MMA in Iraq // May 10, 2008

MMA - for those like me who don't keep up with fighting sports - stands for Mixed Martial Arts. I could explain what this is but you would do better reading the Wiki on it. Here's how I got involved:

America Top Team sent us some mats and then did a story on us - check it out here

Here's the text - note the last line...
American Top Team Donates to US ARMY

2008-05-05
American Top Team is proud to support our troops overseas whenever possible. That's why we donated 144 square feet of grappling mats to Alpha Company, 603rd Area Support Battalion (Apache maintenance) in Baghdad. The Battalion's combatives instructor, Sergeant James West, contacted ATT through Real Fighter magazine and asked for assistance. His soldiers only had a paper-thin puzzle mat, which didn't provide enough support to train takedowns and throws and the Battalion didn't have the funds to purchase more. "We've been using what we can in a small room above one of Saddam's old hangars," West says. "It's hot and small, but you have to make due with what you have." The mats donated by American Top Team doubled the area West and his soldiers have to train and provide enough padding to train vital hand-to-hand techniques. "These mats are very appreciated by a group of guys who live to train," West says. "When we have free time, we don't have all the opportunities that you do back in the States like heading down to a movie theater or going out for dinner. Troops don't want to just sit around in their rooms and watch TV or play video games either, so hand-to-hand combatives gives them an outlet that's very therapeutic. Even our Chaplain gets in on the action." American Top Team is proud to help.