Running head:

Mixed Martial Arts

Abraham Viveros

Arizona State University

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Abstract

[Insert ~150 word project description, summarizing what you have researched]

Keywords​: [Insert 2-3 search terms that others might use to search for your research]

This project is researching whether or not mixed martial arts helps better your lifestyle.

Interviews were conducted on people who attend a gym where they are taught several different

fighting skills. The owners of the gym, as well as the coaches were interviewed and asked if they

believed that what they were teaching was helpful to others.

Keywords: Mma, lifestyle

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Mixed Martial Arts

Section 1, Question Bank

My topic of research was mixed martial arts. I hope to find out whether or not learning

fighting skills and mixed martial arts helps you have a better lifestyle. Through the interview

process, I wished to discover that the learning of mixed martial arts have been beneficial to them

personally, among other aspect of their life. Can people actually tie in what they’re doing in the

gym to other things as well? Do they know that they have to work as hard to accomplish their

goals as how they work while practicing in the gym? Hopefully, this research will help me

answer my question

“Central Research Question” :

1. Why do you think teaching jiu jitsu to other people is important? In what aspects do you
think it benefits them in their life?
“General Inquiry/Observation Questions” :

1. Could you please describe a typical day at your gym?

“General Interview Questions” :

1. Why do you think teaching jiu jitsu to other people is important? In what aspects do you
think it benefits them in their life?
2. What is the main thing the people that come here should learn?
3. How often should someone assist to classes in order to actually benefit from coming?
4. What is one object that you think is of really high value to your group? It can be
functional, symbolic, or otherwise.
“Interview Questions for Specific People”

1. Where did you learn the art of jiu jitsu?

2. Since when have you been practicing it?
3. Do you think it has played an important role in shaping who you are today?
4. Do you like instructing others?
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Section 2, Sites of Inquiry

In this section you will list the specific places, people, objects, activities, and events

important to your research. Beyond merely listing the sites of your inquiry, you should note

specific locations, times and dates of events, contact information, etc.

Sites of Inquiry Contact / Location Dates / Times

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gym Owner of gym Practice

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gym Deng Kang Practice

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Section 3, Inquiring into Objects /Artifacts

You will conduct a hands-on investigation of objects and artifacts to discover their significance
to the group. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the experience, including responses and notes (~200 words):

As I conducted my interview I noticed that there were two objects that the mixed martial

arts community values highly. The first object I noticed people considered to be of high value

was the octagon. I noticed that the sparring takes place inside the octagon only. I saw how

excited the fighters were to be able to be inside the octagon and have a hard battle with another

fighter. I noticed how the octagon had safety pads on its corners, and the mat was well taken care

of. The octagon is the safest place for the fighting to happen.

The second object that they thought was of high value was a jiu jitsu black belt. I noticed

how rarely anyone had a black belt. The only people that were wearing a black belt were the

masters. The masters are the people who train and guide all the fighters. “Earning a black belt

takes years and lots of hard work,” said Deng. For this reason, the fighters view the jiu jitsu

black belt as a very important object.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

1. OCTAGON

2. BLACK BELT
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

Like I said, as I conducted my interview, I came to find out that there are two objects the

mixed martial arts community values highly. The first object they think of as of high value is the

octagon. As a community, they highly value the octagon because that is the place where they

want to fight. “I think one object of high value is the octagon...that is where everything goes

down.” said one of the students. They prepare highly to be able to go into the octagon, since that

is where the fights actually happen, to have a long, exhausting battle with another person. All the

fighting takes place here since it a safe and controlled environment.The octagon was built in

1993 for the sole purpose of having martial artists fighting there, so you know it’s structure is

made to prevent fighters from having injuries.

The second value the community finds of great value is a jiu jitsu black belt. Hardly

anyone has a jiu jitsu black, since it is the most challenging to acquire. Black belts may take

years to finally obtain. You have to strive to get better everyday and eventually be good enough

to receive it. A black belt means that you have perfected the craft; and are able to teach it back to

others effectively. Like I said, people work hard day in and day out to get better to eventually be

able to reach the level of mastery.

