Maybe you just failed a test. Maybe it’s the 12th week of school and you are really homesick. Maybe you’re scared of walking on the Drag when it’s dark out. All the anxiety, stress, and fear has to go somewhere, right? Then maybe it’s time you tried a combat sport!
What is a combat sport? Combat sports originated in warrior traditions but are now practiced in free play. Examples include but are not limited to boxing, muay thai, wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu and a few others. Now you might say combat sports are dangerous and to an extent you’re right. There’s never going to be a 0% chance of injury in any sport. However, excluding boxing, fighting sports like MMA are actually much safer than even football due to the “tap out” rule and the reduced rate of head injuries. For those that do not know, the ‘tap out rule’ “is often performed by clearly tapping the floor or the opponent with the hand or sometimes with the foot, to signal the opponent and possibly the referee of the submission. The submission can also be verbal, during which the fighter verbally informs that he is giving up.”
All in all, as long as you take the necessary precautions, have competent instructors and aren’t fighting at the professional level, you’re reasonably safe. But enough of the danger! We’re all in college and this is the time to get out of our comfort zones. So what are the benefits of a fighting sport? Well for one, it provides a non-destructive outlet for all the frustrations of college life. Rather than bottle it all up, go to the gym, grab a pair of gloves, and smack a bag around for an hour. Since exercise releases those feel-good endorphins, you’ll feel far better than moping around in your room eating ice cream.
Speaking of exercise, everyone has experienced that point when they just want to leave the gym and go home to nap instead? Well there’s nothing like the threat of getting knocked on your butt in front of that pretty girl to make you concentrate. Fighting activates the most powerful of human instincts: flight or fight. Whether it’s fencing, MMA, karate, or Judo, you’ll be sure to get a full body workout. It also builds some pretty important life skills. UT MMA club member Raymond says, “It teaches you a different sort of discipline-the discipline to keep going even after getting punched”. So if life’s got you down, fighting sports teach you to get back up. Here are some of the benefits that can be achieved from practicing combat sports:
- Discipline- This can be translated outside of the arena and in other aspects of your life such as school or your future career.
- Learning respect- Learning to respect yourself and your abilities as well as your opponents is important.
- Fitness- This is obvious. Not only can you work on your Bruce Lee body, but you learn valuable self defense skills that might come in handy one day!
- Building character- You learn to not quit when knocked down, to practice in order to get better and that there is always someone better than you. These are all great lessons that you should take with you as you get older.
- Teamwork- Combat sport gyms tend to be a tight-knit community which creates an atmosphere of respect and friendship. You learn that to get better at something, you not only need others’ help but you need to help others.
There are many places that you can try out combat sports such as the UT MMA club and gyms all around the Austin area that are more than happy to get beginners started. I hope you get out there and start fighting!