Egan Inoue was 16 when he first starting playing racquetball.

Determined to be the best, he hated losing to his mom and dad, even in friendly games.

"I couldn't stand my parents beating me," Inoue said, laughing.

Realizing his potential to play racquetball competitively, Inoue quit playing baseball and basketball in high school and even gave up surfing to concentrate on the new sport.

After graduating, Inoue turned pro and won world championships in 1986 and 1990.

As part of his training, Inoue would swim and bike almost every day.

He got so good at both, he started competing in triathlons and races in Hawai'i and California.

"I did that all on my own," he said. "I was just making up my own drills."

A knee injury in 1992 sidelined him. And when he returned to the tour in '93, Inoue couldn't advance higher than No. 4 in the rankings.

"I couldn't stand being there, so I just quit," Inoue said.

After retiring from racquetball, Inoue concentrated on jiujitsu, a martial art he picked up in 1992 to help improve his mental game.

Within four years, he rose to win the World Brazilian Jiujitsu Championship in the blue-belt division, becoming the first American to win the title.

"I liked it because it was non-striking, and it's almost like playing a chess game with your body," Inoue said.

He didn't compete in mixed martial arts until 1998, when he replaced his brother, Enson, who had a staph infection, in a fight in Japan.

With just days to prepare, Inoue won the bout — and he was hooked.

"Up until that point, I had no interest in fighting," Inoue said. "But I think what kept me going on every time I had a fight, I was scared. And I didn't want to run away from my fear."

Inoue had to revamp his fitness regiment and diet to prepare his body for fighting.

He focused more on developing upper-body and core strength, while cutting carbs to control his weight.

But he soon discovered that winning had its drawbacks.

Criticized for not striking enough, Inoue changed his strategy for fighting.

By 2001, he was knocking out his opponents standing up.

"I got paid more money, and the crowd was more hyped," Inoue said. "But my attitude was changing, too. One day it just hit me. Is this why I got into fighting?"

In 2003 Inoue quit competing, took a job as a pharmaceutical rep, and started surfing again.

He opened The Studio in Manoa Marketplace in November and continues to train every day.

Though he could get back into competitive shape for fighting in about three months, he's more interested now in surfing.

"Surfing has replaced fighting, definitely," Inoue said. "Right away I started surfing. And then I got crazy about it!"