Mixed Martial Arts helps some veterans with PTSD

Fighting in the ring helps veterans ease back into civilian life
By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
Monday, Sept. 17, 2012

DON BARTLETTI / LOS ANGELES TIMES
Iraq war veteran Todd Vance, a mixed martial arts expert, drills fellow vets at a gym in San Diego on Aug. 18, 2012. His theory is that veterans need exercise and a socially acceptable outlet for their hostility and aggression, rather than taking anti-depressants and other drugs.

Todd Vance — Iraq combat veteran, bar bouncer and social-work major at a local university — is lecturing two dozen of his fellow veterans on the techniques and joys of the chokehold.

“You want the blade of your forearm on their windpipe or carotid artery,” Vance says in a commanding voice. “Push your opponent into the fence. ... Let’s have some fun with this drill!”

It’s Saturday morning in North Park, and the veterans have come to a steamy, noisy gym for Vance’s mixed martial arts class. It’s a fight club of sorts for people who already have fought a war.

Vance, 31, a former Army sergeant, uses mixed martial arts to help veterans cope with post-combat problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues involving the uneasy transition back to civilian life.

His unconventional — and unofficial — approach had drawn a small, loyal following among veterans and qualified endorsement from psychologists who work with veterans.

Jeffrey Matloff, senior psychologist and PTSD specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Diego, said that as long as veterans learn self-control and not to use their skills outside the context of sports, a martial arts approach can help restore self-confidence and focus.

“When it comes to PTSD, therapy alone doesn’t have all the answers,” he said.
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