Anyone who has ever seen the 1984 movie The Karate Kid or its successor series Cobra Kai knows that martial arts is no joke. Delving into this disciplined world is Senior Aydin Larsen, who has dedicated most of his life to mastering the art.

“I am involved in an art called Taijutsu that is a self defense class, and Jiu Jitsu,” Larsen said.

These are both different forms of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), with subtle differences to separate one from the other.

“[Taijutsu]  is  a  self  defense  class  that  also  covers  about 90% MMA pretty  much  and 10% self defense,” Larsen said.

Jiu Jitsu, on the other hand, is a form of Japanese wrestling. Taijutsu, in comparison, is a more umbrella term.

Larsen has been fighting for most of his life. He began his training at 4-years old and has been competing in Jiu Jitsu for 12 years.

“My parents got me into it because it’s a good way of self defense, and it’s a great way of [getting] me in shape,” Larsen said.

He currently holds a blue belt and competes in Jiu Jitsu, while  also  boasting  a black belt in Taijutsu. He won the Gold Medal in the 2019 Kansas City Grappling Championship.

“All competitions are fun. You just get in there and do your best,” Larsen said.

Larsen has two coaches instructing him. Dan Clark of Dojo Omaha is a Gold medalist at the Police & Fire Olympics and Larsen’s Taijutsu instructor. John Hansen, the 2016-2017 world champion is his Jiu Jitsu instructor. Both have been instrumental in helping Larsen achieve the greatest success possible.

“Aydin is very coachable. He attends frequently, which allows him to work on the skill that we are trying to get across, and has a strong work ethic,” Clark said.

The hard work pays off in spades, with Larsen’s commitment showing itself off with incredible results.

“Aydin is the youngest person to ever receive his black belt in Taijutsu from us,” Clark said.

Larsen   also   has   been   passing  down  his   skills  to  the  younger generation, helping kids become better fighters as well.

“Sometimes I teach kids Taijutsu in my gym. It is just a nice way to teach them some self defense, and is always nice to see them wanting to learn,” Larsen said.

Larsen’s love for the sport stems from his ability to know he can always work harder and be better.

“It is a sport I know that if I work on, make sure to be well disciplined,” Larsen said. “It’s like a sport I know I can be good at.”

After putting lots of effort and work into honing his skills and refining his technique, Larsen has observed growth in his skill at the sport.

“Aydin has grown from being a child to a young man. Aydin is a great martial artist. He is both an accomplished striker and grappler,” Clark said. “More importantly though, Aydin is a good person.”

Larsen enjoys how unique this activity is, and how it can surprise people when they find out he also fights.

“It’s something about me you don’t expect. You can be a nerd, but you can also like MMA and that stuff, like kind of two opposite things,” Larsen said.

Clark is very proud of Aydin’s progress, seeing him go from beginning to champion.

“It’s been my honor and pleasure to be his main coach. I am very proud of Aydin,” Clark said.

While decorated, Larsen has not competed in Jiu Jitsu for a long time.

“I haven’t competed lately. I hope I can get back to the competition, it’s just hard to balance school and MMA,” Larsen said.

Beyond this, however, Larsen has plans to compete beyond high school and keep on fighting in Jiu Jitsu.

“I definitely want to compete in the future,” Larsen said. “ I want to keep on doing this as long as I can.”