Tiny master, mighty kicks: 8-year-old leads Taekwondo training in Madurai

In a modest Taekwondo training centre in Madurai, a tier-two city in southern Tami Nadu, men, women and children line up in neat rows, learning to kick high, fall safely and rise stronger. Their instructor — eight-year-old Samyuktha Narayanan.

Samyuktha hails from a family of trainers who are shaping the sport and infusing inspiration on fitness training among the rural households in Madurai.

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Leading the trainers’ pack is 35-year-old Vijay Narayanan, a former software engineer turned martial arts mentor, whose philosophy blends goal-setting with gentleness.

Samyuktha with her father Vijay Narayanan.

“Right from the start, I decided I shouldn’t pressure any student just because we have a record. What I realised is that any student who has innate interest would learn on their own. We should guide them not pressurise them,” he says, referring to his daughter Samyuktha — the youngest Taekwondo instructor in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

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Vijay’s journey from being a Chennai techie to Madurai's martial arts guide was driven by a mix of passion and purpose. “I learned Taekwondo in Chennai during college and used to take part-time classes while working at an IT firm. Madurai is my native place. I wanted to promote this sport form here, so I started classes in 2015. I never had any plan to teach my daughter, she learnt out of her own interest,” says trainer-cum-father Vijay Narayanan.

A family that trains together

Today, martial arts is a family affair for the Narayanans. Vijay’s 30-year-old wife Shruthi, a Bharatnatyam dance teacher, was just a casual observer in Vijay’s class eight years ago. Now, she is an instructor herself. She balances between her dance and Taekwondo classes. “I teach young girls and homemakers. We have even taken women in their 50s on treks. Some of them had joint pain. Some of them told us even going for regular walking was a dream for them but now they have completed trekking expeditions with hope and strength,” said Shruthi.

Between Vijay and Shruthi, the duo has won 30 Guinness records in Taekwondo, Samyuktha too has adorned the family record wall with her latest record. Clad in a crisp Taekwondo uniform with black belt tied tight, Samyuktha is not just any child in class—she was a trainer for the summer camp held in May at the training centre.

Fitness training to fighting child obesity

Samyukta, now a first-degree black belt, a certified Taekwondo trainer, is also a fitness inspiration for dozens of other children in her neighbourhood.

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“My father and mother are my biggest inspirations. I wanted to achieve a Guinness World Record title and hang my certificate on the same wall as theirs. I feel so proud I could do that in my first attempt. Taekwondo training is not tough for me because I love it. Since I am passionately involved in it, I do not miss any classes. Now that I am also a trainer, I work with discipline,” Samyukhta tells The Federal speaking about her journey to the Guinness World Records.

The journey did not not have its setbacks.

For Samyuktha Narayanan, her parents are her inspiration.

Samyukhta says she had failed in small matches in the initial period. But it’s the motivation of her parents which kept the 8-year-old going.

“I was not upset when I failed in matches because my parents told me I could learn about the moves in greater detail when I fail. So I am glad my parents accepted me as I am and assist me in learning what I love,” says Samyuktha.

Close to 100 youngsters who are college students, school students, office-goers and home-makers are getting trained at the Madurai Taekwondo Academy daily. “There are many children in our area around the same age. When they saw Samyuktha practising, they got curious. Even in the school where my daughter studies, the school management came forward to focus on sports. Close to 20 schools in Madurai now have Taekwondo classes because of the efforts of my family and special credit goes to Samyuktha,” says Shruthi, beaming with pride.

Today, Samyuktha is more than a student. She’s a motivator, a teaching assistant, and even a bridge between her trainer-parent and the other children. Many young children aged between five and eight years, who visit the training centre try to imitate what Samyuktha does and gradually integrate into main class.

“I make sure Samyuktha teaches under my supervision. She doesn’t teach entirely on her own. We supervise but she will perform and educate other children,” explains Vijay about the training sessions taken by Samyuktha. Over 20 children had attended the summer camp training held in recent weeks.

Beyond kicks and punches, the training sessions emphasize body-weight exercises, overall fitness and help to reduce childhood obesity. “We focus on making them active, on working with what their bodies can do. There are some children who attend classes to fight obesity issues. Samyuktha was a big help in this. If any child was dull or bored, we would bring in Samyuktha. She would lift the energy in the room. She would also advise us to teach the same moves and techniques that would suit her friends,” said the trainer parents.

In a world that’s often dominated by screens and sedentary routines, Samyuktha is kicking her way through the noise — and leading a whole generation with her. It wasn’t always easy. In the beginning, people mistook Taekwondo for Karate. “Even spelling the name was difficult for them,” he laughs. “But once we started getting recognition — my records, my daughter’s title — people began to take it seriously,” Vijay tells The Federal.

Explaining the major differences between Karate and Taekwondo Vijay said both are distinct martial arts with variations in their emphasis on striking techniques and origins. “Karate moves emphasizes hand strikes and blocks with a variety of katas. Whereas, in Taekwondo, we place more focus on kicking techniques, including spinning and jumping kicks, and use hands as a supporting element. For a visitor, it may look similar but as you get trained in the art, you realise the difference,” he said.

When Vijay initially started the Taekwondo centre, many even found it difficult to pronounce the name, but now the fitness sport has become a local term. Vijay’s family has completed close to 50 Guinness World Records in Taekwondo in the last 15 years. “But records weren’t the aim. The idea was to bring attention to the sport and give children an outlet. And teach fitness to men and women through Taekwondo,” he added.

Vijay and Shruthi now train other instructors through their “record trail school”, hoping to build a team of passionate martial arts educators. “We want to reach more schools, more children. We’ve already seen how it changes lives,” says the trainer couple.

One of their long-term dreams is to have self-defence made mandatory in schools and colleges. “When we take sessions, girls often ask, ‘Why should I learn this? Am I going to hit a boy?’ But after a few weeks, their confidence changes. That’s why I do this. To inspire — not just teach. We should not wait for an opportunity to fight, but we have to train our body to keep ourself fit. That is our message,” they said.

And when they look at their daughter leading her own students, they realise the impact has already begun. “She’s learning to lead. We didn’t set out for her to break records. But the discipline, the passion — that’s what matters. That’s what will stay with her. When she showed her certificate to her classmates and school teachers, many students came to the Taekwondo class with great interest. Samyuktha is a crowd-puller for our centre now,” the couple says, adding, “We wish Madurai will have many more such little masters.”