Two Ohio State members compete in September World Shoto Cup Championship in London

Traditional Japanese karate is a martial art that focuses on developing defensive physical techniques and mental discipline. The aim is to unleash inner strength and improve the individual and their continuous commitment to the dojo. Every four years, the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) holds the World Shoto Cup Championship. In September, it was held in London.

One undergraduate Ohio State student studying molecular genetics, Zaarah Syed, competed for the United States National Women’s team. Adam Clouser, a staff manager at The Ohio State School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also competed on the United States National Men’s team and served as a coach at the championship.

Syed has been involved in karate since she was four years old and has competed in several national and international karate tournaments. This is her third year with the Ohio State Karate Club. She joined as a 2nd degree black belt from her home country of Oman. Syed says training and competing against the best karate athletes from around the world felt both intimidating and exhilarating. 

“The World Cup was on a whole other level,” Syed says. “It was a constant mental and physical challenge, both during the tournament as well as in the months leading up to it.” 

Syed trained while managing her studies in molecular genetics and working as a patient care associate at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She says the experience of melding her passion for karate with others from across the world was an unforgettable experience.

Clouser has been committed to karate for nearly 20 years. He says his instructors and coaches encouraged him to engage in competition as a way of harnessing his competitive nature to bring him closer to his personal goals, rather than as an alternative to them. He’s been coaching the karate club on Ohio State’s campus for well over a decade and now holds a 4th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. 

“I compete now because it challenges me to push myself harder,” Clouser says. “I sought being a member of a team because the comradery brings out the best in all of us together and separately.” 

The time at the championship gave him the opportunity to push himself, his teammates and students, including Syed, to keep reaching for higher goals.

“We all work together to create the environment that pushes and supports each other,” Clouser says. “I was ringside and supported team members in warmups and offered advice and coaching during matches.” 

Each country is invited to put forward eight men and eight women to participate in a series of events at the World Shoto Cup Championship. In addition to competing, everyone trains with and against the best martial artists in the world. Clouser believes the practice of karate can help students succeed in school and in life. 

“It provides a very unique form of comradery and community as a practice that you can do your entire life and find like-minded people nearly anywhere in the world,” Clouser says.

To prepare for the Shoto Cup Championship, teams train together. For Clouser, this meant driving to team headquarters in Philadelphia over this past year. He competed in Individual Kata, Individual Kumite and was an alternate for Team Kumite. Syed competed in Individual Kata, Individual Kumite and was an alternate for Team Kata and Kumite. 

Clouser describes Individual Kata as a competition in which students demonstrate traditional fighting techniques. He says Individual Kumite involves sparring, which is a style of contact – think punches, kicks and throws – judged through scoring.

Clouser says that while he didn’t medal individually, many of his teammates did. He says their coach reminded them that their teammates’ success was also their success. As karate builds a strong sense of discipline, it also builds respect between its members.

“Japanese philosophy and culture center on respect and discipline in daily life,” Clouser says. “It helps students find balance in their lives, as well as encourages healthy lifestyles physically and mentally.”

The Ohio State club is sponsored through the Competitive Sports program in the Office of Student Life and is a member of the Mid-America Region of the ISKF and the National Collegiate Karate Association. It’s existed on campus since the 1960s and is one of the oldest continuously running karate clubs in the country. The club, founded by Greer Golden who earned his instructor ranks in Okinawa where he was stationed after WWII, now has 25 members.