Down them with inner force

I Liq Chuan Academy principal Jimmy Heow, 53, performing one of the basic moves of the martial art created by Malaysians and now practised by many foreigners.

MALAYSIANS have actually created a set of martial art that is widely accepted in Western countries.It is called the I Liq Chuan or translated as Mental-Physical Fist.

Its creator, Chen Lik Keong, is over 80 years old and his many disciples include his son who is the international instructor who has set up branches in the United States, Australia, Russia, Britain, Japan, Hungary, Germany and Portugal.

Local disciples train at 10 centres registered under the association that was formed in 1976. They are in the Klang Valley (Pudu and Serdang), Seremban and Pahang.

Recently, the association reached yet another milestone with the establishment of the I Liq Chuan Academy in Kepong.

International award-winning martial art master Jimmy Heow, 53, who is also the chief instructor in Malaysia, will helm as the principal.

“The idea of setting up an academy was mooted during Heow’s recent workshop in Russia,” said association president Wong Wah, who is also the instructor at the Pudu centre.

“A heavy-weight Russian instructor was so impressed with Heow’s mastery of the art that he wanted to send his students to learn the art in Malaysia. We brought the suggestion further and that is to set up an academy that is open to both local and foreign enthusiasts,” he said at a recent interview at the centre.

After that, the association’s committee reorganised the martial art and broke it into 14 stages for easier understanding.

Instructors at the academy also teach other martial arts as well as the ways to handle Chinese weapons like the sabre and sword.

“We openly accept other forms of martial art,” said Heow, who was champion in five of the eight local and international kickboxing tournaments.

“This reflects the fundamental principle of I Liq Chuan as it is developed by combining the essence of all Chinese martial art learned by the founder.”

He added that practitioners of this martial art use their minds to control the flow of internal energy that propels natural body movements when accumulated.

It emphasises on the balance of yin and yang.

When harmony is attained, even a lightweight person can generate great power by using only a little strength, to defeat someone much heavier than him.

“An I Liq Chuan practitioner may look like he does not know kung fu but try attacking him and you may bounce away even if he moves only a little!” said Heow jokingly.

Hence, he encourages women to take up the art as self-defence, especially with snatch thefts so rampant nowadays.

One of his students, M. Ganesan, 43, said he was awed by how effortlessly a seemingly weak man knocks out a big guy with the martial art.

“I have always admired martial art but little did I know that I could learn it here,” said Ganesan, who has been learning it since 27 years ago.

“It works like magnet!” he said.

“Once you are in contact with an I Liq Chuan master, you can’t run away as your body will uncontrollably be ‘stuck’ under his hands.”

Committee member Andy Low, 27, who is also a taekwondo instructor, said the art is “indescribably amazing” as “you can make your opponent stick to you.”