Long Beach City College should expand their sport options by including combat sports onto campus.
LBCC already offers demonstrative self-defense classes through the kinesiology program indicating the importance of combat sports, so investing in them it’s the next step to provide a structured setting for students to get the benefits of practicing them.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has gained popularity over the past 20 years and the demand of people who want to practice at least one branch of the martial arts is high.
Combat sports have been mischaracterized as violent, unsafe and purely brutal for a long time, but the fine disciplines such as wrestling, boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu and taekwondo offer more than just a physical challenge. These activities teach a variety of life skills such as discipline and confidence.
Unlike most team sports, in any combat sport the practitioner has to emphasize their individual accountability due to the result of commitment and perseverance.
At a time in which most students live a sedentary life, combat sports could provide a solution through an approach that trains the mind and body at the same time.
LBCC already funds football which is a sport known for its aggressiveness, so the idea of any of the martial arts being dangerous is discredited.
When it comes to safety concerns, LBCC could look at USC and UCLA that have intramural clubs for some of these sports.
Looking away from rings and mats, combat sports could help LBCC students by providing future career pathways towards branches like physical therapy and coaching.
Martial arts are heavily inspired by cultures such as Thailand’s Muay Thai or the Japanese inspired Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. These cultural impacts are significant and highlights the need for LBCC to embrace combat sports.
By providing combat sports through intramural leagues, clubs and intercollegiate teams, LBCC would reinforce its commitment to students by preparing them and creating a culture of effort at school.
