Just like karate and jujitsu, MMA showcases several techniques that will teach children self-discipline and how to protect themselves. According to the article By the Numbers: Mixed Martial Arts, the minimum age at which the state must review an application to become an MMA fighter is 18. Children are not put in harm's way or danger, as it is up to the student to decide whether or not to compete. Frank Shamrock, former UFC champion, says that a child gets more from MMA than other sports that will help him grow as a person: “I don't understand sports. I don't understand why you would take 12 guys and throw a ball down the field. It doesn't make sense to me. Is this activity giving my son respect, honor, discipline, teaching him about life?… I know for a fact that when my son approaches martial arts… he receives a good education about life, his body and himself” (“Martial Arts Mixed” par. 38). People who support MMA often say that students enrolled in such programs are there to protect themselves from bullies and other threats. Children would not be able to learn to defend themselves completely without sports