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| Ricardo Wilson | Mitch Potterf | Mehran Habibi | Matt Nuspl | Pat Heagerty |
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| Donn Costello | Dave Lama | Kandi Shamblin | Van Yoak |
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Ricardo Wilson, ISSA
The Who:
I am the head coach of Fight Club, originally Do Jung Ishu (the Art of Fighting).
In 1982 while attending the Ohio State University, I trained with Dr Wu for a year in Wing Chung because Bruce Lee had set the world on fire and I wanted to be like him. In the same year I met Fred Karimian who would not only become my instructor but my friend and roommate as well. In 1983 I started training with in want he would later call Do Jung Ishu. I spent the next 10 years with him kicking and punching bags of stones and sparring almost every day. I assisted him with the training at The Ohio State University but I worked with him privately in what we call basement workouts. These were grueling workouts with a few of the advanced and private students who ranged form PKA fighter, military members, boxers, and bouncers from the bars in the area. These were the toughest workouts I have ever done. To date, even the classes I instruct have not come close to the raw animal-like passion that I experienced in those basements workout sessions.
In 1985 Fred said he wanted me to help him train anyone who wanted to learn and that he had a new structure for the class at Ohio State. We would train in groups: advanced groups would spar and train together while the others practiced and improved. Advanced students would assist with the teaching and continue the basement workouts.
In 1991 Fred asked that I take over and instruct the class at OSU while he completed his masters degree. I would instruct the class on a regular basis for the next 10 years while I also working as a Personal Trainer. My students in martial arts have fought in almost any full contact competition that has come to the Columbus Ohio area including Tough man, Bando kickboxing, and MMA tournaments.
The How:
25+ years fitness and martial arts instructor
10 years certified ISSA Fitness Instructor
Ohio State University BA in Communications
The Why:
I never met Bruce Lee, but I could not have asked for more of a pure martial artist to train with than Fred Karimian. Bruce Lee was Fred's inspiration and Fred made me see martial arts as a way to live life. If you are going to do it, then do not just be a member of the group. Instead, always ask for more from yourself.
The second reason and biggest surprise is the pure joy I received from seeing people change their bodies, watching their confidence rise and their self image change as if by magic. There is no greater joy that I have found than to hear someone thank you for your help in assisting them to find a stronger more confident self. I could not have asked for a better gift from my students in both fitness and martial arts than their trust and hard work.
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Mitch Potterf, Crossfit Level 1, NASM-PES – Co-Founder/Co-Owner
The Who:
I am the proud husband to Tanya and father of Mitchell and Ellie. I am an adjunct faculty member in the Sport and Exercise Studies Department at Columbus State Community College and full time trainer and owner of Fit Club. I believe in performance-based fitness and athletic programs. Life is about function, not fluff. That is, how well you move through the activities of life (function) matters far more than how well you can keep up with the latest fad workout, exercise, or diet put out by "fitness" industry magazines and advertising (fluff). I believe constantly varied functional movement at high intensity is the safest, fastest, most rewarding path to a level of health and fitness most people only dream of. I believe it is for everyone willing to work for it, regardless of age or ability, and I believe it is for you – if you commit to it.
The Why:
I train because I love it. I love the focus and simplicity. I love the feeling I get from doing something really hard that most people wouldn't even dare to try. I love the physical feeling I get while I'm immersed in an intense activity. I love the mental focus I get when I eat real food and I love knowing I can eat the bad stuff and burn it off in an instant because I'll "go there" the next time I work out. I love that I can control my health by eating and doing things I enjoy. And I love the clarity of purpose and independence it gives my life. Moving better, bolder, more freely, stronger, quicker, balanced and without pain improves you physically, mentally and emotionally. Helping people do that makes my day/week/month/year/life. I love the feeling I get when someone accomplishes something great, whether that's a gold medal, a first pull-up, attending three classes a week, or being able to see their feet again). I train personally and professionally for the same reason: to help people get more out of life. I train CrossFit because in my wide experience, it yields the best results in the least amount of time.
"If it's important do it everyday" – Dan Gable
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Mehran Habibi, TKD Second Degree Black Belt, Hapkido First Degree Black Belt, Judo Brown Belt – Co-Founder/Co-Owner
The Who:
Mehran Habibi is the co-founder of Fit Club, and has been practing martial arts for over 30 years. He's had over a dozen MMA\Cage fights, and retired with a record of 11-0-1. He firmly believes that learning how to excel in functional, demanding physical programs can prep the mind, body, and will for all of life's challenges. Mehran lives with his lovely wife, Angela, and his son, Rowan, who learned his break falls by the age of 14 months.
The Why:
I was never really strong growing up: the fact is, I was a bit of coward. I never pushed myself, in any part of my life, because my ego was too fragile to absorb failure.
That changed when Ricardo Wilson took me under his wing at The Ohio State University's Art Of Fighting Club (Do Jung Ishu) in 1994. Ricardo was an uncompromising coach who never, ever accepted anything less than my absolute best effort at the absolute, compete limits of my talent. He had the ability to see what I could not see in myself, and to mentor, coach, push, demand, cajole, and bring it out of me.
They say you play the way you practice. Ricardo says you are who you're being, right now. So the questions I try to ask myself, the questions that Ricardo taught me to ask myself, are these:
Who are you being, right now? Is this the limit of your will? Is this the limit of your ability? Is this the limit of your character?
So we will absolutely demand the very best of you, and we will absolutely show you how to achieve that, and we will absolutely not accept anything less. If that's what you want in your life, then you'll fit right into our little community. If not, you might be more comfortable at GloboGym.
