When students and faculty members begin their workouts in Basler Center on weekday evenings, they usually aren’t surprised to see people throwing
punches at each other.
For the last five years, the CPA has offered combat-oriented
fitness programs as alternative
means of exercise, as opposed to the more traditional programs such as intramural
sports and aerobics classes. Jon Walker, director of campus recreation, has been present for the initiation of all of these programs.
“We’ve had judo since 2002, tai chi since 2003,” Walker said. “In the fall of 2007 we saw a major increase in interest for these types of classes.”
The interest Walker spoke of was not limited to students. He was approached by several prospective teachers to consult with him about their ideas for combative fitness programs. Last year, several of these prospective
teachers were students.
“It provides leadership training
for students, when they teach a class,” Walker said.
One of the more recent additions
to the combative fitness programs is a Japanese sword-fighting class, taught by Wes Gideon. Gideon, who is in his P2 year in the college of pharmacy,
has taught the art of satori-ryu, a style of the iaido sword fighting technique, in the CPA for over a year.
“Iaido is a form of combat in Japanese sword fighting which focuses on the draw of the sword,” Gideon said. “The idea is to kill your opponent during the draw of your blade. The rest of the style teaches you what to do if you don’t kill them.”
Armed with their wooden swords, known as bokken, Gideon’s students engage in controlled sparring exercises known as free-flow. During free-flow, students practice their movements at very slow speeds in order to provide each other with opportunities to counter them.
“By doing it slowly, you learn to read your opponent’s movements.
Then, when you speed it up, you can understand how best to counter those movements,”
Gideon said.
Although he admits that satori-ryu can be easy on the body, Gideon encourages his students
to run and lift weights to stay in shape. Heavier bokken
can also be used to build muscle. Satori-ryu classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m.
Another recent addition
to the combative
sports class list is fitness boxing, taught by Garrett O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, a sophomore criminal
justice major at Northeast State, has boxed for over five years, and has an open-minded approach to his teaching methods.
“People want to box for dif said. “Whether it’s for aerobics, self-defense or competition, you have to pay separate attention to different people. Everyone’s different, and everyone learns at a different rate.” As far as fitness
is concerned, O’Sullivan believes that the art of boxing can offer more than other exercises
are able.
“Boxing pushes you to another level. It works totally different realms of the body than other sports or exercises,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan is awaiting administrative
approval to begin sparring
sessions. Walker explained that concerns about protection have delayed the process.
“Our equipment’s just not quite there,” Walker said. “We want to make sure that there’s a controlled environment for sparring.” During this waiting period, O’Sullivan will continue
to teach and has begun training for the 2012 Olympics. His class is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Students are not the only ones who take an active interest in teaching combative fitness classes.
Dr. Brian Rowe, professor of physiology in the college of medicine, has been teaching
judo in Johnson City since 1981.
With over 40 years experience
in the art of judo, Rowe is able to offer his students a wealth of insight into its practice.
“With judo, there’s a completely
different dimension of exercise,” Rowe said. “A five-minute fight can be exhausting.”
According to Rowe, judo allows for great cardiovascular exercise, and can also enhance strength, tone, speed and agility.
Unlike other martial arts, judo focuses on throwing and grappling techniques rather than actual striking.
“We try to make moves to throw the other guy off,” Rowe said. “It also involves elements of groundwork. After a throw, you can control them on the ground.” Rowe stated that anyone
is welcome to join his class, which meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
All of these instructors stressed that they are willing to accept newcomers despite the fact that their classes have already begun. Walker admits that he’s pleased with the enthusiasm
shown by his instructors.
“It’s great to have students and faculty contribute their time to this,” Walker said. “They’re providing a great community
service.
“For folks that stick with it, there’s a sense of accomplishment,
and the feeling of achievement
is genuine. I’m happy we have them (the programs).”
There are no admission policies
for these programs; they are open to the public. For those who may be interested in combative fitness programs, a schedule of activities can be found at http://www.etsu.edu/students/intramur/aerobics.htm. A schedule of activities can also be found at the front desk of the CPA.

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