Jambar Front Page Article February 18, 1983

Course Beats Self Defense into Enthusiastic Students

By Jim Devine

Many classes at YSU strain the intellectual capacities of students. Not often, however does a student emerge from a classroom physically spent, bruised and with hands battered to a red and swollen pulp. 

In Sam Naples' self defense course that condition is typical. Naples in fact encourages it. 

A fourth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do karate and a former U.S. Open grand champion, Naples says that the goal of the class is to teach basic self defense techniques. "I can't teach in 10 weeks what I've studied for the last 14 years, so we concentrate on an attacker's vulnerable areas: eyes, groin and throat." 

Female students typically  are inhibited about hitting another person, even in self defense, Naples said.  To condition them he has devised a grueling punching exercise characterized by seemingly endless repetitions of hitting techniques. 

From a fighting stance the women throw punches against padded plastic  floor mats until Naples is satisfied with their techniques. One woman held bruised and swelling hands and imploringly asked Naples for a break. 

"My hands really hurt she said." "I believe you," Naples replied. "They'll heal by the next class; keep hitting." 

"It's important, especially for the women, to get the confidence to hit hard," Naples said. "A few weeks ago a girl from this class was attacked going from her car to her house. She punched the guy in the throat hard enough to knock him down and was able to get into the house safely."

Bu quarter's end each woman must knock the wind out of a male student. "I like to let them know they can actually hurt a male attacker," Naples explained. The women also must ward off an attack by a male student as part of the final exam, he said. 

Male participation is not mandatory, Naples said, adding that in all his former classes male participation was 100 percent. The men seem unconcerned at the prospect, "It's no big deal," one said. 

The course carries one quarter hour of credit towards the three hour University activity requirement. 

The class is about evenly divided between the sexes, Naples said. typically, a class begins with stretching exercises,f followed by warm up kicks and punching and falling techniques, he said. 

Naples emphasized that his students are taught rudimentary self defense techniques only -- "the simpler the better," A serious Tae Kwon Do student treats the art as a way of life, while Naples' students will probably never practice karate again.  "I teach very little of the philosophy of the art because basically, they don't need it."

A former YSU philosophy student, Naples is indeed a serious Tae Kwon Do student. He trains six hours a day and allows time for meditation. He also is chief instructor at Master Chun Karate school in Youngstown.

Tae Kwon Do is heavily influenced by Buddhism, Naples said. "Buddhists believe there is a thin line between life and death. You have to approach that line before you can understand life, and the line is very close to man's breaking point.

"A Master is someone who has approached that line. My goal is to be a master."