A great number of clubs at UB give students the opportunity to gain a better sense of self and well-being by taking matters into their own hands, or sometimes throwing another student with them.
With the introduction of Tae Kwan Do as a medal event in the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney and a burgeoning interest nationwide in the martial arts, UB's club offerings have grown to encompass a wide number of self-defense's various styles and forms.
Tae Kwon Do, or "the way of foot and fist," is the single largest martial arts entity on campus. According to Carline Anderson, president of UB's Tae Kwon Do Club, Tae Kwon Do focuses on creating a "complete human being" through various physical and mental development techniques, such as Danjeon breathing, a slow and deep meditation technique that develops one's "chi," or energy.
Anderson says the tradition of Korean martial arts is "one of the most systematic and scientific."
"The sport really pushes my limits, and I find myself surprised at doing things that I never had really envisioned myself ever doing," said Susan Min, a freshman psychology major and club member. Min joined the club this fall and has achieved a green-striped belt, the third in the eleven-belt system.
Seido Karate, another of UB's popular martial arts organizations, has passed core values of spirit and technique on to its students for 18 years.
"Translated into English, seido means 'sincere way,'" stated Justin Applewhite, president of Seido Karate Club and sophomore electrical engineering major, in an e-mail. "With love, respect and obedience as the foundation of the art, students will develop mentally and spiritually, as well as physically."
Seido Karate involves the development of physical strength, along with traditional Zen meditation, to create a well-rounded individual.
"One saying we have is 'Technique before strength, Spirit before technique,'" stated Applewhite. "Since Seido Karate promotes spiritual [and] mental growth as well as physical growth, you don't have to be physically strong or a natural athlete to learn."
One of the most appealing benefits of martial arts training comes from its ability to help those who are not physically superior to their opponents overcome the odds.
"It is always amazing when I can throw someone who is six feet tall considering I am only 5'4 stated Carolyn Zielinski, president of the Judo/Jujitsu/Aikido Student Association, in an e-mail. Such feats are made possible through a working knowledge of joint locks and using the opponent's own energy against them.
The five-year-old club provides instruction in Judo, Atemi Ryu Jujitsu and Chendokan Aikido. Judo is a grappling-focused form of jujitsu, which is centered more on speed, while Aikido focuses on self-defense against armed and unarmed opponents.
Brazilian Jujitsu adopts the same principles as the Japanese form, but focuses on a submission style of grappling and holding an opponent.
"The main goal is to clinch, take the person to the ground and submit them somehow," said Matt Gersley, a graduate electrical engineering student and instructor for the Undergraduate Brazilian Jujitsu Club.
"There is nothing fake here; every class you get to try out your own ideas and see if what you think would work works," said Jeff Hart, a graduate law student and the president of the Graduate Brazilian Jujitsu Club.
Nikolas Karapasas, together with the Living Well Center, teaches students to defend themselves using nine thousand-year-old Bujinkan Budo Taijitsu techniques.
Karapasas' Taijitsu focuses on staying true to its ancient tradition, as well as providing a modern and practical form of defense and developing the "Tatsujin," or complete human being. In his class, students focus on what they want to get out of the martial art.
"People come for their own reasons," said Karapasas. "For this martial art, it's not to progress through the belts, it's to get what you need."
Capoeira is likely the most distinct form taught by and for students at UB. Students learn an intricate blend of dance and defense, as well as learning to play musical instruments and being indoctrinated in the form's philosophies. The sport is based in a dance performed by Brazilian Indian slaves, who hid its moral-building and self-defense aspects within a complex dance-like form.
"The entire movement is very different from other martial arts," said Edward Chen, a senior psychology major and member of the Capoeira club. "It's very fluid. It's all about motion."
