Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
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...
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...
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Poverty over Passion
What's up people, hope this finds you all doing well and gearing up for the holiday season. Which for some of you means being angry because you're cutting weight and can't eat all of that tremendous holiday food. I hope that's not the case and if it is, i'll eat plenty on your behalf, no worries.
I am stoked about how the LMT team did this year, we are growing stronger everyday and it is a humbling experience. Please check out our video posted on this blog if you haven't already it's called "LMT in motion", it's available on YouTube. Let me know what you think.
After training numerous people from different walks of life I honestly am not sure that the idea that the poorer you are the harder you fight. There is definitely something to that, but I strongly believe that passion sometimes supersedes being hungry. I train a banker that is willing to leave it all in the ring and he is nowhere near poor and I honestly don't think he's ever been there. So where does that inner fight come from? I think it comes from human nature. The possibility to do something bigger than yourself for reasons other than getting out of a bad situation. Some fighters are engaged in a quest to prove something to themselves or dedicate their careers to the people that sacrificed for them to have a better life.
I am a firm believer that whether you are in a impoverished situation or you're well to do, you will only get as far as your heart and your will are going to take you. You have to want it more than the next guy but you also have to train as hard, study as hard, and be prepared to go out on your shield. Now, if you have more to gain and nothing to lose from the fight then the wealthier fighter, you might be more willing to go out on swinging but if you haven't put in the time in training or studying the techniques it doesn't matter who you are, rich or poor, you're going to eventually hit a wall. Ultimately, you are only as good as the effort you put in and that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with heart, attitude, belief , and willingness.
Be willing, and you just might attain greatness.
I am stoked about how the LMT team did this year, we are growing stronger everyday and it is a humbling experience. Please check out our video posted on this blog if you haven't already it's called "LMT in motion", it's available on YouTube. Let me know what you think.
After training numerous people from different walks of life I honestly am not sure that the idea that the poorer you are the harder you fight. There is definitely something to that, but I strongly believe that passion sometimes supersedes being hungry. I train a banker that is willing to leave it all in the ring and he is nowhere near poor and I honestly don't think he's ever been there. So where does that inner fight come from? I think it comes from human nature. The possibility to do something bigger than yourself for reasons other than getting out of a bad situation. Some fighters are engaged in a quest to prove something to themselves or dedicate their careers to the people that sacrificed for them to have a better life.
I am a firm believer that whether you are in a impoverished situation or you're well to do, you will only get as far as your heart and your will are going to take you. You have to want it more than the next guy but you also have to train as hard, study as hard, and be prepared to go out on your shield. Now, if you have more to gain and nothing to lose from the fight then the wealthier fighter, you might be more willing to go out on swinging but if you haven't put in the time in training or studying the techniques it doesn't matter who you are, rich or poor, you're going to eventually hit a wall. Ultimately, you are only as good as the effort you put in and that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with heart, attitude, belief , and willingness.
Be willing, and you just might attain greatness.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
This is just offensive.
Oh boy, a long post, I must be feeling it right now. Well the truth is that watching my team prepare for their upcoming fights has got me amped up. Coaching them up for their competitions is an amazing feeling. Showing them what their bodies are capable of is even better. Before you can understand that, you must first know what you're equipped with. What the casual fight fan, beginning fighter, and unfortunately some trainers don't understand is their actual understanding of the weapons that are available. The human body is magnificent. It is secretly embedded with an arsenal of weapons. If you're not sold on that then let's examine them.
Starting with the hands when balled up tight forcing the knuckles to extrude are no longer hands but spiked maces like the ones used by the gladiators. If used properly the fist can deliver devastating knockouts to both the head and body. Ask anyone that has had to stand in front of a person that has had any boxing training and knows where and how to place them. The great thing about them is they don't require a lot of effort to use, but the bad thing is that they can be broken if you landed on the wrong part of the opponents body. Which leads us to the pair of almost unbreakable axes attached to the middle of both arms. Elbows are some of the most devastating weapons in your possession. They can be used to both smash and cut your opponent. These are fight enders. When levied with the right velocity elbows can break jaws, collarbones, ribs, and skulls. As terrible as that might sound (or great), these weapons are as I said before, dual purposed. If your opponent is game enough to withstand the force of the elbow strike, their skin will almost certainly not be able to handle the slicing effect. Some of the bloodiest fights in all combat sports come from proper application of the elbow. Go back and watch Daniel "The Crow" Loiseau when he fought in the UFC, or how Bj Penn finished Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, and last but not least Yodsanklai Fairtex when he fought a much
larger Chike Lindsey. Chike was much larger and more powerful but Yod began to slice him to bits with elbows securing his victory. The elbow is your friend at close range and can be used in a direct striking method as well as spinning and jumping. If you are not proficient in elbow striking I strongly suggest you become so before you reach an opponent that is. The results can be brutal.
