Healing hands: Purple Dragon use martial arts style to battle covid19

PROFESSOR Don Jacob said Purple Dragon have been focusing on the healing hands style of martial arts to help its clients strengthen their lungs and breathing to become less susceptible to the covid19 pandemic.

Over the past few weeks, the number of daily covid19 cases and deaths are on the rise.

Like many other sporting groups in TT Purple Dragon have adjusted to the times by conducting classes virtually for its clients.

In an interview with Newsday on Tuesday, Jacob said, “What we doing online right now is something called a healing hands style. The healing hands style is actually practising the martial arts with a certain type of breathing to strengthen the lungs to be able to deal with the covid19 situation.”

Purple Dragon also offer classes such as karate and self-defence.

Jacob, the creator and founder of Purple Dragon, said the healing hands style helps strengthen the immune system and boost Natural Killer cells in the body. “This healing hands style it teaches you how to fight, but it also teaches you how to fight for the body instead of fighting somebody. You try to strengthen the lungs, strengthen your breathing, pay proper attention to oxygen intake and to be grateful for it.”

Jacob said Purple Dragon is the only martial arts school in the Caribbean to offer the healing hands style.

Purple Dragon caters to children and adults.

Jacob said keeping Purple Dragon clients active during the pandemic has been challenging. “It has been very difficult and trying in order to keep it going. We are actually following all the health protocols.”

Jacob is satisfied that Purple Dragon can provide an avenue for children to channel their energy.

“Parents want something for the children to do because right now the children giving their parents a lot of stress because they not getting a chance to practise their discipline. They frustrated at home.”

During the pandemic, small groups train together spread across the dojos in TT along with the online classes.

“The kids are hyper. They don’t have anywhere to burn off their energy and their social skills starting to decline because they are not interacting with other children and learning. The online is all we have to stay in touch with each other right now.”

Jacob said it is Purple Dragon’s responsibility to keep its clients active during the pandemic as the Purple Dragon brand has been around for over 50 years.

“We have been serving Trinidad and Tobago for 52 years now since in the 1960s to now without a break. We have produced a lot of good people in the karate discipline (and have helped the) crime reduction. We see it as a very important part of our culture to continue with health, good discipline and national pride…so it is very important that we continue to practise this discipline and to keep TT on the map.”

Jacob encouraged TT to follow the health protocols, saying, “We hope that all the citizens of TT would follow all the Government’s rules and regulations and so we could all come out of this quickly.”