Grandmaster Shihan Sir K Anantha (left) conducts a karate session at JRD Tata Sports Complex on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

They are smart. He is smarter. They are quick. He is quicker. They are national players. And, he is an international grandmaster.

Fifty-odd young karatekas watched in amazement as their 61-year-old mentor from Malaysia, Shihan Sir K. Anantha, demonstrated basic skills of self-defence at the inauguration of a two-day training and refereeing seminar in the cool confines of the eastern wing hall of JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Tuesday.

Demonstration done, the grandmaster wasted no time and concentrated on the job at hand — observing participants from Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh as they landed kicks and punches or blocked attacks. His piercing gaze — undeterred by his long, unruly mane — Sir Anantha watched all the action from close quarters, sometimes adjusting posture or hand position of a pupil and sometimes focussing on the breathing technique.

“These karatekas look talented, but I am told they flounder at national-level competitions. My focus always is on body position and quick movement in court,” said the grandmaster, who was bestowed the Sir title by the International Martial Arts Association in Perth, Australia.

Shedding light on the finer nuances of karate, he said there were certain nerves, primarily in finger and wrist areas, which, if pressed, can lock the whole body.

“But these techniques are meant exclusively for self-defence and are not for competitions,” he pointed out with a smile.

A resident of Ipoh town in Malaysia, Sir Anantha is a globetrotter. He has already been to some 40 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and France, for mentoring and refereeing.

“I will be off to Germany on October 28 for officiating the World Karate Championship. I have a busy schedule and have come here following request of my friend, Shihan L. Nageshwar Rao,” he said. “Having nutritious food and maintaining a strict training regimen is the secret of my fitness. Remaining happy also helps a lot,” he grinned.

Padma Shri Charles Borromeo, who heads Tata Steel’s sports department and was the chief guest on Tuesday, said sessions with international mentors like Sir Anantha could keep Indian karatekas in good stead. “I am sanguine that participants will walk home from here enlightened,” he added.

Rao, the president of Jharkhand Goju Ryu Karate Do Association and a Black Belt himself, said the training would not just benefit karatekas of Tata Steel Karate Training Centre in Jamshedpur, but also their counterparts from other states.

“We invited 50 players who have performed at the national level. This stint will help them fix their basic flaws in karate techniques,” Rao, also an official of Tata Steel sports department, said.

Souradeep Chattopadhyay, a participant from Calcutta, said he was very excited to be a part of the grandmaster’s class. “I hope to improve my breathing technique after the training.”

Sushma Rani Mahto of Jamshedpur echoed him. “I have never attended such a session. I will certainly be a better performer after these classes,” said the Tata Steel karate centre trainee.