WIRED Staff
Culture

Fight Club

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"This is about self-improvement through a seemingly destructive activity," said Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old sofware engineer and third-degree black belt in Hawaiian Kenpo, who formed the fight club in 2000. It is meant to allow participants to test their ability to defend themselves in an attack.Credit Photo: Hae Eun Park
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Fighters wear basic protection. Mouthguards, cups, fencing masks and

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"I've been doing racing enough now that I can

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Damian worries that he may have broken a bone in his hand after

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Software engineer Shiyin Siou, in green,

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"It's like hitting the sweet spot on a golf ball when you get a

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"It hurts, but you get used to it after a while," said

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In one round, Siou and Klimanis start out back to back on wooden

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"They think it's a waste of a mind," Klimanis said of his

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"I think a lot of people would be interested in trying this to

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