Putting Guelph on the map
Nathan Skoufis, 22, is a Guelph native and U of G student that runs his own business, Guelph Family Martial Arts. He’s a fifth-degree black belt in karate, and has trained with Georges St. Pierre and other UFC fighters like Rory MacDonald, Sage Northcutt, and Firas Zahabi. The Ontarion sat down with Skoufis to discuss the beginning of his martial arts career, balancing student life and competitive combat sports, and self-defense tips.
Mars Chester Chow: What are you taking and what’s your course load?
Nathan Skoufis: At U of G, I am currently taking business. I am also taking courses to do with nutrition, because nutrition is a big part of my life, especially competing [at an elite level]. I’m also taking child psychology, just understanding what a proper way to teach children [is] so you’re understanding what they’re going through.
MC: Tell me how you got started with martial arts.
NS: I didn’t have a real interest in it in the beginning because the class format didn’t really intrigue me. I actually wanted to get out of martial arts at one point. My mom told me to stick with it because if you quit at something, quitting will be in your vocabulary. Near my black belt, I had an interest in competing.
In the dojo, when you’re doing something comfortable — this goes for life as well — anyone can do it. I wanted to put myself out there, I wanted to do something that was not comfortable. So I put myself out there in my first big competition. It was something I did enjoy, even though I didn’t win.
MC: What is your preparation for Diamond Nationals, the World Karate Championships?
NS: Diamonds is the biggest tournament in the world in terms of martial arts: taekwondo, karate, boxing. Over that weekend, it draws over 100,000 people. Currently, I am the only Canadian that’s ranked. Going into the Diamonds, the biggest goal for me is to win. I’m going to the tournament with the mindset that I’m going to win, I believe in myself and my preparation. Winning is number one for me, especially for people in the Guelph community. People ask, “Where are you from?” and I say, “Guelph,” and they go: “Where is that?” When I was a kid, being world champion was such a lofty goal. Nobody from Guelph thought that was possible. I come from a small city and just wanted to show the youth that it is possible if you work hard. Doesn’t matter where you’re at, doesn’t matter the population of your city, you can achieve those goals.
For Diamonds, I’m preparing all year, so physically I am working out every day, between three to five hours a day. I’m also balancing that with school and owning my own business, which operates from about 3-9 p.m.
MC: What self-defense tips can you give us?
NS: Find a place where you can train. For example, if someone is choking you, you have two seconds to react — if you’re trained, that’s three seconds. If you’re having to go through that thinking process as you’re doing it, it’s going to be too late. It has to be a reaction. If you can be prepared, repetition will teach you in that second, [and] you will be able to react.
Photo by Mars Chester Chow
Editor’s note: The original version of this article stated that Nathan Skoufis is a third-degree black belt, but he is actually a fifth-degree black belt. There was also a change made to the transcribed interview to better reflect what was meant by the speaker. The Ontarion apologizes for the inaccuracy.