A growing interest in martial arts is being witnessed among Filipinos here due to the rise in the number of groups offering lessons on self-defence. This was evident in the big turnout of people who wanted to enrol during the launching of martial arts lessons by the Pinoy Karate Taekwondo Club Qatar (PIKATACQ) Mixed Martial Arts yesterday at the POLO-OWWA premises. PIKATACQ is a pioneering club in Qatar offering mixed martial arts. Officials and members of known martial arts organisations joined hands in establishing the club. Among them are World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), Desert Warriors and United Aiki Combat Judo of the Philippines. "Filipinos love martial arts and many of them are experts in the field," said Darius Aranton, PIKATACQ President and 2nd Dan Taekwondo Master and member of WTF. "The increasing interest in the field may have been triggered by people's need to relieve themselves of stress from work coupled with the desire to learn some self-defence techniques and maintain physical fitness," Aranton added. There are a number of schools offering martial arts classes like Korean Taekwondo Centre, Karate Academy and The International Academy for Intercultural Development, among others. In addition, gyms, clubs and hotels have also lined up self-defence lessons as vital part of their programmes. Some of the martial arts aficionados see it as a method of fighting homesickness and doing away with vices. Michael Gulapa, a Taekwondo Red Belter and member of International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) said: "Aside from the fact that I want to widen my horizon with regard to mixed martial arts, I also want to combat homesickness and get away from vices. Some were encouraged by those already practicing martial arts. "I don't' know anything about martial arts yet so I want to gain knowledge about the discipline. It's something new for me and I was advised by my co-workers to join," said Jerjen Joven, a Taekwondo enthusiast. The sport is not merely for men but also for women. In fact there are a number of them signing up. One of them was Caroline Alawis who said that it is one type of exercise and a way of building strength. "I think women should start learning this because it is also a means to defend themselves against threats," she said. The Pen

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