Ohio State Expands Martial Arts Courses to Build Health, Discipline and Community

Donovan Locklyn
Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:12:18 +0000
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Students train in a martial arts course taught by Aaron Gall. Credit: Courtesy of Aaron Gall

For students who love Star Wars or other science fiction worlds, Ohio State’s Sport, Fitness and Health Program is expanding its martial arts courses, including a class teaching lightsaber tricks.

The Way of the Saber and Martial Arts Culture Around the World are two new classes designed to promote both physical fitness and mental health among students.?

Jae Westfall, director of the program, said the expansion reflects the university’s commitment to meeting student needs and encouraging lifelong wellness.?

“We have offered martial arts courses for decades now, and we are always surveying our students to find out which courses they would like to see us offer,” Westfall said. “The Way of the Saber class was created by our martial arts expert, Aaron Gall. His idea was to make the training more enjoyable by designing it around an iconic film franchise known for its glowing sabers.”

The Way of the Saber class brings a playful twist to physical education, blending sparring fundamentals with fantasy-inspired imagination.?

“They can go through imagination play when they’ve got this full life happening all around them,” Gall said. “They can just get in their imagination and have fun and let that stress go.”?

Aaron Gall, the program’s lead martial arts instructor, oversees classes ranging from boxing and judo to self-defense and Filipino stick fighting, known as Escrima. This Spring, students will also have the chance to explore Muay Thai and the philosophy of martial arts.?

“It seems like we’re constantly growing each and every year,” Gall said. “I’m still working on even more classes in the future.”?

Gall said the new courses aim to make fitness more accessible, especially for students who may not be drawn to traditional workouts. Martial Arts Culture Around the World introduces students to the history, philosophy and techniques of multiple martial arts disciplines in a hybrid lecture and practice format.?

“It gives them a nice step into the physical aspects that hopefully gets them loving it enough to want to expand their physicality in the future,” Gall said. “For some, it’s a tiptoe into being active; for others, it’s a way to deepen what they already love.”?

For Gall, growth is about more than just adding variety. It’s about helping students find their place in the often hectic rhythm of college life.?

“I really want to help grow their interest in looking for things outside of what’s popular all the time,” he said. “It’s about offering students a variety of things to get them healthy and to get them to have some fun in the busyness and chaos that is college life.”