The Nicholls State Karate Club has announced its formation and is recruiting new members. The type of karate taught will be Shotokan, a traditional Japanese style.

The club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. upstairs in Stopher Gym.

All students, faculty, staff and alumni are welcome to attend these classes. James Ellis, a black belt Shotokan instructor and oncologist at Thibodaux Regional, said he volunteers his time because he knows college students have to stick to a budget. The only cost to members is purchasing a uniform.

All styles of karate are welcome, and no experience is necessary. At a typical meet, the members learn and practice basic techniques, punches, blocks, kicks, stances and strikes. Ellis stresses that while Shotokan is learned for self-defense, it also trains the students in cardio exercise and flexibility.

“It is an all-around good workout,” Ellis said.

So far the meets have had a variety of attendees. The ratio of males to females is about 50:50, and there are more beginners than experts, Ellis said.

“This is a basic class, a good workout for me,” Crystal Hooter, a freshman from New Orleans, said. She is a third degree certified instructor in Tae Kwon Do, and she said she joined the club to become familiar with Shotokan.

Nicholls offered Tae Kwon Do in the past. Brian Simpson, a pre-engineering sophomore from Thibodaux, had always practiced Shotokan, but Nicholls had only offered Tae Kwon Do, so he joined. Now that the style has switched, he can practice the style he is most familiar with.

“(Nicholls State Karate Club) allows us to get a new group of people in. It’s a great thing to try,” Simpson said.

Ellis said the club had a booth at Welcome Back Day the first week of school and also tried spreading information through e-mails and fliers.

Ellis said the club has about 20 active members, but he hopes more students sign up.

The club is affiliated with the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) and is under the direction of Master Takayuki Mikami, chief instructor of the Southern Region of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF).
Towards the end of the semester, members will have the chance to perform a belt test for the ISKF to achieve a higher ranking.

For more information about the Nicholls State Karate Club contact faculty adviser Morris Coats at 448-4237 or James Ellis at [email protected].