The four-year-old Lincoln Hall Kung Fu/Self Defense Club is looking for people of any age willing to learn, free of charge, the Chinese-oriented martial art of Kung Fu.

Club founder and instructor Brian Thompson plans to instruct classes in Kung Fu fighting drills and sparring techniques, which involve Kung Fu weaponry, he said.

Thompson, the 1986 Illinois State Black Belt Champion, said although respect for the arts is important, self-confidence is the most valuable lesson. “When people come into the class at the start of the semester, they’re amazed at what I do as the instructor, and they think it’s beyond their reach,” Thompson said.

He said students set goals for themselves but usually surpass them by the end of the semester.

Thompson has been a Kung Fu blackbelt for five years and holds a second-degree black belt, the highest being tenth degree.

“I bring students along to competitions if they’re interested in participating. Most of them do pretty well,” he said.

Thomas Luger, Thompson’s assistant instructor, said, “We try to teach our students to avoid fighting and to use their self-defense techniques only when necessary. We teach them how to avoid trouble.”

Thompson said the club will consist of about 35 members and will meet in Lincoln Hall’s lower lounge starting Sept. 21, from 7 to 10 p.m.