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ATA MMA: When Tradition Meets Progression
S U C C E S S When
American
Taekwondo
Association (ATA)
founder, Eternal Grandmaster H.U. Lee,
opened his first martial arts school in
the United States, he was on a mission
to build strong martial artists. But
despite his taekwondo background, Lee
opened a school that had a karate and
judo sign out front.
O C T O B E R
Chief Master William Clark, one of the
founding members of the ATA, explains,
“Eternal Grandmaster’s theory was
that once you got in the door, learning
martial arts was the priority. To become
the best martial artist possible you had
to be willing to understand multiple
styles and he encouraged his students to
try anything.”
2 0 0 9
Thirty years ago, that encouragement
meant supporting Clark as he competed
in 19 kickboxing bouts for the
Professional Karate Association. In the
1990s, Lee welcomed the opportunity
for some of the ATA’s leaders, including
Chief Master G.K. Lee, Chief Master
Robert Allemier and Clark, to train
under the guidance of Rickson Gracie,
a legendary MMA champion and 8th
dan in Gracie jiu-jitsu. The training
with Gracie paved the way for new ATA
training courses in ground fighting.
This open-door policy has led to
many programs taught in classrooms
today, including the most recent
addition: ATA MMA.
“It doesn’t surprise me that the ATA
has chosen to add MMA curriculum in
their educational offerings,” says Dan
Bower, president of Century LLC, the
world’s largest martial arts equipment
supplier. They have always strived to
offer their students a diverse education.
They have always been at the forefront
of developments in the martial arts. And
they were the first to embrace the XMA
curriculum across the entire association.
“It is this kind of open-mindedness
and flexibility that makes the ATA the
remarkable organization it is today,”
Bower adds. “Ultimately, the student
wins, the instructors stay fresh, and the
organization grows. We at Century are
very excited that the ATA is embracing
the trend in MMA while maintaining
its heritage roots of traditional training.
Chief Master Clark, hats off to you and
your team.”
martial arts. I look forward to seeing a
high level of martial arts training and
talent from an organization like ATA.”
So, how can the ATA make an
effective impact in mixed martial arts?
Is there room for tradition in a nontraditional arena? Let’s review the tale
of the tape.
Fight Card:
How ATA Stacks Up
“When you look at numbers, ATA
is one of the heaviest hitters in the
industry,” says Chief Master Clark. “ATA
currently has over 300,000 trained
athletes worldwide and over 60,000
taekwondo black belts. Not all of those
students will want to cross over to
MMA, but those who have shown an
interest have already had huge success.”
One of those recent success stories is
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, a 22-yearold MMA professional and a 3rd-degree
The popularity of mixed martial
arts continues to rise, so it’s no
surprise that some ATA students
and instructors have already crossed
over as MMA professionals. And as
Pat Miletich, former UFC (Ultimate
Fighting Championship) Welterweight
and Lightweight Champion, explained
while visiting the ATA’s World
Championships, “Some of the most
successful MMA fighters out there
today have a long history in traditional
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52
d.”
Sec 3.indd 52
8/4/09 11:19:55 AM
In fact, that’s how Pettis made
his move to MMA.
“Three years ago I started
kickboxing,” he says. “Then, I started
learning some jiu-jitsu. I was still
training in taekwondo, but it was
awesome that my instructor supported
me in trying new workouts. When
n MMA
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black belt in ATA. Pettis recently
onal
i
t
i
d
a
r
signed a five-fight contract with
t
strong
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).
I started in these other styles, it was
But Pettis doesn’t come from a long
line of professional fighters. He actually
started as an ATA Tiny Tiger at age 5.
“My instructor, Master Larry Struck,
has been my instructor for 17 years.
He’s taught me the fundamentals of
traditional martial arts while allowing
me to try new things that have come
my way. I wouldn’t be the martial artist
I am today without that background,”
says Pettis.
Pat Miletich understands how that
traditional upbringing can make a
fighter more prepared. This mixed
martial artist out of Davenport, Iowa, is
well known for his wins in the UFC and
as founder of Miletich Fighting Systems,
training such championship athletes as
Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia. But it was
his history in traditional martial arts
that paved the way for his career.
Sec 3.indd 53
Machida are both title-holders in
the UFC, and they both come from
strong traditional lineages. However,
as Miletich points out, it’s not just the
martial arts talent of these traditional
fighters that make them a force in
the ring.
“These fighters are hugely successful
because of their strong technique,
but they also bring good vibes and
attitudes to a sport that isn’t always
known for showing mutual respect,”
Miletich explains.
That respect is something Clark
believes the ATA can bring to the
sport in multiple ways.
“ATA martial artists may bring a
positive energy to the sport, but even
more importantly, they will bring
a willingness to learn. Because our
organization has never had restrictions
on what students could learn, we’ve
created athletes who continue to grow
in their own style, but are eager to find
a little different, but my body was
conditioned in a way that made it
easy to adapt.”
