0:10 – Darwin: Darwin Saunders. I’m a project manager. I live in Baltimore City. I got my daughter involved in mixed martial arts, well, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, because of my involvement; I enjoyed it. And I wanted her to be involved in a sport, but to get her confidence level built up in an individual sport, compared to a team sport. What I find is they sit the bench. I mean, they’re involved, don’t get me wrong. And they’re active. But she just seems to respond better to just the one-on-one and I did that because of my effort type of thing.
0:56 – The focus has definitely increased. As you know, any 10-year-old is going to tend to wander off. But just the repetition of coming to class and just focusing on what it is you’re doing, I’ve definitely seen results in that area.
1:16 – It’s opened up her mind to other sports. She wants to get involved in more things. So if anything, it’s sparked her interest to okay, well, can I do this next? Can I do that next? Sure. You can do anything. And I think that’s more because she’s comfortable with herself.
1:40 – It’s a great skill for a girl to have. If the time comes where she has to defend herself, I think anybody that knows anything knows it’s going to end up on the ground, and you’ve got to be able to defend yourself there. I mean, it’s a must-skill for girls in my opinion.
2:00 – I think the apprehension on parents’ part would, in my opinion, probably be just based on misconceptions and not understanding the art and the athleticism behind the sport. Most people’s experience is just an extension of what they see on television, from professional UFC and so forth. It’s not that.
Interviewer: You did Jiu Jitsu and she does Jiu Jitsu.
Darwin: Yes.
Interviewer: How does that affect the father/daughter relationship?
2:30 – Darwin: Oh, man, that’s a bond. I love it. Actually, I recently came off of an injury and I told her, “As soon as I heal up, we’re sparring.” And we did. And to actually see her implement everything that she’s done in class to this point, it feels great. It feels great. It’s like seeing your son hit a home run. Yeah. It’s a great bonding activity.
Interviewer: Good.