Humans of NGU: Ethan Jacobs
Whitley Bras, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Jacobs
You don’t want to mess with Ethan Jacobs, who is a red belt in mixed martial arts.
Jacobs is a sophomore international business major from South Carolina who attends North Greenville University. He is in the honors program and is also on the NGU track team. He is no average student and one to keep a lookout for because he is skilled in martial arts.
He got into mixed martial arts when he began doing a home fitness routine called P90X which segmented into him getting involved with a core exercise class on the weekends. This class was a type of martial art and boxing and it got him into the moves and the basics of mixed martial arts. This is when Jacobs began going to a local gym where he began practicing boxing.
A friend of Jacobs saw him boxing and recommend that he go to a local dojo that taught martial arts. After putting it off for several months, Jacobs decided to try it out. This dojo is where he learned about the style of martial arts which is Chinese Kungfu. The style that they taught at the dojo in his hometown was the same one that was the direct teaching of Bruce Lees’ style Geet Kune Do.
Jacobs enjoyed the training and physical aspect of the activity and found a love for a new hobby. Jacobs said, “I really took an interest at first and it was really fun, it was a great stress relief, good workout, cleared my head and it was useful. It was a great mind and body exercise that kept me going. Something to look forward to every week.”
Martial arts have an array of physical and mental health benefits for the people that are engaged with the activity and that is one of the reasons why Jacobs participates in it on a weekly basis.
Jacobs has been doing martial arts for about 3 years and continues to grow in his skill and ability with the art. He has also been able to incorporate other styles of mixed martial arts and is still trying to learn as many styles as possible. He is currently a red belt and hopes to continue in order to become a black belt. Jacobs said, “I love it and I hope it’s in my future. I hope to just get better and better every time.”
Sources: Interview with Ethan Jacobs
