Swordplay has been practiced for thousands of years, although, fencing’s introduction into the Olympics in 1896 in Athens has made the sport part of the fabric of the Olympic games. Fencing however, is an unknown diamond in the rough in Malaysian sport, as its exposure is as often as a leap year.
One fencing intuition the Touche Fencing Club is not just a clever play on words but it’s making a point in the narrative in the development of sports in Malaysia. Coach Mok, the Director of coaching at the Touché Fencing Club stated, “The goal is to provide a pathway for children to have an opportunity to one day represent Malaysia on the world stage”.
Touché Fencing Club is located in Jaya Shopping centre, it is in the central hub of Petaling Jaya, it has the proximity to Kuala Lumpur and other surrounding cities. This makes the opportunity to take up Fencing more accessible than ever before.
This centre is unprecedented for Malaysian fencing with Coach Mok having the vision to create a centre of excellence. With one day having a Malaysian standing a loft, with a gold medal around their neck on the podium at the Olympics games.
“We bring in kids at the age of six, so it depends on how old you want to come and participate, it’s not too late even if you’re twelve years old, you can learn the sport at any age”. Said Coach Mok
Andrew Mok, the Assistant Coach and son of Coach Mok, said. “My dad was the first one in Malaysia to open up a fencing club, it was his idea, when he started to open up the club. No one actually believed it would work but all of his hard work has paid off with the centre, we have established in the community of Petaling Jaya.”
Although fencing is a one-on-one war of attrition, a mind game akin to a chess player. A fencer has to deal with the intense problem-solving, illustrating that the psychological test far outweighs the physical trial on the body.
The absence of an Olympic champion in Malaysia has left ajar an opportunity for someone to seize that moment in time and that doesn’t come without children understanding and participating in the sport. That is why Touché Fencing Club is driven to visit schools, exposing, educating children and adults alike proving that the sport does exist.
Thirty years ago, the sport may have crumbled amongst a multitude of sports, but that’s not coach Mok’s disposition to compete with the heavyweight sports of Malaysia. His aim is to impart his knowledge and work towards building an athlete that values respect, passion and love for the sport, is something he believes is priceless.
However, the key to the success of growing any sport in the twenty first century is to gain people’s attention via the direction of social media.
Incredibly coach Mok’s refusal to give in to doubters is testament to his mentality and will, to see other people succeed by creating an awareness for his job. This exemplifies that this is not just a job, it’s his mission to make people understand the importance of the sport.
The 2020 International Touche Minime will be organised on the 1st and 2nd of February 2020 at the Juara Stadium In Kuala Lumpur. As part of the Wilayah Day celebrations. To sponsor or participate please contact the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/751666241964529/
