Educationist and Kung-fu martial artist, Felix Olorunyemi Tommy aka Master Tommy shares with Adeyemi Moronfolu the importance and beauty of learning Kung-fu for self-defence.
Next to education, self defense is the greatest legacy a parent can give to a child, going by the increased spate of insecurity in the country, a la boko haram, herdsmen killing, robbery, kidnapping, rape, paedophilia, cultism, ritual killings etc. This is the opinion of Felix Olorunyemi Tommy popularly called Master Tommy, a black belt holder and self-acclaimed Kung-fu Master.
Master Tommy, who is also the proprietor of Jehovah’s Grace Model School, Ejigbo, Lagos, says he started learning Kung-fu at the tender age of four from his brother Smith (Olorunyemi) who was also a martial arts expert. He said his brother taught him the Chinese style of Kung-fu, which he learnt from a Chinese master trainer.
Master Tommy founded Kung-fu Africa Kids Academy, a martial art school, to teach little kids Kung-fu, which he describes as the most lethal method of unarmed self-defence. He explained that the art and knowledge of kung-fu give kids a better leverage and a little security, especially in this current harsh and insecure society. He said he prefers training kids to adults, as kids are more obedient and eager to learn. However, his academy remains open to interested adults.
Asked if teaching kung-fu to young kids would not turn them into hooligans and bullies, Master Tummy has this to say: “Kung-fu is a discipline course and we teach the discipline art to the children. Apart from the physical training that the kids go through, we train their minds too. Kung-fu is primarily for self defence; and any child that shows unnecessary aggressiveness can be expelled.”
He says: “Some parents are afraid of allowing their children to learn Kung-fu. They see it as a negative concept that will only make children more violent and exposed to violence, but kung-fu is more than that and parents who allow their children to be trained have discovered that the positives of kung-fu and martial arts outweighs the perceived negatives.”
Master Tommy explains that he teaches not only Kung-fu but the Shaolin method of kung-fu, which he says is arguably the best form of martial arts and represents the pinnacle of martial art development.
Aside the kicking and boxing that his students learn, he said Shaolin Kung-fu, like other martial arts, helps to provide health, fitness agility and vitality. He said they are trained to be mentally focused and broad-minded, which he believes will be beneficial to them in the long run.
Kung-fu Africa Kids academy also offers training in other martial arts, such as judo and karate and Master Tommy says he plans to go into film making to avail his students opportunities to exhibit their talents and skills, like other great kung-fu masters.
Kung-fu Africa kids Academy is situated inside the premises of Ansar-ud-deen Practising School Ota.