The art of fighting

Soccer players learn to kick and football players learn to throw. Martial artists learn to kick and throw people, as many of IU’s finest will demonstrate at the Martial Arts Fest on Saturday.

At least 11 clubs are expected to participate, including the hapkido, aikido, tae kwon do and fencing clubs, said Brian Pike, president of the Hapkido and Self-Defense Club.

“We are sort of spearheading the effort, but all the different clubs are helping,” Pike said.

In addition to 10-to-15-minute demos by each club, there will also be tables where attendees can talk with club members about meeting times, fees, equipment and various activities.

“You can get specific information, details about each club,” Pike said.

Besides the main stage area, there will also be mats set up in smaller sections where anyone interested can get personal demonstrations and try out moves themselves.

“You’re going to see a huge variety of arts, and it’s experts,” said Ph.D. student and Aikido Club president Nathan Sanders, who is a first-degree black belt himself. “It’s not just talking to people, you’re actually seeing it and you can take part in it. ... If you’re interested, that’s what you want to see, what you’re aiming for.”

Pike recommends that anyone wishing to participate should wear workout clothes.

“If you’re interested in martial arts at all, this is going to be the best cross-section you can get,” Pike said. “It’s a nice view of basically the whole program.”

Patrick Kelly, the martial arts program coordinator for the Department of Kinesiology, said they have limited opportunities to showcase all the different arts available at IU.

“This is the largest academic martial arts program in the U.S.,” Kelly said, comparing it to the compulsory program at West Point Military Academy. “Certainly, we have a much more diverse program here than they do.”

Organizers agreed that each art has its own style, but most can be adapted for practical self-defense. Hapkido, for example, is self-defense based, according to Kelly, who called the style “all-encompassing” and “practical.”

Forms range from grappling to stick-fighting, though for a focus on grappling alone, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, which resembles wrestling, might be the better option.

However, aikido might be preferable when facing multiple attackers.

“With aikido, the intent is to immobilize your opponent as fast as possible without hurting him and being ready for another opponent,” Sanders said. “We focus on taking down multiple people without hurting them.”

Sanders said the philosophical focus of aikido is “restoring harmony,” and there is an emphasis on locking maneuvers.

While the festival is not an annual event, the people involved agree they’d be interested in making it regular.

“If this is really successful, I see no reason not to do it a second time, and it certainly brings together the IU martial arts community,” Kelly said. “It helps bring everybody together at least once a year.”

For the time being, they’re focusing on the present.

“Hopefully, we’re getting a large space, pretty centralized, that people will see and come check it out,” he said. “Hopefully, it will draw a lot of people.”