Penn State students establish mixed martial arts club to teach fighting techniques and build community

A new mixed martial arts club on campus offers Penn State students the opportunity to learn combat techniques and participate in competitions.

Founded in the fall 2023 semester by college senior Maximilian Chan, Penn MMA trains and practices mixed martial arts, a full-contact combat sport that incorporates techniques from various martial arts from around the world. Several members of Penn MMA are preparing to compete in an event hosted by intercollegiate mixed martial arts organization NUCA on April 12 in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Penn MMA lessons are taught by experienced members with backgrounds in various forms of martial arts. The club also holds more casual practices and joint sessions with other martial arts groups on campus, including clubs such as Taekwondo, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“The really great thing about MMA at Penn is that you learn something new every session, because the students are the coaches, so everyone comes in with a different background. ” said Sydney Diaz, a first-year engineering student.

Chan estimates that most of the club's members are newcomers, with only about a quarter having extensive experience before joining.

“We know how scary [mixed martial arts] And we try to be as beginner-friendly as possible,” freshman Julian Velasquez said. “When we do certain exercises, we tailor them specifically for beginners, so they can start learning how to protect themselves, how to fight, and if that's what they want to do, they can We can warm up for the game.”

Unlike point systems in other martial arts competitions, opponents in MMA compete in three rounds of three-minute fights in which they aim to incapacitate each other by knocking out their opponent, forcing them to surrender, or having the referee issue a technical knockout. I aim for it. Health concerns. Competition can be more intense than sparring practice or exhibition fights that involve smoking because of the risk of injuries such as concussions and red eyes.

Chan said that despite the competitive nature of the sport, members often have different reasons for learning MMA.

“[Competing’s] It’s just for some people,” Chan said. “Most community members (like 95%) just train because they want to get better. They want to exercise. They want to meet new people, great people, or they want to learn how to fight. …I Even when they graduate, none of them will end up becoming MMA fighters.”

Several Penn MMA members said they appreciate the club's focus on community building.

“I feel like the friendships we have in MMA are different than the friendships we have outside of MMA,” Chan said. “A lot of times when you spar, you tend to get heated with each other. Then you like them. 'You're such a cool person, aren't you?' 'Yeah, you're so good.' ” And you get really close. ”

To that end, the club hosts a variety of events, including tournament viewing parties and, most recently, an Easter weekend retreat.

“We walked the ski slopes, hung out on top of the mountain, had campfires. Overall, we bonded as a team and got along really well,” Velazquez said. “I think that was a really good way to [for] Team members and club members meet each other [and] Learn about each other on a more personal level. ”

Penn MMA will be able to receive funding from the Student Activities Council next school year, and the club hopes to bring in a professional coach.

“In addition to training ourselves, we also had to help others train. Bringing in a coach… will definitely help ease some of the burden,” Velasquez said. Told. “Knowing how to play a sport and knowing how to coach a sport are two different things.”

Diaz said Penn MMA will likely survive as new people join and become full members.

“They come in with no experience and then, well, you're going to see them every day at the club,” Diaz said. “We just added a second-term senior and she's been coming every day. I think with that spirit, this club can last as long as we want because it's a great community.”