Shamin Rahman has been involved in sport for as long as he can remember. As a youngster, he would get involved in whatever was going on in his local youth centre and sports centre. However, when he came across an expert in the Philippino martial art of stick fighting who was able to teach him the sport, he knew he had found his forte.
Martial arts are a defensive skill. If you were to use your skills to go out and attack people, that would be a criminal act. But having well honed skills and knowing you could use them to defend yourself if necessary often gives you an air of confidence which makes would-be attackers shy away. Shamin has taught stick-fighting to youngsters in schools across London. “The kids come to me and tell me they are being bullied,” he explains, “and I tell them that learning stick fighting will help them gain confidence in their physical abilities and will make them sharp so they can take on the bullies mentally, without resorting to physical confrontation. They will be able to defend themselves if necessary and that will help them fend off the bullies.”
Shamin finds that both primary and secondary school pupils love the sport. “It’s an excellent way to keep fit,” he says. “It’s a sport for everyone, for adults and children alike, but the children and teenagers are remarkable because they seem to end each session clamouring for more and asking me to promise to come back and teach another session for them. “It’s not a dangerous activity. We wear body armour and protective headgear when we are sparring, so it is not part of the sport to receive injuries in training and practice sessions, even though the name ‘stick fighting’ suggests it is about getting hurt.”
Shamin explains that although stick fighting began in the Philippines, it has spread throughout the world, not just the Asian world. There are national competitions in the UK three or four times a year and qualifiers for the European Championships will be held this autumn.
The highest level of competition is the World Championships, which are held every two years. Shamin has just returned from the most recent World Championship which was held in Rome, in mid-July. He competed in several events, winning three silver and two bronze medals – but he’s set his sights on going back to the World Championships in 2016 and coming away with the top prize.
Shamin teaches stick boxing from 6-8pm every Tuesday at the Brady Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, E1 5HU. The classes are open to everyone – adults and children, male and female, people from all communities.
•For more information, go along to the Brady Centre on Tuesday evenings or contact Shamin on 07930-943 818 or Shaminchampion@live.co.uk.