Balance: the state of maintaining bodily equilibrium.

The Penn State Judo Club teaches the value of balance in both the physical fitness world as well as its value in other aspects of life.

"Judo is a combination of all the martial arts," assistant coach Frank Driscoll said. "It takes the best parts of each and blends them together to reach a maximum efficiency."

The concept of maximum efficiency flows through the entire theory of Judo, a discipline crafted by Professor Jigoro Kano of Tokyo's University of Education in late 19th century Japan. The idea is that no movement is wasted and everything that is done is necessary.

Members of the Penn State Judo Club practice three times a week in the wrestling room of the Intramural Building in order to hone their skills.

Practices consist of pairs working on their balance and specific throws or counter moves until one or both feel comfortable and maximum efficiency is achieved. The club is made up of members of all different skill levels, many of them beginners.

According to Driscoll, there is a very high turnover rate with the club. The club sees 30 to 40 members throughout the duration of a year, many of whom don't make it past two weeks.

"We make them sit watch for two weeks in order to learn the basics and to test their dedication to the club," he said.

Judo is as much about fighting as it is about morals and mental quickness, which is what really separates it from most other martial arts disciplines.

Defeating an opponent in a Judo match is a balance between overpowering him mentally and physically.

"The object in a Judo match is to throw your opponent," Driscoll said, "but at the same time, you have to prevent them from catching you off balance and being thrown yourself."

Graduate student Jamie Browne, whom Driscoll considers a senior member, has been with the club for a year and a half. Browne has used his time in the club to provide an outlet for stress.

"It's something to do other than school work. Just a little exercise to keep me in shape and get my mind off of school for a while," Browne said. "I got involved in Judo by taking the class in the fall and just stuck with it."

The class Browne referred to is Kinesiology 058 (Judo I), taught by Hachiro Oishi, head coach of the Penn State Judo Club. The class preaches the same principles of balance and maximum efficiency as the club.

Many members, like Browne, started with the class and now compete and work out with the club.

The Judo club, on average, participates in five or six tournaments a year. In competition, the members are paired up with other contestants who are of the same skill level. Matches are five minutes in length and are won by throwing an opponent or by cleanly performing a 25-second pin. With two people trying to achieve maximum efficiency, it should come as no surprise that Judo is difficult to master.

Members of the club meet every week and work towards achieving the balance necessary to compete. It takes a deep commitment to go to a practice twice a week and constantly be thrown down, but it takes a deeper commitment to stick with it and stay with the club.

"Everyone wants to come in and learn to fight like in the movies," Driscoll said, "but it takes years and years and complete dedication to even come close to mastering Judo."