas student Khong Fai Kean, 16, who trains in Kajang.

“I have taken up the art since I was five years old. I want to continue to hone my skills in judo,” said Khong, who emerged as the national junior champion in the above 50kg category at the National Judo Championships in Malacca in 2002.

In addition, visually impaired exponents also workout at the centre once a week.

“We are able to offer a conducive training environment for the trainees because of their parents’ unconditional support to keep the centre going,” added Cheah.

Joon Meng, a former national champion also trains the Methodist Boys School (MBS) exponents at the YMCA in Brickfields.

“It is a way to play a small role in contributing to sports development at my former school,” said Joon Meng, who heads the MBS Old Boys’ Association sports section.

The couple is on a mission to promote the art to the youth in Kajang with the help of their son Johnathan Wong, 22, who has just returned from United Kingdom after pursuing his education in law.

During his stay there, Johnathan was ranked fifth in United Kingdom in the below 73kg category. He was also the Newcastle champion in the same category.

“I have been assisting my parents for the past two months. Although it can be a stressful task teaching the youngsters, I am keen to share my experience with them,” said Johnathan, a businessman.

So far, the centre has attracted more than 30 new exponents.

Kajang High School student R. Muralitharah, 14, was among the newcomers.

“I am looking forward to mastering new techniques in judo,” said Muralitharah.

Muralitharah was exposed to sparring after only three lessons.

“We are keeping a watchful eye on him (Muralitharah) because he has the potential to do well,” added Cheah, who is also the only qualified female referee in the country.

Usually, training commences with 30-minutes of conditioning, emphasising on flexibility and reflexes to develop balanced body movements.

The deafening echo of the trainees cheering their teammates when the exponents take on each other in friendly bouts is also inevitable during the session.

Grading tests are organised twice a year.

Those interested in taking up judo can call 016-271 3070 (Cheah).

SEVERAL visually impaired judo practitioners are unhappy with the Malaysian Association of the Blind (MAB) for disrupting their martial arts class.

According to Steven Looi, 24, who holds a brown-belt, the MAB has asked the Selangor Judo Association (SJA), which trains him and his counterparts, to cease all training sessions.

This is because the MAB had made arrangements to replace the SJA instructors, who had been conducting classes there for the last six years, with trainers from the Malaysian Judo Federation (MJF).

“I am used to my current instructors and am afraid that I will lag behind if someone else takes over.

Connel (left) showing Mohd Hashim Muhamad, 30, a judo tackle.

Volunteer trainer Tobin Connel, who helps train Looi, said the blind had to be familiar with their trainers in order to benefit from training sessions.

He added that training the blind in martial arts was a specialised field, which required close physical rapport between students and instructors.

“Looi, for instance, has been training with the same instructor for several years and so he knows what to listen for and is comfortable touching him (the instructor) during training,” said Connel, who is a teacher with the Alice Smith School.

He added that Looi would have to start from scratch if new instructors were brought in.

SJA president Mohan Ramakrishnan concurred and added that MBA’s move was unfair given that his organisation had taken the trouble and initiative to promote judo among the blind.

“They had not done anything to promote judo among the blind, but now that we have the classes going they want to take over,” said Mohan.

“Changing instructors may also deter some of the girls from attending the training sessions, as both MJA trainers are male,” added Mohan.

“SJA secretary Susan Cheah is the only certified female judo trainer around and the girls are comfortable with her.

“I am certain they would be uncomfortable with male instructors,” he said.

When contacted MAB sports and recreation executive Muhammad Fairuz Abdullah said SJA’s training tenure was terminated because the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) wanted to intensify the training sessions.

“The MPC has taken two new coaches from the MJF to train the blind to participate in the Asia-Pacific Games in November,” he added.

Muhammad Fairuz said the decision to change the instructors was also made based on the lacklustre performance of the current batch of blind judo exponents.

“We hope to upgrade the performance of existing visually impaired trainees as well as to encourage more blind people to take up judo,” said Muhammad Fairuz.

He added that Looi and his counterparts could come to him if they had problems training with the new trainers.

“We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the training programme goes on well as it is both the MAB and MPC’s responsibilities to oversee all sporting activities for the blind,” said Muhammad Fairuz.

He also added that MAB was unhappy that SJA had been using its (MAB’s) facilities to train SJA association members.

Judo, the smart way to keep safe

Women and girls need to be responsible for their own safety, such as learning self-defence skills like judo, writes KHONG CHENG KUAN.

KICK and punch, scream and shriek, pull and shove; that is probably most women’s reaction when attacked. Flight will definitely be a wiser alternative than fight when one is confronted by someone bigger and stronger.

STEP 1: When the attacker grabs your arm, quickly lock your right leg behind his. At the same time, give him a sharp blow on his lower jaw or nose.

There are plenty of simple yet effective judo techniques to fight an assailant when there is body contact. Yes, even when he chokes you from your back or pins you on the ground. As long as there is body contact, you can execute judo defence techniques to save yourself.

Forget about kicks and punches; a woman is naturally weaker and a match based on sheer strength is futile.

