As we approach midterms, homework and tests start building up, as does the stress that comes with it. There are many ways to deal with that stress, one of those being boxing.
The North Dakota State Boxing Badgers is the boxing club on campus, though do not let the name deceive you. The club also focuses on mixed martial arts, a change that president Scott Ketterling made when he became the president.
“I had a richer background in wrestling than I did in boxing. I had wrestled for some fifteen years,” Ketterling said about the change. “I also have had plenty of positive feedback about the change.”
The club meets Tuesday’s at 7:45-9:30 p.m.. and Friday’s at 6:15-7:30 p.m. in the Martial Arts Studio at the Wellness Center, along with informal practices at noon on Saturday’s. New members are welcome to walk-in anytime.
New members should not just expect to get right in there and fight well from the start.
“The first thing that I tell new members is ‘I know it sucks but you need practice,’” Ketterling said. Boxing is a hard thing to learn quickly, and like everything it takes time, something that Ketterling himself learned.
“I had never boxed before, I wanted to be able to help members when I became the president so I had to put in crazy hours to get my boxing down.” That said, Ketterling also said that while most members join to learn how to fight, they stay because they realize what a great release it is.
The club starts by teaching students the basics of boxing, before moving on to more contact, such as sparing, live drills and other contact that requires more training.
“That stuff is off-limits until I am satisfied you can handle it,” Ketterling says.
The club offers a loose feel, and members who want to just work on technique are welcome. New members just need the will to learn how to fight. The light-hearted environment is also shown in the name.
“I always have a good laugh when people ask me about the name,” said Ketterling.
When choosing the name, it was decided that it could not be too generic or give the wrong image.
“My dad is from a small town in North Dakota and they were the Badgers,” he said. “I loved it and suggested it to the club. They didn’t like it at first but it grew on them.”