I tried martial arts for the 1st time & got owned. Would I be down to do it again? Yes.

You could say that I’ve been enamoured with fight scenes since I was young.

It started off with superhero cartoons like “Teen Titans” and “Justice League Unlimited”, before I was introduced to the world of kungfu through blockbusters like “Rush Hour” and “Kungfu Hustle”.

For some reason, the flurry of fists and feet enraptured me — watching a brawl between two people on screen was like watching a well choreographed tango.

The sheer agility and grace of actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li made me think that maybe, just maybe, I could emulate such limber movements as well.

It might even make me look cOoL, which is, of course, every schooling kid’s goal.

I pestered my mother about letting me attend taekwondo lessons, but was eventually persuaded not to after being told that such a sport would yield unforetold pain and bruises.

Can I become Ip Man??

Now though, as I’m nearing a third of my life and having had first-hand experience with pain and injuries (after getting into multiple bouldering accidents), I felt it was about time I returned to my childhood love of martial arts.

In recent years, I had a fixation with Donnie Yen after watching the first “Ip Man” movie. I subsequently tumbled down a rabbit hole of kungfu movies starring Yen, which made this opportunity all the more timely.

I was given the chance to try out two forms of martial arts at Evolve MMA — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Muay Thai.

“It’s certainly no Wing Chun,” I thought, “but close enough.”

Also, if you’re questioning my dedication to Yen, here’s some proof:

Maybe I would come out of this session with some cool new moves to show off to friends and family.

Or in the unlikely event I get jumped in Singapore, I would be able to deliver a precise whack and debilitate my attacker.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

An intense workout

“Athletic” wouldn’t be the first word someone would use to describe me.

Yes, I might go bouldering every week, but I’m not exactly spry and coordinated.

The first martial arts form I was introduced to at Evolve MMA’s expansive two-storey Far East Square outlet was BJJ.

I shook hands with Fabio, a massive 35-year-old Brazilian who was to be my coach for the next 45 minutes.

Fabio Da Mata has 20 years of experience in BJJ, and was the Mundials World Championship Bronze Medalist. He is also a two-time Brazil Nationals Champion and three-time Sao Paulo State Champion.

After donning a Gi (the white martial arts outfit), Fabio started me off with some warm-up exercises.

He then took me through some of the basic moves in BJJ, such as learning how to land properly on the mat (on your butt with your hands flat on the mat to absorb the impact, legs in the air), dodging and getting back on your feet, as well as a front roll and backwards roll.

My front roll was pretty well executed, if I could say so myself ha ha.

Fabio himself seemed surprised at my prowess, asking me whether I had done other forms of martial arts or gymnastics before this, and I fist-pumped internally.

This confidence boost, however, was short-lived as we moved onto slightly more advanced (to me) moves.

Passing the guard is one of the moves BJJ beginners will learn. It refers to getting past your opponent’s knees when he is “playing guard”, and “establishing a more dominant position”.

This involved a series of movements where I had to go from standing above Fabio, dropping to my knees, and locking both hands behind one of Fabio’s arms. The aim was for me to get into a more advantageous position, where my body is on the side and on top of my opponent.

Let me tell you, this was a cardio-intensive exercise, especially as a 1.58m-tall girl grappling a very tall, very bulky Brazilian man.

I was huffing and puffing and Fabio had yet to break a sweat.

The session then ended with a grappling match of sorts — each of us was required to pass the other’s guard and subdue them within 1 minute.

I ended up subduing Fabio both times, but did I really win? (I wasn’t deluded enough into thinking I had managed to actually subdue Fabio through my own skills and strength, or lack thereof).

It definitely didn’t feel like it, because I was winded.

My dreams of being like Donnie Yen had flown out the window at this point.

Time for Muay Thai

I took a 10 minute water and toilet break at Evolve MMA’s rather well-equipped toilet, which includes lockers and shower cubicles.

I then met my next instructor Rungnarai Kiatmookao, a 29-year-old multiple-time Muay Thai world champion who has been fighting since the age of seven.

Boxing is something I’m more familiar with, having attended classes before where I was taught some moves.

Rungnarai ran me through the basics, such as a jab, cross, uppercuts and hooks.

So far so good.

The kicks on the other hand, were much tougher.

I certainly didn’t have the flexibility to kick as high as other Muay Thai fighters, and Rungnarai was relentless and disciplined in his instructions.

While BJJ was much more dynamic and unpredictable in its movements, Muay Thai consisted of more repetitive combos of punches and kicks.

The latter however, is definitely more rigorous — especially after coming off a BJJ session, I was particularly exhausted and towards the end, my punches and kicks started lacking some spice.

Rungnarai also started me on sets of 10 punches and 10 kicks, and rather unforgivingly at the end, asked me to do 10 push ups as well, much to my protests.

A good workout

I have to say this was the most rigorous exercise I’d done in a hot minute.

Did I live up to my delusional expectations of immediately taking to the sport like a pro martial artist? Hmmmm.

Did I get owned? Absolutely.

But did I enjoy it? Definitely.

And it’s safe to say that I would surely consider going for such classes again.

If you’re looking for a new hobby to improve your fitness, but aren’t a fan of something solo like running, why not try out some martial arts?

Muay Thai is a full body workout, which is said to improve your strength, dexterity, and cardiovascular performance.

As Rungnarai said:

“Training in Muay Thai is one of the best ways you can learn to protect yourself. Besides learning techniques you can use for self-defense, you also get a good workout through the class.

You don't have to be fit to start. You start so that you can become fit.”

If you’re also looking to become the next John Wick, you can consider adding BJJ to your repertoire (yes, Keanu Reeves actually pulled off some BJJ moves in the movies).

BJJ emphasises technique over brute force by taking the fight to the ground to subdue one’s opponent, so it’s perfect for everyone, including women or smaller individuals.

Fabio also highlights the perk of making new friends through the BJJ community:

“Apart from the physical and mental health benefits, training BJJ also puts you in a community to make new friends. Imagine a situation like this, your training partner gets a submission on you, you need to just do three taps and he/she will let go, and the both of you will laugh about it and start again. It helps to build trust in the friendship.”

BJJ is thus a perfect complement to Muay Thai if you’re looking to learn some self-defence.

If you’re still not convinced, Evolve MMA has a slew of other sports you can participate in, such as mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, among others. You can check the whole range of classes here.

What’s more, all of Evolve MMA’s instructors have real world experience and are experts in their own field, so you can rest assured that you’ll be learning from the real deal.

Aside from its Far East Square location, Evolve MMA has other outlets at Orchard Central, KINEX and Star Vista.

For those looking to dip their toes into the world of martial arts but aren’t sure about committing, Evolve MMA has a 30-minute complimentary trial class for BJJ, Muay Thai and boxing that is open to all ages, skill levels and genders.

There is also a trial class for children.

Sign up for the class here.

This is a sponsored article by Evolve MMA.

Top photo by Mothership