Martial arts buffs received a rare treat at the first joint showcase of five different fighting styles at the second Martial Arts Expo Monday in the Student Union Lobby.
Members of various UB martial arts club demonstrated eight form exhibitions, including karate, kendo, judo, tae kwon do, kuk sool won, goju ryu karate, wing chun kung fu and san shou, or Chinese kickboxing.
This was the second annual expo by the Combined Martial Arts Club in conjunction with the Tae Kwon Do Club and Seido Karate Club.
"All martial arts groups on campus come and showcase their different arts," said Mateo Prendergast, a senior computer engineering major and president of the club. "It's a great opportunity for people to get exposed to martial arts on campus, get free classes we offer and get entertained."
Food and refreshments were served before the show, and wooden swords were for sale. An array of tables showcased the multiple trophies won by UB's martial arts clubs.
"This brings together and showcases UB's martial arts community as we invite other martial arts clubs on campus and try to get information and opportunity about martial arts out to the community," said Toran Gordinier, a sophomore physical therapy major and vice president of the club.
The fighting arts program began with the Seido Karate Club. Members dressed in white uniforms with belts of blue, green, yellow and black - signifying the rank of each member - demonstrated defense arts specific to the club.
"It helps spread awareness of the various martial arts on campus, and it gives the community a chance to see what our club is about and what we do," said Michael Savino, a member of the Seido Karate Club and junior physics major.
The Tae Kwon Do Club first performed their traditional curriculum, followed by a more sport-based style that elicited thunderous applause.
For the traditional Korean martial art form Kuk sool, performers wore black uniforms and paid their respect to their instructor in the form of a wai, a respectful bow. The instructor demonstrated guarding techniques including the knife defense and kicking defense.
"This gets people interested and people will take a look in depth and learn self defense," said Chris Messina, a senior computer engineering major and member of the Combined Martial Arts Club.
"Combined Martial Arts Club has always drawn the crowd with their expo," said Lorenzo Guzman, a senior economics major and coordinator of the Special Interest, Service and Hobbies clubs.
The showcase was followed by cultural demonstrations and fight sequences in the Student Union Theater. The cultural demonstrations included dances by the Filipino American Student Association.
"I have been in the Combined Martial Arts Club since second semester of my freshman year, and I'm here to support the club," said Liam Burke, a senior English and theater major.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
