Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1980)
3 0\/~l~100 aisioofciv Page 3 Local black belt works out at concerts... By PAMELA EADES Battalion Reporter Working as a security guard for rock concerts in Houston gave fourth degree black belt Steve Powell a chance to test his skills in karate against the sometimes row dy crowds that attend the concerts. Powell, a 1974 graduate of Texas A&M University, is currently en rolled there as a graduate student in Health and Physical Education. Powell, 28, began working at the concerts in 1975, five years after he started taking karate lessons from Tae Kwon Do (karate) instructors at Texas A&M. Tae Kwon Do is a Ko rean style of foot-fighting similar to freestyle fighting. Some people be lieve it originated in China and spread to Okinawa, Korea and Japan. Powell said that under normal cir- cumstances he rarely gets a chance to use his karate skills, but his job gave him several opportuni- . ties. He remembered one particular instance when his companion was hit by a man after a concert. “I jumped out, grabbed the guy, and took him back behind the stage. I threw him up against the wall, and he started to reach in his pocket’. I didn’t wait to see what he was going to have coming out of his pocket; I just picked him up off the floor with a knee to the groin area,” Powell said. But working security in Houston is not the only use he can think of for karate. Powell said women seem to be taking more of an interest in ka rate and other martial arts as a means of self-defense and a possi ble deterrent to rape. Experts disagree about the use of self-defense and whether it actually prevents rape. Some advo cate submission, others prefer pas sive resistance (going along with the rape attempt until there is a chance to safely react) and still others contend that karate and other matial arts are the only sure ways to prevent a rape. Two new studies seem to sup port this last opinion. The studies say that women who resist rape attempts are more likely to escape their assailants than the women who submit to rape. Women who were passive, cried, tried to talk their way out, play on the attacker’s sympathy or make them selves look less appealing were more likely to be raped, according to Mary Lystad, chief of the National Center for the Prevention and Con trol of Rape, a part of the National institute of Mental Health. Lystad described the studies in an article published recently in the Houston Post. But there is a drawback to taking martial arts strictly for a basic self- defense course; it takes time. The martial arts techniques are highly complex and require many hours of tedious practice to be perfected. In addition, the lessons can be costly. “There is no way to crash-course it. I’ve had some people do very well in six weeks and then I’ve had some people that haven’t been able to do well in six months. It all depends on the individual, his attitude and his own self-confidence,” Powell said. On the average, he continued, three to six months should be enough to equip a woman with the basics of self-defense. Powell said that flexibility also has a lot to do with how long it takes to become proficient in the martial arts. Powell said he became a black belt in a little over two years. The progression through the colored belt system usually takes from three to five years. Powell said he was able to do this so quickly because he could do full splits before begin ning the program. The rank of the colored belts, in ascending order, is: no belt, white, gold, green, purple, blue, brown (three degrees) and black (eight de grees). Even after taking the arduous lessons, Robert G. Barthol warns that some women are still reluctant to use their knowledge and training. In his book, “Protect Yourself,” Barthol said this reluctance to attack stems from the psychological conditioning of women from infancy to be “nice.” Barthol, a retired FBI agent, has been teaching self- defense to men and women in California for 34 years. Powell said many women feel they shouldn’t fight, that fighting will hurt them. Powell disagreed. “We don’t kill people. Accidents happen, but not very often,” he said. Powell said that he had been hurt worse during tournament competi tions than he had ever been hurt on the street. New protective equip ment has been designed, though, which helps prevent the broken noses, jaws and ribs that contes tants used to suffer. The new equipment has become a require ment for competitors, Powell said. Powell is now the chief instructor- for the Tae Kwon Do Club at Texas A&M, the same club that taught him how to fight. He has competed in about 11 contests this semester. In a recent tournament in Hunts ville, Powell said 32 club members brought back 28 tropies. The club also sponsors its own tournament each spring, Powell said. In addition to Powell’s duties as chief instructor for the Tae Kwon Do Club, he owns and operates the Brazos Valley Karate Academy. His students go to the Academy for ex tra lessons and also for workouts prior to tournaments. Julie Scott, a junior wildlife and fisheries science major at Texas A&M, is one of Powell’s students at the academy. The twenty-year-old said she was recently promoted to gold belt status by taking a test be fore six judges and performing sev eral combination moves for them. She said several other women took the test. “I think most of the girls are tak- but teaches karate in town ing it (karate) to get in shape and for self-defense. Not because they think they’ll ever use it, but because it’s nice to know. That’s why I think my mom is glad I’m taking it,” Scott said. MSC OUTDOOR RECREATION EQUIPMENT RENTAL Phone: 845-4511 Hours: Monday 8 a.m.-12 noon Tuesday 12 noon-5 p.m. Thursday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Friday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. canoes backpacks stoves tents lanterns and so much more! Equipment rental is open to students, faculty and staff of TAMU. Reservations may be made up to two weeks in advance of rental date. A reservation list is located by MSC Outdoor Recreation cubicle in room 216 MSC. Equipment not reserved is available on a first come, first serve basis. Call during rental hours (845-4511) to check on availability of any item. All equipment is picked up & returned behind Grove Screen. Sirloin Strip • Filet • Rib Eye • Shrimp Scampi • Prime Rib • Rainbow Trout • Top Sirloin®Stuffed Flounder»T-Bone®Quail RESTAURANT HOURS Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-lO p.m. Saturday 6-11 p.m. Daily Lunch Special $3.95 Daily Dinner Special $7.95 TWO V2 PRICE HAPPY HOURS Monday-Friday 4-6:30 p.m. —10 p.m. to close 815 Harvey Rd. (Highway 30) College Station, Texas 77840 693-1991 Yes! We do take reservations! V /