by Jason Appleton

Created on: April 17, 2009

In the fast paced world of instant gratification, video games, movies portraying heroes who can defeat all odds to rescue the soon to be history princess and the current social aptitude of our youth, there is one thing peaking the interest of children and teens everywhere...mixed martial arts.

MMA is a fast growing sport made up of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing and Muai Thai. It's primarily fast paced action that can end in the blink of an eye. On the surface it looks brutal and punishing, but under the facade and marketing of gladiatorial like brutality is a safety and respect many onlookers aren't truly aware of. Mixed martial arts is a wonderful outlet and vehicle for the youth of our generation as I will break down in this article.

First and foremost, there is no other sport that offers a person more team connection, dependency and discipline than Mixed Martial Arts. You enter the cage alone, but you prepare for that entrance with a team of other fighters who are out to protect your best interest and make you the best that you can be. The MMA gym is where you learn respect for your opponent and a lack of respect is shunned. No egos will be found in 99% of MMA gyms across the country as everyone in the gym is training for the same goal and that is to become better. Everyone loses eventually and it's well understood that no one man can journey through the ranks of Mixed Martial Arts alone.

Teamwork is an absolute must in MMA as in most gyms, there are various fighters who are more gifted in one area over another and everyone is eager to learn from and teach each other.

Parents today may watch the UFC or MMA Big Show on television and think to themselves, "My God that looks terrible". The reality is however, that MMA is of the safest sports out there as there are so many ways to win that a fighter doesn't need to throw a single punch to be victorious. Unlike boxing where the victor is the man who could take the most head shots before passing out and brain damage is abundant over time, MMA victories can happen in 25 seconds of a match by an arm bar or triangle choke and no long term damage has been done. I like to consider boxing as checker and MMA as chess. With so many moves and positions to consider in someones ground game (i.e Jiu Jitsu or Wrestling), and knowing that for every submission attempt, there is a defense, a BJJ practitioner knows either man can win or lose with one false move. It's far more strategic overall than any other sport and this

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