The young fighter, Rivers Branson, stood anxiously waiting for his bout number to be called. His knuckles, covered in white gauze and tape, tingled as adrenaline slowly gathered within him. Hundreds of other fighters surrounded him, hitting pads, shadowboxing, and getting viciously massaged with nose-biting Thai oil. The sharp aroma perked the athlete as he was about to take his martial arts career to a new level by entering a competitive ring.
Rivers, now 20, has been training at Raja Academy of Martial Arts for several years. In 2022, Rivers experienced his first official fight, something many seasoned martial artists choose not to endure. "Traditional martial arts and combat sports often get confused," said Raja, owner of the academy, "I've competed, but I'm a traditional martial artist, and it's great to see a select group of athletes step into a ring."
Rivers, trained in Muay Thai, worked through the combative chaos of the event atrium, fights occurring all around him as his focus narrowed on a singular ring, his bout ring. He shakily stepped up the metal stairs leading to the ropes; the grating pierced his bare feet. In little time, Rivers would touch gloves with his opponent. "It all happened so fast," said the fighter, "within ten seconds, he caught my kick and dumped me on the ground. It was just tunnel vision after that." Rivers, losing a sense of control, let his training take over as he threw his arsenal at his opponent.
Raja's Acadamy, rooted in Greenville since 2009, offers a realistic approach to a South Asian blend of martial arts, a branch of arts uncommon in the upstate area. The classes include Muay Thai, Wing Chun, Boxing, Filipino Kali, and Derobio Eskrima. "I feel that traditional martial arts are dying a little bit," expressed Raja, "I want to keep these arts alive and showcase it goes beyond just a kick and a punch, it can help you in life."
Martial arts, sometimes carrying a stigma of violence, is becoming widely known for its effects on mental health. Raja describes that it's a clean, healthy drug with many benefits. The respect and discipline involved in the training bring emotional harmony into your life off the mats. Through hardships, "martial arts has been the one drug," with no adverse side effects, "that has never abandoned me," revealed Raja. Many of the community occupying the academy are searching for the same relief, a beautiful violence.
In recent years, between 1999 and 2008, we have seen a significant expansion of the martial arts community. Popularity has been noticed as there has been a large uptick in the number of martial arts gyms, scientific publications on psychological outcomes, and social media coverage. Fuller J.R., in the British Journal of Medical Psychology, explained how the negative public image of violence has resulted in negligence in psychological research. Now receiving more attention, studies show that martial arts practice can increase cognitive and affective self-regulation, along with a surplus of more benefits.
The family-like community at Raja’s Acadamy all train for different reasons. When reflecting on his students, Raja explained, "Martial arts is always here for people who want to lose weight and gain control, but the fighting aspect takes a special person to pursue that lifestyle." Some look for a hobby, weight loss, a healthy outlet, and sometimes a competition, but everyone leaves with respect and discipline.
"It changes your perspective," explained Rivers when reflecting on his first fight. After an exhilarating first two rounds, the fighter knew he was behind on the scorecards going into the third. Needing to do something big, Rivers threw an assertive push kick at his opponent's jaw. The detrimental kick would lose power as his opponent's open mouth would take the blow. Every tooth grazed against his retracting foot. "He ate my kick," laughed Rivers, "literally."
The fighter's hope, being slightly left behind on the grit of his opponent's teeth, teetered as the adrenaline weighed down his hands. "It's unexplainable how you feel in there," the two-minute final round would feel like an eternity to Rivers. When only ten seconds remained, the two fighters would leave everything in the ring.
"We trained these ten seconds," expressed Rivers as he kicked into his final gear, "I threw everything I had, but my hands felt like 50-pound weights." His offense would be deflected, and he'd be too tired to defend himself as his legs would get chewed up by a flurry of heavy quad kicks— racking up points on his opponent's scorecard.
The final bell would ring as the referee jumped between the fighters' battle. Rivers' opponent would grab him in an embrace, showing respect and gratitude for each other's competition. The world around Rivers would disorient as he'd thank the corners around him, and the referee raised his opponent's hand in victory.
Leaving the ring, he'd be greeted once again by the rugged metal grates as he stumbled down the stairs. The pain finally flooded his body as the medic shined a bright light into his eyes. A metallic stinging would rush around his eyebrow as an open cut would settle into his nervous system. The fighter would never forget those fleeting moments after the loss, "Yeah, you can learn a lot from winning. But you learn way more from losing, especially if you take the time to reflect on what you did."
Raja, preaching the same message regarding losses, sees this common grit within his students. “It's a niche group of like-minded individuals who choose to do hard things that your average Joe wouldn't do on their best day," his eyes widened as he grinned, "You build this brotherhood and sisterhood of camaraderie on the mats."
Raja welcomes everyone to his academy, whether competitive, social, or physical, offering a $10 trial class to anyone willing to start their martial arts career.
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