Pads with Patee and Jex

Just a couple of videos from Thailand and leading up to my fights in December and January of last year. The one in Thailand should have been named chubby guy doing pads. It was my second time training in Thailand and i was still not used to the heat. The one with Jex was really working on power strikes and didn't get into a lot of combos or movements. I'll post a training blog soon with some Video from doing pads this year. Blessings and L.M.T. All day!!!

Yoka D.'s first interview: The Diamond speaks

Come back when you're serious!

So, it is a new year and the future awaits. I hope everyone had a great and safe holiday season. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families from this rash of violence across the country. That being said I am in hopes of another great year for my Muay Thai team and the whole L.M.T. brand. Now lets get on with it. I was just chillaxin around the apt the other morning and randomly an episode in my life that I had forgotten just popped into my head. I was living in Dallas at the time and it just brought me to a few conclusions as I gave it a very minor amount of thought. I was roaming through the city of Irving, probably on a skateboard seeing as that was my preferred vehicle of choice for any number of years throughout my teenage life. I skated past a martial arts school which I had passed at least 100 times before. You could clearly see through the storefront every kind of weapon a person might need for an ancient war in Asia. I might have even peaked in once or twice to look for Ninja claws(you should be laughing if you know what they are). Anyway, for whatever reason, on this day I decided to check it out more thoroughly.

This brings me to my first conclusion. I have always been a martial artist. It is in me. I was pursuing it all through my life and conversely it was pursuing me. As I stepped into the school I realized that there was a class in full session. I wasn't nervous as I had been through a few years of Taekwondo in Chicago prior to moving. I actually felt at home. I was only there for about 2 minutes before the large grizzly instructor noticed me and came over. I had always been very respectful of Sensais and I had met a few along the way. As he approached I gave a short bow. I'm not sure if he did anything. "How can I help you", he said in his grizzled voice. "I just wanted to come in and check it out", I replied. And without hesitation he said it. "Well come back when you're serious!". (Dramatic Pause)... Wow, even now i'm sort of shaking my head about it. I couldn't have been more than 14 years old at the time.

Second conclusion, I don't like a@$holes. Especially Karate instructor a@$holes. I walked out into the blazing hot dry heat that awaited me and skated away surely saying that I would never come back, in my head of course. Well I don't suppose I could get anymore serious than i've been over the last 10-12 years. However i'm convinced that I must have been serious then and since well before that moment. I know this was sort of a random blog but it all culminates into this one idea. My final conclusion about all of this is that you don't require anyone to tell you how serious you are. Your level of artistry depends solely on how you carry yourself privately, in society, and how much you train. Those are the things that determine how serious you take this lifestyle. Happy 2013 p.s. Stay out of Cobra Kai dojos.

The Perfect year!

Well it has been a while since I dropped a blog. I have been a little busy this year. Busier than i've ever been. Pursuing this life has been an amazing journey good and bad but I know that I am in the right place and I love it. My life has changed in every way imaginable. I can definitely see the direct reflection in my work, fighting, and teaching. I have become a better teacher, better competitor, and a better person because of the changes. I did what people always say to do, i learned to love myself. The results are evident. I fought in January on 24hrs notice to redeem myself for all the hard work I did for my fight in December when I fought sick. I won an IKF belt that night and it was the

beginning of good things to come. I didn't feel the normal stress and pressure of any of the previous fights and it was my first fight in Miami. I loved and needed that experience. Cool side note: It was kickboxing in a cage. very cool. Shout out to Jay Dezand my boy Luis Rodriguez!!

LMT was born!! I started doing Muay Thai training camps this year. It has been a blast. The first camp was small, like 6 people. As of the last camp we were up to about 12 or 13. We are growing rapidly! I also was able to take 2 fighters to their debut fights. We walked away with a champion, fighter of the night honors, and Fight of the year for IKF PKB! Much Love to Yoka "The Belgian Bomber" D. and Felipe "Babyface" Puente! They are amazing fighters and I can't wait for the next year and the future of Lucky's Muay Thai and for these two warriors.

My retun to Jiu Jitsu. Well I had wanted this for a long time. I just sort of kept it in my mind that I would continue with Jiu Jitsu as soon as I could find an instructor that I trusted and could learn from. My personal feeling about Jiu Jitsu is that I believe in it. I can feel the soul in it....too deep?? At any rate I love it and I was able to get back to learning with the help of 6 degree blackbelt and Vale Tudo legend Jorge Peirera. A blackbelt under Rickson Gracie I feel honored to be a part of that lineage. I was able to secure a silver medal in the state tournament and a gold in the IBJJF Miami Open. Not to shabby for just starting in Gi. Love my Jits man!

Then there was Thailand. I am still blown away. My girlfriend Taylor and I talk about it daily. There was something about that place. Besides the training, the food, the people, and the history. It was in the air and you could feel it with every breath. I think we received a little blessing with that trip, can't wait to return.

