Lose.. Lose.. Win!

Hi guys, hope you are all doing well. I am so stoked about the Cubs winning after 108 years without a championship I can barely contain myself. Its such an amazing feeling overcoming the obstacles that present themselves but in this case it was on a world stage.  However many times this team has tried to achieve its ultimate goal it failed and though the rosters have changed innumerable times the results remained the same until now. So this blog will piggyback off that and give some insight into the truth of competition and perception.
      In my second Muay Thai fight I showed up with confidence and ran into my opponent whom I had met a few months before when I won. He asked me if I had been training, I replied, "a little",  I might have been being smug. Either way he gave me a shellacking. He later explained that he and his coaches were watching me in the last fight and knew that I liked to throw a lot of hooks so they were ready to counter with straight punches and forward movement. I had realized something that I didn't know before and it was that this wasn't going to be easy and I had to learn more because as it stood I didn't know anything other than a straight will beat a hook. So the process of studying began.
     

   I started doing Jiu-jitsu because it was a natural progression for me and ideas of MMA had been bouncing around my brain for a while. First I did no gi which I was successful in and completed and won then I switched to gi and as a white belt I continued to have some success then again came the wake up call. My name gets called I am prepared for a fight I am a blue belt now. I am just not afraid of my opponents at this point having competed in both Muay Thai and Jiu-jitsu already I am just ready to fight. I quickly secured a takedown, a Judo throw called an Ouchi-gari. With the top position I tried to pass his guard without any luck. As time expired he swept me and win with an advantage point. I have endured this in a few different ways in Jiu-jitsu as well as some poor judging and at least one draw in Muay Thai. So what does that mean in layman's terms?.. It means that the Instagram posts showing an athlete with medals and trophies is only the fun part of the story.
          Accomplishments for fighters are measured in the public perception by how many  awards are won and in what organizations and how much money was made. I will contend that to fighters accomplishments can be measured by time spent catching bruises and nagging injuries in the gym, by the number of times we are made to tap and submit to our training partners on the mats and by the mental and emotional struggles that have to be put in check just to show up every day. We sacrifice friendships, jobs, and stability to get some real connection to life. A win is not a result of what is done in the ring or in a tournament time period. A win is a consolidation of everything that it took just to get to the point of the competition as well as the competition itself. Losses on the other hand are the stepping stones to having a hand raised win the bell sounds but also a revealing look at the character of a fighter.
         The perception is so much more appealing than the reality. Likes on a picture or a post are awesome and they feel great to get the support but the time difference between a loss and a win can feel like 108 years. I have lost and lost and eventually won and as proud as I am of the winning I am just as proud of the ability to endure the agony along the way. Define us by the depth of our resolve because what you might not know is that the majority of don't make money but actually pay for the chance to compete, to challenge our very spirit.
        

