Kibo combines elements from the whole spectrum of martial arts. Photos: Darrin Zammit-LupiLife often feels like a struggle – whether it’s at work, with those around us, or even with ourselves, against our tiredness, lack of motivation and an inclination to do less.
David Camilleri knows this well. A trained fitness instructor with a background in martial arts, he developed Kibo in 1998 as a way in which people could use movements from nine styles of martial arts to work out – without hurting themselves or other people.
Combining elements from the whole spectrum of martial arts – namely Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Kung Fu, Karate, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Boxing, Taekwondo and Jujitsu – Camilleri started Kibo to “get the most benefits” for his clients – after putting them to the test on himself.
“I had been training martial arts since I was 16, and I had gotten fed up of doing the same thing over and over again,” Camilleri says. “I started seeing what was going on abroad, and I discovered a programme called Tae Bo, developed by Billy Blanks. With Tae Bo, instructors mixed kickboxing with songs. I got the videos and started teaching it myself and I even made some contacts through it.”
However, Tae Bo was not enough for Camilleri and, along the years, he felt that kicks and punches weren’t enough for a full-body work-out. So he started adding moves from Ju-Jitsu – like the shoot move – which employ the whole body, to make the exercises yield a complete work-out.
The moves were slightly modified to be adapted into a fitness routine. The fitness instructor also drew inspiration from the Brazilian martial art, Capoeira. “To do all the things they do in that discipline requires a lot of stamina and energy, and it really works well with the songs.”
Although they have been integrated into a fitness programme, all the moves are real, Camilleri insists. “The kicks are 100 per cent the same. They are not fake. The difference is that instead of doing what we call ‘katas’, you’re doing them freestyle and adding music and rhythm … and the moves are pretty cool,” he says.
“I started to teach these moves to my family and friends. Then, when everyone was seeing positive results, I decided to share the technique with more people and developed it into a unique, effective – and fun – work-out.
In fact, because it is set to music, Camilleri claims that when “done properly, the technique can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour” – something that will surely grab the attention of people trying to lose weight.
Actually it is perhaps poetic that Kibo uses fighting techniques as a way of keeping fit. The adage ‘no pain, no gain’ is a well-founded one, and anyone who has ever done any exercise worth doing – be it walking or circuit-training – knows that in order to get results you have to get out of your comfort zone. It is, quite literally, a fight with yourself – with no opponent to beat but your own desire to be back at home relaxing on the sofa.
Wih Kibo, Camilleri has taken that imaginary enemy and told his students to fight it. And with the constant movement that the work-out requires, it is no surprise that many of the students are beating an invisible enemy.
That said, the 62-year-old instructor – who has a physique to put many 20-something men to shame – believes it is not just for “fitness-ey” types.
“Kibo is for people who want to see results. Kibo is for everyone, because you can go at your own pace: once you get used to the moves, you’ll make it more intense,” he says.
Intensity is very much the name of the game. “One can feel they’ve been through a real work-out,” Camilleri says.
Done properly, the technique can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour
“But after all the intensity comes the cool-down, where students are introduced to the arts of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. After a work-out, one needs to work in and restore all the energy back to the body. This is what makes your stress disappear.”
He also suggests that, unlike stepping onto a treadmill and running for hours, this may be actually fun.
“Keeping fit can be very tedious and, if you know you’re going to get bored, why bother running? These exercises keep you motivated, as you’re more focused on learning the techniques while doing them. With each class you’re going to learn new moves, so you’ll be more focused on learning and you wouldn’t believe how your body changes after three or four weeks,” Camilleri says.
Apart from burning a serious amount of calories when done properly, the engagement of all the body’s muscles means you also get to tone up.
Although Kibo work-outs are non-contact and only designed to get people into shape, Camilleri has also developed another strain to Kibo – Kibo combat. Designed for people who want to learn how to defend themselves, this combination of martial arts techniques is designed to be “one of the most effective self-defence arts for the street,” according to Camilleri.
He has taught the methods of “one-second fighting” to a few security guards, along with the accompanying revival methods should the assailant fall unconscious.
Focusing on the nervous system, Camilleri’s students are taught all about what pressure points all over the body can do – effectively harnessing the assailant’s body against themselves.
It is not all about defending against aggression, though.
“Once you know what each pressure point is for, you can also heal yourself or your loved ones, which is a blessed thing to learn,” Camilleri says.
kibo@onvol.net