"Feet, Hands and Mind"... and a six-foot stick

University of Maryland sophomore Mark Ragland, a member and instructor in the university's Black Belt Club, is ranked ninth in the world for men's creative weapons for his use of the six-foot bo staff. He says that while many of the men he competes with have coaches, much of his creative weapons techniques and forms have been self taught. (Lizzy McLellan/Inside the Shell)













Ragland currently has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, though he studies other styles of martial arts with members of the Black Belt Club. He began taking classes in Tae Kwon Do eight years ago, at the age of 11. (Lizzy McLellan/Inside the Shell)












For Ragland, martial arts goes beyond the physical aspect, into a way of life. He explained that Tae Kwon Do literally translates into "Feet, Hands and Mind," meaning, as he said, "to have full control of the body and spirit, and practice that in everyday life." (Lizzy McLellan/Inside the Shell)