There is plenty of hitting and kicking to go around, but a night with Wolfpack Dojo is far from your average workout. Lessons are interspersed through rigorous training so students can improve themselves mentally as well as physically.
“A big part of our style is the philosophical element, because if you teach martial arts without philosophy, you’re just teaching street fighting,” Obi Mbah, a club instructor and N.C. State alumnus, said.
Both black belts, Mbah and Cameron Parsons, a fellow N.C. State alumnus, instruct beginners as well as experts on Monday and Wednesday nights in Carmichael Complex. They also teach at a Dojo center outside the University, where club members can practice on Friday nights.
“We want it to be more than coming in, working out and having that be that,” Parsons said. “We’ve got a very familial atmosphere, and we try and bring that into the club.”
Similar to Shotokan Karate, Wolfpack Dojo includes elements of Wing Chun, Judo, Aikido, Vovinam, boxing and Tai Chi.
“We’re a little more all-inclusive,” Parsons said. “Whereas Taekwondo just focuses on striking and Aikido on throwing and locking, we use it all.”
But before students learn any techniques, Mbah said self-control must be taught.
“We’re teaching these techniques that could be dangerous and possibly lethal, and we don’t want somebody running around, thinking that it’s something to play with,” Mbah said. “It’s something to be respected.”
One of the most memorable lessons are the five “A’s” of martial arts. Included in those are awareness, alertness, avoidance, anticipation and if all else fails, action.
“Martial arts is really a last resort thing,” James Upright, a junior in psychology, said. “If there’s no possible way for us to get out of a situation, then we can use our skills.”
Upright said he particularly enjoys the mental aspects of Wolfpack Dojo, and he hopes to continue and progress, perhaps earning a black belt of his own one day.
“It becomes less about using your own physical strength, but to be able to redirect their punches and throws,” Upright said.
Arielle Waldstein, grad student in zoology, said she and a friend who learned about the club last year and decided to give it a try. Her friend didn’t stick with it, but Waldstein was fascinated.
“They start out with how the philosophy applies to the martial art, but they’ll extend that to how it fits into your life,” Waldstein said. “It’s really an all-encompassing art.”
As a woman, Waldstein says her study of martial arts has made her “more confident,” and should the need ever arise, she would be able to defend herself against a larger opponent.
“[If] I got into a situation that I thought was dangerous, I think I’d be able to recognize it and be able to avoid it,” Waldstein said. “If it got to the point where I had to engage someone, they’ve taught me the most efficient skills.”