Judo, the ‘gentle way’, uses the opponent’s weight in addition to one’s own weight, which is to be returned to the attacker. Thus, judo is an ideal self-defence technique for women as it does not require much strength, but will enable them to tackle a stronger attacker. In fact, there is a principle in judo that goes “minimum effort, maximum efficiency.”

STEP 2: While executing the right arm action, hook the opponent's leg and push him down with both hands.

Local celebrity, Ning Baizura was appointed as the SJA Judo ambassador to promote judo as a form of self-defence for women.

“It’s sad that our society has become victim to violence against girls and women. I agreed to become the SJA judo ambassador so that I could contribute towards empowering women to defend themselves.

“Women have to now stand up for themselves and fight back, and judo is an effective and simple start towards being non-passive in a violent world,” said Ning.

Women should take responsibility for their own safety. Hence, taking up martial arts is a good start.

“Judo may sound aggressive and difficult,” says Ning, “but it is really very easy. I urge girls and women everywhere to take up this healthy sport”.

Judo is a simple martial art and anyone – regardless of age or size – could master it with enough practice.

Ning learned many simple self-defence throws in a matter of hours and was able to execute them well with practice.

STEP 3: Once your opponent hits the ground, run!

“Self-defence techniques have to be practised over and over again. Those who do not know the proper moves may injure themselves,” said Cheah who has written a booklet with pictorial guides on how women can keep safe.

“The contents include vulnerable points of a person’s body to target, verbal defence, useful tips for self-protection, rape etc. There are also a few effective step-by-step illustrated judo throws.

SJA is currently producing a judo self-defence VCD starring Ning. SJA hopes to distribute the VCD and booklet free to students, and is sourcing for sponsorship from the corporate sector.

FOR some students, the recent two-week holiday may have been a break from school, but it certainly was not a break from work!

With several sports championships organised during the holidays, students still had to work hard at maintaining their physical fitness and skills to bring glory to themselves, their schools and states, and even the country.

From judo to swimming and table tennis, our young ones put in their best effort and sacrificed their precious holiday time to show that they are no slouches when it comes to sports.

And it was not just all about sports either. The Scout Association of Malaysia, Malacca, organised the 7th Malacca World Heritage City Jamboree from May 30 - June 4 for scouts aged between 13-17 from all over the country.

Some 3,000 scouts attended the jamboree held at the Tan Chay Yan Scout Camp in Bukit Katil, Malacca, including scouts from Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Aside from getting to know one another, the participants were given the opportunity to take part in several activities revolving around their scouting skills, science and handicraft, customs and cultures, adventure, a tour of Malacca and amateur radio operating skills.

Two exponents sparring with one another during the recent Selangor Junior Judo Championships at Methodist Boys School, Kuala Lumpur. Aside from the competition, the Selangor Judo Association, which organised the meet, also identified 62 promising trainees. These students underwent intensive training during the recent two-week school holidays to prepare for the second leg of the national junior judo circuit.

As World Environment Day on June 5 was observed and celebrated during the school break, many parents also took the opportunity to increase their kids’ environmental awareness.

Among the many events organised in conjunction with the day was The Star’s annual Green Day Celebration at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong.

Thousands of visitors came to get closer to nature, as well as take part in the various fun activities organised for the celebrations.

Today, being the last day of the school break, means it is time to hit the books once again as school reopens for the second half of the academic year tomorrow. Happy studying!

IT was a tough call to pick the deserving recipient of the Most Promising Boy Judoka at the fifth Selangor Junior Judo Championships at the Methodist Boys School (MBS) in Kuala Lumpur recently.

MBS duo of Law Wai Hong and Chew Chee Hui who emerged as winners in the boys’ Under-17, below 55kg and below 68kg respectively, were in the running for the award at the end of the one-day meet.

On the floor: Members of the Selangor team in training.

Selangor Judo Association (SJA) secretary Susan Cheah said both showed their commitment in training and they gave exceptional performances to bag the top spot in the category.

However, Chew edged his classmate Law in the closely contested tussle for the recognition with his swift moves complementing his attacking and defensive qualities to floor his opponents.

After finishing as the runner-up in the same category last year, the 17-year-old Chew said he was surprised when his team mate Loh Joon Yoong upstaged defending champion Chua Kee Yi of SMK Seri Bintang Utara for a spot in the final.

“Initially, I was expecting Chua to come through for a rematch in the final. Although Loh was nervous going into the semi-final bout, he ended Chua’s campaign within one minute. In the final, it was not easy to overcome Loh because we have been training together and we knew each other’s strategies very well,” added Chew.

In addition, the MBS side with only nine exponents in the fray also took home seven gold medals.

“It was unfortunate that 11 other exponents in the team opted to skip the competition to concentrate on their examination. We could have done better to challenge for the overall title with a bigger contingent,” said Chew, who is also the team captain.

Almost 100 competitors from 16 schools featured in 32 categories for boys and girls at the recent tournament.

And Sekolah Seri Suria from Hulu Langat finished as champions in the overall standings with a haul of nine gold, eight silver and six bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Cheah said they had identified 62 trainees and they had been preparing their charges with intensive training over the two-week school holiday for the second leg of the national junior circuit.

