by Nena Mary T. Palicas
Molding the minds of the young must go hand in hand with the development of his body.
Sports was out of my mind when I entered the field where I’m now. To me teaching the curriculum was enough but I realized that the body of a kid must be developed too. For the body is still the base of the mind or the person himself. Without a good and healthy body, developing a person’s mind or spirit would almost be nigh impossible. For instance, how can a youth always suffering from asthma attacks—always struggling to catch his breath— be able to listen to lectures in the classroom?
So I got involved in sports and in due time, I gravitated more and more towards Arnis and for which I became preoccupied, up to now. Big thanks to the sports coordinator of our school who accommodated me, my school head who showed no objection and my fellow teachers who have always been supportive. I keep praying that God will reward them in return as they were instrumental in my finding my right place in the academe, where I am comfortable and where I find inspiration in my calling as a teacher.
To be competent in my vocation, I had to strive to learn about the style, history, and culture of the martial art. Through my association with the elders and masters in this field, my knowledge on Arnis got enriched.
Thus, I found out about the fundamental qualities which are musts in all martial artists. These are humility, honor, respect, etiquette, etc. Be humble enough to learn from your seniors as they have the benefit of experience. Be appreciative also of what can be learned and applied from other martial arts.
And with humility, a martial artist would be at all times mindful that his opponent can hurt him badly. So the need for respect for others.
Honor and etiquette go together. Don’t be a cheat. Sports in school must make development of these qualities a priority goal, to develop students’ character.
Such qualities will naturally manifest in real life, in other fields. An example would be one who appreciated honor and humility in sport would naturally be easier to deal with in business in the future. Chances are, other people would appreciate and would like dealing with him. He, in all probability, would be successful in his career or vocation or in business.
Physically, sports provides the chance for the youth to improve in an enjoyable way. After all, physical development can be achieved with a smile or laughter and not with a grouchy face.
Now also that all you hear or read in the mass media is addiction to illegal drugs and the alleged extrajudicial killing of drug addicts, the authorities must be reminded that one way of getting the youth away from drugs is to get them involved in sports.
Considering these, the next question is how to get more students involved in, or appreciate arnis. One way is to form competitive arnis teams that will be involved in friendly competitions. This can be done in Physical Education classes where the course or training program can be designed accordingly.
Coaches in such programs or courses must be particular about going through the basics of athletic conditioning and preparation, incorporating some creativity and innovation along the way. Awareness of the latest official sports Arnis rules of the Department of Education, however, is a must.
In recent years, Arnis masters and teachers have been going about their own business, serving their own constituencies. As a whole, the sport has been inching forward, thanks to the efforts of many clubs. Luckily sports groups have thrown their support to the sport, joining traditional sponsors in providing a venue for kids to learn the sport and compete. “We are very grateful to all our sponsors, because without them, the kids would not have this great venue to channel their energies into.” They are the future of the sport. My prayers are for the next generation of Filipino children to be able to participate, worry-free, in the sport that they love, surrounded by family and friends in their favorite mall.
Appreciating the game in my coaching is one among the weapons I had which helped me promote and encourage every athlete that I trained to learn more about the sport. Here, players could basically participate in two types of arnis sport: the anyo or form, and the laban, or full combat competition.
Giving worth to judges was also a virtue which made me teach my athletes of the different scoring systems and rules and regulations for each division, depending on who was hosting the competition. This in effect increases the general knowledge and awareness about the sport and to further formulate their values in the early stages of their lives. Giving them the chance to learn and practice the sport would also serve as a breeding ground for children who would be future arnis athletes.
This would likewise help the younger generation appreciate our very own national sport. Not only would it help them to be ready in case the need to defend themselves arise, but also learning the sport is one way to appreciate the Filipino culture it represents.
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