The Twelve blogs of Christmas: Longevity

Me and my buddy Dan.

What's up all! I'm pressed for time so i'm keeping it moving on these short blogs. Hope you and and your families are well!!
    On the fourth day of Christmas I was blessed to have longevity! While I never expected to be anything other than a guy learning how to kickbox or a student of Jiu Jitsu, i have far exceeded any expectations that I have for myself. I am truly passionate about what I do. I love combat sports and everything they entail. It's almost obsessive, but it has led me on a tremendous journey. I have met the most amazing people and had some crazy adventures. It's been the best outcome I could ever imagine.

Working with boxing coach Eddie Rivera 

Teaching MMA

    I started this journey years ago when I was introduced to Taekwondo and the feeling of the martial arts just never left me. When I was invited to a kickboxing class I had no intentions of teaching over a decade later. I was so taken by kickboxing and boxing that I gave up on basketball and literally trained almost everyday, first with some friends and then by myself for a number of years. I was not to be denied. At some point I was offered a job teaching a cardio class. I ultimately got turned on to MMA and before long I was teaching a basic MMA class. Some people I think are content to be a trainer but my mindset won't allow me to just mail it in on a regular basis. I made it my business to watch as much video as possible and learn as much as I could from every person I came in contact with. Eventually and much to my surprise people started to take me seriously.

Me and Eddie

    I started "Bomb 1st", which was a clothing line and website dedicated to fighting. At that point MMA was still considered human cockfighting. Nobody really even knew what it was. Ultimately this is about doing what they always tell you growing up, "find something you're passionate about and make that your job". It's not an easy task, however it is so worth it. Don't let them tell you're crazy, be ready to hurdle or trudge through the obstacles and above all believe in yourself. It's been a lot of years since I started doing this and I plan on this being the legacy of my life. I hope that you find what you love and leave something beautiful behind even if it's just a smile from doing something that makes you happy.

Twelve blogs of Christmas: Fun

Hey guys, trying to keep up with these blogs for Christmas has been a bit challenging but I am determined. Love you guys!!

Hear no, Speak no, See no..  Felipe - Jorge - Ben

    On the 3rd day of Christmas I got to have FUN! We all know how hard it is to prepare for a fight, but the rest of the time the training should be fun. Not everyone is going to fight and even if you're pursuing a fight career, take some time to enjoy the training. Have some fun with the people around you. crack a smile for goodness sakes. It's not all smashing elbows and head kicks. Even if it is, would it hurt to smile while you're doing it. There's enough so called "tough guys" walking around.
    I love what I do and I love my job, and I love the attitudes of the team. Always smiling, always laughing, and always training hard. Trust me when I say that I couldn't do it everyday if it wasn't for the fun. You should try it some time.

The twelve blogs of Christmas: Truth

   Hey guys, it was deifinately a long weekend. I watched some terrible refereeing

in which my fighter got fouled at least seven times in a fight and lost a split decision. Next time we're gonna send him in the ring with a folding chair to smash over his opponents head. It won't get called so we're not worried. Anyway, that's a blog for the future, this one continues the 12 blogs of Christmas series. Enjoy.
    On the second day of Christmas Muay Thai gave to me. Truth, and the truth is, you're tougher than you think you are. This is one of the most common revelations after spending enough time training and sparring and this confirms yet again that people love the safety of their own space. Most will never put themselves in a position that challenges the way they perceive themselves. It's unfortunate, but truth isn't for everyone. Hence the saying, "Ignorance is bliss". I suppose the reason for that is that sometimes the truth hurts. I've come to find out that the ones that think they are the baddest guy at the barbecue are really sheep in wolf's clothing. Either way, there will be a revelation. It might come after the first time you take a strong hook to the chin, for others it might come in the first two hour train as they push themselves beyond their perceived limitations. It has to happen because there is no place to hide from yourself when the fists are flying.
   From kicking a bag in a cardio class all the way to sparring with champions in two years is something that can't be taken away. It is a bi-product of realizing that we are all just men and women, no one better than the other and all just trying to find our way. Once you get that, sharing a punch, kick, or choke is the same as having a coffee together, just with more bruises. This one is definitely for Jorge, who has gone from quirky to cornerman duties in a of couple years. Finding his truth required a concentrated effort to slow him down in the ring. It was often like being on a merry go round sparring with Jorge. He circles better than anyone in the business..lol.. However, once he slowed down he actually proved to be able to trade punches and kicks with speed and accuracy. Jorge's problem was he didn't believe he could take it. It's a hard concept to accept that you are going to get hit and it's completely legal. After taking his first real power shot to the chin in a heavy sparring session, Jorge proclaimed, "Damn, I'm tougher than I thought I was". He put himself in a position to find the truth. That's Jorge's truth, what's yours?

The 12 Blogs of Christmas: Heart

Happy Holidays to all the LMTers out there. I wish the best for you and yours this holiday season. I'm still recovering from Thanksgiving and with Christmas right around the corner I decided to do a series of  twelve short blogs leading up to that wonderful night when old Saint Nick leaves you boxing gloves, mouthpieces, and Judo Gi's under  your tree, or something like that. Don't judge me...

Me and Pam after a private session.

    On the first day of Christmas nobody gave me anything, because you can't teach heart. As combat sports go, there are those that plan on fighting and those that don't but are  just as addicted to the training as  those preparing for battle. Training at least four times per week and sparring with sharks on a regular  basis without fear. The biggest thing about combat sports for people like this is they don't have to do it, risking injury with no set goal other than to do something athletic that they enjoy. People often start  doing a little contact and quickly decide that maybe they should  stick  to tennis. Others get injured and limp away with the mentality that it is just par for the course. In most cases it's weekend warrior types of guys ready to fulfill their testosterone fueled dreams, but not in this case. In this case it's just Pam. Yep, 1st grade school teacher, Pam. I've watched Pam get her nose broken twice and leave a healthy deposit of blood on the canvas and as soon as possible be back in class working on her technique. She is the epitome of heart. She could be kayaking, or mountain biking, or Yoga but she loves Thai boxing and has been consistently getting better and giving the boys a hard time on a regular basis. Now she's doing private lessons and putting it all together nicely. It might seem like nothing but after looking at her with blood dripping from her nose and tears pouring from her eyes, and watching her stand back up and keep fighting it just validates everything I believe about heart. I've watched muscle bound grown men quit on their stool in the
corner because they, "can't  breathe". While  everyone is running around TRYING to be a badass, I would rather just be like Pam and have heart.