Buakaw baby! Best ever.

The misconception

"No, i can't beat everyone up", "no i don't kick trees", and "no i'm not going to the UFC" that last one always cracks me up. I often have to answer questions about training and fighting which I love to do. However, just because I am a trainer and fighter it doesn't mean i'm ready to open a can of whoop ass if someone looks at me funny. In fact the real truth is due to my training I am way less likely to fight outside the gym at all. Also, I am not invincible. I have seen many times guys with no skills whatsoever beat a guy with years of training by a simple lucky punch. I would agree that fighters are definitely a little intimidating but ravenous scavengers of the untrained...I think not. Here's an example of how training can backfire. When I was about 11 years old i was a green belt in Taekwondo. I went to visit my cousins in the projects in Chicago. For whatever reason they exclaimed to their friends that I was taking Karate and that I could beat up everyone. I was then challenged to a fight by one of the kids, I immediately declined. After massive amounts of peer pressure, name calling and so forth I decided to take the challenge, besides i know all of my forms to a "T" and i've been known to break a couple of boards in my day. So I got in my best stance and prepared for battle. The kid then grabbed a mop handle leaning against a nearby wall and whacked me squarely across the head. Lesson learned.
Just because we train hard with blood, sweat, and tears doesn't mean we can beat up the world. I think it definitely gives us an advantage in a street fight but we are human. Again, most of the time we don't want to fight in the street anyway. How do we earn any money or have the ability to even take a fight if we're nursing a broken hand from smashing Billy Badass over a parking space.
In closing, try your best to maintain your humble demeanor or fighter's karma may come back to whack you in the head with a mop handle.

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Teach!!!

What's up H20ers? This one goes out to the tough guys that would rather sneer at people or even laugh at people that are interested in combat sports but not educated on the subject. I'm not saying its your responsibility to start a class on the theory of the Teep or the anatomy of the Kimura. I simply believe that if you expect the critics of the combat sports to buy into what we do, then we have to be ambassadors. Engage in useful conversation talk about your favorite fighters and why. Express your love of what you do, not conceit of what you do. With the rapid growth of MMA and Muay Thai it is a perfect time to be a teacher and not a class clown. Its up to us to explain even briefly what, why, when or even where as it concerns fighting or training. Every little bit of info helps us progress forward and you would be surprised at how much people want to learn and understand as well as how much respect you'll gain along the way.

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Legend?

As you might know, the picture on the right is that of Royce Gracie brutally applying an armbar. When it comes to legends it's impossible to deny his status. Winning in impressive fashion against bigger stronger opponents and setting the standard for all MMA fighters to come. His name is legendary throughout martial arts everywhere.
Although some well known fighters are known as legends and it is undeniable, there are some that just don't fit the bill. I'm just going to touch base on what makes a legend, an actual legend. Please feel free to chime in with your legends list or a list of those called legends but really don't deserve the moniker.

What makes a legend anyway? Is it amount of fghts fought i.e. Jeremy Horn and Shonie Carter? Or is it an impeccable record no matter who they've fought? Do you have to beat a legend to be a legend? I'm so confused. Does one legendary fight make you a legend(Kongo vs Barry comes to mind). Well in my humble opinion winning belts in different weight classes should put you in that category for sure(Pacquaio and Mayweather, Henderson and Penn). Anyone moving up and down in weight and still being effective is surely a name that should be considered in the debate. Also the quality of opponents is a huge factor in deciding who's a true legend. I mean really, I gotta know some of these guys names.

I'm not sure what the criteria are for legendary status but I am sure that it is not an easy road to get there. As far as i'm concerned there is one factor that is nonconforming when it comes to making a case for being a legend and that factor is the fans. We decide the value of the fighters based on an endless list of ideas and reasons. Not only are we a factor in determining legends but we are always right.

Gotta love this!!

You are not a fighter...!

Just for the record, t-shirts and a Taekwondo or Jiu Jitsu class at the local rec center does not make you a fighter. Sure you might know the terminology, and you might even know how to apply a rear naked choke to your best friends little brother Kyle, but that still doesn't cut it. So since you might not be clear on the subject, maybe cause you're just naive or just haven't ever been around real fighters, either way i'm gonna lay it out for you.
Let's start with sacrifice. Fighters sacrifice relationships with their families, wives and husbands, and even their children sometimes in order to provide for them in the long run. Some quit their jobs and move across country or to the other side of the planet with penny's in their pockets to pursue this dream. These warriors also sacrifice their bodies risking broken bones, being blinded and in some cases death.
Real fighters are some of the hardest working most underrated athletes in the world. Training sometimes 3 times a day and working a full time job while being husband and father or wife and mother. Dealing with cuts and dings while training is one thing but having to work an 8 hour day standing on a sprained ankle or stocking boxes with an arm that got cranked too much in sparring is far from easy.
Actually competing or having had competed is a necessity. We won't even get into how many fights a fighter has to have before he can even start earning a living doing what he or she loves. That's a whole other post.
I just want to conclude by saying you can do whatever it is that makes you happy. Wear your shiny dragon t-shirt while choking out Kyle after sucker superman punching him if you deem it necessary. Just remember to respect real fighters when you meet them and remember the one thing that makes a real fighter and that's heart. When fatigue sets in and technique falters and everything else has gone out the window the only thing that remains is a fighters HEART!

Yellow card please!!!

Can we start a push for instituting the yellow card in American based fight organizations. I think it works wonders in Japan. It would mean the end of the lay-n-pray fighters as well as game plans that involve stalling. Fighters already don't get paid enough so threaten a 10% loss from their purse and we are sure to get an increase in action and decrease in boring.
Not for nothing but I love all aspects of fighting and as far as MMA goes there's been a huge influx of wrestlers. I heard Dana White(president of the UFC) say on TUF that if a person can't get off bottom position they shouldn't be here anyway. I contend that a fighter who's initial training background lies in striking and has only been doing grappling and wrestling for 3 years is gonna have a very hard time getting off their back when a former NCAA wrestler is controlling their every move. Controlling and actually fighting are two different things, another reason to bring aboard the yellow card. Wrestle to your hearts content but don't just smother your opponent with your 15 plus years of tournament experience but not ever posture up to lay down some serious ground n' pound or pull a submission. It isn't fair for the 65$ pay-per-view buyer or the 200$(or more) ticket buyer. If you're gonna steal my money by simply laying on your opponent for 15 minutes I want the organization to take some of it back. We need some more Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz types in MMA. Btw this doesn't let off the hook Muay thai, Boxing, or any other combat sport where fighters are stalling. Give the people what they want and that's ACTION!!!