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Section 4, Inquiring into Place

You will conduct an on-site investigation of a location to discover its significance to the group.
This value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include prepared
questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how the
objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

As I conducted my observation, I went to a gym located here in Phoenix. I went to

Gracie’s Jiu Jitsu gym. This gym serves as a resource for anyone who is interested in learning jiu

jitsu to go and participate. Gracie gyms are very famous because they come from the creator of

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Helio Gracie. Helio wasn’t able to do many of the traditional jiu jitsu

techniques because he had an abnormality with his body, so he modified almost every technique

to create what is now know to be Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The very first gym in the US was opened in

1989 by Rorion Gracie, Helio’s son. Ever since then, many people have tried to join these

academies, which was why many other Gracie jiu jitsu gyms were established. I asked Deng

Kang why he trained there and he responded by saying, “ I heard the Gracie gyms were the best

to ever do it so I came here.” This shows how the founders of the gym play a huge role in its

significance to others.
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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

3. Mats: The significance of this is that the mats are where everyone practices. All the blood

and sweat that comes out of every fighter falls on the mat and is absorbed.

4. “ I heard the Gracie gyms were the best to ever do it so I came here.” This signifies that

people attend that gym because of its history. Fighters view it as a kind of prestigious

place to train at.

5. Gracie Jiu Jitsu gym: This is significant because the Gracie family invented Brazilian jiu

jitsu so their gyms are really well known across the country.
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

Like I said, as I was conducting my research, I visited Gracie’s Jiu Jitsu gym. I decided to

go there because the Gracie Jiu Jitsu gyms have a very famous history. They come from the

family that invented Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They have been known as one the best academies where

you could go to learn jiu jitsu. When they first came to the US, a very large amount of people

wanted to join. Since there was too many people trying to join, more academies opened up.

When I talked to one of the fighters at the gym, he said he wanted to train there because it was

thought to be as one of the best. Fighters view Gracie jiu Jitsu gyms as a prestigious place to go

and learn new fighting skills. I asked other students why they chose to attend that gym as well,

and they all had similar answers. Them knowing the history of the Gracie family and the history

of the gyms plays a symbolic role and impacts their decision greatly.

The students there also acknowledged how they immediately felt welcome when they

first went there. They commented on how friendly the masters were, and how they introduced

them to the others who had already been attending. The friendly and open environment they felt

helped them adapt and focus greater on learning new fighting skills.
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Section 5, Inquiring into Activities/Events

You will conduct an on-site observation of an event or activity to discover its significance to the
group. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

I attended a UFC event here in Glendale back in April. I was really interested in going

because I have always been a fan of mixed martial arts. While I was there, I was surprised by

how many people were in attendance. I thought the arena was not going to be that full, since the

people who were fighting were not that famous, but I was wrong. Everyone was really excited to

be there, and since the beginning of the event, everyone was cheering. The atmosphere inside

was really exciting.

I observed how mostly every fighter seemed pretty nervous while making their way down

to the octagon. I saw how they had a serious expression on their face and just looking straight

ahead, trying to focus only on themselves and their opponent. Every fighter was checked by a

staff before going inside the octagon to make sure they had nothing hidden inside their gloves or

their mouths that could help enhance their performance. Once they did this, the fighters would go

inside and do their own thing while they announced their names. I observed how their

expressions changed once they were inside and heard everyone cheering them on. Once their

fights ended, every one of the fighters went to their opponents, gave them a hug, and

congratulated them no matter what the result.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

6. The crowd was really pumped since the beginning of the event. The significance of this is

that even though the fighters were not so well known, the people were still excited to

attend and view fighters go at each other.

7. The fighters seemed nervous as they made their way to the octagon.The significance of

this is that although fighters have a lot of experience, they still are not extremely

comfortable when they go out to fight. This shows that they still love what they do and

always go at it as if they were barely rookies.

8. The fighters were checked before going inside the octagon.The signifies how the sport is

extremely against cheaters, and how they care for their fighters.

9. The fighters hugged each other and congratulated each other after the fight. This

significance of this is that each fighter respects one another for what they do. They

understand they also put their bodies through gruesome pain and sacrifice a lot.
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

At this event, I was able to see real mixed martial arts fights happen in person rather than

just watching them on television. I have been a fan of mma for as long as I can remember

because of the mental toughness, the hard work, and the discipline to be able to be good at it.

