Hwoah! Hi-ya! No, it’s not a sound bite from a Bruce Lee movie. It’s the XCE boys on Team 2’s first wushu class. Actually, they don’t even sound like that. The sounds coming from the young men were more like moans and groans as they discovered that their bodies had muscles where they didn’t think any existed.

Their instructor, Luo laoshi, demonstrated the basic exercises for wushu in front of the boys and occasionally, on the boys. She moved and demonstrated with a certain grace and power that showed everyone present that she knew her stuff. She gave various activities for the boys to do, it’s not as cut and dried as one would expect from a martial arts class. Instead, she used games to make the boys exert themselves before the formal punching and kicking exercises.

The boys, on the other hand, had different reactions to their first day of training. Some, already used to martial arts, took the exercises in stride. Others very enthusiastically threw themselves into the training, despite not having any experience in it. There were a few who did not have any love for physical activity and were struggling to keep up with the exercises even though the pace was relatively easy.

The first session ended on a softer note, with serene music floating through the gym, the group cooled down with some tai chi exercises. With Luo laoshi’s expertise, no doubt that the boys will be whipped into better shape than before, some might even show everyone a move or two once the XCE is over.

[Text by Harold Wong / Pictures by TC Ang]