NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Before the age of 8, Christian James had earned his black belt in karate. His father, mother and older sister had all achieved that goal in the martial arts discipline as well.
James is also a brown belt in the sport of judo. So he uses what he has learned in the dojo every time he steps on the football field.
“It’s something that has transitioned to football quite a bit,” James said. “The hand combat stuff is so applicable to defensive line work. With wrestling and judo it’s so much leverage. And then grip strength, it transitions to my position almost perfectly.”
Martial arts training is just one of the many facets that has James’ game blossoming halfway through his senior season with the Commodores. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive lineman has evolved into a steady force on and off the field for a program that has seen all sorts of changes since he first stepped on campus. His game has grown exponentially as well for a pupil which got a relatively late start in the sport.
James didn’t start playing football until he entered middle school. His father, James said, wanted to make sure his son didn’t have negative or discouraging experiences as a child, experiences that could have detoured his possible future football career.
Instead, the athletic James focused on martial arts and wrestling while he yearned to joined his childhood peers on the football field growing up in Germantown, Tennessee. He also trained with renowned speed and agility coach Stanley Lopez long before he ever put on football pads.
“When he first arrived at the clinic, I told his dad, ‘Many kids want to run fast but they don’t want to go through the process. And it is a process,’ ” Lopez said. “(James) was one of those people that bought into it.
“He just really accepted it. Even when he returns from Vanderbilt now we train. And I’ve told him, ‘I’m going to teach him how to think in space.’ I give him drills and those drills are upgraded every time he comes back and I expect him to meet those demands. He is always wanting to come back. I told him I expect to see him in the NFL one day.”
With the help of Lopez and with his martial arts background, James began to see his prep career gain steam while at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis where he made 30 career sacks, was an all-state selection and was chosen to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl All-Star Game. James credited his high school coaches for…