|
 Carol
Tham kicks ass
April 19, 2001
She
may look petite and cute, but wait till Carol shows her kickboxing
moves. Trust us, she's not one to be provoked.
By
Yap Geok Hui
You
have probably read about the 1st runner-up of the Singapore Star
Search 1999 finishing the full course of the AXN
Challenge running, trail biking, kayaking, vertical climbing
and abseiling.
So
I'm not too surprised to hear that the fit lass can kick ass as
well.
Carol
Tham is into kickboxing
and she gamely agrees to show us a few moves by the pool of
the condominium where she lives with her parents, younger brother,
sister and 2 dogs.
  
 
After
the exhausting workout, the 25-year-old let us into the privacy
of her home and her world of kickboxing.
Carol took up the sport last September and it all started because
of work. While filming Dare To Strike, she strained a ligament in
her knee during a fall.
Although
she is now well, she wants to learn a sport that better trains her
balancing reflexes so that she would know how to cushion her falls
without injuring herself.
"I
feel very shiok when I'm punching something, gives me the 'don't
bully me' feeling. I enjoy doing the workout and the roughness of
kickboxing," laughs the self-confessed tomboy, who describes herself
as being tougher than girls usually are.
 |
 |
 |
|
Carol's
hands are tightly enveloped in the white hand wrap to protect
the wrists and the knuckles.
|
Preparing
for some pad work
|
Carol
delivers a round house kick
|
"Kickboxing
also keeps me fit and helps me in self-defence," says the pixie-faced
girl.
Carol
has yet to meet with situations that require these skills, but it's
always better to know what to do when you are attacked.
She
relates a story she heard of a girl being sexually assaulted one
night in the busy Orchard area.
 |
 |
|
Carol
and Darren are good friends
|
Don't
mess with them
|
"That's
scary, knowing that such things can happen in such a busy part of
Singapore. Darren (her friend cum freelance kickboxing instructor)
teaches us certain self-defence skills on rape prevention.
  
Carol demonstrates some kickboxing
moves and stances for us, check it out. They are lead hook, jab
and the upper cut.
"Women,
however skilled, are not as strong as men so it is inadvisable to
try to fight them. In kickboxing, we learn moves to keep attackers
away long enough for us to run away."
Carol
obviously takes her sport very seriously.
Do not be fooled by the seeming ease of the punches and kicks in
the photographs, Carol has learnt some moves the hard way.
She
recalls how her boyfriend, who kickboxes with her, threw her off
her feet suddenly during practice. "Usually I spar with the girls
and they are of course, more gentle. But with Jack, I was thrown
onto the floor before I even knew it!"
 
| 
