For anyone looking to release some aggression or learn a martial art, the new NIU Self-Defense Club offers a chance to do both.

“Self-Defense Club is a mixed martial arts environment where people learn multiple styles,” said Adam Patterson, self-defense club vice president. “Ground fighting, wrestling, tae kwon do, boxing, kick-boxing. Anything and everything that works in an actual fight situation.”

The club, will hold its fourth gathering Monday, lets members train with more experienced fighters or spar with them in a separate room.

Students looking to join the club need not be trained in martial arts. While there are teachers, in reality, everyone is a teacher, Patterson said.

“We’ve got enough people here who have a diverse enough set of skills that anyone who wants to learn a style of fighting has a teacher,” said David Healy, Self-Defense Club president . “We have no set fighting style. We want people to excel at their talents and then expand from there.”

It’s this form of mixed-style fighting that makes the self-defense club different from other martial arts forms. Club leaders say knowing how to integrate multiple styles will help you defend yourself if attacked.

“If you’re in a fight, like in a fist fight or a street fight, and you have no option but to defend yourself, this is where you want to come to learn what to do,” Healy said.

Matthew Wehner, an acting major and new club member, agreed.

“I came so that I’ll have another option if I ever need to defend myself,” he said.

Club leaders have invested in top-of-the-line safety equipment.

“We have caged face masks, which are about an inch of thick, heavy foam padding,” Patterson said. “It’s boxing headgear with a metal steel cage over it. We’re not looking to hurt anyone here.”

They think the equipment expense is worth it because good safety equipment allows those sparring to test their strength.

“It’s important because if you tell [people] you can’t ever strike to the face, they’re not defending themselves,” Patterson said. “They’re not learning to strike to the face and that’s one of your most effective weapons.”

The club, still in its formative days, has drawn 15 to 20 people each week. The mixed fighting style concept is popular with some newcomers.

“I came and I have to say, I’m not big on the whole full-contact body sport thing, but it’s interesting to see that it’s not just about fighting, but actually about learning something,” said communication graduate student Laura Schlembach. “Even though they want to fight, in the end, it’s nice to see that they’re learning how to do it correctly.”