Peaks and valleys

         Hola people! I hope everyone is enjoying life and living to their best potential as we face a crazy election and some instability in the communities throughout this great nation. One thing I know for sure is that the fighters will keep training and keep fighting because it is our way to deal with life and find our own perspectives. It is our way of communicating and finding balance within ourselves. That being said it is not always so clear cut. As martial artists constantly trying to master our craft it can be challenging when we go through a period where our training isn't going as smoothly as we would like. I often find myself having these amazing sessions where everything is flowing, my low kick is gliding effortlessly into my opponents thigh as a result of a snappy jab and clinching feels as if I'm the bigger guy even when my opponent is 20 pounds heavier. On these days a person can't help but feel like the mountain top is within reach. It's the same feeling some days on the mats, I can feel the my sensei Jorge Pereira's Jiu Jitsu flowing through my very being and transitions and control feel second nature and finishes come easy. On the peak days it is like being completely in touch with my very existence. You can see this in all sports, it is a flow state that allows the unconscious mind to manifest itself in a conscious form. It can be this way in life as well. There are moments in life where everything is happening without hiccup, work is going great, the boss loves you, your relationship feels like it is out of a 1movie, there's money in the bank and life is beautiful. However, the flow state is rarely sustainable for long periods of time and as the title suggests we all must go through peaks and valleys.
         I can start trying to put together the same combinations, use the same footwork, shoot that same snappy jab and follow it with that low kick and in this case it gets blocked and countered. In the clinch I'm getting thrown and swept and pummeled with knees and I feel as if it is the first time I ever strapped up a pair of gloves. I can go to Jiu Jitsu and literally get tapped and strangled from every position even through my defense. These my friends are the valleys and they are for everyone. None of us are immune to having bad training days or bad days in life. So how do we manage these bad days? The answer is they aren't bad, they are learning days. If every training day was good we would never learn anything nor would we know what an amazing training day or fighting day would look like. Let's not look at the "bad days" as worthless or a reflection of our true selves in the ring, on the mat, or in life. Let's instead look at those days as useful in figuring out what we are capable of and what our potential can be. Life is hard, there are no manuals, instructions, or absolutes. We must learn on the go and from training partners, friends, family, and experience. Don't get discouraged by the off days, embrace them and make them part of your growth. If training and fighting were easy everyone would be doing it. The same goes for life, everyone isn't living life because it's not easy, some people are just walking through it. About to head into training and either way it will be a good day. Love you all keep your hands up and never give up your back. Peace and blessings.

Adjust and re-adjust

Oh boy has it been a minute. Glad to be back writing again I missed reaching out to all of you and as the title suggests I've been working towards making adjustments in my skills as well as my life.   The key to being successful in the ring or on the mats is the same in life, the ability to adapt on the fly as the circumstances change.
      In sparring sessions I was beginning to notice that either I was being lazy, my timing was off or everyone I sparred was just getting so much better that one of my best tools, my counter left hook was just no longer a factor. After a series of frustrating goes I began to pick it apart. What I found was a few things, first off it was absolutely laziness as I had become complacent because had used it successfully so many times that I had taken it for granted that it would just land when I threw it. The second thing I realized was I wasn't really willing to be there I was counting on my length and speed instead of proper technique. I found myself leaning away and the punch becoming wide and generally hitting nothing but air. The reason this came to light was because of my lingering shoulder injury. Without the use of my right hand to any great capacity all of my inadequacies with my left hand became obvious. In order to fix this problem I have been basically testing different approaches. Staying in the pocket longer, trying to time my opponents advancing movement, and setting traps to lead them into the hook. I've had some success and some miscues but it's a constant work in progress as it is in life. There is no one right way to deal with adversity in life. Each situation requires an honest interpretation as well as a educated plan of action. Adjusting and adapting to the curveballs life throws at you is not impossible but can definitely be challenging. Trying your best to keep a positive attitude and a vision of how you want those situations to turn out is imperative. I recently spoke to a nephew of mine that gas struggled through some tough times in his life and is about to get a second chance and for me the most valuable thing I could express is one thing I've learned to be true and that is to never quit. People will have plenty to say about what you do both positive and negative but the reality is that it doesn't matter what anyone says if you are persistent and persevering anything is possible. As Nas once said, "The world is yours", never forget that and never give up. It will all pay off in the end. Create small goals and absolutely crush them on your way to realizing your vision. Adjust and re-adjust until you clear the obstacles in your way, anything is possible. Peace and blessings.

Becoming it...

