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

Buakaw's  delivers a flying elbow

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

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!
     

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.

 

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

Fighting at all speeds

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!

LMT: The Journey podcast ep.2

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.

Student of the game

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.

LMT The Journey Podcast Ep.1