Thoughts from Caroline, Erick, Margaret, and Sarah - Part 3

#4 Sarah w/ Felipe

It’s pretty widely accepted that one should “learn from their past” and commonly said to “seize the day” or “live in the moment”, but then there’s the pull of “hope for tomorrow” and “plan for the future.”  With all the catch phrases of life and time, it can be hard to know where to place your focus.  Our generation is infamous for seeking instant gratification.  We’ve grown up in an era where everything we could possibly need is at our fingertips.  Need directions?   Address?  Reservations?  Tickets?  To pay a bill? To answer a question?  At one point in history it was a big deal to be able to access these luxuries from a bulky computer with a monitor and a mouse, however, now our smartphones are so slim and compact that I lose mine like three times a day.  We have popularized the profound saying of “YOLO”- as if anyone at any point in time thought we ever lived more than one time – and use it as an excuse or an explanation for acting recklessly or irresponsibly.  Planning for the future has become outdated, saving money seems nearly impossible, and debt is increasingly trending.  Despite the ridiculousness of the phrase and the actions it sometimes ensues, there is truth to it.  Trends, sayings, money, and even people, will come and go, but time only goes.  The rush to live life to its fullest doesn’t come with the surprise of only having one, but with the uncertainty of when it may suddenly be taken from us.  I lost a close friend and teammate last year to a tragic accident very suddenly, and it was the first time that my invincibility was terribly shaken.  It’s not the first time I’ve experienced death of someone I love, but it was the first to occur suddenly and of someone my own age.  At only 22, her memory will always serve as a reminder that happiness or success can’t be measured by the number of years put into your life, but the life you put into your years.
So comes the challenge:  how can you balance living the present moment while still working towards future goals.  It’s hard to save for graduate school when you’re paying off undergrad.  I also refuse to be one of those people that looks back from age 30 wondering how time passed so quickly and nothing seemed to have changed.  The dilemma arises in almost every area of my life, including Muay Thai.  After my first class with Lucky, I was ready to jump in the ring with heavy hitters and bang; oh how quickly I forgot that just an hour before he was showing me how to wrap my hands for the first time.  Since starting in December, I have received advice from so many sources and gained so much from my time with LMT, but I still haven’t fought.  I’ve moved through stages of emotions with the sport – obsession, anger, frustration, doubt, joy, love.  Practice can be tedious, especially with the constant taunt of the draw to fight, but I know the hard work of the present is what will make my future successful.  The trick is learning how to enjoy the ride, take the speed bumps, and avoid the wrecks.  Struggling with my weight and some mild overtraining symptoms jerked me back to the present when I had my blinders locked in on a potential fight.  You have to pay attention to yourself every day, without losing sight of your dreams.  Focus is a key component of success.  Focusing on your dreams of the future can give you drive, but if you don’t focus on present tasks at hand, your training is less effective.  Unfortunately, there is no secret equation to finding this balance.  If you find one, PLEASE tell me!  Ability to juggle past, present, and future is a learned skill and varies from person to person.  My one luxury is having an amazing coach to keep me on the straight and narrow and anchor me when I try floating between the three time zones; when I get frustrated with myself or a skill, or if I’m too anxious to fight or try something out of my level of ability, Lucky is always there telling me “these things take time.”  My other luxury is the awesome team I’ve become a part of with LMT.  As a novice fighter, I have so many amazing people surrounding and supporting me that I can’t imagine learning Muay Thai any other way.  When I need advice, help tweaking a skill, or just a laugh (maybe a lot of laughs) I have at least two teammates five days a week and most of their cell numbers.  Friends are a good link to the past, a necessity in the present, and a hope for the future.  We all just do the best we can and lift each other up.  So to my LMT locos, here’s to our past obstacles overcame, our present obstacles being tackled, and the future when we look back and smile at all the fun we had figuring it out along the way.  Find your balance – in life and push kicks.

Thoughts from Caroline, Erick, Margaret, and Sarah - Part 2

#3 Margaret

I am an opera singer who enjoys learning Muay Thai.  What I have come to realize is that training as a Muay Thai fighter is virtually identical to training as an opera singer.   I know this sounds crazy, but when it comes down to it, in Muay Thai and in opera your body is your instrument.  You practice your basic techniques: hours of kick pyramids, working on angles for your elbows, and 1000s of sit-ups. For me, every kick pyramid is a set of 6 scales on one breath to strengthen my breath support. Extending my jab is singing, “how now brown cow” for 30 minutes a day to get my “o” vowel in just the right spot.  My 1000s of sit ups are the hours of practice I put in daily so that I don’t get tired when I have to sing for long stretches of time.

