CAN MARTIAL ARTS IMPROVE YOUR STUDIES?

Fighting and studying seem like worlds apart, but they may have more in common than you think.

We ask UNE sports scientist and former professional fighter, Brad Morris, to tell us more.

As the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) return to Sydney for the first time in five years, UNE Exercise and Sports Science Lecturer Brad Morris will be taking in every moment. But it's these moments when questions start to arise about the mindset of those athletes who willingly step into a cage to fight in front of tens of thousands of people.

It would seem discipline maintained through a rigorous training regime and an iron will is what's needed to compete in such an intense and onerous sport.

But is this level of dedication solely reserved for athletes in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)? Could a student potentially engage in MMA training and then apply its attributes to their course work? Can martial arts improve your studies?

To find out, we sat down with Brad, who is a UFC veteran and three-times Australian heavyweight MMA champion. Brad has improved the performance of some of Australia and New Zealand’s top athletes and teaches Exercise and Sports Science at UNE - so he is the perfect candidate to provide an answer.

Here's our Q&A with with Brad and his insights on martials arts and study.

Tell us a little about yourself?

That's a long story, but the short version is I was a professional Mixed Martial Artist, and the desire to compete and improve drove me to start a Bachelor's degree in human movement. Since then I have gone into coaching strength and conditioning from grassroots to the elite level across numerous sports such as rugby league, rugby union, MMA, soccer, baseball, and wrestling. During that time, I continued to study and have a Master's degree in exercise science, majoring in strength and conditioning. Currently, I am lecturing on exercise and sports science topics here at UNE. As for my studies, my thesis just passed examination, and I am working on minor amendments at the moment and will hand those in shortly.

What is MMA and how did you get into the sport?

MMA is a combat sport where you are matched up in weight classes against an opponent, with the goal being to win by points, knockout, or a submission. I got into the sport at 22 as I had always had an interest in self-defense and martial arts. Seven years and three Australian Heavyweight titles later, I fought in the UFC - the pinnacle of the sport.

XFL Heavyweight Championship Belt

XFL Heavyweight Championship Belt

What can martial arts teach the average person?

Discipline, humility, strategy, and great fitness as well. Especially grappling-based arts like Brazilian jiu-jitsu or wrestling.

What lessons from MMA can be applied to university studies or academia?

Hard work and discipline: you cannot do well in academia if you are not willing to work hard.

"Hard work and discipline."

"You cannot do well in academia if you are not willing to work hard."

What’s the difference between a university student and a student of martial arts?

I don't think there is a difference; both are students, just the thing being focused on is different.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

Anyone who overcomes difficult circumstances, who perseveres even when it is hard or the odds are stacked against them. One of my favourite quotes is "A victory without danger is a triumph without glory."

Kaori Shelley

If you could have done anything differently in your fighting career, what would it have been?

A change to fighting full-time would have been great. I was always working a full-time job whilst competing professionally.

What can martial arts offer athletes and coaches from other sports?

Martial arts can be a great form of cross-training, and depending on the sport it can complement the skills of the sport very well, such as wrestling and rugby league.