Fighters have always impressed me, which was one of the reasons why I decided to do my

research on this topic.

Like I said, most of the fighters looked nervous as they made their way to the arena. I

think this was because they knew they were going to have a war inside that octagon and knew

they had to be on their very best to come out victorious. They showed no emotions to prevent

from showing any hint of intimidation to their opponent. As soon as their opponent saw any sign

of weakness, they would know that they were inside their head and gain a large amount of

confidence.

Inside the octagon, all the hard work they had been putting in to every practice and

dedication would pay off. It was there when they would be able to display their skills and give

everything they had. I saw how the fighters would take powerful hits and still keep going

forward because they absolutely refused to lose. This level of persistence amazed me. These

fighters were putting their bodies through hell. I knew that if they could withstand long hours of

practices everyday and go through a painful battle with someone else, they could do anything. I

think the fighters have learned to use that determination, and that work ethic to other aspects of

real life, not just fighting.

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\​Section 6, Inquiring into People/Person

You will conduct an interview and/or survey of people representative of the group you are
researching. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

When I conducted my research, I questioned Deng about his masters. I asked him if he

thought what his masters were teaching him helped him better aspects of his life other than just

his fighting skills. Deng said, “ I think jiu jitsu betters other aspects of your life too, … for

example, jiu jitsu teaches you to have more discipline.” Another thing I asked him was whether

or not his masters showed that they care for him and the rest of the students attending the Gracie

Jiu Jitsu gym. I also asked him whether his masters treated everyone equally or just focused on

the students that showed they had great potential and improved rapidly. To this, Deng responded

by saying that his masters were very professional instructors that wanted to help everyone learn

at their pace and were willing to stay after if someone needed them to. Deng had nothing bad to

say about his masters and the rest of the gym staff, which means that they are doing their job

pretty well.
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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

10. I think jiu jitsu betters other aspects of your life too, … for example, jiu jitsu teaches you

to have more discipline.” The significance of this is that Deng understands that mma not

only teaches you fighting skills, but it also helps you learn moral lessons.

11. Deng had nothing bad to say about his masters. The significance of this is that his

instructors do their job well, and are fair with every student. This contributes to helping

your learning.
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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

As I did my interview, I wanted to know why Deng chose to go to Gracie’s .I

found out that he went because of the gym’s history and because of who created it. As I talked

more with him, he told me how his masters were the reason why he stayed. He said their

welcoming behavior and openness convinced him that he was at the right place. For example, at

the end of every week, the masters give a speech thanking everyone for putting in hard work and

for attending the classes, and then invite the students to go out to eat together. By doing this, the

masters are helping new students that come in get closer with the rest of the students attending

the jiu jitsu classes also. The amicable behavior that they portray and the encouraging

environment they promote make the gym have a very positive vibe to it.

He confessed how he felt very comfortable with the other students there, and didn’t mind

asking for help when it was needed because he knew his masters would help him. By saying this,

it made me understand that it is very important to have good instructors when trying to learn

something new. Being able to feel comfortable enough to ask for help and guidance plays a huge

role in your learning. Deng not only saw his masters as the people teaching him a new fighting

skill, but he also saw them as friends who were helping him better his life by finding an outlet to

channel all the stress he has going around throughout his day.
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Section 7, Soundscape Links

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Section 8, WP3 Proposal

I already had some knowledge of mixed martial arts. It has always been something that

has caught my attention. I liked the toughness that is required to be able to take part in it, and all

the sacrifices you need to make. I decided to do my research on this project because I wanted to

experience the atmosphere of the environment. I did not like, however, how I had to go out of

my comfort zone and ask people for interviews, in order to find out if mixed martial arts helps

you better your lifestyle. My observations helped me come to the conclusion that practicing

mixed martial arts do help you better your lifestyle. Practicing mixed martial arts helps you learn

to be a hard worker, to never quit, and it teaches you discipline. These are some attributes that

you can apply to other aspects of your life, not just fighting.

I wanted to figure out if mixed martial arts helped your overall lifestyle, and if so, why?
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References

Kang, D. (2018, October 21). Personal Interview

Academy, G. (2018, October) ​Gracie Academy History

http://www.gracieacademy.com/history.asp