Anonymous (1) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor:

Prof is definitely an expert. Of course, he is old but he still makes me quiver in fear. For instance, he managed to make me feel soreness in my chest after he jerked his elbow into it. 

But seriously, it felt more like a zumba class as we were just following along and trying to amuse ourselves while he took turns to spar us and correct our form. As with all martial arts teachers, he always sighed that we were stupid and only knew how to follow verbal instructions. So if you expect encouragement, he is not the prof for you. 

Content (Structure/Organization): 

Before diving into the details, I would like to preface that this course is fundamentally different from other NUSC ones, as it is focused more on "embodied learning" as Prof puts it. Prof even hired a RA to examine the effectiveness of this course.

The curriculum was structured such that for the first half of the semester, we spent time learning different martial arts such as Wing Chun, boxing, karate, Eskrima etc. Each martial art was supposedly tied to a concept, such as the state. We were challenged to imagine the environment that each martial art's inventor lived in and to link that to how the martial art is like. For instance, Wing Chun focuses on the tucking in of elbows and inverted stance of feet as it was meant for defending oneself in tight Chinese alleyways, whereas boxing focuses more on footwork such as moving around as it was meant for entertainment through ring fights.

I must say though, I did not really see the link to these concepts as I was struggling to already follow how to do the martial art, especially for more free-flowing arts like Taijiquan (Yes, Tai Chi has roots as a martial art). Asking me to link theory to practice was also made vastly easier by the use of AI, such as NotebookLM. 

For assessments, Prof seems to also be unlike others, in the sense that he focuses more on the physical. I was marked down for not being able to sufficiently explain enough how I felt while practising karate, for instance. But I liken it to learning English, because who (Linguistics majors aside) focuses on intricacies such as adverbs, adjectives and pronouns? Most of the time, we speak because it feels natural. And for me, I could not really put my discomfort in words, and I still have no clue what Prof wanted. This is despite me using NotebookLM's points to link it to theory. 

Prof also reverse engineered the course. Other professors focus on getting to the destination, but Prof focuses more on the process, by asking us to pick a response by NotebookLM that gave the most insights. 

Our group project has to be one of the most unreal ones of all time because we basically created our own world for the martial art we were displaying. It didn't even have to make that much sense, as long as anecdotally, something similar happened. For instance, one group invented a martial art for fishermen to fight between different boats. I am unsure how realistic this is in real life because nowadays people seem to ram boats as it is more efficient. Mine was about fighting in a really hot world, which I don't think I could do because of how much I sweat nowadays and need air conditioning. In other words, it felt that we were judged more on our storytelling abilities.

Manageability of Workload: 

Virtually akin to courses like NPS. I would say it only picks up towards the end because you realise how much depth Prof wants your art to have for the group presentation. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:

Very difficult. As said, I did not understand what Prof was looking for. With the use of NotebookLM, and if your groupmates do not have martial arts experience, it is quite hard to get an A, I would think. But I would say that as always, aiming for an A really takes the fun away from just exploring and feeling stupid, especially for this where it is really just trying out different variations of stances and tactics.

Learning Value/Recommendation: 

I am now a novice in about 10 martial arts. I would be able to defend myself against an opponent if the opponent stood really still.

Jokes aside, it was a fun, stress-relieving course. I do not know how I am going to apply what I have learnt in future though (interdisciplinary learning things).

Additional Comments/Word of Advice:

If you need a massage by Prof, when you are sparring him just go faster and he will match your speed, before defeating you. 

Anonymous (2) AY25/26 Sem 1

About the Instructor:

Prof Lim Chee Han really expects you to seek out guidance and feedback on your own, he will walk around and help you out if he sees you but ultimately you will need to be very proactive if you want to gain the most out of his teachings. He's kind of a jack of many trades, master of maybe a select few, but he's very encouraging and enthusiastic to teach as long as you show a willingness to learn. 

Content (Structure/Organization): 

I think the organisation have improved a lot from what I've heard. Instead of just a bombardment of martial styles to learn in every class, we narrowed down to a couple each class up until recess week (I think) and then we focused on reiterations to reinforce what we have already learned. There will definitely be certain aspects/ styles that you just wouldn't be able to grasp, making it frustrating to learn, but I think thats part of the experience of learning it in the first place. Not everything should come easily to everyone, and not everything will be understood easily. (If we can relate so easily to some of our ancestor's violence/ choices I think that might be a bit concerning). 

For the assessment, we were tasked to create our own martial styles in groups. Personally I think it would have been more helpful if we had concrete confirmation that the context we chose is suitable early on, so that we can move ahead in trying to create the styles and moveset. 

Manageability of Workload: 

Basically no readings since the assignments are mainly to consult and talk to AI (NotebookLM), prof has uploaded sources that are very informative. 

Ease/Difficulty of Attaining Grades:

Can't say much, didn't get my final grades yet, but an A is very achievable. 

Learning Value/Recommendation: 

A very fun and unique course if you want to take a break from the same monotonous courses! Can whack each other with sticks, maybe you'll find a new hobby.