Riding the Wave: ShiMing isn't your average student

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Drake

Cunning Linguist
Jul 9, 2017
465
615

View: https://youtu.be/0hPeMUxt3A4


Without context, getting punched and kicked in the head for a living is a pretty stupid idea. Yet, the sport of MMA is full of very smart individuals not just in the cage but outside of it.

In the latter half of the 2010s, athletes from China truly began making their presence felt. History was made as titles were captured and top contenders blossomed across multiple divisions.

While the rise to prominence in MMA for China is still a relatively new occurrence, the country has been loaded with combat sports specialists for longer than most — we're just now starting to see it pay off in spades and likely will as time carries forth.

The secret recipe to China's burgeoning success in the sport could be attributed to simply listening to your elders. What were we always told growing up? Stay in school, kids!

In China, that can pay off uniquely as schools with athletic programs are supported by the government. Meaning that families aren't required to pay entry, training, food, and various other accommodation fees and even end up paying back the competitors if they win at the highest level in their provinces. Thus making turning to combat sports an easy door to open for many parents and their little ones.

For Kunming, Yunnan Province's ShiMing, her descent into the melting pot that is MMA started with Taekwondo.

"When I was 13 years old, I already practiced Taekwondo and striking," ShiMing told MyMMANews. "I joined a lot of striking matches and Taekwondo matches in middle and high school winning a lot of province championships. Because I only practiced on weekends, some holidays, winter holiday, and other times, I was studying at school.

"I practiced Taekwondo for many, many years until I went to university. Before my university, because I had already done a lot of striking competitions, there was one MMA event coming in 2015. At that time, most Chinese had never heard about MMA. But because of my striking background, I just joined and I never even knew what MMA is. But I joined and I won because of my striking skills. Then it was the start of my MMA career."

Continued: Riding the Wave: ShiMing isn't your average student