By: Louise Wallraff

Are you looking for a new sport? I would highly recommend MMA, or any other form of martial art, as they benefit you physically and mentally, and are incredibly practical. I started doing MMA eight years ago, and I can easily say it played a big part in who I am today: classes gave me confidence, strength, and surrounded me with incredible people, and friends I know who do different martial arts would say the same. But before we go deeper, what does “MMA” even mean?

The abbreviation “MMA” specifically stands for Mixed Martial Arts; it is a unique combination of many fighting styles that vary depending on the studio, but includes both fighting while standing and on the ground. Our studio focuses on teaching the basics of Karate first, then branches out into classes specializing in self-defense, forms & combos, grappling (usually Jiu Jitsu), and kickboxing. We use these skills to compete for medals, either by putting on performances, or by sparring each other. But above all, we are taught how to act like martial artists by learning things like self-cultivation, discipline, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Although Informal fighting has been around since humans have walked on the earth, documented “systems of combat” AKA martial arts have been discovered more recently. Earliest proof of martial arts was found in murals depicting wrestling techniques in Egypt (20th century BCE), and likely the first fighting system, Kalaripayattu, originated in India around the 3rd century BCE. Regardless of where it started, martial arts spread throughout the world, with countries like China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea heavily influencing what martial arts are popular today.

MMA traces its deep roots back to pankration, an ancient Greek Olympic sport combining boxing and wrestling with almost no rules. It became a commercialized, mainstream sport with the founding of the UFC in 1993, with matches being won by knockouts, technical knockouts, and submissions. Although our studio doesn’t focus on preparing to compete in the sport itself, I still get many benefits from MMA.

The physical benefits of doing MMA consistently are very rewarding: MMA gives a full body workout and helps with every major muscle group! When sparring, core muscles are used to power all of your body’s rotations, and pivoting your hips to strike helps with balance. Upper body strength is used in quick punches and blocks, biceps for snappy uppercuts and hooks, and triceps and shoulders for straight punches. Calf and quad muscles are trained through powerful kicks. Even your neck muscles get stronger through every hit absorbed.

If your goal isn’t to be fit, think about the practicality of doing a sport like MMA: you build stamina in short rounds with high intensity fighting, you build reflexes as you dodge and block punches and kicks, you practice flexibility and resistance in grappling, and you learn how to protect yourself from danger. Most studios have people of all ages and builds, so you can feel prepared to defend yourself from bigger opponents. Our studio also practices what to do in real life situations in Women’s Self-Defense class.

Every MMA class I go to improves my mental health, and who I am as a person. The classes teach values like respect, discipline, humility, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance. Being able to let out all of my anger on a heavy bag feels like free therapy; it both reduces stress and helps me control my emotions. There is always room to improve in any martial art, but getting the hang of different skills makes me feel confident and gives me purpose. On top of that, the community at my studio has my back and has comforted me through many hardships.

As a girl who does MMA, I am aware of the fact that the studio I go to might be more inclusive than others. MMA tends to have a reputation of being centered on turning your body into a murderous weapon. For the sake of keeping this article short, I chose to focus on what I am most familiar with, but it’s important to know that Judo, BJJ, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, etc, are also very useful martial arts that teach different skills.  On top of that, every studio has a different way of teaching, so if you are interested, do research and pick whatever suits you the best!