MMA and being an officer

[hooahbell]

Good morning Rangers,

I am almost done with ROTC at University of South Florida and cannot wait to pursue my dreams of finally being a warrior in the greatest Army in the world. I was just wondering when I get commissioned will I still be able to compete in MMA? My cadre in college ROTC strongly urged me to stop training before I went to LDAC but now that I am back I hope they don't look down on it. What are the rules for competing in MMA in the Army? Many people have told me that it would be stupid to fight/train while I was an officer.

My cadre/peers asked me the following questions and I am wondering if you all agree with my views:

"What if you got hurt?" - You can get hurt doing any sport, risks are everywhere

"What if you lost to an enlisted guy in your PLT?" - To me winning is everything, but at the end of the day all that matters is I showed heart and passion. I really don't see why this would matter.

I am wondering what the rules are, could I only fight other officers or people who are not in the Army at all? Will I have time to train? Or am I not allowed to compete at all?

I have been training/ competing in MMA for the past four years on and off. It is one of my favorite past times and I am hoping the Army will let me compete more. I only have 2 fights, both were wins (1 am/ 1 pro). I will have a 10 year contract (due to ADSO for infantry, GRADSO, SLRP) and I am hoping that the Army wont be the end of my fighting career.














thank you for your time.

[Silverback]

What did you branch?

[hooahbell]

Ranger Silverback,

I wont know where I placed in the OML for a month or two, and I wont know until October what branch I got. I am praying to God for infantry. I signed an ADSO contract and got an overall "e" at LDAC, so hopefully that will help.

[Silverback]

Ranger Silverback,

I wont know where I placed in the OML for a month or two, and I wont know until October what branch I got. I am praying to God for infantry. I signed an ADSO contract and got an overall "e" at LDAC, so hopefully that will help.

From what you have written it appears as though you are very competitive at an inidividual level. When you become a leader your focus should be more towards the accomplishments of your team.

The pursuit of individual excellence is not a bad thing, but it should never overtake your desire to be successful as a unit.

[CloakAndDagger]

From what you have written it appears as though you are very competitive at an inidividual level. When you become a leader your focus should be more towards the accomplishments of your team.

The pursuit of individual excellence is not a bad thing, but it should never overtake your desire to be successful as a unit.

It's possible that the Army will let you compete (there have been service members who have sporadically competed in even the televised MMA leagues), but don't count on it, as operational requirements come first for pretty much now on.

Even if you don't get to compete, think about what you can bring to your unit. There are plenty of units, especially outside of combat arms (yes, I know you want Infantry, but Uncle Sam doesn't always give you what you want), that would love to do combatives training, if only they had a competent trainer. Although, I'd suggest you wait until you've gotten familiar with your unit (especially your CO and your NCOs) to propose it... you want to be the tough LT, not the crazy LT.