Started last semester by Arthur Lord '03 in response to a lack of martial arts on campus, it has ballooned into a full-fledged class for a range of skill levels. Lord contacted Sensai Seth Wilkinson, of the Easthampton Isshin-Ryu Karate School, who agreed to come teach classes twice a week. He has also provided uniforms and equipment for the students. "I was happy to fill the void," he said. "The students make it worth it because they are so interested. I enjoy teaching the art and seeing the development."
Isshin-Ryu karate is a traditional Okinawan martial arts style. Wilkinson describes it as an art that "promotes enhancing and challenging both the body and the mind."
"Techniques are simple but effective and work to bring the body and mind together as one unit," he said. In the one-and-a-half hour classes, students are taken through warm ups, basic technique, self-defense, sparring and Kata, a choreographed type of fighting. Every couple of months, some regular attendees go through a belt test.
Karen Zawisza '05, a black belt in Tae-Jo-Kan (another Japanese martial art), just completed her yellow belt in Isshin-Ryu. "Since they are both Japanese styles, there are a lot of similarities," she said. "But, there are many new things to learn, too. The prospect of having a black belt in two forms of karate is very exciting."
The class, which includes five to 10 students per session, welcomes people of all levels. "You definitely form a bond with the sensai and with the other people in the class," Zawisza said. "The fighting techniques that we do require a lot of trust and so I've gotten close to the other people."