We carefully train and shape our bodies to make them as effective as possible, but our bodies aren’t everything - they are the blank canvas necessary to execute our chosen discipline. By the time I start rehearsals on an opera, the technique required is engrained in my muscles allowing me to focus on other aspects of the opera because it’s not just about belting out your notes and words - you have to know WHY you’re singing them. Who is your character? What’s their background story? What is their purpose within the story?

In Muay Thai, your neutral ground is the muscle memory you’ve created through all of your technical work.  The rest is intellectual - there must be purpose behind your movements.  A kick doesn’t mean much if you don’t have a reason for throwing it. When sweep someone, do you want them to simply fall or is your goal to knock their wind out? Having purpose behind your actions allows you to maximize the work you’ve done with your technique.

One of our main challenges is incorporating our practice into the reality of a fight or performance.  Lets be honest - whether you’re on stage or you’re in a fight it’s not really about you, it’s about you and the other person/people working with you and the story you create together. Every brilliant and weak moment your opponent has allows you the opportunity to learn.  As you learn, you can start to adapt to their style, exploit their weaknesses and minimize their brilliance (this works for Muay Thai, in singing it’s better to minimize your cast mate’s weak bits!) If you look beyond individual kicks and punches, you gain the opportunity to become inspired by your opponent, to improvise and create an entirely unique experience together.


I am no expert on Muay Thai, nor am I really an expert in opera, but the more I learn about both disciplines the more I believe that Muay Thai and opera are two in the same. As an opera singer, the only time I will be punched will be fake and if I fall it will be planned in advance, but I do believe that my training in Muay Thai is symbiotic with that of my vocal training and it’s been fun watching those two parts of my life work together.

Thoughts from Caroline, Erick, Margaret, and Sarah - Part 1

Hey guys! Fresh off the Boca Raton IBJJF International open and looking forward to May 31st and my fighters getting a shot at glory. Loving life right now!! So this post isn't really mine. I did a little contest for some of my students and asked them to write their thoughts about LMT or training, or fighting..etc. I just wanted to hear from them. They all won a t-shirt just for participating. I am blessed to have them. That being said I'll shut up and let you read for yourselves.

#1 Caroline Roa

To challenge ourselves to the extremes is in my opinion one of the most extraordinary things in life. I believe that we should all test our every ability whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual. If we do not test these abilities, we throw away what mostly every single human being is gifted with. In the last several months I have been blessed to experience an art of beauty and ultimate challenge. Muay Thai has changed me in many ways that no other sport has. It has made me realize how special and powerful the human form is. Practicing this martial art has also humbled me in ways that I could never have imagined. It's made me conscious of the fact that you never know what others are capable of and that there is always someone bigger, better, stronger, and more willing to fight for what they believe in. But never has this conscious thought discouraged me, because now I am better, stronger, and more willing to fight for what I believe in. Thank you for the beginning of an endless journey Lucky! (And of course to your magnificent apprentices as well) 

#2 Erick Rodriguez

  Unity from conflict

                The aroma of sweat and worn leather consumes the ring on this warm spring evening. The sun has almost completely set, only a glimmer of the remaining sunlight peers threw the single window that dawns upon the ring. In the squared circle are two opponents, bitter rivals are facing off unleashing havoc upon one another with surgical precision.  A head kick whips just past his face narrowly missing his brow followed by multitude of punching combinations. The strikes that have been drilled over and over to near perfection force him to the corner. Even though the strikes  are so vicious, so calculated they are only meant to instill doubt into the fighter putting him on the defensive.  Finally forced into a corner slipping and parrying as many strikes he could excepting the ones he could not defend his inner lion has been unleashed. 

                Dazed he makes himself a silent promise: he will not be the prey any longer and begins to push forward. He  begins his  assault  throwing a thundering leg kick which is checked just as expected. The leg kick was only to distract; to close the distance then an overhand right immediately follows which connects to the chin. The two modern day gladiators tired and battered are now clinched up in the center of the ring. While adrenaline courses through their veins they try to keep their composure. Heavy breathing commences between the two while they clasp striking knee for knee elbow for elbow. Groans of pain and determination are now echoing throughout the gym neither refusing to yield. Each time bone meets bruised flesh the groans go louder; the determination grows stronger. It has now become a battle of will, of heart, two lions refusing to fall to their adversary. Thirty seconds left signifies the bell, just outside the ring stands their mentor stands. His arms are neatly folded against his barreled chest standing strong, still and silent. He is laser locked on the war going on just inches away from him; but he is not alone.  As his gladiators play out the brutal chess match inside the ring, outside the ring is just as Relentless. People from all walks of life, all creeds, all nations all sexes are busy at works some in search of  peace through regimen and others for prestige through combat.

