This is the class where women have a physical advantage over men. Here you can meet an Olympic gold medalist or learn how to unarm an assailant from a man who was taught by Bruce Lee's mentor.
This is Tae Kwon Do, taught at Chico State by Master Farshad Azad. The class attempts to apply the fitness and skill of sport to develop practical social skills and literally improve the community.
Azad is a seventh-degree black belt beginning his fourth decade of martial arts training. He teaches the Tae Kwon Do class without pay. His respect as a master is shown in his ability to summon 1992 Olympic Tae Kwon Do gold medallist, Herb Perez, as an in-class guest.
The goal of Tae Kwon Do, the Korean word for hand and foot technique, is to have better temper control. Azad jovially uses the analogy of the rabbit and tiger to demonstrate this.
"Everybody has a rabbit and a tiger. The rabbit is modest, respecting, caring and fun. Everyone wants to cuddle with the rabbit," Azad said. "The tiger is assertive. We stand up to stress with the tiger."
Azad's class guides students to control the rabbit and tiger like a toggle switch. People don't know how to control the tiger and so are frightened of it, Azad said.
"The moment a gun is pulled, I want to be close. If I'm stepping back -- bang, it's over," said Azad, as he swiped a glock replica away from an assistant with a move Bruce Lee's instructor taught him.
The class used to focus more on sport but has evolved to balance with practical applications in daily life, such as public speaking and confident job interviews.
Gabe Ibanez has practiced under Azad for 11 years and now assists in the class. Tae Kwon Do, the fastest growing martial art in the world, has taught him discipline, patience and respect, Ibanez said.
"Every day there's something here that helps me to be a better husband, parent and student," Ibanez said.
The Tae Kwon Do class is also structured to improve focus, Azad said.
"I had to read books over again in college," Azad said. "I was never 100 percent there."
Mark Rincon, a student of Azad's class last semester, learned to be more vocal and confident.
"I'm starting my own management company now," Rincon said. "Master Azad's class allowed me to get rid of my self doubt and do it. They make you want to succeed."
Rincon warned of the physical control and skills that novices learn.
"You get in a lot better shape real quick. If you don't know what you're doing, you can really hurt someone," Rincon said. "I mean it only takes seven pounds of pressure to break an elbow."
Azad's students showed their skills one year when a kick boxing class was scheduled just after the Tae Kwon Do class ended.
"Two kick boxing black belts challenged my white belts one day," Azad said, "The white belts won because they used a simple move I taught them that day."
Azad's Tae Kwon Do class requires no martial arts experience and both genders are encouraged to enroll. Safety is imperative, Azad said.
Women have one advantage in Tae Kwon Do because they have a wider hip base so they can use flexibility and range of motion better than men, Azad said.
The class concludes with a project of the student's choice such as cleaning up Bidwell Park or lending help to a family, Azad said.
The whole philosophy of martial arts is to help those in need. The project is done as a team and there is a feeling of camaraderie, Azad said.
"The point is not to get, get, get, but to help out the community," Ibanez said. "We just got to give."
With posters of Azad's mantra "Positive attitude, mastery and dedication" hanging behind him, he tells of a female student running in Bidwell Park at night when a man jumped from the bushes and grabbed her.
"She remembered a Tae Kwon Do technique and knocked the guy cold," Azad said.
The class is taught off campus at Master Azad's Martial Arts Center on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 to 12:50. Master Azad doesn't close his class but encourages students to add within the first two weeks of school.
Dan Cline can be reached at dcline@orion-online.net
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