Take down

While IU Police Department Sgt. David Rhodes has been teaching martial arts since the late 1980s, he didn’t open his own studio until five years ago.\nAt his Ryukyu Kyusho Martial Arts Studio, Rhodes instructs Bloomington residents in defensive martial arts techniques.\n“We like to be able to teach them how to avoid confrontations,” Rhodes said. “It’s better to talk your way out of something than fight. You learn to defend yourself in the hopes that you never have to.” \n“The biggest thing is his experience and the level of expertise,” said Dennis Abrams, a student of Rhodes’. “It’s very family-friendly. My 7-year-old comes in to watch, and she ends up doing kicks with him or doing different things.”\nRhodes began his martial arts training in 1969. Before opening his studio, Rhodes taught martial arts lessons at the former IUPD Headquarters, 801 N. Jordan Ave., twice a week for several years. He now teaches a variety of classes such as Small Circle Jujitsu, Isshinryu Karate, Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu and Modern Arnis. He also teaches an aerobics class and children’s martial arts classes.\n“I like the different age groups because self-defense isn’t limited to one age group,” said IUPD officer Matt Keithley, one of the studio’s instructors. “I think anybody can benefit from it, no matter what age they are.”\nKeithley said he began taking classes with Rhodes in 2002 when Rhodes was teaching self-defense classes at the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation building. Through martial arts, Keithley became interested in police work and made many contacts in the police force.\n“There have been plenty of times when I’ve been working as a police officer and I used tactics that I’ve learned through martial arts,” Keithley said.\nRhodes said he also uses pressure points and control tactics in his teachings of both martial arts and in his police work.\n“The way martial arts is today, it’s a way of life,” Rhodes said. “I’m talking about the strict sense of martial arts. Police work is just a job. A lot of the martial-arts techniques were made to fight each other. When we do martial arts today, it’s not to injure someone, it’s to stop their actions. Our main goal is always to get away from somebody.”\nThe studio hosts open classes on Saturdays, and people can come in during that time and practice whatever they might be interested in. Those interested in taking classes at the studio can visit www.ryukyu-kyusho.com.\n“The hardest thing about my martial arts studio is walking through the door for the first time,” Rhodes said. “Then you realize it’s fun and you enjoy being there.”\nThe studio, located at 2620 N. College Ave., is open Monday-Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.