The OSU Karate Club meets every Friday in the Colvin to learn and practice self-defense techniques. For some students, martial arts is a creative way to exercise
The Karate Club offers a chance to learn several forms of self-defense and get in shape.
“Most people that go are sore in places they didn’t know they had,” said Ashley Grace, treasurer for the Karate Club.
The club has about 25 active members. About 15 of those members make it to the meetings on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Colvin. There they experience a variety of martial arts including punching, kicking, blocking and grappling. The members also get to learn several defensive techniques using weapons.
There are several opportunities for members to work on the areas of their choice and they can compete in tournaments if they want to.
Mansur Samadzadeh, the faculty adviser for the Karate Club, says the workout has a goal. The members do it because they want to advance to the next level.
He also said that martial arts takes a commitment. Several members test to be promoted to a higher belt but it takes a lot of practice to get ready. This practice could consist of many strenuous activities.
“It’s not just getting on a bicycle and sweating,” Samadzadeh said.
The Karate Club isn’t about learning to kick butt, which is why karate doesn’t have quite a reputation like boxing or wrestling. Martial arts is strictly defensive. It’s based on tradition.
Karate is more about “trying not to get hit rather than hitting,” Samadzadeh said.
Samadzadeh, who leads the Friday evening meetings, will usually explain the history behind several of the techniques before he teaches them. This allows the members to better understand where the technique originated and for what purpose it was developed.
One of the best parts about the Karate Club is that no experience is necessary to join. About half of the members had no previous experience in martial arts before they joined the Karate Club. Now, for several of the members, it’s become a way of life. For others, it’s a way of becoming more active.
“It makes me feel good because I’m working out and I’m not sitting at home just watching TV,” said Logan Beadles, Equipment Manager for the Karate Club.
There’s a wide array of exercises that Karate Club members do. They experience everything from push-ups to quick-paced cardio. It’s a full body workout.
“You find out you have muscles you didn’t even know about,” Beadles said. “I was pleasantly surprised.”
Although it is a lot to learn, it’s also helpful and a lot of fun. In this day and age, people aren’t afraid of somebody coming after them with a staff. Therefore, Samadzadeh has not only taught the members how to use traditional defensive weapons but also how to disarm guns and knives.
“I’ve really enjoyed this class and feel more confident to walk at night,” Grace said.
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