Two students stand facing each other lightly bouncing back and forth on their toes. Sweat drips from their foreheads as their arms stand guard as a shield. With each breath they take, they analyze their opponent's strategy and try to guess the next move. This is the sport of boxing.

The Southeast Missouri State boxing club is the only college boxing club in Eastern Missouri.

The club currently has seven regular members and holds practices every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Student Recreation Center-North by the indoor track by the punching bag. The practices consist of working on strategy, footwork and sparring. Strategy plays a big part in boxing because it helps the boxer to understand and foresee his or her competitor's next move as well as how to counterpunch and defend.

Though the club is open to both male and females with any type of experience just for fun, the club members also can compete competitively.

Yukihiro Takase, a sophomore at Southeast and the club president, has been boxing for about two years and competed in a boxing competition in Hillsboro, Mo., this semester through registration with USA Boxing.

"I was really nervous," Takase said.

Takase explained that two competitors are paired up based on their weight, age and experience in boxing. Rules in boxing are minimum. Biting and kicking not allowed and only hands can be used to attack the front of the body and above the waist.

Most matches in boxing tournaments last for three rounds ranging from one to three minutes long with one referee. There are three judges that hold two clickers and every time a boxer lands a punch they click the button that corresponds with the competitor's color in order to record it. After the rounds are over, the judges add up the points and award a win to the person with the most points.

Takase didn't win against his opponent but said he hopes to do more competitions in the future.

Derek Lemen, vice president of the club, has been a competitive boxer since he was 8 years old. Though he has won more competitions than he has lost, his competition days are over, he said. Instead he works out with and mentors the other club members to help them work on their boxing skills.

"I'm like the Yoda of the group," Lemen said.

Lemen explained that he hopes that by this time next year the club can attend and compete in the Golden Gloves Tournament in St. Louis, which is an amateur boxing tournament that lasts for four days.

Lemen and Takase plan to sign up some of their members for one more competition this semester and hope to continue to expand the club next year.

""It's a great workout, and it teaches self defense," Lemen said. "There's no restrictions. We just want people that want to be there."