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What's up people!?! It's been a minute since I've been able to fingers to keyboard. My schoolwork in pursuit of this Psychology degree is taking up most of my writing time. I am actually rewriting this one because it magically disappeared overnight. Anyway, we are approaching our first fights of the year this week and the team looks sharp and ready for whatever comes their way. During this camp for them I found myself being very reflective of myself and where I am now and where I am going. I don't know if it's because I've reached middle age or the effect of fatherhood on my psyche but instead of winding things down I want to do just the opposite, I want to ramp things up. Now what that means exactly, I don't know. I just know that I am not just satisfied with my current state or any accomplishments I may have had in the past. I realized that I am stricken with the same obsession as many others like me, the obsession of Martial arts. We are Yin and Yang, pushing and pulling and connecting with something in our souls that most people are afraid of and some people won't even admit exists.
        I've been back on the mats doing Jiu Jitsu and the thought of competing is bouncing erratically around my brain. After a short hiatus I returned to the mats with an improved game and a growth mindset and with that it seems that my game has evolved. I don't care for points or for what may give me wins by advantage, I only want to go for the submission and try my best to use the art the way it was meant to be used. I refuse to settle for stalling and holding positions, I have accepted that me going for it might lead to some losses but I'll never be where I want by being complacent and safe. The greats are hardly ever resting on their laurels. As I told one of my students this week, "it isn't the belt around the champions waist that matters,it is the struggles, sacrifices, injuries, as well as friends and family members and sometimes significant others that are lost to ignorance along the way". Greatness requires understanding and belief in what is possible and what is possible is anything and everything.
        I want to be the best me possible in the arts I train daily(Boxing, Muay Thai, and Jiu Jitsu) and add a few more tools to the chest by challenging myself to learn the blade, archery, and firearms. I love this feeling of not being finished the feeling of being absolutely obsessed with what my body and mind and spirit can do when they are in tune. This can go for anything in your life that you choose to do. You must first find the thing that moves you, then fall in love with it, obsess over it, and submerge yourself in it. Work so hard at it that you simply embody the very thought of it. Become it...

The year

           What is up people! I have had some time off from the blog as I navigated through the holidays and have slowly come down from the high of fighting professionally which is still a trip for me to think about. I am about to get back on the mats for my own personal growth and also looking to grow as a coach by branching out and getting my fighters outside of Florida. I've watched them develop so much and they deserve to have the opportunities that weren't necessarily available to me. Goal smashing and hurdle jumping are key for the LMT brand and if you are a supporter I suggest you save some money for tickets and gear because things are about to get exciting. This isn't for the new year, this is for everyday. I Love that everyone prepares themselves for the new year with resolutions to do better than the year before it's a beautiful concept. I would offer a different perspective on personal growth whether that be physical or mental and that is that you tackle each day like it's the new year. Last year was brilliant and there were a some dreams that were realized and some that have been deferred but regardless of this time will not stop. We are chained to the clock so to speak and as many of us have seen with fighters in every combat sport the ones that don't progress in their craft tend to fall by the wayside. So this year we will take on a new mantra as it concerns fighting and in life. Everyday is a day for progress and some steps back are actually a giant step forward. 

          As we prepare for the first of many fights this year, the entire LMT team wishes all of you that have supported us happiness, health, prosperity, and most importantly progress.

FEAR

Dressing room pre-fight

                As the days leading up to the competition turn into weeks and the weeks quietly become months there is a literal roller coaster of emotion that overtakes a fighters psyche. There is a mix of anxiety, frustration, happiness, a feeling off being a warrior prepared for battle at anytime and a feeling of fear that most couldn't handle. It is the way in which we see ourselves change and evolve on a daily basis and sometimes the emotions can change by the second. Our brains are flooded with questions; Is my opponent better than me? Have I trained enough? Why am I doing this? Maybe I should just quit. And this is just the tip of the iceberg it can go deeper and deeper even seeping into the fighter's personal life. Fear is the great revealer. Whomever a fighter thinks they are can be deciphered by what they do with their fear. Can they use it to become better at their craft or will they fall victim like so many before them and crumble at their opponents feet or even make it to the fight at all.
              During my camp for any competition I generally start out very upset with myself and that is on a good or a bad day. I have a genuine anger aimed at myself for not being better. I love greatness and I may not ever be great but I want to feel like I am working as hard as the great ones do, and regardless of how many hours I put in I never feel like it's enough. I eventually get passed those feelings in a few weeks and then I start to question my opponent and how good they might be and if I should even continue on and if I have an injury I wonder to myself if its enough to make me stop training and even call off the fight or drop from the competition. The answer unequivocally is a resounding no I will never quit and every moment I'm not training my opponent probably is so I have to keep working. If you catch me around this time and ask me if I'm ready or how do I feel I will always have jokingly tell you that "I am terrified". Half joking...
                By the last few weeks of training I am a ball of anxiety. Nothing is as good as it should be and if I can't correct it I am pissed off. I have turned my stress and anger outward at this point. I can safely say that it is not a time to pick at me and I am in no way satisfied with anything. I want to fight so bad but I know I am not where I want to be. I do know however that there is no way I am being out trained. I am putting in the work. That was all motivated by fear. I have heard other fighters say similar things about being motivated by the fear, not of the other fighter but about what could happen about "getting caught". This is a commonly used phrase in the fighting world meaning a fighter got clipped by a punch, a kick or even a submission they didn't see coming or they fell into as in, " I was doing great and just got caught". That fear is real, when it is said like that it is meant to say that at that moment it was out of your control the same as getting bitten by a shark, it just happened. Every day is a day training to be the one catching the other guy.

