What's up people, hope all is well out there . I know it's been a minute but the LMT family was focused in preparation for battle. We had three fights in Tampa in the Muay Thai classic. We came back with one victory and two losses but we came away with the respect of the other teams and some new fans! We made a big statement for our team which really set us up for future success.
Will getting some coaching
Felipe pre-fight
In my case, as a coach over the last couple of camps and fights I've noticed a personal evolution. I've dedicated the last 14 years of my life to muay thai and just as it did as a fighter, it's starting to happen as a coach. I'm beginning to be able to do a couple of things with confidence. First off I've been able to coach each fighter to their ability. When I first started out as a coach I believe I just wanted the technique to be correct. Now I've started to pull each fighters strength to the forefront. Each person utilizes different techniques in different ways and it's important to be able to put the fighters in the best possible position to be successful. For instance in Sarah, my female fighter's debut I thought for sure that with her soccer background that her legs would be key. I had told her that before the fight she could end the fight with her knee. In the first round she dropped her opponent with a knee and nearly finished the fight. I based that theory specifically on the training we did and the power in her legs. Which leads to the next thing I noticed about my coaching evolution. Making adjustments on the fly.
Sarah "La Pantera" post victory
Watching my fighter's opponent for holes in their game that we can exploit throughout the fight. In the same fight I noticed that Sarah's opponent wasn't using her jab to keep Sarah from advancing and because Sarah is a southpaw we had worked on staying on the outside of the lead leg. I yelled to Sarah to throw the lead hook and follow with the cross. She later told me she didn't know why I asked her to do it but she bought into it and it worked. At one point she threw it 3 times in a row and the girl couldn't defend it or figure it out. This has been the newest addition to my coaching game. I left the fights extremely happy for the growth team and very happy with my progress as a coach.
Post fight celebrations
It is a constant learning experience. Each fight, fighter and opponent is different. I am focusing on the organization of the growth of the team. New techniques, better conditioning, sound fundamentals, and recognizing opportunities within the fight. The best thing about all of this is that I've seen my own Muay Thai game evolve. I'm seeing things differently and applying the knowledge I'm gaining as a coach to my own growth as a fighter. I'm looking forward to October when my team fights again and being in the ring later this year to put it all to the test. Thanks for all the support and donations, the podcast is on the way and the sound of the LMT chant is getting louder and louder. Peace and blessings don't forget to follow is on social media: @luckysmuaythai
Hey guys, hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Perfect time for a blog. Heading into the last week of camp for the fighters, two of which are competing for a state title and one that is having her debut on August 8th in Tampa. All of this brings back memories. When I first started it was like a tornado, just chaos for 3 rounds, but it seemed like it took forever. Now it's still chaos but very controlled. I always feel like regardless of the pace of the fight it moves in slow motion for me. Now that doesn't mean that I see everything and am able to pull a Matrix move everytime I get swung at or kicked. However because of the ability to finally settle my mind I can hear the voice inside my head as it attempts to figure out my opponents defense in order to open up my offense. It's a mental and physical chess game bolstered by the skill level of each player. There's almost a formula for it. Number of techniques known multiplied by conditioning divided by defensive ability and strength of chin and mind. Either way it's like two military commanders executing attacks and counter attacks as mapped out in a war room. Now more so than ever, I get it. A person preparing for a fight must be able prepare not only the body but also the mind. Well, we know that, you might say. Yes, but there is a factor that isn't touched on as much. The speeds at which your body and mind must be ready to perform. The knowledge of when to attack verbally, or when to listen to your opponent blow hot air and you sit back and smile. When to blitz your opposition and when to frustrate them with your movement and counterattacking. All of this is done at different speeds and all of it requires training. The ability to subtly get your opponent to fight your fight against their will is an art in itself. At, 50 years of age Bernard Hopkins won another title by forcing his younger opponent to fight at his speed. A young Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) convinced a much larger more experienced Sonny Liston that he would beat him during a press conference that had Liston thinking that Ali was crazy. There are moments in MMA that a ground specialist will beat a world class striker simply based on the ability to get them to fight at their speed and make them believe they are the better striker. This happened in the Fabricio Werdum vs Travis Browne fight. The lesson here is to be well rounded, believe in your skill, and impose the beauty of your style on all opponents mentally and physically in life and in competition. Sometimes that is done by moving forward, and sometimes by hanging back, sometimes by talking and other times by listening but to achieve this it takes practice and commitment to your art and yourself. You must get to know who you are to know what you are capable of. Fight and train at all speeds. Peace and Love from all of us at Lucky's Muay Thai!
In this episode Lucky rambles deliriously the Ufc, Lion Fights, and his new baby. Jennifer spills the beans about how she got the nickname "Supergirl"... Kick back and enjoy the listen, it's short and sweet.
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.
What's up people?!! It's been a bit since I last wrote but it's been a bit busy getting the team ready to fight. We came back with a win, a loss, and an opponent no show. Congrats to all three of my guys Felipe, Chris, and Hugo for all their hard work. A good weekend overall, so proud of my team. That being said, this was going to be a blog about fighting and a fighter that I like and the phrase that was used to define him but I think it is more than that. This blog is about Enson Inoue and "Yamato Damashii".
Simply put Yamato Damashii means "the spirit of Japan". Now I can't pretend that I comprehend the term in the way it is meant in it's entirety. I ,as you might know, am not Japanese. Enson received this nickname from the press when he fought in Pride fighting championships in the golden age of MMA. With a ten minute first round, soccer kicks and face stomps, and an entire roster of destroyers, Pride set the tone for the future of MMA. Though he accepted the nickname it wasn't until living with it for a while that he actually understood it. It stands for integrity, honesty and pride, it stands for respect and belief, and it stands for facing challenges head on no matter what the outcome. It embodies the Bushido lifestyle and it was the perfect nickname for the fighter who cared little about the money and more about conquering his fears, this same man would write letters to his family before he fought just in case something tragic happened. He just simply understood the warriors code as it is meant to be, you either are or you aren't, there really isn't a middle ground. There can't be doubt if you expect to compete in combat with another human being. I tell my fighters before fights that the win or the loss doesn't matter, what matters to me is that they give everything and express themselves fully. I believe that if they do that then they will find what they are looking for not only in the ring but also in life.
As it goes, Enson is retired and does seminars and trains fighters etc. but when the earthquake struck Japan everything changed as he went to see some friends that didn't live near the damage he found that they had all `gone North in the direction of the catastrophe. He felt in his soul that he had to do something and he too headed towards the destruction levied by a powerful earthquake and compounded by a damaged nuclear power plant. The radiation didn't matter, nor did the fear of the unknown, what Enson Inoue had found was a clear path to having something better than money. The feeling you only get when you give of yourself for no other reason than it's the right thing to do. He began bringing food and clothes to those displaced and games and toys for the kids. This is where that nickname really shines through, "Yamato Damashii", is a phrase but the idea behind it can only be created by actions. As we fight forward and bite down on our mouthpieces and swing, when everything is against us and we stare adversity in the face and moreover when we take the time to help those of us who have fallen we are showing our spirit. In this I hope you look to find your own version of "Yamato Damashii", as I am in constant search of mine.
I hope you guys enjoy my writing, if you do please subscribe to the blog or the youtube channel "Lucky's Muay Thai", or catch me on instagram and twitter @Luckysmuaythai. I also attached the first part of a documentary on Enson's work in Japan. You should also check out his highlights and keep a look out for the LMT: The Journey podcast coming soon! Peace and Blessings!
