Students interested in the martial arts can join NIU’s Tae Kwon Do Club to experience competition and learn self-defense.

The club is run by Sam Visconti, an NIU freshman with a third degree black belt.

“I started studying Tae Kwon Do when I was five years old,” Visconti said. “My dad and sister were in it—that’s the main reason I joined.”

Learning Tae Kwon Do has paid off for Visconti. “I received a scholarship to attend NIU in return for teaching the club,” he said. “Also, I’m going to the 1992 Olympic tryout and hopefully will participate in the Olympics,” Visconti said.

A person joining the club can expect to see “an increase in flexibility, strength and stamina,” he said. A person who studies Tae Kwon Do will see an improvement in how one presents himself in everyday situations, he said. “It will improve self-confidence, self-discipline and self-control,” he added.

Visconti’s favorite part of martial arts is seeing his students performing well in tournaments, he said. Traveling the world and competing against other countries is also a thrill for him.

“Teaching students street self-defense in knife, gun and hand-to-hand combat, watching students developing into better Tae Kwon Do practitioners and seeing students reach black belt” are Visconti’s favorite parts about teaching martial arts.

“I always wanted to do some kind of martial art but I never had the money,” said Bob Novak, a freshman in the club. “Here it costs less for a semester than it would for a month at a regular school.”

“Not only do you learn self-defense, but it’s a really good way to get in shape,” Novak said.

The club meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Anderson Hall, Room 102, and Sundays at the Recreation Center.