Erupting post fight

               The reality though is that we will get punched and kicked and choked and people will cheer or boo or yell ridiculous things that should be saved for pro wrestling i.e. "rip his fucking head off" or "fucking kill him"(really not trying to kill anybody j/s) but most will never understand what it is that you are voluntarily doing. Risking your health both mental and physical for the entertainment of the spectator and the promoters wallet. In return for this we get to stare deep into our own souls and determine that we are not weak or afraid, we are in fact brave. There is a moment where the fear disappears, maybe in the dressing room or as they announce your name or you step through the ropes but when that threshold is crossed you've officially realized that fear is everything because it pushed you and at that very same moment you realize it is nothing.

Clawing at the throne

Hola people! Let's talk about yesteryear when a fighter in their respective sport would work their way through the ranks and fight their way up to the coveted title shot. The fighters of the past would have to not only win to get a shot at the title, but win impressively against top notch opponents that were also working their way up the ranks! If you asked them what their ultimate goal was they would say it is to be the champion, then they would say something smart like they are taking it one fight at a time and looking to fight the best fights, or they might even say that they are leaving it up to their manager. It has been the new practice in MMA to call out whomever has the belt, although I haven't seen it much in Muay Thai that could just be because there just isn't a ton of money to be made even at the highest levels. Working your way up through the competition is still somewhat commonplace in boxing though the lottery ticket that is Floyd Mayweather has brought swarms of boxers to the microphone that is social media to call out the pound for pound king. This begs to question, is it greatness they want or money? Which then leads to another question, is greatness measured by simply putting on a championship belt? I personally don't think so. I think greatness is measured by the body of work over the entire period of competition. Not everybody can be champ and not everyone that calls out the champion can be that good. 

Chael Sonnen calling out Jon Jones

We are living in a world of instant gratification as well as poorly paid fighters. The new way to make money isn't about learning your craft and beating people in such dominating fashion that people are falling all over themselves to get to you, now it's about learning your craft to a decent level and then learning how to talk smack once you get an opportunity to get close to a microphone. Lets see if this sounds familiar, "he's never fought anyone like me", "he's holding my belt for me", "he's scared to fight me", "I'm ready to go, anytime anyplace", nothing is wrong with those phrases except now you hear them coming from guys or girls not ranked in the top ten and with no quality wins on their resume. I get it, the only way to make the big bucks, get famous, and get a following in the social media age is to be loud and beat the big names, but at what cost? Where is the line? Did Chael cross the line with his semi-racist rant about the Brazilians being "pygmies", or does it have to involve talking about someone's family negatively for it to be past the point of no return? At what point is the cutoff, can you still do all of that and consider yourself a "martial artist"? I'm not sure that insulting someone's family or culture is worth putting asses in seats. Once certain words are said, they can't be unsaid. There is a debate about comedians that basically is do comedians get a pass to say what they want just because they are a comedian? In the same respect can a fighter get a pass after the fight just because they were trying to sell the fight? I can't judge, I can only say that for me I couldn't in good faith bring someone's family into the mix while trying to bid for a title shot or even just to move up the ladder. Let's not forget it wasn't until recently that fighters started really calling out the champs, it used to be the next guy up the ladder. At the most fighters would do that hand gesture after they won a fight to symbolize them wrapping the belt around their waist. Now, it's an immediate call out of the reigning champ and it is becoming more popular to do because it is being rewarded. Even fighters that have earned the next title shot are being passed over for the better talker. I mean after completely demolishing Cub Swanson a very high level guy Frankie Edgar is passed over for a the slick toungued Connor McGregor.

