Friday, June 28, 2013

Semmy Schilt Retires

Won of the best in the world has announced his retirement. Semmy Schilt accomplished a lot as a martial artist. Starting with Karate as a kid, he developed into an elite kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He recently won the Glory World Series and he has won the prestigious K-1 three times in a row. Here's a highlight of the champ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3dMJhJOGLc

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Bernard Hopkins

I watched a documentary on Bernard Hopkins yesteday and was truly amazed. To go from being a criminal to one of the most highly decorated boxers in history. To become the oldest to ever win world titles and to still be going (he's almost 50). I watched some of his old fights from early in his career. As a middleweight he was a destroyer. Over the years he has used his experience and ring savvy to win. Even in tough fights he always protected himself and never took the punishment many of the other greats took. Check out the "Executioner" in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yAHU4zqNh8

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Best Way To Prepare For A Fight

What's the best method of training when getting ready for a fight? Fighting! What to do football, baseball, soccer and basketball players do to prepare for games? The scrimmage. Of course, athletes do supplementary exercises to train for their sport, but their main method of prepartion is that activity. A lot of young athletes will read that their favorite fighters do all of the special training routines and take all kinds of supplements. All of the extra stuff is cool, but spend the majority of your trainng time doing what you are going to do. To get good a boxing, you have to box. To be good and wrestling, you have to wrestle. All else is supplemental.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Jack of All Trades and Master of Them Too

Many say you can't be good at everything in martial arts. Some guys are punchers, grapplers, kickers, etc. Some folks start out in something and over time their body adjusts to just doing that. Well, I want to be different and be good at all of them. I have beent training in the martial arts since age 8 and I'm just shy of 47. I've studied and competed in several disciplines. I've been able to win titles in the traditional martial arts (Tae Kwon Do and Judo) and I've competed as an amateur and professional (Boxing and Kickboxing) and I've done soem MMA (Shidokan Triathlon where fighters fight under 3 rule sets (Knockdown Karate, Thai Boxing, and Grappling). I've been able. People often ask what do you like most? I always say I like them all because I still train techniques I've learned since day one. As I get older I learn new things while better understanding the things I already know. My goal is to be an expert at all of them. Sure I do some things better than others, but I'm gonna pursue perfection in all of them.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Do Belts Matter?

Do belts matter in martial arts? Yes and No. Yes, they represent knowledge and time put in learning something. No, in that they don't give you special powers or make you a superior fighter. Look at them like a college diploma. Yes, you may be educated but it doesn't mean you are smart. The black belt is surrounded with a lot of mysticsm that says you are supposed to be good. But, it isn't always the case.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Workout Everyday

Last time we talked about being a constant study. You have to make sure you train. How often? Everyday. Even if not in the gym, you can train. Training means doing things to stimulate your muscles, cardio, flexibility, your mind, etc. Even if you are extremely busy, get up early or right before you go to bed, do some exercises. We all have 10 to 15 minutes that we can squeeze in for some training. Push, sit ups, jogging, skipping rope, stretching, etc. are some examples of things you can do on your own. There are no excuses.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Always Be A Student

Always strive to get better by learning new things. There are many experts in the martial arts. There are few martial artists that will step outside of their comfort zone and try something different. I have been a Tang Soo Do/Tae Kwon Do guy, a Karate guy, a Boxer, a Kickboxer, and a Judo guy. I practice Kendo too. I constantly challenge myself by learning new things. I've worked out with people from various styles (Kung Fu, BJJ, stick fighting, etc.). Always keep an open mind and always be a student.

Friday, June 14, 2013

European Shinkyokushin Light Final

You gotta like bare knuckle karate. It's a sport where athletes battle it out. The action is nonstop. Without punches to the head, fighters go toe to toe and take incredible punishment. Having trained a lot of fighters who've fought in various combat sports, I will tell you that it has been most difficult to get fighters to fight knock down bare knuckle karate rules. I've have had fighters who've fought in the cage and ring and less than a handleful would fight bare knuckle. For those who don't think these guys are tough. Try it! Here's the Shinkyokushin European Lightweight Finals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTJsXwM6ZdY

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Joe Rogan TKD Knockout

Joe Rogan is not only the the commentator for UFC, comedian and host of Fear Factor, but he is also an accomplished martial artist. His first martial arts is Tae Kwon Do. I found this spin back kick KO on Youtube. It's old school, as you will see that there is not mat on the gym floor. Good kick! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_nyuuuJjh0

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Why Kickbox?

