Hands Recently Registered with the State
It’s been over thirteen years since self defense instructor, Carl Collins himself registered for a class. “At first, I just wanted to stay in shape. I would have never imagined back then that I would be here today.”
Carl’s love affair with martial arts was instant. Considering himself a decent boxer, he thought a course in self defense would be a great avenue to hone his skills and pick up some new moves along the way. He was immediately taken with what he witnessed and soon became a fixture in the class. Over the course of many years, he has trained with some of the world’s greatest fighters. Longtime mentor and coach George Toney, the 2005 North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Expert Advanced Heavy Weight Champion, a Competitor Black Belt with Hayastan Grappling and Gokor Chivichyan systems, a certified instructor for the World Muay-Thai Council and holds a black belt in Kendo saw something in Carl and began investing his time and craft. Carl was consumed with learning the varied techniques of Sambo and Muay-Thai. Sambo (Russian word meaning self defense with weapons) is a combat sport utilizing wrestling like moves. Muay-Thai (Thai for freefighting) encompasses the use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes.
The Physical Education Self Defense program is comprised of both disciplines, giving students exposure on how to defend themselves against potential attackers from both standing and ground positions. Collins says, “I firmly believe that the University should make our class mandatory for all students. Unfortunately, we’ve had students after they have been attacked who wished they had the skills to defend themselves prior to their incidents. We take our roles seriously.”
In 1999, Carl began working with the program shortly after Physical Education split from what is now the Kinesiology department. There were only two course sections being offered and men were dominating enrollment. Currently, the program offers seven sections where women make up 85% of the total enrollment. It’s a huge shift for the program and Collins believes that women are “ready to take control of their lives. No one likes to feel vulnerable. When our students leave here, hopefully they leave with a little more confidence. My goal is for my students to know how to either get away from a dangerous situation completely or at least know how to fend off an attacker long enough for help to arrive,” Collins continues.
Along with his courses here at USC, Carl teaches elementary school children the art of self defense and volunteers his time to various organizations both on and off campus. “I believe I teach about 120 students during a normal week.” When asked about the time constraints that come along with such dedication to his craft he responded, “I love what I do and I know I am providing a valuable service. At the end of the day, I’d rather know I helped someone than do anything else.”
This past summer, the fifth degree black belt was promoted to the rank of Master of Ground Combat Science under Grandmaster James Culpepper and Sijo Steve Muhammed under Universal Systems. This extraordinary promotion came with his hands literally being registered with the states of California, Ohio and Illinois.
While this newly ranked professional is honored by the recognition, he is also humbled and inspired by it. Says Collins “I dedicate so much of my time because I believe in what I do. USC has been a wonderful platform for me. I have been given a wonderful opportunity and thanks to my colleagues for their continued support. Fight On!”