Student of the game

Hello all! Hope you guys all got a chance to hear Jenn and I rant on the new Blog companion podcast. If you haven't had a chance to hear it you can download it on iTunes. Just go to the podcast section and search LMT The Journey and you should be in business. Thanks in advance for the support!! Now that that's out of the way let's get down to my obsession. Studying, my fixation on knowledge is both ambitious and absolutely annoying as hell. It kept me taking college courses for a decade but bouncing around so much that I never really completed a program. That will be done before the end of the year btw. As a fighter I started researching training techniques through Youtube which I then dubbed Youtube University. If you want to learn it, it's on Youtube. It was really subtle at first, learning kicking techniques and punching techniques, defensive drills, conditioning etc. It quickly became an obsession,I couldn't go a day without watching a video about fighting or reading about it. It became my coach, I was learning to thread together different styles of striking by studying videos of the techniques and practicing them everyday at the gym. This is a great way to add some techniques and variety to your training on your own. It is however necessary to have somebody there to watch your techniques for missteps. Sometimes a good coach is hard to find but training partners that you trust can be a big help when you don't have one. As I began to fight and train with a group of fighters it was an invaluable tool for learning pad holding, angles, and just for watching frickin' fights! I spent the first bit of time on the computer catching up on fights I had missed over the years.I can only say that I have seen more fights than I could even begin to count. I mean is it in the hundreds , maybe but probably though closer to the thousands. When I started to do Jiu Jitsu it just added more to my playlist and then I started coaching and my head exploded, not really obviously but I have been flooding my brain now for years with information. I wouldn't be surprised if it did actually explode. Don't get me wrong there is nothing better for learning than actually doing. However, now you have an endless supply of knowledge and for fighters, it is priceless. Want to work on your timing, look up timing drills, figure out how to throw a check hook, it's on there, or if you just want to see Anderson Silva front kick Vitor Belfort in the chops i
t is at your fingertips, no excuses. Now as for me it has gotten to a point of ridiculousness. Television has fights on, computer has techniques or drills playing, smartphone is playing a podcast of some sort (Joe Rogan, Fighter and the Kid, Josh Barnett, etc), and I have at least one book around and a notebook with pen. This might not seem like it's annoying but when a six year old wants to play Playstation and when turned down says to her mom, "he's watching boxing, he's always watching boxing", it might be a bit much..lol. I am definitely hooked on studying and it is a little annoying but it has made me a better fighter, a better coach and a much more evolved thinker. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow your game at a faster pace and with more options.