From Zero to One: a breakthrough in every sense
HKMU Karatedo Team
I remember that in my third-place match for the Men's Kumite -75kg, all the team members and the coach were there to cheer me on. I could really feel the joy and power from the team. Their support gave me the strength to snatch the bronze.
Alvis Lai Chun-yu, Captain of the Men's Karatedo Team
The ninth floor of the Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare (IOH) campus is always packed with students heading to the gym, going to do yoga or meeting up for team sports. Occasionally, you may hear some striking and kicking sounds from the Activity Room. Take a close look, and you will find six students, all dressed in white uniforms with red or blue belts and boxing gloves, fighting in pairs or moving synchronously in groups of three on a mat. They are members of the HKMU Karatedo Team, which was formed only slightly more than a year ago.
Alvis Lai Chun-yu was the first member of the team. To be more exact, he was the only member at the start. As he had been training in karate for many years and had participated in many competitions, he joined the USFHK Karatedo Competition 2023. “Since I was the only one representing HKMU in the competition, I was not given a designated seating area onsite. I had to sit with contestants from other universities,” he recalls. “Only the coach and Dr Tsang (Student Affairs Manager Dr Alex Tsang Tao-keung) were at my side. At that time, I felt a bit lonely indeed!”
Later on, HKMU launched physical education (PE) courses to give more students a taste of karate. “Recently, karate has drawn much more attention thanks to a Hong Kong athlete winning bronze at the Olympic Games, but the sport still isn't very widespread,” remarks Jackka Chueng Kwan-lok, the team coach. “Therefore, I was happy to see the University launch PE courses to enable more students to learn about karate. During the classes, I told the students that the University team needed more members and encouraged those interested to join. I was glad that some students decided to stay behind.” Eventually, Alvis was joined by five new members.
The team's skills were sharpened after a period of training and some exposure in external competitions. Seeing that they had gained confidence, Jackka encouraged them to participate in the USFHK Karatedo Competition 2024. Alvis, by then the team captain, was deeply moved by the experience. “It felt completely different from the previous year. I remember that in my third-place match for the Men's Kumite -75kg, all the team members and the coach were there to cheer me on. I could really feel the joy and power from the team. Their support gave me the strength to snatch the bronze,” Alvis reflects.
Before joining the team, Zoe Kam Sze-man had trained in karate for a few years and participated in some individual competitions. However, it was her first time to try team kata (choreographed forms). She teamed up with two other female members, Suki Wong Sui-kei and Blue Hui Sum-lam, to compete in the women's team kata in the USFHK Competition. She fully experienced the team spirit while training for the event. “Team kata emphasises the synchronisation of all movements and techniques among the three members, including the speed and angle of punching, as well as the shouting (kial). It really tests the tacit coordination of the three,” explains Zoe. “Luckily, Suki, Blue and I got on like a house on fire. As we're good friends, I didn't find it too hard for us to perform the techniques in unison during practice.”
Unlike Zoe, who had prior knowledge of karate, Yeung Ka-chun was a complete newbie. Through continuous training and participation in external competitions, he won second place in the New Talent group of the sparring event Men's Kumite -67kg at the Hong Kong Karatedo Annual Tournament 2023. In the USFHK Karatedo Competition, he faced off against a previous opponent, who was a karate veteran. “I remembered losing 0 to 9 to him in the Hong Kong Karatedo Annual Tournament, so I was very nervous when I fought him again,” he recounts. “Fortunately, I scored one point against him this time! Even though I still lost the match, that one point meant a lot to me. It proved that my hard work had paid off.”
Alvis comments that Chun always stayed behind for extra drills at the end of team training. He and his fellow team members were gratified to witness his efforts being rewarded. “Chun is very hard-working. As someone who has trained in karate for many years, I know very well that it's a significant achievement for a newbie to score even one point against a veteran!” he adds.
Like Chun, Suki was a newcomer to karate. She also had an excellent performance in the New Talent Group of the Hong Kong Karatedo Annual Tournament 2023, placed first in the Women’s Kumite -68kg and third in the Women's Jiyu Kumite (18–20 years) +53 kg. In secondary school, she was a member of the school basketball team. At university, she decided to give karate a try and quickly found joy, positive energy and a sense of achievement in it. Falling in love with the sport, she switched from basketball to karate. “I found myself taking karate much more seriously than I had basketball. While I seldom watched NBA games, for example, now I always search for videos of karate competitions to study the athletes' techniques and the competition rules,” she expresses.
Suki's efforts bore fruit. She shone in the USFHK Karatedo Competition 2024 as the silver medallist in the Women's Kumite +61kg event. This achievement motivated her to go further, and as the women's team captain, she hopes the University team will go from strength to strength and bag more medals for the University in both individual and group events. She also hopes to introduce the sport to more students by setting up a Karate Club. “We've already designed a poster and set up an Instagram account to attract more HKMU students to support the formation of a Karate Club. Hopefully it'll provide a platform for students to discover the pleasure of karate,” says Suki.
Looking ahead to the next few years, the team will continue to take part in intercollegiate competitions. But for Blue, who is in her final year at the University, her days in karate seem numbered. “The Karatedo Team has provided a unique experience in my campus life, creating a close connection between HKMU and me,” she says. “I hope that after graduating, I can still come back to the University to train with my teammates and push them to make further strides.”
HKMU Karatedo Team
Coach — Jackka Chueng Kwan-lok
Captain of Men's Team — Alvis Lai Chun-yu
Member of Men's Team — Yeung Ka-chun
Captain of Women's Team — Suki Wong Sui-kei
Member of Women's Team — Zoe Kam Sze-man
Member of Women's Team — Blue Hui Sum-lam
