If you happen to walk around Greylock Quad on a Tuesday night, you may hear laughter, cheering or, if you’re in luck, the sound of a punch or kick. In addition to a reminder that Greylock is, in fact, inhabited, these sounds are also evidence of an intimate, low-key community getting together for an hour to throw fists.
The Martial Arts Club, though small in size, includes students with an impressive variety of fighting experiences. The club members’ martial arts backgrounds range widely from taekwondo to karate, boxing, MMA and even aikido. What’s most interesting is the experimentation that happens between these different fighting styles. Learning some techniques from one martial art and some from others makes the practice an eye-opening experience for both seasoned fighters and new fighters throwing real punches for the first time.
During my first meet, I (Mohammad Mehdi Mojarradi ’23) sparred with Matias Enriquez ’23, a kickboxer. I was thrown off guard by his quick yet powerful kicks, and afterwards I asked him to give me a crash course in kickboxing. He was delighted and asked me to teach him some cool jab combos in exchange. Months later, we’ve become better fighters with diverse skill sets, as well as becoming even better friends. The club offers opportunities to learn skills through shared experiences, which facilitate the creation of unique friendships that keep us coming back every week.
Although this may sound vaguely like the movie Fight Club, our current president Lucas Tolley ’22 ensures that practices are laid back and low-stakes. The main goal is to have fun and take a break from the College’s academic load. No one plans on competing in the UFC anytime soon.
To destress, some students might go to Stressbusters, while others might work out or binge a Netflix show. The fighters of the Martial Arts Club, however, let loose by striking and grappling. Our typical training session begins with short warmups and stretches, continues with technique and form drills and climaxes with some real action: sparring!
