Yost Finds Unusual Stress Relief

Everyone has his or her own different ways of working out. Whether it is football, soccer, volleyball, or Wii Fit, there are enough methods for people of all preferences to stay in shape. For Fleetwood senior Jake Yost, it’s a variety of things: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Mauy Thai, conditioning, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Says Yost, “I do this because I don’t like team sports. I get mad at other people when they mess up, and in MMA the only person to blame is myself.”

While students often play sports for college or because their parents compel them to do so, Yost does it for a different reason.  “I do it just because I love it,” says Yost.  “And I enjoy being punched and kicked in the face.”

“I really enjoy watching UFC, and I always thought Wow, I want to do that!” says Yost. But the person who really pushed him forward was his friend Vinny Leiva, who is also a student at Fleetwood.

Sports can benefit different people in different ways;  for Jake, it’s tempering his stress. “I lose stress as I do it,” he says., “It keeps my temper down.”

Sports and commitment go hand-in-hand. Jake goes to the gym every day, from six o’clock to eight o’clock.  When asked to describe MMA, he answers, “Obviously, it’s very physical…basically up in ya grill, Mmm-hmmmm!” He talked about how he has been kneed and heeled in the face, and punched and kicked all over.

The next big event in Jake’s schedule is an Ultimate Grappling Challenge, which is a tournament on October 23rd in Hamburg.  He is also excited to turn 18 so he can start cage fighting. 

Anyone interested yet? Jake says, “Just watch UFC, and see if you would like to do it. Then just find an MMA gym and try it.” The gym Yost attends hosts open houses, and he says he welcomes anyone who wants to join him on October 9th.

Yost is even the star of a commercial for his gym, which plays whenever UFC is on TV. “I get kicked in the face. It’s pretty funny,” he says.