Connor Mcgregor yelling at Jose Aldo after defeating Poirer

It's not that Connor hasn't beaten a bunch of opponents, but high level opponents not so much. He has yet to even face a high level wrestler but damn can he talk and at times walk the line between respect and what some may consider disrespect on a regular basis
. So it's established that it is possible to move up the ladder by being a good orator but now we have to figure out who get's a pass to do so. Lower level guys should by no means start running their mouths. The upside is great, a shot at some dough, recognition, a bit of fame. The downside is that if they lose it could leave a psychological imprint that there is no recovery from. On the other hand if it's a champion from another top level organization or an Olympian in the case of Ronda Rousey, lest we forget that she talked her way into a title shot with Miesha Tate in Strikeforce and never looked back. These are the only passes I can say are legitimate. If you've beaten the breaks off some top level opponents the trash talk should just be ancillary to sell some tickets. Otherwise my only advice is don't sell your soul, work your ass off in training beat the guys or girls in your way and learn how to make some sense on a microphone. Your time will come and when it does maybe being equipped with a speech or broadcasting class might get you to your destination a little faster. Not so sure about mentioning someone's family or cultural background as those are more than "fighting words" where I come from.

This great honor!

Hola people! Hope everyone is great after an awesome couple of weekends of fights and that crazy Superbowl. I first want to start out by saying I am in a great place right now. I have an awesome family, a passion for my career, and an amazing Muay Thai team. As we move through fight week I had to express what an honor it is to be in this position. It's really an unbelievable reality.
    To begin to understand why this is such a far fetched reality for a guy like me you have to first make some comparisons to major sports and how they affect the coaches and players that are involved in them. Take Basketball for instance. Started in 1891 by a P.E. instructor trying to figure out how to keep his students active on rainy days. Now basketball players of the stuff of myths and legends. Questions arise about who the best player is or was. Often these questions boil down to a handful of guys that are in my opinion the usual suspects. Boys and girls across the country have posters of their favorite player or players lining their bedroom walls or lockers. Basketball, with a few stars has changed the culture of sports and lives across the board.
     In 1869, American football was created. teams have come and gone and great players and coaches are once again debated by Monday morning quarterbacks around the world. Over one hundred million people watched the Superbowl this year. That is a huge tell regarding the love of football as well as the history from which it comes.
     In the U.S. and abroad baseball is no different . With a rich history dating back to the 1830's and maybe further, baseball is considered to be America's past-time. Players are making outlandish amounts of money and the game is played worldwide. Players even defect from their communist ruled countries risking imprisonment  and death for a chance to play in the big leagues.

