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Mixed martial arts is very close to being at the forefront of mainstream American sports. While combat sports have nearly always been close to the top of the popularity list worldwide, they have been shunned away from in America over the last century or so. Modern boxing and wrestling still survive in America, but as shells of their former selves. Some countries excel in combat sports, and are proud to have them amongst their national traditions. In Japan, it is common to see 30,000+ fans in attendance for an MMA event. They also have much more brutal allowances for techniques, which include stomping a downed opponent, kicking and kneeing a downed opponent, and all manner of elbow strikes. Would this lead us the believe Japan is a much more barbaric nation, or do they simply have a more warrior-oriented social psychology due to their rich feudal history? Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand, and it is common that children start fighting professionally at the age of 10. Judo, Tae Kwon Do, and Wrestling are olympic sports, although they have been so destroyed by rule changes that one might not recognize them by those names. Oscar De La Hoya recently started his own MMA promotion, himself already a billionaire from a long and decorated boxing career.

As someone who teaches, trains, and lives martial arts, I must greatly argue in favor of sanctioned, full-rules MMA bouts in Oregon and across America.
The athletes who compete are well aware of what they are getting into, and with better regulation and acceptance, we can put a stop to events where promoters pull fans out of the crowd to fight, lack medical personnel, or don't drug or blood test.

Combat sports are the ultimate in human competition. No tools or implements to get in the way of the victor. Few stringent rules allow competitors to find the best way to win through all manners of striking and grappling, and there is nothing to hide. No one can stand on the mat and blame their loss on the failure of teammates, poor field conditions, or bad calls. The level of honor and accountability is second to none. If you lose, it's your fault. You can't talk a big game and disrespect your opponent, expecting to miss him on the field, because there is only him and yourself.

This would lead many to believe that we are engaging in an ancient bloodsport or ritual of male dominance. While it does reverberate with the ancient calling of fighting before modern warfare, it is still a sanctioned competition with plenty of monitors. Many a fan has shouted "I could do better!". As a student of psychology, sociology, and philosophy one could address many reasons why one would choose to fight. The sad truth is that many young Americans see it as the next "American Idol" or chance to become famous through a natural ability. When they step into the gym and spar for the first time, they soon realize they are sadly mistaken.

The failure comes with money hungry promoters who sell cheap alcohol and promise blood and partially nude women to stimulate the crowd of apathetic young males, few who actually possess the dedication, passion and stones to compete themselves. Our sport is marketed as a bloodfest because that is what sells tickets. Few outside the world of martial arts can understand the personal sacrifices and deep dedication it takes to make yourself the best martial artist you can be, especially if one was not bred into the sport or introduced at a young age. This is what leads the marketing machine to attack our baser instincts for violence and excitement. This would be much to the delight of Edward Bernays and his uncle Sigmund Freud.

Recently on I was listening to "Talk of the Nation" on your station and they featured the author of a book entitled "Can't Remember What I Forgot". Sue Halpern was talking about memory loss and degeneretive brain conditions, and what activities promote a healthy brain condition. She said she was privy to one medical study that found that ballroom dancers were the least likely group of people to suffer from dementia or a degenerative brain condition. The argument for dancing was rooted in the argument that exercise is the most efficient way to create new neurons in the brain. In addition to that, ballroom dancing tapped into multiple thinking centers of the brain, as it has an exercise component, a spatial awareness component, a cooperative component, a social-interaction component and so on. We can look at sparring in martial arts (call it fighting if you must) in much the same manner. Not only must you cooperate (or not cooperate) with your sparring partner, you must engage your physical and mental awareness, your deep cognitive abilities, your mathematical skills, etc. One may argue, however, that head trauma detracts from this argument! Still, I believe martial arts may be the single best exercise and health tool man has created to date. Not only physically, but mentally.

I am attracted to MMA because I like to see any aspect of martial arts break into the mainstream media. Unfortunately, the national psyche is not geared towards the more positive aspects of the sport, and few understand what those of us who are in it for the competition are really about.

I would love to take part in your show, and can be reached at fine_science@hotmail.com

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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