2015 marks the 40th anniversary of martial arts at Sinclair Community College. Sinclair Jukado Instructor Maurice Evans said that that almost certainly makes martial arts one of the longest-running athletic programs at Sinclair.
During that period of time, over 15,000 students have trained at Sinclair, and Sinclair’s dojo has won tournaments, gold medals and national championships from Dayton to Disney World to Moscow.
Master Evans, who currently heads Sinclair’s Jukado martial arts program, told the Clarion that he has been studying martial arts for 38 years and has been teaching at Sinclair for over 25 years.
Evans said that he began practicing martial arts at a young age, and that when he was a boy he often saved up his lunch money to pay for martial arts lessons.
“I got into [martial arts] in elementary or junior high school, and when I was old enough to come to Sinclair I started [studying martial arts] here,” Evans said.
Evans graduated from Sinclair with a liberal arts degree in 1985. He said he continued on to Central State and then Central Michigan University, where he completed his master’s in human resources.
Evans told the Clarion that the first martial arts class was held at Sinclair in 1975 when Shunji Hashimoto started teaching Go-Shin-Do in Building 8. Evans said that Go-Shin-Do means “my own style” in Japanese, and is a combination of Judo, Karate and Aikido.
These days, Evans, along with fellow black belt instructors Debra Southard, Kirt Fourman, Linh Vuong, Kenneth Bailey, Greg Segda and Jason Stamm teach a similar style of martial arts called Jukado.
Evans said that Judo consists mostly of throws and grappling; Karate is mostly striking and kicking; and Aikido is “the circular motions; what you see in the Steven Seagal movies.”
“We show you techniques to defend yourself,” Evans said. “Hundreds and hundreds of techniques.”
Evans shared anecdotes of students who have been victims of attempted attacks or robberies. In every story, the student prevailed when they employed the Jukado techniques that they learned in the Sinclair martial arts program.
Evans said that during his years of teaching martial arts at Sinclair, more than a dozen students have been attacked by would-be robbers—and at least seven of those intended victims were female.
According to Evans, they all left their attackers “laying in the parking lot” afterward.
Evans said that due to the nature of the techniques in Jukado, women tend to excel somewhat more than men in the martial arts program.
Evans also said that approximately 30 percent of Sinclair Jukado students are women.
Sensei Debra Southard said that she started practicing martial arts at Sinclair in 1997, and became Evans’ first female student to earn a black belt.
When Southard began teaching martial arts 10 years ago, she taught a women’s self-defense class. She told the Clarion that she agrees with Evans that women tend to excel in the Jukado classes.
“I think it’s because guys try to think of martial arts as [being] all about strength … and women think of it more seriously as self-defense,” Southard said. “Plus [women] are usually more flexible.”
A quick look around is all it takes to see that both male and female martial artists in Sinclair’s dojo are serious about self-defense.
According to Master Evans, at least five of Sinclair’s past martial arts instructors are in the Black Belt Hall of Fame, and two have been on the U.S. Olympic Judo team. Additionally, two Sinclair black belts were on the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union team.
“We have placed people in first, second and third [in tournaments],” Evans said.
Indeed, the front foyer of “The Beast,” Evans’ off-campus dojo, displays dozens of medals and trophies that testify to the favorable results of those tournaments.
The Beast, also known as “The House of Excellence,” is Evans’ personal dojo at his residence in Dayton, where advanced-level Sinclair Jukado students meet every Friday after school for a free martial-arts workout.
Some years ago, Sinclair’s Jukado students and instructors all pitched in to remodel a space in one of Evans’ garages as a way to honor their sensei. The birth of The Beast marked the 35th anniversary of martial arts at Sinclair.
Evans said that that the off-campus sessions are for the more serious and dedicated students, and at The House of Excellence, those students will learn things that are not taught at the Sinclair dojo—like how to use weapons in a fight.
Master Evans’ gregarious first impression might not lead you to guess at his extensive fighting skill. However, when you step into the House of Excellence, you immediately get the sense that this group means business.