2 0 0 9
He’s already fought the first of those
fights, and though he entered the cage
as an underdog, he won the fight by
submission only 1:49 into the
first round.
O C T O B E R
Currently, some of the biggest
names in MMA are traditional
martial artists. Georges St.
Pierre and Lyoto
out more about other styles to
become true mixed martial artists.”
S U C C E S S “I have a long background in
traditional karate and I believe
traditional martial artists make
the best transition into MMA.
Unfortunately there are few
MMA fighters who come from a
traditional style, so I think ATA
can bring a huge influence into
MMA,” says Miletich.
m a
ATA MMA: When Tradition Meets Progression
Preparing
for the Fight
ATA leaders and instructors may have
an interest in adding mixed martial arts
to their resume, but what is ATA doing
to support this move? Clark says they
continue to make big strides.
“Over the last year, ATA has had
several MMA fights in conjunction with
national and regional tournaments.
There have been many ATA fighters
who’ve participated in these events and
even more ATA fans who have enjoyed
watching and supporting their fellow
martial artists,” Clark explains.
And at their national and
international tournaments, many ATA
instructors have participated in the
mixed martial arts seminars led by
Chief Master G.K. Lee.
53
8/4/09 11:20:09 AM
m a
ATA MMA: When Tradition Meets Progression
S U C C E S S O C T O B E R
arket
m
a
s
i
here
t
d
n
t the
a
u
g
o
n
h
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t
i
n
i
w
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terta
y
n
o
j
e
n
s
ark.
e
i
l
o
g
C
t
n
l
i
s
t
l
t
i
h
n
ter B
The next step
s
stude
a
age fig
t
M
C
n
“
f
a
e
w
in ATA’s quest
t we
ons
s Chi
i
u
y
s
b
a
i
,
s
v
t
i
”
a
,
d
to add mixed
new
jured
for th
o
n
w
i
t
g
d
us
n
martial arts to its
d
o
i
a
u
e
n
b
o
i
t
f
t
o
t
n
curriculum is adding
nger
e wan
g a co
a
w
n
d
i
0
d
1
u
0
l
2
MMA elements to its
c
ing.”
n
n
i
x
i
o
,
y
b
s
h
t
k
w
n
c
i
s
competition circuit,
to k
stude
r
“That’
r
a
l
o
i
f
m
but not in the way you
i
n
titio
les s
e
u
p
r
m
might think.
h
o
t
c
i
of
ory w
skills on different playing fields. But
g
e
t
“Cage fighting is
a
c
g
n
another thing he believes will take what
entertaining and there is a
sparri
As Clark says, “ATA will never
abandon our traditional roots, but we
will also never shy away from finding
new ways to build stronger
martial artists.”
market for that, but we want
students to enjoy MMA without the
danger of being injured,” says Clark.
“That’s why in 2010 we want to add
two new divisions of competition
for students, including a continuous
sparring category with rules similar
to kickboxing.”
2 0 0 9
But, as Clark explains, force would
be regulated in these divisions and the
intention would be to score points by
executing successful strikes. The other
new competition division would be
MMA point-style where competitors
would earn points for certain submission
techniques and locks, all in
a safe, controlled environment.
The potential for these new
competition divisions was something
Pettis thought could be groundbreaking
for the ATA.
“My brother and I have both had
success as point-sparrers in ATA and
that success led us both to an interest in
kickboxing. I think ATA students would
find that the techniques they already
know can transfer easily and be used in
new ways they may not have thought
of,” says Pettis.
Even Miletich believed
this was something that
could be big for both the
ATA and MMA.
“I believe ATA has a
lot to offer the mixed
martial arts world
both technically and
financially,” he says.
54
Sec 3.indd 54
And the financial
aspect could be big,
according to Clark. He
believes that teaching
ATA students proper
MMA strategies and
creating a venue for
them to compete can
pave the way for athletes,
like Pettis, to test their
ATA is doing a step further would be
finding a strategic MMA partner.
“We’ve negotiated with potential
partners in the past, but nothing has
panned out. There’s a lot of opportunity
out there, so I hope we can find a
partner who can help take our mixed
martial arts to greater levels,”
Clark says.
Eternal Grand Master Lee would
probably be proud of his organization
for constantly staying on the cutting
edge of martial arts. If the ATA hadn’t
been open-minded in the past, chances
are the association would never have
added weapons to its curriculum, and
may not have ever started its most
successful program, “Karate for Kids.”
Only time will tell if the ATA and other
traditional athletes can truly make an
impact on mixed martial arts. But if the
ATA’s history tells us one thing, it’s that
this organization isn’t one to tap out.
Jenny O’Connor is the media-relations
director for the ATA and also serves as
editor-in-chief of ATA World magazine.
She can be reached at jenny.oconnor@
ataonline.com. If you would like more
information on a strategic partnership
with ATA MMA, contact Chief Master
William Clark at [email protected].
8/4/09 11:20:18 AM
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