Institutional Distinctiveness

Institutional Distinctiveness – Martial Arts and Well-Being Practices

To create and to sustain a healthy society, emotional, physical and psychological well- being is obligatory and all-out efforts are taken to empower staff and students on one side and the alumni, Self Help Groups and the home-engineers on the other side to face any kind of health and safety-oriented challenges.

Our Institution has established The Centre for Martial Arts with a view to handle effectively stress-related problems and to create a sense of well-being. Though Martial Arts are codified traditions of combat for self-defence, they enhance physical, mental and spiritual development. Today’s world is becoming too severe for women and it necessitates training for women in self-defence, with the following objectives:

To get sensitized to the preservation of the nation’s intangible cultural heritage
To practise wellness activities as entertainment as well as a means of spiritual development with a view to rationalise functions of the mind so that the body and mind can react immediately as a unit
To practise Martial Arts as a part of philosophical and spiritual training
To prepare students for Olympic Games as these arts are included as full medal sports

Empowering Women with Self-defence Techniques

The Vision and Mission of our institution is Empowerment of Women. Most of the students are from nearby villages and they need to cross many in-roads which may require them to be alert to safeguard themselves from the wrongdoers. As Self-defence techniques are equally important as education and employment, The Centre for Martial Arts uniquely contributes towards providing mental and physical alertness and strength

Expression of Interest

Achieved quick recognition and outsiders show interest in participation in the training programmes
Many home-engineers and school teachers express their willingness to get trained
Alumni also undertake training and they coordinate training sessions for the outsiders
Self-Help Groups collectively participate in the training sessions
Teachers and students of nearby Government Schools have shown interest in getting trained

Implementation Strategy

The players and the volunteers staying in the hostel turn into trainers and coordinators and the Physical Director carefully charts the time slots for various groups. As the participants are from various sections of the society, the outreach is more than expected. The players who visit the institution for competitions, the alumni, the teachers on campus and their friends, the Self-Help Groups who conduct bazaars in the institution and our own students enrich the number of participants. Yoga and Swimming are also extended in addition to the Martial Arts like Silambam, Boxing, Karate, and Taekwondo

Students are imparted training to ensure their coping skills, stress reduction and healthy development

To exercise and relieve stress
To boost self-respect and self-discipline
To enhance their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health
To make them brand ambassadors of wellness

Teachers on campus and off campus

Teachers to emerge as role models for the students
In the event of electric and electronic gadgets making everyday chores easier, wellness programmes are obligatory
Relaxing the body and the mind after hectic sessions
The ambience of the educational institution makes it comfortable for the women teachers
Training and practice in the mornings and evenings facilitate the participation of off-campus teachers

Alumni Involvement

Coming back to the Alma Mater to cherish butterfly days as well as getting trained is a double bonanza
Interaction among them facilitate emotional as well as professional sharing
Yoga for mental health and Swimming for physical health in a women-only Institution open a free zone for them
As representatives of the society, they become ambassadors for indoor and outdoor games too

Self-Help Groups

Women in 20s,30s and beyond get an opportunity for fitness exercises
Interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships result in mature understanding of each other
Feel-good factor and feel-young factor are getting boosted
Swimming as the life-saving exercise enables the elders to get trained and this necessity is passed on to the children

Home Engineers

This institution provides a safe and comfort zone for the home-makers
The prevalence of chain-snatching and pocket-picking purses necessitates women to learn Karate to meet the challenges
The convenient program schedules enable the home makers to decide on time- slots

Success Indicators

The participants have realised that swimming helps in burning calories, supports weight balancing, builds muscular strength and endurance
Students on campus and school students have achieved a sense of confidence
Accomplishment of Mental Health through Yoga contributes to self-esteem, self-control, emotional and spiritual well-being and the participants’ behaviour stand evidence to that
Strengthening the bones is very important to women and boxing participants understand the impact and by word of mouth make it known that boxing can minimise belly fat leading to good health of the heart
Taekwondo is found to be popular among school children as this increases the sense of alertness and confidence

Limitations / Challenges

Organizing round the clock training seems difficult but the systematic planning and the teamwork of volunteers and the faculty make it hassel-free
Getting the school children for the morning and evening time-slots poses practical problems but long holidays compensate this
Involving in technical and often explosive moves such as Kicks, Punches and Throws are initially difficult and harmful but gradually they get acquainted with

Resources Required

Martial Arts is a new area and extending the same to women poses a great challenge. Inhibitions are to be overcome and training sessions are to be meticulously planned to enlist more participants for every art. Regular workouts without break and bringing in the experts require a lot of planning and coordination. Since the Martial Arts are exhaustive exercises, generally, there is a thinning down of participants. Cultural thought-level block is common among women and requires consistent counselling and follow-up visits