There's more to martial arts than just the regular dhishoom dhishoom. In Kolkata, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, taekwondo and parkour are not just activities that make you push your physical boundaries but also help you break spiritual barriers.
The result, holistic well-being. We aim for the jugular Rewind a few decades, and there was Bruce Lee. Leaping, fighting, kicking, his nunchaku flying - every neonbright wallpaper a testament to his idol status. Now, cut to the present. The young crowd still wants those washboard abs and bulging biceps. Only, now they perform parkour - scaling walls, 'cat-leaping' across pillars and 'shimmying' on the parapets. Or practise the latest moves of Krav Maga and Muay Thai. All of it in a bid to stay fit, alert and stress-free in today's fast-paced life.
"It's about overcoming physical and spiritual barriers," says Diptarko Bhattacharya, a 23-year-old engineering student who does parkour with his friends in a Shyambazar para at least once a week. And they are not alone. An increasing number of Kolkatans are taking up martial arts and various forms of acrobatics - not to earn a black belt or bash up baddies, but to achieve a fitter body and an even calmer mind. Enthusiasts have moved on from karate, judo and kung fu to Krav Maga, kickboxing, Muay Thai and taekwondo. So cardios at the gym are great, but high-intensity free running and parkour are even better for holistic fitness.
Fighting fit
Tamojit, a techie, swears by Krav Maga, a hybrid form of martial arts that originated in Israel, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. "I have felt my reflexes improve after I started learning Krav Maga. I have also become more alert, less impatient and my body is leaner and better toned than before," he says. His trainer, Ashish Roy, who teaches at a south Kolkata fitness studio, believes that Krav Maga is better suited to our natural body movements than martial arts like judo and karate. "Krav Maga applies no external rules. It is based on modern combat scenarios, which makes it click with the kind of lives we lead. Its practicality scores over the more traditional forms of martial arts".
An hour's Krav Maga burns close to 800 calories whereas high-intensity cardio would burn between 500 and 750 calories. Krav helps improve cardiovascular functions and tones the functional muscles apart from teaching self-defence. "Krav is a mixture of combat and non-contact techniques. It involves unarmed training and includes powerful drills that builds up core strength," adds Ashish.
In another part of the city close to Dum Dum airport, Mahasindhu Dasgupta is training his students in what he terms as the baap of martial arts - Muay Thai. "This ancient martial art can be traced back a thousand years. Muay Thai roughly translates to 'to bind together' and is often referred to as the 'art of eight limbs' as it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes in eight points of contact," says Mahasindhu, who is also a national-level judge for the sport. Like Krav Maga, Muay Thai too has become a channel for increasing physical and mental well-being. "Since Muay Thai is an extreme contact sport, it can get very dangerous. It involves more defence than attacks. It begins by calming the mind with the help of breathing exercises. It increases confidence level and helps unleash your inner energy," the trainer adds. Raj is one of Mahasindhu's students and feels Muay Thai has worked wonders for him. "I was into judo and karate earlier. I have started Muay Thai quite recently. It has changed my ways of living and thinking for the better," he says.
It's about inner strength
Taekwondo and kickboxing- forever seen as just fighting tools - are also gaining ground as lifestyle fads for healthy living and fitness across age groups. "The benefits of taekwondo, has been researched at Copenhagen University and Chinese Medical University. It helps in fighting hypertension, heart diseases and spondylosis. Since this form of martial art increases mental strength, it is also a part of cancer research these days," says Grand Master Pradipta Kumar Roy, the first Indian inductee into the Taekwondo hall of fame.
Since breathing is an essential part of this martial art form, it has many health benefits. "Karate is more about external power, but in taekwondo, it is more about inner strength and controlling the rhythm of the mind and body. That's why you will see people who practice this do not have a very hefty physique. Taekwondo became popular during the Vietnam War. When it was introduced in the city during the 90s, it was not very popular. Now it is a much sought-after sport. I have almost 3,000 pupils all over West Bengal. It's also a part of many school curricula. If we take the number of school students who practise this, the number will be much higher," adds Pradipta.
Similarly, Shihan Premjit Sen maintains that kickboxing is not just another sport. It's a game of fitness and body toning. "Imagine this: you burn almost 1000 calories if you do kickboxing for one and a half hours. It works from head to toe," he says. Kickboxing increases mobility and flexibility. "Lower back and neck pain, so common nowadays, can be effectively arrested by kickboxing. It increases muscle strength and builds up the thigh muscles," Premjit adds. He is also the chief coach for the Kolkata Police and says that there are around 35,000 people practising kickboxing in the state.
Chasing the Tai Chi
Actor Tota Roychoudhury, known for his fitness fetish, is all for martial arts. "Instead of one particular form, I have learnt karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai. I have come up with a fighting technique fit for the screen by blending these three forms. Most of these Oriental martial arts are based on Tai Chi and since they involve movement along with breathing, it helps in internal and external workout. Martial arts improve flexibility and enhance balance, which normal gymming fails to do," he says.
Tota maintains that martial arts are a complete exercise with self-confidence as bonus. While these fitness formula can get the pulse racing and hearts pumping, practitioners believe that there is still a great lack of basic amenities and infrastructure to help activities like parkour flourish in the city. "We are completely self-taught as there aren't any formal groups for nurturing parkour in Kolkata or in India. In Europe and Russia, there are parks dedicated for parkour whereas in India, it's still part of an underground sub-culture, People here think it's dangerous, one can get easily hurt but that's completely untrue. Because of the lack of proper infrastructure, we have to rely on YouTube videos and blogs to learn the moves," says Diptarko. Mahasindhu declares that martial arts as a whole have been only viewed as something that involves kicks and punches. "But they go much deeper than just the physical bit. Lack of infrastructure is there but what's surprising is peoples' apathy towards newer forms of arts. I also teach the Brazilian Capoiera, which mixes martial arts, sports and dance and involves very complex moves using kicks, leg sweeps and aerial acrobatics. But nobody's keen to know more about it. We go gaga over Indian yoga but there are some yogic postures that are age-bound. Chinese Tai Chi, on the other hand, can be started at any age. These are some nuances of martial arts that very few people know of," he says.
Know your martial art forms
Krav Maga: A martial art geared towards brutal counter-attacks, it is the official self-defence technique of the Israeli armed forces. Trainees learn to defeat attackers by channelizing natural bodily reflexes. In Kolkata, it is taught in select gyms and fitness studios. Average course cost: from 1,500.
Muay Thai: An ancient Asian martial art similar to kickboxing. It is Thailand's national sport and is considered by many to be the ultimate in hand-to-hand fighting. Some of the Muay Thai trainers are Barun Das, the head of Bengal's Muay Thai Association and Mahasindhu Dasgupta, who teaches at his residence in Dum Dum. Average registration charges for classes is 300 while monthly fees start from 150.
Parkour: Originated in France, parkour is a method of movement focussed on getting around obstacles by running, vaulting, climbing and jumping. Moves have names like 'cat leap', 'shimmy' and 'wall run'. Currently, parkour is not taught anywhere in Kolkata. It is still a part of an underground sub-culture with students as active practioners. The most well-known parkour practitioner lives in Mumbai and calls himself NOS.
Taekwondo: Loosely translated as 'the way of the hand and the foot'. It is a Korean martial art. Starts with a yellow belt and can reach the black belt in three years. Course fees range between 200- 3000 for twice a week. The uniform charges are 800. Taught at various places in Kolkata.
Kickboxing: It's a mixed form of martial art. Fees range between 200-400 for two days. It starts with a yellow belt and one can go a level up every six months. The uniform costs are 450. Several trainers in Kolkata teach this martial art.
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