Reroll MMA

We take a step back and resituate ourselves for season two of Reroll MMA, and for the new year. We discuss the ongoing situations around us, and what that means for ourselves, our communities, and martial arts. We talk the confines of political categories, and what it means to redefine these characteristics. The gym is a microcosm of society, and society is a reflection of the world. In order to understand the world, we must look into ourselves.

Episode 18 explores the ego, defined as "the part of the mind that mediates between the  conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and  a sense of personal identity." We explore how we, as people who practice martial arts, understand and perceive ourselves. How does the understanding of ourselves affect our martial arts training? How does martial arts training affect our ego? We discuss the different angles of how we approach our egos, and apply these perspectives to martial arts training. 

Behind the highlight reel is the unseen work in a fighter's journey. We rarely see the many steps, and steps upon steps, that these athletes have to endure to make it to the top rankings, and all of issues that surround the journey. In this episode discuss their entrepreneurial lifestyles filled with contract work, and the elite physical conditioning that comes with it. Even though MMA is extremely popular, the life of the average athlete is relatively not talked about.  These are athletes chasing a dream, and we examining their lives socially, economically, and more.

We romanticize sports, athletic ability, and the aura of the lifestyle. We athletes in MMA, and we all approach romanticism differently. Some of us see ourselves as being capable of reaching the goal of having the professional status, "if I have enough training I'll be as good as them." Others enjoy the facade of fame by seeing the personalities on television, without knowing the struggle of the athlete. We see the highlight reel on the internet, but may not know the behind-the-scenes grind. In this episode we explore the different perspectives of how us as fans and practitioners, romanticize professional martial arts athletes and fighters.

We all admire athletes in one way or another. It's their drive, their public image, their physical ability, whatever it may be. In this episode we talk specifically about how people idolize martial artists and fighters.  We discuss the different ways people live vicariously through athletes, and the reasons behind the infatuation. There's so much emotion when we root for an athlete or sports team. How much do we want to be them? A regular MMA fan may be drawn to a fighter for different reasons than a martial arts practitioner. Additionally, sports cultures manifests vicariousness in various ways. Who do you live vicariously through? Let's break it down.

During this pandemic and the current political climate, people have turned to sports for entertainment on a weekly, or daily basis. Every week there are multiple MMA bouts around the world that we can dedicate our time to. We turn to sports to escape aspects of life. In this episode, we discuss how we use sports as an escapist activity, to distract us from our daily lives. Everyone treats sports differently. We explore the ways people treat sports and how we incorporate it into our own lives. How do we escape with sports? In what ways is it healthy, or unhealthy? (Music: "Beauty Flow" by Kevin Macleod).

Some people train out of fear. As in, training so to prevent from  getting attacked on the streets. Does this differ than training out of  love for the sport? In this episode, we discuss the reasons why people  train, and draw from different examples. Some people stay scared in the  gym or dojo. Some people grow to love the practice, and begin to train out of passion.

"Kung Fu" is an umbrella term for numerous Chinese martial arts styles.  For example, Competitive Wushu is flashy movement that looks cool. Sanda  is Chinese kickboxing, which is used in MMA. Qi Gong is the practice of harnessing one's energy to heal oneself. In this episode we look into Kung Fu, re-evaluate previous assumptions, and discuss with a renewed  investment and appreciation for the traditional practice. 

Historically, politics and sports have had a long intertwining history. In this episode, we discuss the socio-political symbolism in recent MMA bouts, and how audiences interpret the events. We also explore the role of athletes and how they navigate the relationships between the various discourses in their lives.  Some who are in the limelight and may be seen as defacto spokespeople for political causes, Other athletes may prefer to stay apolitical. While some regard themselves as apolitical, their silence is in fact very political.

Every martial arts gym and practitioner has a different approach to traditional martial arts rituals, such as adhering to ranking systems, formal greetings, and more. As mixed martial arts continues to incorporate various traditional martial arts practices, MMA is in fact creating its own customs. In this episode, we look into the new traditionalism of MMA and contemporary martial arts. We discuss how traditional martial arts shape MMA, and the customs that have formalized MMA into a formal entity.