As we move into the lower part of the body let's first make sure we understand that these weapons are all tied together by one thing, the core. If the core is weak, these weapons are useless. I'm not saying of course that you couldn't strike with force but the effectiveness of any of these weapons with a strong core increases exponentially. Work on your core!
So let's first start with the legs. The foundation for all of your abilities, the base of your pyramid. They seem innocuous enough from the outside. However for every martial artist knows that those legs are actually spring loaded baseball bats attached to your hips and core. The beauty of the legs is that they can be used in so many ways that when trained at a high level an opponent can literally be lost as to what is coming next. Round kicks, axe kicks, side kicks, turning side kicks, low kicks, high kicks, and on and on and on. Something as simple as leg kicks can end a fight in incredible fashion. Edson Barbosa, Ramon Dekkers, Jose Aldo, Ernesto Hoost, all devastating leg kickers that have finished fights with those kicks. You can go on Youtube and literally watch fight after fight of leg kick knockouts. The the toes, core and hips helps fire the legs with power and gives a fighter a way to finish fights as well as destroy defenses. Blocking kicks with a single arm has a risk involved. Cung le broke Frank Shamrocks ulna in a competitive fight in Strikeforce up until that point and Alistair Overeem broke the arm of Gohkan Saki during the K-1 grand prix. Nothing worse than being on the wrong end of two baseball bats being swung at you from every angle and ultimately done from a distance which doesn't allow you to retaliate without taking punishment. If your core is right, you can throw kicks with the power of a major league homerun hitter. So what happens when someone is able to close the distance o those legs either by superior footwork, defense, or just willingness to take the punishment in order to apply some strikes of their own? Well then that leads us to the Battering rams.
Knees... Two battering rams that are destruction heavy. So maybe your opponent can withstand the punches, and elbows, and checks kicks like nobodies business. The question is can their body continue on while sustaining blunt force trauma to the thighs, ribcage, sternum, and if you involve a solid clinch game, the head.
The knees have no mercy, if the arms are put in front of them to block, then the arms are broken or severely bruised and rendered useless. The amazing thing about knees is that they don't need to be thrown at full force to cause damage, a simple raise of the leg and the knee can be felt. As I mentioned if you have a solid clinch game and can manipulate your opponents movement, the knee can be your best friend. So what is the clinch game?
Clinching allows you to control the movement, posture, and ability of your opponent to get off their own offense. When stuck in the clinch of someone that knows how to clinch it feels claustrophobic or like quicksand. The only options when in the clinch are to be defensive or try to escape, or break the clinch and get into your own clinch. All of these things are easier said than done, especially when knees are being hurled into your torso and your head is being bent into your chest and you're being whipped in circles around the ring.
After writing this I can only say that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Striking methods and weapons are many and they are evolving everyday. Learn your craft and put as many tools in your toolbox as you can or else you might be on the wrong end of a technique that you might have overlooked or just didn't respect.
Lastly, don't forget the most important weapon of all, your brain. Train smart, understand your flaws and places that need improvement. Don't take unnecessary punishment in training just for the sake of banging it out. Save something for the fight. Fight smart, learn to recognize the movements of your opponents and be tactical. Hit and don't get hit. Don't be in the fight, be the fight. Tune in to the very frequency of the energy and be one with the ebb and flow. Be the fighter you always say you can be. If you take the time to learn your craft, how can you be stopped from succeeding.
Love you guys.
Lucky
Starting with the hands when balled up tight forcing the knuckles to extrude are no longer hands but spiked maces like the ones used by the gladiators. If used properly the fist can deliver devastating knockouts to both the head and body. Ask anyone that has had to stand in front of a person that has had any boxing training and knows where and how to place them. The great thing about them is they don't require a lot of effort to use, but the bad thing is that they can be broken if you landed on the wrong part of the opponents body. Which leads us to the pair of almost unbreakable axes attached to the middle of both arms. Elbows are some of the most devastating weapons in your possession. They can be used to both smash and cut your opponent. These are fight enders. When levied with the right velocity elbows can break jaws, collarbones, ribs, and skulls. As terrible as that might sound (or great), these weapons are as I said before, dual purposed. If your opponent is game enough to withstand the force of the elbow strike, their skin will almost certainly not be able to handle the slicing effect. Some of the bloodiest fights in all combat sports come from proper application of the elbow. Go back and watch Daniel "The Crow" Loiseau when he fought in the UFC, or how Bj Penn finished Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, and last but not least Yodsanklai Fairtex when he fought a much
 |
| Buakaw's delivers a flying elbow |
As we move into the lower part of the body let's first make sure we understand that these weapons are all tied together by one thing, the core. If the core is weak, these weapons are useless. I'm not saying of course that you couldn't strike with force but the effectiveness of any of these weapons with a strong core increases exponentially. Work on your core!