There are many forms of stand up fighting in martial arts. You can learn various styles of Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, etc. All of these arts have different styles of competition (light contact, bare knuckle, karate, point, continuous, point, no punching to the head, punching to the head, etc.). Now you can be good at any one of these, but as soon as you try one of the others, you have find that the next one will be awkard and may be difficult. What if there was a method of fighting that you could learn and apply to all of the those list? Try Kickboxing. In kickboxing you will learn boxing basics, elements of muay thai, and karate kicks. You will be well rounded enough so that you can hold your own with kick dominate or hand domimnate styles. In addition to being a Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Muay Thai guy, I have been been training as a kickboxer since 1985. Even though I am now longer competiting, I still find the training and techniques important to my other styles. Over the years as I competed in different styles, I found that I could hold my own against specilist because of my kickboxing expereience. So, I encourgage all martial artists to supplement their training.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Who's The Master?

I should start using Master before my name. In martial arts (primarily arts like Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Kung Fu), the high ranking instructors like to introduce themselves as Master So And So. I once met a guy in a martial arts supply store and he introduced himself as a Master (and then his name). He asked me what rank I was and was supprised that I was a 3rd dan (I'm a 3rd degree in Shidokan) for the amount of time I've been training in the martial arts. Inside I laughed because I know he didn't know the difference between a right cross and a kick in the arse. It's funny how this little bit of magic and mysticism is still associated with instructors. I have competed in different martial sports: TKD, Judo, Boxing,Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Shidokan Triathlon (Karate, kickboxing, Grappling). I have competed against some of the best in the fight business and I continue to you challenge myself. In no way do I consider myself a master.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Competiton Is The Best Way To Learn How To Fight

Sparring, training, etc. are ways to learn fighting skills. But what is the best way to learn how to fight? Fighting! Sparring is close to it but competiting against an opponenet hell bent on doing damage to you can't be replicated. I see a lot of guys spar and think that they are pretty good only to their bubble busted when they step into the ring and see that the intensity is different against an opponent going all out. The adrenaline, intent, emotions (fear, anger, etc.) are the same. The unpredictable nature of competiton is as close as one can get to a real altercation. I know, the self-defense experts say that sport fighting isn't like the real thing. But, it's the closest. Also, notice that these experts ususally have no competition experience. A good boxer knows what he can do to you with one punch and a good grappler knows you are toast when he puts two hands on you. This is because these fighters have years of training and experience doing what they do. The martial artists who've played fighter and drilled with their friends in the gym, can make their punches and kicks knock guys out like they think. They have have to competed and do it in an environment that allows one to get knocked out in order to be able to deal with it.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Sticking With The Basics

In the last post, I talked about trying to do a lot can lead to a bad result. We talked about mastering a few things and perfecting those things. No matter what we do, we have to remember our basics. When you start to learn something, you learn how to stand, move, etc. When you look at a fighter like Ali or Leonard, you see then dance around and showboat. But what you have to remember is that these athletes have been doing what they do since childhood and despite what you see, they know their basics. The know how it is supposed to be done and are able to bend the rules to entertain (remember entertain, not fight). So before you become the next Floyd Mayweather or Roy Jones Jr., master your basics (don't try to be like them anyway).

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The You Know The Better

When you look at top fighters and what techniques they use, you will see that they have 2 or 3 things the do well. A good wrestler or judo player will have a few take downs or throws. A good boxer will have a 2 to 3 punch combination they use primarily. The legendary kickboxer, Bill Wallace used just 3 kicks. Now, these atheletes will have various ways of setting up their pet techniques but you can count on 2 to 3 things that they use to be champions. So, instead of trying to be a jack of all trades and master of known, examine what works for you and use it. Remember that a lot of things look cool and great, but just you like it, doesn't mean it will work for you.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Winning Mindset

I truly believe that in order to be victorious you must have a winning mindset. You must hate losing, but be able to learn from losses and not be afraid to lose. If you don't want to lose, don't play the game. As long as you learn and improve after a loss, all is good. See yourself as a winner and look back at your previous experiences. The good thing about losing is that you will analyze mistakes. Even when you win, you have to know what you did good and bad to make improvements. You are a scientist in the lab. Experiments require failure before success. Be willing to fail to be successful.