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SINGAPORE: For the past six years, 12-year-old Brandon Yap has been learning Krav Maga, a martial art focused on self-defence in real-world situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His mother, Amanda Yap, enrolled him in the lessons hoping they would help him become fitter and more disciplined, while equipping him with practical skills to protect himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live in a very unpredictable world, you never know when something bad might happen to you,\u201d she told CNA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a young age, I want him to be equipped with the skills he needs so if ever one day he meets a bad (situation), at least he’s able to protect himself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She believes these skills will become increasingly important as her son grows older and becomes more independent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t need any skills that are showy. I don’t need him to win competitions. I just (want) really practical self-defence skills,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs he grows older, where he goes and who he hangs out with \u2026 is less and less beyond a parent’s control. So definitely, I feel that self-defence skills will be important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ms Yap is among a growing number of parents in Singapore signing their children up for self-defence lessons, with several gyms reporting rising demand in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Kravist, where Brandon trains, enrolment among children aged six to 12 has been growing steadily.<\/span><\/p>\n The Tai Seng gym now runs 11 classes across its youth division, up from about six when training resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sign-ups are particularly common among children preparing to enter a new school environment, such as six-year-olds moving from kindergarten to primary school, and 12-year-olds transitioning to secondary school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its founder and head instructor Edwin Peng said many new children trainees tend to be soft-spoken or less outgoing, with parents hoping the classes will help them build confidence and self-esteem.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re going to meet new friends, new teachers. I guess the parents’ approach is to hopefully help them get ready for the big change in environment,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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