So let's first start with the legs. The foundation for all of your abilities, the base of your pyramid. They seem innocuous enough from the outside. However for every martial artist knows that those legs are actually spring loaded baseball bats attached to your hips and core. The beauty of the legs is that they can be used in so many ways that when trained at a high level an opponent can literally be lost as to what is coming next. Round kicks, axe kicks, side kicks, turning side kicks, low kicks, high kicks, and on and on and on. Something as simple as leg kicks can end a fight in incredible fashion. Edson Barbosa, Ramon Dekkers, Jose Aldo, Ernesto Hoost, all devastating leg kickers that have finished fights with those kicks. You can go on Youtube and literally watch fight after fight of leg kick knockouts. The the toes, core and hips helps fire the legs with power and gives a fighter a way to finish fights as well as destroy defenses. Blocking kicks with a single arm has a risk involved. Cung le broke Frank Shamrocks ulna in a competitive fight in Strikeforce up until that point and Alistair Overeem broke the arm of Gohkan Saki during the K-1 grand prix. Nothing worse than being on the wrong end of two baseball bats being swung at you from every angle and ultimately done from a distance which doesn't allow you to retaliate without taking punishment. If your core is right, you can throw kicks with the power of a major league homerun hitter. So what happens when someone is able to close the distance o those legs either by superior footwork, defense, or just willingness to take the punishment in order to apply some strikes of their own? Well then that leads us to the Battering rams.
The knees have no mercy, if the arms are put in front of them to block, then the arms are broken or severely bruised and rendered useless. The amazing thing about knees is that they don't need to be thrown at full force to cause damage, a simple raise of the leg and the knee can be felt. As I mentioned if you have a solid clinch game and can manipulate your opponents movement, the knee can be your best friend. So what is the clinch game?
Clinching allows you to control the movement, posture, and ability of your opponent to get off their own offense. When stuck in the clinch of someone that knows how to clinch it feels claustrophobic or like quicksand. The only options when in the clinch are to be defensive or try to escape, or break the clinch and get into your own clinch. All of these things are easier said than done, especially when knees are being hurled into your torso and your head is being bent into your chest and you're being whipped in circles around the ring.
After writing this I can only say that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Striking methods and weapons are many and they are evolving everyday. Learn your craft and put as many tools in your toolbox as you can or else you might be on the wrong end of a technique that you might have overlooked or just didn't respect.
Lastly, don't forget the most important weapon of all, your brain. Train smart, understand your flaws and places that need improvement. Don't take unnecessary punishment in training just for the sake of banging it out. Save something for the fight. Fight smart, learn to recognize the movements of your opponents and be tactical. Hit and don't get hit. Don't be in the fight, be the fight. Tune in to the very frequency of the energy and be one with the ebb and flow. Be the fighter you always say you can be. If you take the time to learn your craft, how can you be stopped from succeeding.
Love you guys.
Lucky
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Bigger, faster, stronger.. Maybe
Oh boy!! It's a blog, finally! I am currently writing this blog on my phone with one hand as the beautiful Nin sleeps in my other arm. One thing I've learned since the arrival of this beautiful child is that it requires near super human strength to carry her around or "mommy strength" as it were... Lol.. This brings me to the body of this blog which is the question. As a fighter, should I be lifting weights? Seems like a no brainer to some but the reality is much more complicated.
Most boxers I know spend almost no time lifting weights of any real significance. It tends to get them to tight and inhibit their ability to move, or so I've heard. The belief that the science of the sport itself along with proper conditioning as well as the usual regimen of calisthenics is enough to get the fighters in peak condition.
However in this new age of MMA and the growth of other combat sports along with the explosion of Crossfit and sports optimization facilities a simple regimen of old school calisthenics may not be enough to keep up with the athletes of today. I mean how can you compete with someone that's doing Olympic style lifting and gymnastics as well as having training that's monitored by a certified trainer that knows everything about you including the last time you sat on the toilet?.. That doesn't even begin to even touch the surface about supplements and those "other supplements" that people are taking just to keep up with the rigors of that kind of training.
It's a lot to go up against when you don't have access to those opportunities. For myself I can only say that I can completely understand the necessity of a balanced approach to your strength and conditioning training. When I was just doing conditioning I felt great but I often would find myself dealing with nagging injuries. When I only lifted I felt like I couldn't move and stiff as a board. I had to go a different route to get to my destination. I laid off the weights for a while and began to research what other athletes were doing. It all became clear after watching a sickening amount of videos and reading a ridiculous amount of information, most of which was nonsense. The best way to get what yourself in peak condition is to vary your training and go between explosive workouts like sprints and plyos, to swimming and long runs for cardio work, mix in some circuit training with kettle bells and sandbags etc for core.. And last but not least throw in some good old fashioned weight training. You may not be able to afford the high priced gyms and trainers but hard work doesn't cost anything but sweat. Always remember that no matter what training the guy or girl with all the resources is doing the two things they can't train is their heart and their chin. You have to do one thing. Want it more!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Evolution through coaching!
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.
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.
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.
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
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| Will getting some coaching |
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| Felipe pre-fight |
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| Sarah "La Pantera" post victory |
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| Post fight celebrations |
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