Don’t mess with grandma: wushu draws older fans

An is o­ne among the group of 20 elderly women, all of whom who are 70 and over, practising the martial arts, tai-chi chuan and wushu, early every morning at the residential play ground of Ha Noi’s Quynh Mai Ward.

The martial arts are widely practised in Viet Nam and most of the elderly in the country learn tai-chi at a young age along with other activities such as running and wushu. For these elderly people, tai-chi is a way to keep themselves happy and healthy.

"Practising tai-chi everyday helps to release the stress from daily life," said An, who has been practising it for 12 years.

An’s tai-chi teacher Cao Van Khue, 72, said he learned the art at the age of 35 at a time when he was serious ill and losing weight quickly after a head injury sustained from a traffic accident. "I learned these arts step by step and practised every day until full recovery. I’m now healthy and I don’t suffer from any ailments," said Khue, who is an excellent trainer at many tai-chi and wushu clubs in Ha Noi and several other provinces like Hung Yen.

Khue has been teaching tai-chi and wushu for almost 20 years and constantly experiments with ways to make the arts more friendly for the elderly.

"I have been teaching tai-chi for the elderly, and they have said that it had helped them combat arthritis, diabetes and weight problems," he said.

78-year-old Hoang Thi Hoa, who is the oldest of the group, focuses more o­n slower movements and stretches. Before she began practising, she had trouble simply moving and was suffering from diabetes and arthritis for years. "I couldn’t even walk up five flights of stairs before. Now, I can go up more than 50-60 stairs," she said.

Hoa heard about the class from her friends and asked her children to walk with her to the club everyday until she was finally able to walk o­n her own.

"Coming here (to the district club) is much better than going to the hospital. Even my doctor has advised me to attend the class everyday," she said.

According to doctors, tai-chi and wushu can help older people stay healthy, as long as they avoid injuries to the head.

With martial arts now becoming very popular in Viet Nam, the country is planning to officially host the first-ever World Wushu Championships at Quan Ngua Sports Complex from December 10-14.

The event is expected to attract 885 top athletes of this Chinese martial art from 65 countries and territories.

Bui Truong Giang, head of the wushu section with the National Sports and Physical Training Committee, said, "Viet Nam has high hopes of winning a gold in the Olympic Games as it won eight at the SEA Games." Giang added that Viet Nam is second in the world in taolu events after China, where the sport originated.