The movie “Fight Club” has always been a favorite of high-schoolers, as has the television show “Jackass.” But for some Gunn students, the sorts of daredevil and adrenaline-rush-seeking activities have moved off of the television screen and into their backyards.

Several groups of students at Gunn have started sorts of “fight clubs” of their own, otherwise known as “backyard boxing.” Most began as a way to cure boredom, or to see how far they could push their body. Junior Max Minowitz helped organize one group, which met a few times last summer. “I’ve always been interested in boxing,” he said. “We would talk about it at school, and me and a bunch of friends came up with the idea [to try it].”

In most cases, Facebook is used to publicize the event or gauge interest. There were usually multiple fights, as well as spectators. The groups tend to range from five to 15 people, with all males fighting. Most of the fights abide by boxing rules. “There were no low blows, you can’t kick, and no elbows,” senior Mike Smirnoff, who organized a different group and is pictured above right, said. “We generally assumed people were going to fight clean,” he said. Most groups fight in multiple rounds lasting two to three minutes, and have a friend present a judge to determine the winner.

Some groups use safety equipment, including mouth guards and boxing gloves, while others don’t. Nobody said that anyone sustained greater injuries than bloody noses, minor bruises, and scrapes. “Every fight ended in a bloody nose except for mine,” senior Max Keeler, who fought in the same group as Smirnoff, said. “I just had a fat headache for the day and the next day.”

In a couple of groups, parents were present to supervise. “My dad came and made sure no one got hurt,” Minowitz said.

Some of the participators informed their parents, while others didn’t. “I didn’t tell my parents,” Keeler said. “I don’t care; I’m going to college.” Smirnoff said that he told his parents the first time his group met, but not the second. “I don’t think they’d be too upset,” he said.

Junior Bill Hayes, whos been changed to protect his privacy, explained that his group fights “purely for sport.” They are all friendly towards each other, he said. “People take fighting as fun,” he said. “It’s instinctive. People are natural fighters. But we never try to settle anything complex.” A few of the groups have filmed themselves and posted the videos on Facebook and YouTube, including the ones that Keeler, Smirnoff and Minowitz belong to.

Although the groups usually fought in public spaces, none of them ever received complaints. “When we went [to fight] it was pretty deserted,” Minowitz said. “It was a little suspicious. [Passersby looked] confused.”

Assistant Principal Phil Winston explained that the administration will pursue action for fighting on any public school grounds. “If they fight on a school campus it becomes a discipline issue,” he said. But Winston is less worried about the legality than the well-being of the students. “Even if they try to make it as safe as possible, the bottom line is that if someone gets hurts, their safety measures were not enough. Once someone is hurt, it’s too late to be safe,” he said.

Winston encourages anyone interested in boxing to look at the programs available at the Boys & Girls Club in East Palo Alto.