Warrior spirit
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion Aaron Goh shows just why he’s a fighter in every sense of the word, writes
“IWAS just your usual guy, raised to follow the traditional Chinese mould — go college, come out, do business, get rich... you know the drill!” begins Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) practitioner and two-time International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Pacific champion, Aaron Goh, somewhat candidly, as I listen intently while sipping my early morning coffee in the “al-fresco” section of a neighbourhood cafe in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL.
I’d just enquired casually what his upbringing was like growing up and Goh’s surprisingly not in the least bit reticent to share. The fact that we’d just met for the first time seems completely inconsequential to this genial KL-born martial artist.
Up ahead, among the trees, birds flit merrily and a pleasant calm blankets our leafy surrounds. Just a few doors away from where we are is Goh’s modest “dojo”, the Leverage gym, where those interested in martial arts, from BJJ (a martial art and combat sport system that focuses on grappling with emphasis on ground fighting) to Muay Thai (combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques), to kickboxing (a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate mixed with boxing), converge to learn and hone their “crafts”.
Meanwhile, Goh, who’s preparing for the upcoming World Master IBJJF Jiu Jitsu Championship 2019 to be held in Las Vegas, USA in August, has taken time out from his busy training schedule to talk “shop” — and other things — whilst a high octane class is being conducted in his gym as we speak.
Continuing in the same matter-of-fact way he started, Goh, coach to the most dominant home grown BJJ team in Malaysia,