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Matt Nuspl
The Who, How, and Why:
Matt Nuspl has been associated with Fight Club (OSU Do Jung Ishu) since 1992, training under Fred Karimian, Ricardo Wilson, and Darin Waugh. He has competed in several Sanshou kickboxing tournaments, and in addition has multiple years of experience in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Krav Maga.
His martial arts journey has prepared him to confront his fears and tackle the many challenges that life throws his way. He believes that the pursuit of excellence in combat is attainable for all and crosses over to success in other facets of life. He is motivated to share the special gift that has been passed to him by those that paved the way before him.
Matt currently maintains a busy personal life with his wife, Wendy and three children, Jack, Ellie, and Will.
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Pat Heagerty
The Who, How, and Why:
FC's resident Irish hooligan, Pat Heagerty spent years developing his martial arts abilities long before he joined Fight Club. He practiced both Tae Kwon Do and wrestling, eventually joining the Ohio State University wrestling team. While at OSU, he discovered Do Jung Ishu (the Art of Fighting) and never looked back.
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Donn Costello
The Who, How, and Why:
Donn Costello has spent nine years with Fight Club (Do Jung Ishu) under Ricardo Wilson, competing in eleven kickboxing and mixed martial arts tournaments. He has attained a green belt in Chun Kuk Do Karate as well. His favorite boxer is Joe Calzaghe, and his favorite MMA fighter is Chuck Liddel. He strongly believes that whatever you are doing now is not enough and that you can always do more.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the Ohio State University and lives with his son Donald.
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Dave Lama, Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt
The Who:
Dave Lama is the head coach and founder of Precision Fighting, a mixed martial arts team out of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
The How:
Twelve years experience in Sambo, wrestling, Karate, boxing, Judo, kickboxing, and BJJ
Three cage fights and numerous other martial arts tournaments
The Why:
Growing up, I wasn't popular and so would do anything to get attention, causing me to get bullied. I dreamed of becoming like Bruce Lee and being able to take care of myself and my friends no matter how big the bully. During my school years, I dabbled in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and even wrestling. My real training however, began after I joined the Army.
In the Army, while stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, my roommate talked me into taking a Gracie Jiu Jitsu class out of some 40 year old guy's garage. The guy was Master Sergeant Paul Heinz and after that first class he became my Jiu Jitsu teacher for almost 2 years. I learned a lot from Paul, as he made all his students call him. Besides teaching me Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Paul taught me a lot about myself.
Paul wasn't just a great guy either. He worked in military intelligence, spoke Portuguese and was a close friend of the Gracies. My second class with Paul I met Rorion Gracie, who happened to be in from California and Paul's house guest that night. For nearly two years I trained in Paul's garage, even being tested by Royce Gracie along the way.
After six months of taking Gracie Jiu Jitsu, I began to see some real results. In the Army, someone was always ready to challenge me at a grappling match. I must have had 30 or 40 grappling matches with tough infantry guys who didn't want to lose in front of their platoon. Taking on so many different opponents led to my success as a grappler.
After receiving my discharge papers, I moved back to Ohio for university. I was always grappling and sparring with everyone I could, just like when I was in the Army. I watched every UFC I could and would even watch entire bouts in slow motion to analyze intriguing fights.
In 2006 some friends and I began training ourselves because we didn't have money to pay the dues that most gyms were charging. Eventually I started training a truer form of mixed martial arts out of my garage. I invited my friends and anyone who could show me anything. We created a team called Precision Fighting and together we did over a dozen shows and even more fights. I do this because it's fun, and because I am good at fighting and teaching, and because I love to watch people become better at turning their fighting into an art.
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Kandi Shamblin
The Who, How, and Why:
Kandi started her yoga journey with Ohio Fit Club. One fateful day after a MMA class she decided to stay and see what this whole yoga thing was all about. She was instantly hooked with her first sun salutation and amazed with the effects of yoga. She genuinely enjoys instructing and sharing all of these great benefits with her class. Why does she do it? For the yoga high! It gives one a great feeling inside and out. It also brings her great satisfaction to see her students progress and elation when they're able to achieve a goal they have been working toward.
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Van Yoak, Crossfit Level 1
The Who:
Van Yoak is a vagabonding traveler who somehow always winds back up in Columbus, Ohio. When not on the road or in the mountains, he can be found trying to capture that same sense of intensity and adventure in the gym or on the city (not in the city but literally on the rooftops, rails, and walls). His physical training interests include parkour, Crossfit, practical fighting, barefooting, MovNat, hiking long uphill distances without water or equipment, and sleeping on the ground.
The How:
5 years experience in Do Jung Ishu
Fought in two Bando kickboxing tournaments
The Why:
Growing up, I was always pushed academically but never physically. It took me many years, but eventually I came to realize on my own that while I liked the intellectual side of life, I loved the physical side.
Ricardo and Mehran both gave me the gift of martial arts, but more importantly, they taught me how to look at and analyze human movement, thus allowing me to understand motions beyond those of fighting. That ability gave me a new perspective that combines the hard, scientific side of useful physical skills with the visceral intensity of physical engagement. To me, that physical engagement with the world is absolutely basic, essential, immediate – movement offers us the chance to be in the moment in a way that few other endeavors can. There's a freedom in that, as well as a self-sufficiency, that allows us to be more human. I strive both to find that in my own life and to help others to find it in theirs.
"Être fort pour être utile." -Georges Hébert
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Kelly Sloan
The Who, How, and Why:
After developing an interest in martial arts through Kru Hope Vitellas in 2004, I have trained in the traditional (old school) style of Muay Thai, American style boxing and Krav Maga. I believe that the fighting arts develop the the mind to think more rationally, the body to be more aware the heart to be stronger. As a teacher, my training philosophy is simple: Show me what you've got when you've got nothing left. Presently I am a student of Muay Thai, distance running, adventure sports and alpine climbing.
