Fight like a girl: Self-defence instructor Qin Yunquan talks about her journey at the #TogetherWeTriumph event

Videographer: 'Alyaa Iman Imran

“At my lightest, I was 37 kilograms, that was two kilograms away from death”, says the petite instructor when recounting her anorexic days.

As Yunquan rightly mentioned in her speech at the #TogetherWeTriumph event, anorexia is an eating disorder that stemmed from a low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

To fight her inner demons and bolster her self-worth, Yunquan, started picking up self-defence.

Though she was initially skeptical and uncertain of her abilities to “defend herself against a bigger guy”, she soldiered on and through the training, she realised that it her initial self-doubt was all in her mind.

“That was the turning point, when I started to change my perspective on life itself. Learning self-defence did not just give me the physical skills but allowed me to address my insecurities upfront and to be able to live life with more courage and empower myself,” added Yunquan.

Soon after, Yunquan became an instructor and found her calling in life after training women who have gone through traumatic experiences like sexual violence and psychological abuse – to equip them with not only the physical skills to “ensure that whatever they suffered will never happen again but more importantly rebuild the confidence they had lost.” “If every individual can be empowered, we are more inclined to help other people be empowered,” said Yunquan.

Inspired by her journey? Watch the video above and pick up some self-defence moves to protect yourself in difficult situations.

ALSO READ: HER WORLD COMES TOGETHER WITH TRIUMPH TO EMPOWER WOMEN AT THE #TOGETHERWETRIUMPH EVENT