The smack of fists against stuffed leather echoed through the halls of Towers Thursday afternoon.
The athletic coaching education club, cooperating with several local gyms, held a Mixed Martial Arts clinic, the first of its kind at West Virginia University in the Blue and Gold Room of the Evansdale Residential Complex.
"We just wanted something that had never been done before and also something that a lot of college-aged kids are interested in," said Paul Mouser, athletic coaching education major and organizer of the event.
The demonstration was not met without opposition, however, because of administrative issues.
"We had so much trouble trying to get the administration to let us hold the event, even up until today," Paul said.
Morgantown Martial Arts and Personal Fitness, Blackhawk Mixed Martial Arts, WVU Jiu Jitsu Team/Ground Zero Fighting Systems and the nationally ninth ranked WVU boxing club held demonstrations and spoke briefly about what each gym had to offer.
"We wanted to give the gyms a chance to sell themselves," Paul said.
Neale Hoerle, a 15-year veteran of Brazilian Ju Juitsu and head coach at 10th Planet Jiu Juitsu, gave a demonstration on the "State of the Guard in Mixed Martial Arts."
"The Guard" refers to a position in Jiu Juitsu used to defend against and eventually gain an advantageous position on an opponent who is on top.
"In MMA, there are a lot of guys who are a jack of all trades, but a master of none," Hoerle said.
Most fighters in MMA cannot use the guard to their full advantage, Hoerle said.
Mixed Martial Arts has exploded in popularity with the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
The sport has been dubbed "human cockfighting" by Ariz. Sen. John McCain, and has been accused of being barbaric, but MMA practitioner and athletic coaching education major John Mouser disagrees.
"All the fighters choose to be there. If you talk to a lot of the fighters, it’s the competition that they enjoy," Mouser said. "They don’t go into a fight to smash someone’s face. They want to win."
The risk of serious head trauma is much greater in boxing than MMA, John said.
"The standing 10 count is a big reason. If you get a concussion and still make it to your feet in under 10 seconds, they still let you fight," he said. "That fight is over after the first knockdown in an MMA fight."
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