Path to higher ground starts in Kaitaia

PATHFINDER: Tahuri Tibble puts his students through the traps in the NorthTec Vocational Studies Sport and Recreation Group Level 2 at the gym on Water Lane last month.

Anyone remember cult '70s television series, Kung Fu?

It starred the late legendary David Carradine as a Shaolin Temple monk traipsing in seemingly aimless fashion around the Wild West playing a flute and attracting trouble, often simply for being Asian. But anyone expecting that show to deliver fightfest-after-fightfest worthy of a Bruce Lee action flick generally ended up being left sorely disappointed.

The pace of Kung Fu was meditative, the action sequences were few and far between, and when they did come were startlingly brief, suggesting the martial art was more inclined towards the cerebral and spiritual than physical. The basic premise appeared to be that learning how to break a dozen terracotta tiles with one well-timed downward stroke of the edge of a hand, or walking across a carpet of rice paper without leaving footsteps, was more a means of gaining access to the higher ground rather than a way to beat up bullies and would-be assailants.

In a similar way, a local man is channelling the new aggressive style of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to attract students to sign on for a new sport and recreational course being offered through NorthTec. As one of the directors of the Far North MMA club, course tutor Tahuri Tibble said the North Tec Vocational Studies Sport and Recreation Group Level 2 course had been designed to provide a "new pathway" for students, and give them a "new lease" on life.

"Young folks all know UFC. They [my students] will tell you how much it's improved them, you can see it in their development. They are earning something new," he said, before emphasising the course was not at all about learning the art of self defence. A qualified MMA instructor, Tibble said the "sports-based specific" course was designed to "re-motivate" students, could even help some avoid falling into the abyss of what some term 'inter-generational welfare dependence' in Kaitaia.

"It's about getting them in here, getting the body healthy, training smart, learn about all sorts through MMA," he said, adding that MMA was attractive to youth while its learned style and promotion of self-discipline helped its students steer clear of bad influences.

Believing this was a concept that had never been trialled in a polytechnic system until now, Tibble said his NorthTec supervisors had been blown away by what had been achieved in the trial year so far. While 20 had signed on for the course in its first year, a high level of commitment was mandatory.

This became evident when a young man wearing a distinctive red hoodie wandered into class while the Age was there and apologised for being absent for the past few weeks. In a quiet, serious voice, Tibble replies, "That's okay, but I'm going to have to take you off the programme." The guy shrugged, accepting the decision and shook hands before walking off. Tibble said there were second chances but he couldn't afford to make it open slather.

"They get boundaries, I don't have any pets. If you want to excel in anything you do, you have to have that mentality, you've got to put in the hard yards. Up here, there is no exception. You don't turn up ... "

In comparison, there was the case of one student, 31-year-old Jamie Naera, who has gone on to make his professional debut at an Auckland martial arts tournament earlier this year (where he was eventually stopped by Beau Rawiri in the main event of the Young Blood 9 card in Eden Terrace).

Tibble said Far North MMA in conjunction with NorthTec is planning an open day next month to promote martial arts and well-being through fitness. The event, set to run from 1-3pm on Saturday, September 12, will see exhibitions in MMA, Brazilian jiu jitsu, kickboxing and boxing.

Members of the Bay of Islands Lee Gar gym will travel up for the day and Shane 'Choppa' Chapman, four-time Muay Thai world champion, will make a special guest appearance. Proceeds from the cover charge of $5 (which includes nibbles) will go towards the purchase of a ring for use by FNMMA and Tahuri's students.

- For more information, contact Tahuri Tibble (020) 401-35464.