A Richmond man may be one of the few blind people in the world to become skilled in a martial art defense technique.
Johnny Tai whos been completely blind since the age of three and is also deaf in one ear learned the discipline of Krav Maga while training at Richmond Martial Arts.
Tai, 30, said many martial arts clubs in the area wouldnt let him join up because they didnt believe he could learn the technique.
He now features in a YouTube video shot at the clubs Coppersmith Way studio, which shows Tai disarming a would-be knifeman.
Now, with his new Krav Maga certification, he is aiming to arm fellow blind people with the self-defense tool.
When I decided I wanted to learn this, I got turned down by a few places, said Tai, who has been in love with martial arts for many years.
But at Richmond Martial Arts, they said if youre brave enough to try it, were willing to teach you.
I was always able to do martial arts before. This (learning Krav Maga) was a way to get something on paper saying I could do it.
Krav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Israel that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks.
Tai who made the News headlines last year when a conman tricked his way into the blind mans home and robbed him of a martial arts knife collection is now thinking about taking the exam that would allow him to become an official Krav Maga instructor.
Its an ambition of mine to pass this on to other blind people, said Tai.
I dont think anyone knows that blind people can do this, so I want blind people everywhere to know it can be done.
I want blind people to not be afraid when they go out at night.
Although hes not qualified to teach Krav Maga, Tai
will be heading a self-defense seminar for the Canadian Institute for the Blind on Friday, Jan. 20, teaching youths with little or no vision how to effectively defend themselves.
A few of them are totally blind and Im going to be giving them advice on how to pick the right martial art for them and I might give a quick Krav Maga demo, added Tai.
You can watch Tai take down his would-be attacker by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFgXYTL6MiQ.
