Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    MA XU, an enthusiastic practitioner of martial arts, has been receiving an increasing amount of attention in Shenzhen for his self-defense skills.

    Known as Xiaomage, Ma created his own style of kubaton and has been promoting it as a self-defense tool.

    A local TV station filmed his self-defense skills and the video has since gone viral.

    Childhood dream

    Born in Liaoning Province 33 years ago, Ma’s martial arts dream was ignited at the age of 13 by Fists of Fury, a film in which kung fu master Bruce Lee skillfully used a pair of nunchucks, capturing fans worldwide, including Ma.

    One winter, Ma found a discard steel water pipe and turned it into a pair of nunchucks. He “practiced” by imitating what he saw Lee do in the movie. Alas, without professional training, Ma only ended up with a severe whack to the back of the head. The pain left him on the ground in a snow-covered field for half an hour. As he lied there, he thought about giving up kung fu. However, he finally picked the nunchucks back up and continued to practice.

    Martial arts practice

    In addition to practicing his nunchucks, Ma often copied comic books. Each time he sat and concentrated on drawing, his mother believed her son could pursue a future in art. His father, however, hoped Ma would become a soldier because he believed boys should receive military training.

    Ma disappointed his parents by signing up for the entrance examination for the martial arts department at the Hunan Sport Institute.

    From then on, Ma started receiving professional martial arts training.

    The professional training began with the daily repeated practicing of basic skills and set patterns, which were physically challenging. However, Ma enjoyed it.

    One year later, Ma became a member of a city-level sports team and was recognized as a national first-class athlete. Unfortunately, Ma was forced to leave the team for injuries he gained from practicing too hard.

    Continuing in SZ

    On July 16, 2005, Ma came to Shenzhen with only 820 yuan (US$134). To survive, Ma did many odd jobs, including working as a sales clerk, a gym coach and as IT marketing staff. However, his love of martial arts never left him.

    Ma started thinking about creating easy-to-learn self-defense skills by taking advantage of his martial arts experience when he saw frequent media reports of violent crimes where people were injured or killed.

    “If those people knew just a few self-defense moves, tragedies could have been avoided,” he thought.

    Ma then created a set of self-defense methods that took only 10 minutes to learn.

    He quit his full-time job, started promoting his methods, asked people to increase their sense of self-defense and encouraged people to learn how to protect themselves.

    “Where is the benefit if a person sacrifices his life to earn the whole world?” he repeatedly asked people he met.

    Also, in an enthusiastic fight against injustice, Ma often went to densely populated areas to look for pickpockets. He once saw a boy attempt to steal a mobile phone in Baishizhou, a large urban village in Nanshan District. Ma went up and stopped him, returning the mobile phone to its owner.

    Ma gradually became known to the local thief circle, who would think twice before thieving in his presence.

    Improved kubaton

    Ma came across the kubaton, a knickknack popular in foreign countries, quite by accident.

    A kubaton is a close-quarter self-defense weapon that is typically no more than 15-centimeter long and about 1.2 centimeter in diameter, about the size of a dry-erase maker.

    Ma came up with different moves utilizing the kubaton, using it to tip, poke or prick with the purpose of self-defense or escaping in an emergency.

    He redesigned the kubaton’s dimensions so it would better fit Asian people’s hands.

    “If my kubaton can save a single life, it’s worth it,” said Ma.

    Many people have bought Ma’s kubatons, and some have reported using one to protect themselves.

    A man, Jiang, was picked up by a motorbike rider on a business trip to Dongguan. The driver drove too fast and refused to stop. Jiang then recalled Ma’s self-defense skills and held the kubaton against the driver’s throat, forcing the driver to stop.

    A local TV station showed a great interest in Ma’s self-defense methods and filmed a video of him, which has since gone viral on the Internet.

    Love what you do

    “In this world, there is always someone who hates you or what you do. Never mind; just love what you do,” said Ma, who lives with his mother in Shenzhen.

    In 2008, Ma followed his mother’s example and became a Christian. “Ma Xu is a pure person who is loyal to his friends,” said Zheng, a Hong Kong priest and good friend of Ma.

“In this world, there is always someone who hates you or what you do. Never mind; just love what you do.”

— Ma Xu,an enthusiastic practitioner of martial arts