Scott Law, director of public safety, has started teaching judo through Drake’s Intramural Department.
Law picked up judo while in college and earned his black belt several years later. He has taught judo and a number of other self-defense courses throughout the years.
“Early in the fall semester, some students had approached me to teach a self-defense class with intramurals,” Law said. “While teaching [this] class, the topic of martial arts training came up. I mentioned to the students that a lot of what I did was based on being a judo instructor. They mentioned it to the intramural staff, who called me and asked if I would be interested in teaching a short course on judo.”
Martial arts has always been a way of defending oneself, and Law spares no expense when it comes to the safety of the students. Before ever teaching them how to throw, Law first teaches the students how to properly fall — without which they could be seriously injured. The course focuses on what will be most useful in the real world for students defending themselves.
Law said that the benefits of teaching judo are not only for self-defense but also to help build confidence within the students taking the class.
“I’m hoping that it fosters some interest in some of our students in the martial arts, and if there’s enough interest, I’d be happy to continue to teach something next year,” Law said. “It’s a way to see how you can apply some of these things.
It seems that Law isn’t the only one who’s excited about the judo classes. Students are excited to come every week and participate. For both fans of martial arts and students looking for a way to defend themselves, it’s a great experience, the students said.
“I’ve always had a passion for boxing and watching MMA,” said sophomore Zach Bradford. “The fact that they were doing a judo class or some form of martial art was fascinating to me, and the fact that it was free to students, I jumped on it.”
Intramural judo is held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bell Center. There are two classes left this semester. To sign up, go to imleagues.com or use the IMLeagues app and select Drake University under schools, then navigate to the group classes tab and scroll to the Judo class listing.
