With the advent of MMA, martial arts are seemingly more popular than ever before.
Still, MMA is a very limited view on a broad field of physical disciplines. Various martial arts date back much farther than just what we see on TV or in a Pay Per View fight in Las Vegas. Becoming an expert at any kind of sport or martial art takes years of dedication and practice. Though the stereotypical image of a martial artist might be a muscular adult man, the truth is that anyone can accomplish these feats if they start young enough.
That’s where young Jesse Jane McParland comes in.
McParland is an 11-year-old martial artist who started training when she was only three years old.
As she explained on an Ellen interview, McParland got involved in martial arts early after not liking some of the other activities her parents wanted her to do. “[I used to do] ballet and Irish dancing but I never liked them,” she says. When pressed later, she explained her reasoning to her parents: “Not every girl dreams of being a little princess.”
Her skills brought her all the way to the Junior WAKO World Championships in 2014.
McParland’s performance was samurai-inspired and included swordplay. In the clip, she marches to the middle of the mat and waits for her music to play. Once it begins, she takes a bow and addresses the judges. With another bow, she marches backwards and begins.
What follows is an incredible and ferocious show of speed and agility.
Drawing her katana from its scabbard, McParland prepares for battle.
She uses her blade to strike at a crowd of imaginary attackers coming at her from all sides. Between her movements, she works in kicks, spins and rolls. In a few breathtaking moments, she even works in several no-handed cartwheels! Once the performance is over, she drops her sword to one side, falls to her knees and gives the judges a blood-curdling war cry.
With that, the performance is over and the crowd applauds.
The performance has gone viral with more than 43 million views on Facebook.
After watching, it’s not hard to see why McParland’s competitive spirit is so contagious. Since her WAKO performance, she went on to compete in Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. Aside from the fame, her incredible performances are an inspiration to anyone who’s ever been told they couldn’t do what they want or be who they want to be.
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