The first fight that got me into MMA was Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell 2.  Since then I have been obsessed with understanding this technical and complex sport and have watched almost every major fight in recorded history.

I have a black belt in Shotokan Karate that allowed me to understand the basic of outside fighting, however the ground game just baffled me.  It’s easy for the casual fan to talk about ground and pound and side control, but the truth is they would never know how to use technique and react to an opponent until they have made an effort to learn with their bodies.   As Bruce Lee had said, “Don’t think, feel”, it’s easy for our mind to perceive actions we should take from the third person but to be able to handle a fighting situation from the first person perspective requires practice and training.  I had to learn Jiu Jitsu to better understand martial arts.

And so I did. I’m still a white belt, I get submitted over and over, but  I am determined to get better. More importantly, I am learning how to handle situations that karate never prepared me for.  My martial arts is not complete, but at least now it is more well-rounded.

People learn and practice martial arts for many different reasons.  Some do it for fitness, some because they want to participate in MMA, some do it to build discipline and confidence.  I learn martial arts to be able to protect those dear to me.  Sure that might sound stupidly dramatized to some, but when you’ve lost people you love, you understand the importance of being a better person: stronger, faster, more technical and smarter.  Then maybe, just maybe things could have been different.  Not every battle can be won with diplomacy and words, not every situations can be prepared for; but you can always work to become a better person, if not for yourself then for those that give your life meaning and purpose.

I hope my work here will lead to many arguments, discussions, insight, and ultimately a greater community of MMA enthusiasts armed with a better understanding of this complex and difficult sport.

Only from MMA Sucka: this is Subaru Muroi your writer, collaborator, and network in Japan