The first things you see when you step through the front door of The Beast are trophies, medals and old Clarion stories about Sinclair’s martial arts program. One of the old Clarion headlines from 1982 reads: “Sinclair karate team explodes at state championship.”
Indeed, seconds after walking past the trophy case and into the dojo proper, the Clarion witnessed one of The Beast’s students being thrown to the mat with so much force that he sustained an injury to his ankle.
The unlucky student, a Sinclair automotive technology graduate, crawled away from the mat, obviously in pain. Within minutes, Sensei Southard had brought a bag of ice and applied it to the student’s ankle, which was swelling and turning black and blue.
“I didn’t have my leg [positioned] right when I landed,” the student said. “It hurts pretty bad.”
The student, who is originally from Dayton and holds a green belt, didn’t seem to be too fazed, but his injury was serious enough that he sat out the rest of the session.
“We’ve had a lot of bumps and bruises over the years,” Sensei Southard said. “I broke my ankle my first quarter.”
The injured student continued to hold the ice on his ankle while he told the Clarion about some of the reasons why he studies martial arts.
“It helps you focus [and] maintain calm,” he said. “The first time I came to class I knew I was going to stick with it—I’ll probably never quit.”
The Clarion took the opportunity to talk to some of the other students at the House of Excellence as well. One of those students, sports science major Becki Hall, has her second kyu blue belt, and said that she studies martial arts because she appreciates the peace of mind that comes from being able to physically defend herself.
“I live in East Dayton and I just needed to feel confident walking around my neighborhood,” she said.
Hall also mentioned that she feels that many in today’s society lack respect and self-discipline, and that practicing martial arts is a good way to instill those characteristics in oneself. She also said that she may integrate martial arts into her sports science degree at some point.
As for the the 40th anniversary of martial arts at Sinclair, Hall commented that “it is remarkable. Not many programs stick around for 40 years, let alone in the same location. I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.”
Hall also admitted to being a “zombie apocalypse fanatic.”
“I train harder, because you just never know,” she said.
Fine arts major Josh Rector holds a green belt in Jukado. He said he has been attacked in the past (although not by zombies), and now that he has studied Jukado he feels much more confident. He also said that practicing martial arts is a great way to stay in shape, and he looks to martial arts superstars like Jet Li as inspiration for studying the fighting arts.
When the Clarion asked Rector to comment on the 40th anniversary of martial arts at Sinclair, he said that the program’s value has borne itself out through its longevity.
“The fact that it’s stayed for 40 years has proven its value. I hope it stays for another 40 years,” Rector said.
Sinclair biology majors James Grim and Megan Vaughn are a young married couple studying martial arts together at Sinclair. The Clarion spoke with them briefly at Master Evans’ House of Excellence, and they shared about why Sinclair’s martial arts program is appealing to them.
“It truly is a self-defense program,” Grim said. “Master Evans teaches you how to handle situations on the street in a way that will get you out of there. If I had to recommend a teacher, I would recommend Master Evans.”
Vaughn, however, said it is mostly the camaraderie and discipline of martial arts that draws her to the sport.
“Fighting is fun,” she said. “Everyone’s kind of looking out for each other, pointing out how you can become better. It shows you if you practice and try hard enough you can do it.”
On the subject of the 40th anniversary of martial arts at Sinclair, Vaughn said: “It’s exciting. I really hope to see the classes grow, and hopefully there will be another Jukado club.”
Master Evans also commented on the 40th anniversary of Sinclair’s martial arts program.
“It’s been a great ride,” he said. “A lot of champions have been through here, we’ve won a lot of tournaments, and a lot of people have learned how to defend themselves.”
Looking to the future of martial arts at Sinclair, Evans mused: “Hopefully we can start adding some classes back and start growing [the program] again.”
Evans said he likes teaching martial arts at Sinclair because of the educational atmosphere. He said that he prefers the type of environment that Sinclair offers over that of other self-defense schools that are more business-oriented. Evans said that he places a high value on education and appreciates the opportunity to share what he has learned with students.
“Once you get an education, you can make a blueprint of your journey,” Evans said. “Education helps you get to what you want to achieve.”
Jason Sedy
Copy Editor