      In sports around the world you often hear the players and coaches in championship victories saying things like,"I feel blessed to be here", "It's just an honor to have my name mentioned among the best", "I just love being involved with a sport with such rich history", and they are right. However, in my case and in the case of the other fighters and teachers(Kru) that are involved in Muay Thai, it is more than that. It is a spiritual undertaking filled with honor, humility, inner conflicts, and pain. This isn't a sport that you can look back and debate who the best is because he doesn't exist mainly because it isn't a sport as much as a lifestyle. The history is more rich than the sports of of today and had multiple applications in life as well as battle.
We don't have "bests" in Muay Thai, we have legends. This sport was being practiced and applied in military training in the 1500's and against the invading Burmese army in the 1700's. It is not a sport as much as it is a calling. It is a burning passion that I cannot hide and it draws many to me but only few can actually deal with the commitment even on a exercise and fitness level. It is complicated and yet simple, it can build you into a piece of iron or crumble you into sand but all the while it is connected to your very soul. I have been involved in it for 15 years now and only in the last 5 have I been somewhat comfortable as a fighter and only the last 2 as a teacher. I am honored and humbled to be able to share my knowledge with those willing to listen and undertake the huge responsibility of being a teacher. I am passing on methods and theories passed down for hundreds of years to students that have trusted me, in some cases, with their lives. This reality is not a joking matter I take it very seriously. I received my green belt in Taekwondo in 1983, I was 11 years old.
I have been a martial artist ever since. I was just some kid in the South side of Chicago that liked
Bruce lee movies. After all this time I am still in love with the arts and I learn something new everyday. I have conceded that this is the way it will be for me and I will continue to pay homage to the students, fighters, warriors, and teachers that came before me. I am Nak Muay, I am a teacher, I am Muay Thai!

Be inspired!

Happy New Year to all of the LMT readers, fighters and folks that just like to the stuff I write, which still blows me away. I hope you all are ready for a blessed and beautiful new year. I stopped doing resolutions a long time ago an started just creating goals regularly that way I am constantly in pursuit and never disappointed by unrealistic expectations. So on that note I had a great 2014 doing just that. I had a beautiful daughter.

Me and Nin

I was able to win my 3rd belt, compete in Jiu Jitsu,  watch my fighters bring home some awesome victories, and help some people reach their own goals in Muay Thai. I was able to get on Sean Fagan's kick ass Muay Thai Guy podcast and and make contact with Duke Roufus and Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu. I felt like i'm finally getting to be part of the bigger community furthermore I felt successful as a coach and a fighter but then something else happened. I got extraordinarily inspired by how hard they work at their art.

Duke Roufus

I am at the gym teaching or training an average of 5 to 6 hours five days per week and compared to what they have accomplished I feel like i'm going so slow that i'm moving backwards. I can do more and I can accomplish more so my goals for the future are to do just that. I plan on being inspired by those that work harder than me until I can inspire others the way they do. I have heard plenty of fighters talk about how they work really hard to promote the growth of the sport and as I look deeper I realize that as usual a lot of people just talk.

Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

I have to say that though I write this blog, it's not enough. If we expect Muay Thai or kickboxing to become more mainstream so fighters don't have to work full time jobs while trying to train for a fight that might or might not happen because of the lack of promotions, we have to do more.

    Though I just ranted about growing our sport I want to remind all of you and on a daily basis myself, that we have to be inspired in our lives. Allow the passion you might find in others that are making steps to accomplish their goals be the spark that lights the fire in your own passion.

Sean Fagan

When I was on the Muay Thai Guy podcast Sean asked me how I deal with haters and I don't really have many but I try to ignore them when they do pop up. The truth is don't focus your energy on those that are offering negative energy but focus and embrace those that are providing a path to follow with their positive energy. It's a great thing to be challenged but don't be challenged by ignorance be challenged by constructive criticism. 

     So that's it the first blog of the new year is a thank you. Thank you Sean, Sylvie, Duke, my family, fighters and friends that provide me with a vision of passion fueled by hard work. My goal is to be more like you as I pursue my goals. Peace and blessings. Big fights and big things coming soon.

Here are links to Sylvie and Sean's websites:

Sylvie- http://8limbs.us/

Sean- http://www.muay-thai-guy.com/

Muay Thai and Race

My man Patee in Thailand

Hello all, hope this finds you all happy and healthy as we close out this year. It was an amazing year for us at Lucky's Muay Thai and I am so proud to be a part of such a great group of people. We are already scheduled for a couple of events in the new year and I am stoked. I wanted to touch on a subject that some find uncomfortable, and that's race relations in Muay Thai or Martial arts in general. Maybe it's a good thing that it makes people uncomfortable to talk about race or it could just be, the way that I see it, in Martial arts it just doesn't matter. It matters in other places in society e.g. politics, certain neighborhoods, social issues, etc, but in Muay Thai in my experience, it just doesn't matter.

