This semester, a new club was created here at San Marcos: Martial Arts Club. This club meets every Thursday in room H-2B at lunch and is open to everyone, whether you have experience in martial arts, are passionate about martial arts, or just want to learn more about it.
At the beginning of each month, the club democratically selects a “Martial Art of the Month” to feature in upcoming meetings. Although no actual fighting takes place, a slideshow about the chosen martial art is created by club
president freshman Siena Pastoria and shared with club members, featuring information about the martial art’s origin, different techniques, and even local studios that teach it.
For example, at a recent meeting, the featured martial art was Kickboxing. The slide taught club members that kickboxing originated in Japan in the 1960s, is a hybrid martial art, and that there are multiple places in Santa Barbara that teach kickboxing such as Santa Barbara Dojo and Valhalla Martial Arts Kickboxing and Fitness.
“Our goal is to share and grow the passion for martial arts for people who don’t train currently but want to or do, or people who are just interested in learning about the history of different martial arts,” said Pastoria.
Pastoria decided to found the club this semester because of her own passion for martial arts, specifically Karate. She currently takes classes in Karate and even dreams of becoming a sensei at her own dojo one day.
“I got into Karate because my brother was the only one who was going to do it, but asked my sister and I if we wanted to,” said Pastoria. “I wore my La Colina PE clothes to my first class, but I was tested for a stripe and my sensei said I could lead everyone through the techniques, then I realized how cool it is.”
Other club members became involved in the club because martial arts TV shows and movies sparked their interest.
“I didn’t really get into martial arts like [Pastoria], I took an interest because of the TV show Cobra Kai,” said sophomore Judith Figueroa.
Their next club meeting will take place on Thursday, June 6 in room H-2B at lunch, so be sure to stop by if you are interested in joining or learning more about martial arts.
