Beyond the mat

Rayan Vakil will no longer be a human punching bag.

Vakil was bullied as a child because of his weight; he was considered “on the chubbier side” by classmates. He decided to change that at a young age.

In fifth grade, Vakil took taekwondo lessons to build confidence.

Now 20 years old, the sophomore exercise science major incorporates his taekwondo knowledge into UB’s Muay Thai class as part of the Combined Martial Arts Club (CMAC).

“I feel if I didn’t [get involved with martial arts], I would still have been in a vulnerable position,” Vakil said. “People would have torn me apart. If I knew about [martial arts] before, I would have been so much better in life. It’s something that a man needs - to have that warrior inside you - for times when you need to push through barriers that hold you down.”

CMAC, a Student Association club, offers free on-campus classes to UB students, including Muay Thai, kickboxing, Judo-No-Kata, Nearu and Brazillion Jiu-Jitsu. CMAC estimates there are 100 students in its club. Community members may join, but must take out an additional insurance policy of $50 a year. Students are covered through UB’s medical insurance.

***

CMAC Treasurer, Muay Thai instructor and junior psychology major Alex Davis believes the club teaches its members respect, discipline and honor.

The club is not solely focused on fighting and competing. One doesn’t need to be a great fighter to participate in martial arts, according to former Muay Thai instructor Wing Keung Chin.

“It’s about conditioning, appreciating the training and respect of others,” Chin said. “You do enjoy sparring to learn the technique, but it’s not the end goal to beat the s*** out of each other. That’s stupid. This isn’t fight club.”

Chin, a graduate occupational therapy student, began boxing at 16 and learned Muay Thai as a freshman at UB. He no longer instructs, largely due to a busier schedule, but attends class regularly.

Chin credits former CMAC President Ryan Monolopolus in making the club’s presence felt on campus and obtaining more equipment.

Students must sign a liability sheet, which acts as a release form that states CMAC is not responsible for any injuries. Besides a few bumps and bruises, no one typically gets hurt, according to CMAC President and kickboxing instructor Erik Shalitsky.

Shalitsky, a senior English major, has a red belt in Kenpo Karate – a form that usual features quick hands strikes.

To give members a realistic feel for live competition, Shalitsky starts his Monday evening classes in Richmond’s Aerobics room with conditioning exercises like high jumps, push-ups, and stair-runs.

Students are often exhausted after warm ups. Most are unable to complete the four sets of drills. Some even leave the class midway through.

Freshman occupational science major Marina Waldy described the kickboxing condition as “overwhelming,” even though she has two years of prior martial arts experience. The point of this extensive preparation is to ready one’s self for sparring.

“When you’re fully energetic practicing techniques, you’re not really learning much,” Chin said. “Your mind and body is not combined into one. You need to push your limits. You can’t think about it, you just have to do it.”

Shalitsky keeps his teachings basic to begin each semester. The class will learn how to properly throw a jab and quickly recover on defense.

Students in CMAC may eventually become advanced enough to compete in sanctioned ballots. Last year the club had four members compete in amateur fights.

CMAC members often participate in the Arnold Sports Festival – held in Columbus, Ohio – a multidisciplinary sport convection named after actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger. Shalitsky will compete in Muay Thai, kickboxing and Kali Eskrima – a weapon-based form of fighting out of the Philippines – in March’s festival.

Davis is scheduled to compete in an amateur fight Oct. 11 in Syracuse, but is still looking for an opponent.

Stonehorse Goeman, a two-time Muay Thai National Champion who appeared on Ultimate Fighter 17 as a coach, is Davis’ private instructor.

Davis credits his perspectives about martial arts to Goeman.

“He’s taught me that it’s always the little things in life that matter, it’s the little things that bite and the little things that get you far in life,” Davis said.

***

CMAC instructors are unpaid volunteers. Judo instructor Bruce Histed isn’t even affiliated with the university.

The third degree black belt and Tonawanda native said he wants to “pay forward to the next generation” by sharing his Judo knowledge.

Histed competed in Judo – a modern martial art with the goal of throwing down and immobilizing your opponent – tournaments at the local and national level from 1973-1993. He came in the eighth place in the Judo Senior Nationals in the early 1980s and won two silver medals in the Junior Olympics.

Histed helped teach a Judo class on UB South Campus before CMAC was created in 1996. He is also the president of the American-Canadian (AM-CAN) International Judo Challenge, which held its annual competitions in Alumni Arena for 10 years. At one point, the competition was the second largest international Judo tournament in the world and hosted 980 competitors from nine different countries one year, according to Histed.

Histed was forced to take his non-profit tournament elsewhere in 2003 due to increasing fees. Histed said it would cost $26,000 to rent out Alumni Arena.

“UB really just took us to the cleaners,” Histed said. “We just really couldn’t afford it and had to move elsewhere.”

His tournament, which ran for 43 years, was moved to Grand Island High School the past three years and will be held at Niagara University this year. UB also began restricting where Histed’s Judo class could meet.

“I think because weren’t affiliated with UB, I think they were trying to push us away,” Histed said.

But Histed returned to UB in 2011.

After leaving UB in the ‘90s, Histed taught Judo classes at different local schools, lastly at Cheektowaga High School. About three years ago, however, he again had to find a new location for his classes.

“Cheektowaga High School basically said we’d been there a long time, used their place for free and we didn’t really have anyone in our club from Cheektowaga,” Histed said.

One of Histed’s Judo students, who was also a UB student, Ivan Marrero suggested they take the class back to UB.

“[Marrero] suggested ‘Well, why don’t we go to UB? They have the CMAC club … Why not go where the athletes are?’” Histed said.

Histed has now been teaching his Judo class through CMAC at UB for the past three years. He teaches sport judo and self-defense.

“UB has been more receptive to martial arts,” Histed said. “Not only should you be going to school to assess the mind, but you go to do the body as well.”

Histed hopes that with the growth of CMAC, the AM-CAN International Judo Challenge can return to Alumni Arena.

In addition to free teaching, Histed gives students free uniforms and even drives some of them to local tournaments. Despite the years of time and effort he’s put into Judo, seeking financial compensation has never crossed the 57-year-old’s mind.

“I know a lot of students don’t have money, a lot students don’t have cars,” Histed said. “It’s an extreme love for the sport, it really is. I just want to pass it on to as many people as I can.”

***

As an SA funded club, CMAC is required to host two social events, two fundraising events and participate in at least one SA event.

Students might be unwise to start a fight with security, as CMAC members usually volunteer as security guards during fall and spring fest. The club sells apparel around campus to fundraise.

For its social requirement, CMAC hosts an annual “Instructor Series,” where highly accredited instructors host either a class or lecture. Master instructors, those who have won some type of a national or international championship, present either a lecture or class in any form of martial art.

CMAC hopes to bring in Kyle Cerminara this year, UB wrestlsing’s all-time leader in career and single-season wins.

Cerminara has posted a 2-0 record in Bellator MMA, the second largest MMA organization in the world behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), since graduating from UB.

Students join CMAC for different reasons. Some join for the workout it provides, some for the friendships it forms.

Others, like Vakil, just need a few hours away from reality.

“When you just sit down all the time you get so bogged down,” Vakil said. “You need that stuff in your life to keep you going – physical activities. I’m going to class, I’m learning all this stuff, I don’t want to come back and fill my head up again with formulas. Sometimes I just want to kick some s*** out of a punching bag.”

email: sports@ubspectrum.com