Whether or not Brian Stan wins at UFC 152 or not against Michael Bisping he is an awesome example of what MMA training can do for you. Now Stann doesn’t get it all from MMA training only he was a linbacker for the U.S. Naval Academy before spending time in the Marine Corp. This is where he got started in MMA through the Marine Corp’s Martial Arts Center of Excellence in Quantico, Va.
Stann not only served in the Marines but was also highly awarded for his valor. For his valor in battle in a horrific incident he earned a Silver Star which is the 3rd highest award given for combat heroism. So, how did he get started into the world of Mixed Martial Arts? It actually started as a hobby in 2004, however it quickly grew into a personal passion after just a few amateur fights. After that he knew he had the MMA bug!
Stann actually had to go through quite a bit of convincing on his base in North Carolina to allow him to fight in the cage. They were afraid that he would get hurt in the cage and he had to do some sharp talking in order to convince them otherwise. So, access was granted.. and he was allowed to fight in Las Vegas.
Stann saw the benefits in MMA training for the mind, soul, as well as the body right off the bat! Stann said, “I started a program using mixed martial arts to combat post-traumatic stress when I was still active duty. I would run a course once a week, and Marines would come in who were struggling with different things. We would train MMA, and talk about what they were going through. I brought in chaplains and different meditation instructors to help me out with it.”
Stann understands that MMA is not only great for stress release because of the physical exertion, but it also focuses the athlete one a single purpose. Making the mind focus on a single activity is actually a release and technique that is used by many meditation styles to reduce stress. So, focusing on not getting choked out, punched, or kicked is no different then a Zen Buddhist Monk focusing on his one single breath at a time.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is something a lot of soldiers suffer from, however Stann thinks that MMA training helped him elude this disorder. He says that he believes he didn’t get PTSD because all of his leisure time was spent in MMA training. He has seen soldiers become better soldiers, better people, and even better family members through devoting their time to training in mixed martial arts.
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