By Katherine Adams
As the EMS liaison for UTMB for the past three years, Richard Arocho has focused on the relationship between the Health System and the 35 or so Emergency Services agencies that encompass all the 911 services in the region.
Arocho also works in service line development and as a physician liaison for UTMB.
Off the clock, he’s been training in the martial arts for 20 years.
“I got involved with the martial arts in the late 1980s right before I entered high school and did it for a few years but then got away from it because I got interested in other activities,” he said. “I was working toward my black belt, but I never achieved it. I got about two-thirds of the way through the journey, and then I stopped.”
He drove past his old school, Al Garza’s Premier Martial Arts, frequently and continued to think about going back to finish what he started. Finally, in 2005, he went back to the school and resumed his journey to achieve his black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
After his 12-year absence, he started over again as a white belt.
“Starting over changed me as a person,” Arocho said. “I went back and worked my way up.
“I learned that about 90% of the battles you fight start with awareness,” he said. “When people ignore their instincts about something feeling wrong or off, that’s when bad things happen. Staying aware of your environment and making constant eye contact makes a huge difference.”
The physical element of training also plays a role in stress management and mental clarity.
“I feel stronger at my age than when I started,” he said. “I’m in good shape, and I don’t feel any aches or pains. I fight two or three times a week, often with people who are much younger than I am.
“We put our body under stress when we train, but I love it,” he said. “It’s a transformational process for me. We train our bodies to do what it should, not what it wants to.”
Arocho attributes his health and fitness to the martial arts because it keeps his whole body moving. Running, doing push-ups and using his entire body while fighting keeps him alert and agile.
“I clear my head when I train,” he said. “I enjoy what I do, but if I have a stressful day, I just go to training and have a good workout. I hit the pads and relieve my stress.”
Arocho also has added another kind of martial arts to his repertoire. Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense system developed for Israeli Special Forces, uses techniques from boxing, wrestling, judo and aikido.
There are those who learn to compete in tournaments and competitions, but for him, it’s about the discipline, the art, the physical fitness and the relationships that he’s developed over the past 20 years.
“In our school, I began with our belt system in Tae Kwan Do,” he said. “You get to black belt and then you decide on your specialty. My specialty happened to be Krav Maga that I pursued.”
The family culture that exists at his school is what has kept Arocho returning to train several times a week for decades. There, everyone is looking out for each other, everyone is there to help each other do better, and there’s no negativity. It’s why he doesn’t like to miss any days of training.
“You go through your journey and set a goal, and it might take years to get there. You build those relationships along the way,” he said, adding that he has just “accomplished my greatest goal.”
Arocho was promoted to the rank of master in July 2024 and earned a fifth-degree black belt in martial arts and a first-degree black belt in Krav Maga.
“Everyone is going through their journey,” he said. “I tell people, you must do something you enjoy that you can continue for the long haul. If you hate the gym, you’ll never go. But if you find something you like, you’ll continue it for your health. Just make it something enjoyable that you don’t like to miss. I don’t ever say, 'I don’t feel like going today.'”
Arocho has learned to think quickly and rationally and to not freeze under pressure. Tae Kwon Do and Krav Maga also have built his confidence and strength and focused his mindset on humility and helping others.
Fighting is for hot heads he believes, so there’s no reason to fight, he said, unless it’s the last possible resort.
“Think of it as sheep dogs who are trained to protect the sheep, which is the general public or your family and friends,” he said. “You’re protecting anyone who needs help from the wolves. I have never had to use my training in real life, but I train as though I will use it if I have to.”
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Pictured above: Richard Arocho lands some kicks.