Matthew from Switerland and Jihad from France

When you walk into a gym or dojo anywhere in the world the focus is on the discipline and technique. It's about uniting your mind, body and soul. Yes something about being hit in the face or kicked extremely hard is spiritual. I'm not sure why we don't think so much about race when we train in Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu, or Taekwondo, or other arts. Possibly because we are spending most of our time trying to learn how not to get knocked out or choked to sleep. All of us seem to realize that we will progress faster individually if we work together as a group. We are more when we are training as one. Not to say we don't have our opinions on the social issues of society but the reality is when we get matched up at a tournament or in a ring or a cage the last thing we care about is the color of our opponent. We care about how well we trained, how hard we worked, how our coaches and team feel about the efforts we've made and can we express ourselves fully when the bell rings. What I find unfortunate is that some may read this and say, well you forgotten where you came from or you're not where i'm from. All of that couldn't further from the truth. I know exactly where I came from. I had great great grandmothers who were slaves, I grew up in Chicago where at times it was one of the most segregated cities in the country, I lived in Texas where I was called the N-word by cops and chased on more than one occasion by idiot racists with guns. So yes I get it things are not fair for everyone in society, particularly minorities but in every place i've lived and with every group I've had the honor of training with one thing rang true. Race was never an issue. From my Israeli friends that teach and train Krav Maga to my Brazilians that train Jiu Jitsu, all the way to my Thai friends that train Muay Thai and beyond.

MMA class 08'

We all love each other just the same and putting our heart into getting better at our arts and using that to make us better human beings is the goal across the board regardless of race. As most of my readers know I have a new baby, she is now five months old and she is bi-racial or mixed, or whatever label people are using now but to me she is just my baby. I didn't even realize she was light skinned until people would ask me,"who's baby is that", or "is that your baby?". No joke, i've heard that and more. As she starts to get older the only place I feel really comfortable with her being and people I feel comfortable being with are those that walk the Martial path because those are the people I know will instill in her a sense of love and compassion not based on her color and I love that. I wanted to add some pictures of people I've had the pleasure of training with from different parts of the world and of all different races but it would just be a never ending collage. So I just added a few but know that I think of you all and have truly enjoyed meeting you, training with you and growing with you.

       Only one thing left to say and that is thank you for letting go of the insensitivity of the outside world to become more sensitive and aware of your true self. Peace and blessings through the holidays and much success in your training and fighting in 2015