                Some of the stable watch along next to the experienced sensei studying every technique, cheering every blow some in awe knowing they have the honor of viewing the controlled chaos. Just a little further away are others shadow boxing, playing out fight scenarios deep within their own minds. They enjoy the cerebral  madness of concocting up new combination to out Witt the imaginary  adversary.  More in the far corner of the gym striking the heavy bags and double end bags. Working on the timing and speed of their favorite techniques. Timing is everything in combat one must know when to be tenacious and when to recover.  As the heavy bags are being struck furiously others battle their limitations. Gloves and shin pads replaced with barbells and jump ropes.  Some need to tend to the cardiovascular aspect of combat, for their is no excuse to do battle out of shape. At the same time some need the cold iron pressed against there skin as they rigorously repeat the same lift until the muscles feels like they 

!will rip through the skin. 

            The bell sounds again the round is over, after six straight grueling rounds of fury the coach finally speaks. " Everyone circle up", he shouts. in that instant the separate sects run in unison to their caller and you can start to see the bigger picture. The weights are put back on the racks quickly. The jump ropes stop whipping against the air. The heavy bags are left to sway in peace. For hours all the commotion that cluttered the gym has stopped and all is deathly quiet. All these separate entities are now all united and listening to the well thought out words that are being spoken. During the choice words the two warriors that had been battling for so long just stare at each other. The day has finally come to an end as the unthinkable happens. The battered rivals do what few people outside this very misunderstood  world can grasp, they bow and embrace each other as brothers. Their is no blood relation between them once so ever, except for the blood they caused each other during the sparring session. 

              In many ways this family though is stronger then your conventional family; for its forged threw the fires of combat. So many different individuals of race, beliefs, personalities put away all their social and economical differences aside and replace it for blood and sweat and tears for one common goal. The goal is nothing more then to better themselves threw martial arts. Regardless of who you are or where your from for those few hours your only concern is to leave your gym/dojo a better  person then once you came in.  Every day is a new lesson be it: physical, emotional or spiritual martial arts regardless of style sends you down a journey of self-discovery. And this same journey has a way of uniting individuals who would probably never even speak an avenue to broaden their spectrum of family and friendships.  In a time where the world is constantly at war because of its differences. Martial arts has taken the act of war and taken those same differences to unify people. That's the bigger picture, take smaller entities/countries and create unity and forge a better team/world. That's martial arts.

The Fever!

Jorge Pereira and Rickson Gracie

        Hi guys!! I hope you are all well, healthy and happy. I'm super stoked and excited as the LMT family continues to grow. We have added a bunch of new team members. Some are fighters and some are not and that's what I love about it. I love this team and how far they have come. That being said I think that the ones that want to fight and be successful on the highest levels must dedicate their lives or as my Jiu Jitsu sensei Jorge Pereira says, they must have the "fever".
        After training Friday night in which I rolled with sensei for the better part of an hour having some success but being submitted more often than not, we all sat around and listened to Master Pereira give his regular after class lessons. I in particular tend to get into the stories of his time training with Rickson and preparing for the Vale tudo wars that made him a legend. I believe that the Jiu Jitsu lives in these stories and it gives soul to the art. On this day though he was making a comparison. Maybe to force us to train more, or maybe he was just being nostalgic but he was comparing his time training Jiu Jitsu to the Jiu Jitsu being trained now. Obviously the times were different and the place was definitely different (not by much living in Miami), but different. He began to speak about how they trained sometimes three times in a day. "We would train in the morning, then go to surf, then back to train. We would talk about the girls, and the university, then back to train".. All of these stories are told in a un-americanized Brazilian accent that lends itself completely to the moment.

The LMT team

        He then said a statement that I took personally. Not that it was directed towards me but it stuck with me. He said,"The difference between training Jiu Jitsu then and the way we train now is the Fever", "you have to have the fever for the fight. If you want to be great at Jiu Jitsu, then you must dedicate your life. People train now like for a hobby".  Those are words that I get, I have done that with Muay Thai and it has done me well and provided for me. I don't know how much I can dedicate to my Jiu Jitsu studies with my schedule the way it is training my team for their futures but I will say that for a large majority of them, they have the fever for Muay Thai and it is inspiring.

        I am committed to having better Jiu Jitsu. I want to be on a championship level and however much I have to train to get there, I will get there. I have the fever for sure. I encourage you to do what so many have said and that's to fall in Love with your art. Fall in love with yourself. Fall in Love with your best friend(Taylor). Let that fever guide you to the highest levels achievable where you can feel accomplished by something other than beating the hardest level on "Candy crush".