From the opening leg at Lumut, Perak, in March, Selangor captured one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

RESULTS

OPEN

- Under-Nine (below 39kg): 1. Muhd Afif (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2. Kwa Kuan Eng (SJK (C) Taman Cannaught), 3. Angelina Choi (SJK (C) On Pong II)

- Under-10 (below 53kg): 1. R. Raja (SRJK (T) Kajang), 2.Surekhalavanya Mohan (SR Convent, Kajang), 3. Ian Thanakorn Tuan (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-14 (below 30kg): 1. Ong Wai Yee (SMK Taman Seraya), 2.Ong Wai Chong (SJK (C) On Pong II)

BOYS’

- Under-Eight (below 29kg): 1. Garret Yong (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2.Dzedryan Daniel (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-Nine (below 28kg): 1. Yeow Zan Leng (SR Stella Maris), 2.Tan Hong Zao (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-10 (below 40kg): 1. Hadi Haikal Noorazmon (Methodist Boys School)

- Under-11 (below 44kg): 1. Chew Boon Hou (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2.Lee Kai Chern (Methodist Boys School)

- Under-11 (below 60kg): 1. G. Madhu Reuban (SK Taman Jasmin)

- Under-12 (below 43kg): 1. Lim Chin An (SJK (C) Chin Woo)

- Under-13 (below 40kg): 1. Low Chern Wey (SMJK Yu Hwa), 2. Ang Ming Lok (Sekolah Seri Suria), 3. Ong Jia Lun (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-13 (below 46kg): 1. Chen Wing Hong (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2.Lee Kai Tsern (Methodist Boys School), 3. Hazeq Othman Ramlan (SMK Confucian)

- Under-13 (below 55kg): 1. Tan Wai Chun (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-13 (below 66kg): 1. Ng Hon Hau (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2. Yim Yen Hoe (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-13 (below 78kg): 1. Lee Kar Hoe (SMK Confucian), 2. Johan Nordin (Sekolah Seri Suria), 3. Lai Chian Fui (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-14 (below 43kg): 1. Steven Lam (SMK Engku Hussain)

- Under-15 (below 50kg): 1. Hafez Osman Ramlan (Methodist Boys School), 2. Lim Wey Juan (Sekolah Seri Suria), 3. Lim See Hau (Sekolah Seri Suria), Poon Chuan Kent (SMJK (C) Yu Hwa)

- Under-15 (below 64kg): 1. Chew Chee Chan (Methodist Boys School), 2. Lee Kai Hung (Methodist Boys School)

- Under-17 (below 55kg): 1. Law Wai Hong (Methodist Boys School), 2.Hoh Hon Herng (SMK Bintang Utara), 3. How Chi Hoe (SMK Bintang Utara)

- Under-17 (below 60kg): 1. Ivan Chew (SMK Bintang Utara), 2. Lee Kien Siong (Sekolah Seri Suria), 3. Wan Mohd Fahim Wan Yaacob (SMK Taman Jasmin 2)

- Under-17 (below 68kg): 1. Chew Chee Hui (Methodist Boys School),2. Loh Joon Yoong (Methodist Boys School), 3. Leong Leng Hong (Sekolah Seri Suria), Chua Kee Yi (SMK Bintang Utara)

- Under-17 (below 77kg): 1. R. Muralitharan (Kajang High School), 2.Chew Kang Yi (Sekolah Seri Suria), 3. Derek Lee (SMK Bintang Utara), Looi Wai Hoe (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-17 (below 90kg): 1. Lim Jun Leong (Methodist Boys School)

- Under-17 (above 90kg): 1. Lee Kar Hing (Methodist Boys School), 2.Jeremy Lui (Sekolah Bintang Utara)

GIRLS’

- Under-Six (below 18kg): 1. Chew Xue Er (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-Seven (below 25kg): 1. Yoong Sue Yi (SJK (C) Yu Hwa), 2.Choi E. Faye (SJK (C) On Pong II)

- Under-Eight (below 26kg): 1. Low Yie Xiu (SJK (C) Yu Hwa), 2. Lee Jing Hua (SJK (C) Jalan Davidson)

- Under-13 (below 55kg): 1. Chew Yen Peng (Sekolah Seri Suria)

- Under-14 (below 50kg): 1. Samantha Chew (SMK Bintang Utara), 2.Kathleen Chin (SMK Taman Seraya)

- Under-14 (below 63kg): 1. Khong Sook Yin (SMK Desa Perdana)

- Under-17 (below 45kg): 1. Pow Joe Yee (SMK Bintang Utara), 2.Farhana Farhan Menon (Sekolah Bintang Utara)

- Under-17 (below 55kg): 1. Kwan Wen Yi (Sekolah Seri Suria), 2. Looi Shin Yan (SMK Bintang Utara)

- Under-17 (below 72kg): 1. Sharmilla Rani (SMK Convent Kajang)

SPECIAL AWARDS

- Overall Champions: Sekolah Seri Suria

- Most Promising Girl Judoka: Surekhalavanya Mohan (SR Convent, Kajang)

- Most Promising Boy Judoka: Chew Chee Hui (Methodist Boys School)