Last night's training all colors, all creeds, all L-O-V-E

Guess they haven't seen Kevin Ross fight

What's up people?! Hope all is well out there in your world during this holiday season. Before you jump to conclusions about the title of my post let's get one thing clear, though I am ma huge Kevin Ross fan this post isn't about how sick his spinning elbow looks or how he throws that sneaky head kick off the misdirection. No, this post is about us, the participants and fans of said fighting acumen. See we have a bit of a problem here in the U.S.. The problem is that in the midst of a combat sports renaissance world wide, from MMA to Jiu Jitsu, and even boxing finally making a comeback. Kickboxing whether it be Muay Thai, K-1, or Glory just isn't getting the love in the states. I'm not sure of the reason, because watching a high level kickboxing match is every bit as exciting as anything else on television.
           Maybe that's the problem, no major television deal. I mean we have Lion Fights on Axs which is awesome except for when I talk to people about it most of them don't know if they "have that channel". Not only that but they are not at all familiar with the fighters. If not knowing the fighters is an issue then an organization like Glory with an amazing show including dancers, pyrotechnics, smoke, and some good marketing, should have no problem promoting the fighters. Well, Glory does do a great job marketing it's product, unfortunately most of the fighters are European. So yeah, that doesn't help the American kickboxers almost at all. Leading the charge in Glory was Joe Schilling winning the middleweight tournament. Glory let his contract expire. So yeah, instead of seeing an awesome glory card featuring a fight between Schilling and Manhoef we instead had to tune in to Bellator MMA to watch the awesome knockout that should have further helped the growth of kickboxing in America. MMA wins.
           Speaking of MMA winning it just reminded me of how women's MMA has blown up and it was primarily kick started by one Gina Carano and carried on by now MMA champion Rhonda Rousey but let's keep it real, Gina is the original and was the first true face of MMA. There's only one problem with that situation and that's that Gina was a Muay Thai fighter first and had there been an outlet, maybe kickboxing could have shared in the success of women fighters.
          I don't know if we are that far away from enjoying some of the lucrativity that MMA has garnered, I don't even know how much of that we even want. How would it change our community if we were blessed with Muay Thai on Fox or Glory on ESPN a couple of times per month? Might not be in a good way as the market as we know can be oversaturated. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want fighters to have an organization that offered  good pay, promotion, marketing, and a way to let the fighters use their personalities to acquire some sponsorship dollars.
          So you see when I that "I guess they haven't seen Kevin Ross fight", what i'm really saying is I guess they have never seen Kevin Ross, Joe Shilling, Angela Hill, Tiffany Van Soest, Miriam Nakamoto, Angela Hill, Wayne Barrett, Joseph Valtellini, Chris Mauceri, Raymond Daniels,...etc..etc..because if they had they would realize that they have been missing out on seeing some of the most exciting fighters this country has to offer.

You gotta be a little crazy

Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm in most of the country. Pretty stoked about the holidays this year. not to say that I'm not normally but this year is special. Got a new babygirl to celebrate with, my sister is moving down, the team is strong and my woman is a badass. I say that because it takes a special kind of person to deal with a fighter because we are all a little crazy. And in lieu of my bad segway, i'll just get started..
     So what does it take for a human being to want to challenge themselves against another human being in hand to hand combat. Some might believe that it's money, well that's a huge misconception. Unless you are one of the top guys in the entire world, you're making some seriously average pay. How about fame? Nah, you can become moderately famous if you're winning but again unless you're getting some top billing internationally then you're just as local as the guy throwing boxes at UPS.
 So what is it then? The answer just isn't that simple, some people need it to keep control of some emotional fire within them, some do it to challenge themselves and their martial spirit, others just like to fight but all have one thing in common. We're all a little crazy. Not the kind of crazy that gets you put on the evening news... okay, a bit of that is also involved but it's not the main ingredient.
      No, what we are is a combination of bravery, heart, intelligence, passion and the ability to say at the moment the bell rings, I'm ready to face all of the potentially horrible possibilities as a warrior and I will go out on my shield if need be. Although that in itself might seem a little nuts, it's not nearly as crazy as the eight weeks of training we put our bodies through preparing to face somebody of the same mindset. Yes the actual fight can be brutal but the training is the truly insane part. What the average person sees on television or at an event is a fraction of the amount of time spent beating our bodies up in training. Between sparring, strength and conditioning, running, and visualizing it can drive a fighter to the brink. We are emotional especially in training camp, we fight our fight a thousand times in our heads, going over every possibility. It is a roller coaster ride of emotions, losing, winning, questioning why we even do it. The fact of the matter is it's in us, we are passionate for it and we do it even to our own detriment but it is a special thin we have, we are a brotherhood and a sisterhood of fighters and most will never understand us. Some might call us crazy, but we would rather be deemed crazy and know we tested our very existence against another willing to do the same, than to live a life so ordinary.
      That being said let's be clear, all of the best ever, greatest of all times, number ones, etc were a bit crazy. From artists, to intellectuals , to fighters. In every aspect of life the majority of the time the ones that were best at their crafts had a little extra crazy in them. The obsession for being great, they hate losing more than they like winning. If there is a chance you can tap into that even for a moment why wouldn't you try. I encourage everyone of you to go out and get obsessed about something you love, pour your heart in it and see what happens. The payoff is being able to say you did what others said you couldn't and doing what other people just won't. Be different, be brave, be challenged, and be a little crazy. Ossss...