Australian International School Outreach

As part of TRIQUEST MMA's commitment to bettering lives through the martial arts, Master Thomas and Coach Andy were honored to participate in the Australian International School of Hong Kong's "Martial Arts and Service Activity Week".  The tenth through twelfth year students were given instruction  in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and self defense by our capable team.  TRIQUEST MMA deeply appreciates being involved with martial arts at the tertiary level.  Thomas continues to teach in Hong Kong schools and And regularly conducts seminars.  As more opportunities open up for youths to compete at the amateur level in combat sports, we will be happy to see more of these students joining our team.

Thank you for the opportunity, AISHK!  Here is the wonderful note of appreciation sent to us:

Dear Thomas and Andy,

Thanks for being a part of such a fantastic week for the kids. Please see the students’ report on their experience below.  I have also attached a photo from the session.  We hope to do it again next year.

Cheers
Benjamin Dell
Head of HSIE 7-12
Australian International School Hong Kong
www.aishk.edu.hk

STUDENT REPORT

During activity week a group of keen Year 10, 11 and 12 students set out to various locations around Hong Kong to discover our inner Bruce Lees. Each day we trained at different gyms and were instructed by masters and several former and current world champions. We gained new skills and insights into a number of different martial arts, each having their own unique fighting style and philosophy.
We learned about the science of traditional boxing, the acrobatics of Capoeira, the calm and graceful nature of Tai Chi and the explosive moves of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Muay Thai and Taekwondo, and how to break boards and use nunchucks.

As each day went by, in the words of Mr Dell, we discovered muscles we did not know we had and more about ourselves.We also learned that many things can be gained from studying martial arts, such as, developing a high level of fitness, confidence, discipline, body control and friendships.

Over the week we also participated in several community service activities, including the planning a fundraiser for the Jackie Chan Dragon’s Heart Foundation to raise money to help build schools in rural China and visiting the Mary Rose School where we worked with children with special needs. We interacted with the children, played charades, sang songs and danced together, and really enjoyed the experience.

There were so many highlights during the week, such as being invited to train with the PHABMA Taekwondo School for disabled students. We all sat down in chairs and formed a big circle with the students to make everybody feel equal and the same. The students demonstrated different Taekwondo movements from their wheelchairs while we tried to follow each step. We soon learnt that this was very different from the Taekwondo class earlier that morning. We were amazed at how they showed so much determination in their actions and how Taekwondo gave them a confidence in themselves and their bodies. A the end of the session we each had the chance to pair up with a PHABMA student and spar in a mini two-minute “match” using all the moves we had learnt. We couldn’t thank them enough for sharing this great opportunity with us.

Overall, we all had a great time during our Martial Arts and Service Activity Week and want to thank all the instructors and students we worked with for a truly unforgettable experience.

Written by the AISHK students