Have you happened to notice the freestanding punching bag in the Activity Center Aerobics Room? Or, perhaps, three men using it? These guys are Colby Vogt, Josh Lopez (his training partner) and Ben Swindels (Colby’s nephew). They’re in there working on their Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) skills.
In 2003, Colby and Dana met in a gym in Egan, Minnesota, and they married a year later on Captiva. They trained MMA skills together for two years, but now Dana continues with her own workout program. They lived close to his parents in MN and, when his parents died, he and Dana decided to move here. They Bob About Colby… had visited frequently because his parents owned at HP. They both work full time from their Veranda; Dana in finance for a wine and spirits company, and Colby is an insurance adjuster.
Colby’s sports background includes high school football and baseball, and he played professional football in the Arena Leagues and in Europe for a few years. That ended when he tore his Achillies tendon at age 29. He got hungry for contact again in his early 30’s and, when he learnedof a guy who did MMA, Colby started training with him. Some months later, a fighter withdrew from a fight and Colby was asked if he’d be willing to substitute, which he accepted.
He fought professionally for seven years in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, starting when he was 33 (when most guys are retiring from the sport). Colby was looking for the excitement of contact competition. Although he always wanted to win, he was more interested in seeing what he could do. He wasn’t worried about building up a record like younger (some as young as 18) fighters wanted. In his last fight at age 40, Colby took a knee to his head and went to the mat. He had never been knocked out, but this time he saw all white and couldn’t hear. This was his message to leave professional competition. Twelve years later, he continues to train for enjoyment and to keep in shape, working out three or four days a week.
Combat sports have been recorded as early as 2000 BC in ancient China in the form of Leitai, a no-holds-barred mixed combat sport that combined Chinese martial arts, boxing, and wrestling. In ancient Greece, there was a sport called pankration, which featured grappling and striking skills similar to those found in modern MMA. The first pankration match featured in the Olympics was in the 33rd Olympiad in 648 BC.
Colby’s done Muay Thai (originated in Thailand in the 1600’s), which is stand up boxing allowing kicking and using knees and elbows, and Jiu Jitsu (grappling – from Brazil in the early 1900’s but different from Japanese Ju Jutsu – also from the 1600’s). More than 20 other sports exist, such as Taekwondo and Karate, as well as various forms of wrestling.
Mixed martial arts is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques of various combat sports from around the world. The first documented use of the name ”Mixed Martial Arts” was in a 1993 published review of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match. The sport soon gained international exposure and widespread publicity and sparked a revolution in martial arts. There are smaller organizations than the UFC throughout the US.
MMA fights take place in an octagonal, fenced cage, 20 ft across with a 6 ft high plastic fence. Matches have five-minute rounds, with one minute between rounds. Normal matches go three rounds; championship matches are five.
There have been many hybrid fights between combatants of different fighting styles, and speculation of what style is superior and who is the best worldwide fighter. A fight In Japan in 1976, entitled The War of the Worlds. took place between Muhammad Ali and Japanese Pro Wrestling Legend, Antonio Inoki . The classic match turned sour as each fighter refused to engage in the other’s style. After a 15-round stalemate it was declared a draw. Ali sustained a substantial amount of leg damage, as Inoki kicked him continuously throughout the bout, causing Ali to be hospitalized for three days. This fight played an important role in the history of MMA by combining two different fighting
styles, and was the origin of what would become known as Mixed Martial Arts.
In case your curious about MMA, Colby’s interested in helping anyone who may be wanting to learn these skills. He’s willing to go over basic movements to get people started so they can proceed with their own practice. Once experienced, or if already experienced, they’d be welcome to work out with his guys. There’s no charge. Colby believes that it’s always good to have more people. Bystanders like to look at the sport from afar and it can appear intimidating. He says that no one is really very good at it to start, and the movements are not really natural, however, training provides a great work out, improves your balance and agility, and offers a boost in self-confidence, discipline, and flexibility. You can contact Colby at 952-258-3015 or via email at [email protected], or stop by the Activity Center on a Wednesday at about 5:30 p.m. and watch the guys in live training.
