With her clout in Judo building and with her skills almost undeniable, Ronda had suffered a devastating knee injury at the age of 16 which kept her out of Nationals that year.  Devastated, doctors told her that Judo might be a thing of the past for Rousey.  They came to this conclusion when she demonstrated certain moves that called for a lot of pressure and strain being placed on her bad knee.

If you do not know the name ‘Ronda Rousey’ by now and you claim to be fan of mixed martial arts, then please for the sake of everything good about this earth, Google her ASAP!  Her track record is quite impressive: Olympic Bronze Medalist, Strikeforce Women’s Champion, UFC Women’s Champion, first female fight in UFC history, etc.  But in order for her to get where she is now, it all had to start somewhere.  Good thing her mom, Ann Maria, just so happened to be one of the most lethal Judokas in the states (I include more detail about this in my previous post at Science of Skill).

Imagine yourself at 12 years old.  What were you like; what was your hair like, your social skills, your athletic abilities?  Now think of all the outlets you had to channel your youthful down-time into something constructive.  For little Ann-Maria Burns, she seems to gladly recalls what she was like.  For a little girl in Alton, Illinois who was hitting that awkward stage of life, and with only three sports to choose from at her local YMCA, Ann-Maria “slipped on a banana peel” and found her calling.

A few weeks back we told you about three local athletes and owners of Albuquerque Crossfit who braved the insurmountable rigors of the Death Race, an extreme, survivalist 72-hour outdoor race in the wilds of the Vermont Woods.

We'll bring it to you in their words as they look forward to the 2013 Race. The following excerpts are from the personal accounts of Duke City Death Racer, Crossfitter, and professional photographer Adam Baca.

It's been a few months since Chad, Ben, and I ended the 2012 Death Race. Going into the race we had somewhat of an understanding of what we were asking of our bodies, our emotions, and our general psyches. That understanding turned out to be insufficient to immediately deal with the aftermath of the race."

Defining extreme sports may depend on the eyes of the beholder. What would you call extreme? Does pushing your mind and body to the limit despite grueling conditions sound like ingredients for an extreme sport?

What about racing on foot at break neck speeds through rugged terrain for upwards of 72 hours with no assistance while bringing only what you can carry on your person? What if that rugged terrain is in the mountains of Vermont and dozens of other contestants are chasing you, pushing the pace, no coaches, locker rooms, or cheering fans.

Can your mind overcome the screaming pain in your swollen ankles and blistered feet? Hunger pains are the metronome that keep you marching. Sounds of wild animals keep you from achieving a quick thirty-minute nap before pushing your rapidly wilting body onward under the dark of night.

When is a stick not just a stick? When it's wielded in combat by one of the famous stick fighting Dog Brothers. The Dog Brothers are a group of highly trained and devoted Martial Artists that were founded in California in the 1980's and now claim hundreds of members and thousands of devotees around the globe.

The stick as a weapon actually has deep ancestral roots in Martial Arts that trace back many centuries to tribal warfare in the Philippines. Around the world stick fighting takes on different names and techniques. Arnis, Kali, Eskrima are all forms of Stick Fighting, but what the Dog Brothers have done is apply the stick, along with other weapons, to modern, realistic martial arts and self defense applications.

New Mexico has its own chapter of the Dog Brothers headed by Arlen Sanford and Eric Knaus, two of the original Dog Brothers. Knaus began his stick fighting journey in the 1970's often with the old school approach of challenging other weapons Martial Artists, and has approxiamately 1000 fights to his credit. Sanford, who has nearly 600 fights, joined forces with Knaus in 1988 and the two have been making superb (stick) music ever since.

Locally, Arlen and Eric are joined by Michael Johnson, owner of Shockwave Defense. Johnson's father, Steve Johnson was a long time student of Bruce Lee – yah, that Bruce Lee – so Michael has been brought up in the Martial Arts world and has a wealth of knowledge which he imparts to his students every day at his magnificently equipped academy on South Broadway.

It took a while for the film to rise to the top of my NetFlix queue but this week I was finally about to watch the inspiring true story of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill.

"The Hammer" reenacts the childhood life of the deaf former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight, all the way up to his college years where he earned three NCAA Wrestling Division III National Championships.

While the film is entirely predictable, the story is heartfelt and makes you root for the underdog.

Chances are pretty good that if your teen is having issues in school, lack of self-esteem and choosing not to make the best choices in life, he or she needs a change.

This isn't something that you can simply put a band-aid on and it will go away. Any jiu jitsu coach understands teens behave certain ways for a reason, and sometimes they just need some neutral ground where they can have a clean start.

If you’re like many others and struggling to find a great fitness program that’s challenging and keeps you motivated for the long run, then you may be missing something from your regime. Simply going to the gym day in and day out doing the treadmill and elliptical or taking spinning classes and lifting weights may keep you coming back for a while, but you may soon tire of the same routine and give up!

If you’re looking for a program that gives you health benefits and is great for any age and sex, then you may want to consider an Indianapolis BJJ coach to get you on the right track. You should keep in mind that regardless of your age or fitness level, you can achieve a total body workout with Jiu Jitsu. Even if you’ve been going to the gym for years and using the equipment, you can still find the sport to be challenging and completely worth it once you’ve been doing it for a while.

Even if you’re not looking for the overall body tone, you may want to consider Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for other reasons such as self defense and greater confidence. Many of us will find ourselves in scary positions every now and then, and it’s important that we know how to protect ourselves and get out of trouble fast.

"She's a good girl, loves her mama. Loves Jesus, and America too. She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis, loves horses and her boyfriend too."

She may be too young to be crazy about Elvis, and she certainly does not have a boyfriend, but rocker Tom Petty was right with nearly everything else with Shannon Ihrke, a model and ring girl for Pro Elite MMA who is turning heads in every direction.

As Shannon readied for an afternoon of riding horses with her mother she was able to take some time to talk with US Combat Sports about her past, her future, and how she transitioned from the Marine Corps to modeling. So now you know why the lyrics from "Free Fallin'" fit perfectly.