I just feel blessed to have had a full year of great experiences with amazing people and I look forward to 2013. You have all helped me to keep my focus on my passion and I love you all for it. Thank you for giving me the perfect year! LMT!!! Special Thanks to The LMT Team - Yoka, Jorge, Benjamin, Felipe, Jennifer, Luis, Elliot, Mark, etc etc... If I missed you it wasn't on purpose. I Love you guys, Thank You!!!

Pursuit

As a martial artist, the will to constantly pursue a sense of honest enlightenment through a physical art is one of the things I find most amazing. I truly believe it is a never ending pursuit with countless rewarding moments and constant challenges. Your true self is profoundly available to you. You don't have to go looking for it as it will undoubtedly find you. I've met countless people that started in martial arts when they were young and they've always thought about getting back in it. Once you do one of the arts in your lifetime, it sticks with you forever. The empowerment and humility experienced during training is something I that I can't possibly express in words.

Don't get stuck in one style, open your eyes to other arts. From one martial art to another the concepts may differ, the movements change, but the ideals the mentality remains the same. Treat people with respect and carry yourself with pride and dignity. If the moment in time arises become that you must use your art, then become the most ferocious warrior alive until the situation no longer requires it. The pursuit relates more to the first part of that philosophy. The arts should make you better as a person. More giving and compassionate toward your fellow man and woman. "Knowing is not enough, you must apply" -Bruce Lee

How do you know where you stand? How are your skills? You can surely get an idea in sparring in the gym, but I am a firm believer in competition. If your training feels stagnant or like there is something missing, this might be what you need. There is only so much theory, training, and knowledge you can fill your mind and body with before it is overflowing. You must allow it to be released to allow for more knowledge to be absorbed. Compete! Find a way to challenge yourself. You never know what might happen and you will be surprised at what you can find out about yourself. Pursue your art, then apply your art.

Heart, how do you know...

When I think about heart a few people come to mind, but today it's Felipe Puente. I believe heart is most times measured by how many times you are knocked down in life or competition and continue to get back up. I believe in Felipe's case it is the refusal to go down.

Felipe approached his first fight with no fear. Fighting at 135lbs is a tough for a fighter who some might consider small in the 125lb division. That is of no concern to Puente who throughout training camp never mentioned it nor responded to talks about it. He just didn't care and I think the idea that it doesn't matter who you put in front of me, i'm going to fight is exactly the attitude a fighter is suppose to have. Felipe embodies that. As we already knew going in Felipe's opponent was gonna be taller and longer, this one was going to be a difficult task. An extra tall 135lb fighter stood across from us as we awaited the bell. I told Felipe we needed to get right in his chest and not let him use his reach. Unfortunately he was able to get off first and in the first 30 seconds land a blow that bloodied Felipe's nose. His back was to me so I didn't see it until the ref stopped the fight momentarily to bring Felipe to get cleaned up. I was in shjock when he turned around, partially from the amount of blood coming out and partially because Felipe gave no indication that it even remotely bothered him. All cleaned up back into the fight he went. Like a captain of a ship steering into the storm. He fought his heart out taking punishment from the longer fighter but never giving an inch. He would not go down and i'm convinced if the fight went 10rds he would still be standing at the end saying "come on let's go!". That's heart that kept him fighting and that's why all 125lb fighters should be on notice because here comes the immovable object. Felipe "MF'n" Puente!!!

Training makes champions: Yoka D.

It's been a long couple of months but it was all worth it. I've been fully immersed in training my two fighters for their first fights and at the same time preparing for my own competition but more on that later. On October 13th, my fighter Yoka D. put all her hard work and dedication to the test and fought in the IKF PKB kickboxing tournament and won. Two fights and six rounds later she not only won the championship in her division but also fighter of the night. It was an amazing moment but it was even more gratifying because of how hard she worked. A Belgian import, Yoka has embraced Muay thai as a way of life and put in an enormous amount of time working on her skill set.

Throughout training there are always obstacles in the way as well as clashes between coach and fighter. We also endured some clashes and bumps along the way. The good thing about Yoka is that she is her own worst critic, so most of the time we bumped heads about how much she was training or how good she was doing. Even on her best day she would give the impression it was her worst. As far as her bad days went, well I wouldn't say it was a good time to be around. I pushed her to her limits in training and challenged her to be better every time. I yelled and she pushed at her and at times she let me know what she thought about it. She complained and I let her know what I thought about that.

Through all of that we kept our eyes on the prize. We met every week and we trained consistently. We worked hard on conditioning, technique, philosophy, and belief in what we were doing.

At the end of it all it was belief that carried her to the victory and the "fighter of the night" accolade. Belief in her coach, belief in the technique, belief in the hard work, but most importantly it was belief in herself. She deserved the championship, not because I say so, but because she genuinely earned it and it was an honor to watch it happen up close.