Pioneers of Muay Thai In Atlanta

In looking at the art and sport of Muay Thai in Atlanta. The earliest fighters that I know of who were competing international in Atlanta were Tony Reed and Larry McFadden. Both these guys would fight in kickboxing (above the waist rules), international kickboxing (with low kicks) and Muay Thai (with clinching, knees and elbows). I met both of these guys in the late 80s and the famous Asa's Gym in Atlanta. Asa's gym was the place to train if you kick boxed. My first experience sparring with low kicks was with Tony and some guys at Dennis Palmer's gym. Dennis is a lifelong martial artist and trainer. He was also a prominent referee for kickboxing and Muay Thai. Larry fought some of the best fighters of that era (Rob Kaman, Dennis Alexio, etc.) and Tony trained and competed in Holland (the hot bed of kickboxing in Europe). I will credit these 2 fighters as the pioneers of Muay Thai In Atlanta.

To Be Better Compete And Train With The Best

In looking back at my competitive career I better see that I have had the pleasure of competing and training with some of the best.  Many in martial arts will have their opinion on what art has the best punches, kicks, throws, submissions, etc. Some may compete in one combat sport and think that they've faced a good puncher or kicker (in kickboxing for example). I am lucky to have some cool and always humbling experiences. I've been punched by Olympic and world class professional boxers. I've kicked against some of the top Tae Kwon Do players (U.S. Team members). I've experienced the hand and foot combinations of several World Champion Kickboxers, I've feel the clinch of champion Muay Thai fighters, I've been thrown by top Judoka (including a couple of Olympians). I been twisted like a pretzel by a World BJJ Champion. Through competition and training I've been humbled many times and at the same time I've been truly blessed. I have trained in the martial art for 42 years and I am still learning.

When To Finish An Opponent

When should one look for push for a finish in a fight? Do you start out throwing bombs at the very beginning. When you have have an opponent hurt or sense intense fatigue is when you pour it on to look for a finish. Keep in mind at the beginning of a match, the opponent is fresh and sharp. I'm not saying that a knockout can't happen early, but this is not common. Many times you can't knock a guy down early and they can recover and continue fighting like it never happened. It is harder to recover from punishment once the body is fatigued. So, if you hurt someone early on, be sure that you don't gas out trying to force a finish that is not there. They are trying to protect themselves and will look to run, hold, and do whatever to survive. You have to asses the situation and still pick your shots and determine it is time to finish or continue softening your opponent up.

Why I Enjoy What I Do

Though combat sports I've had the opportunity to challenge and test my skills against some of the best martial artists around. In boxing, I fought an Olympic Bronze Medalist. Through Kickboxing and Shidokan, I have had the opportunity to fight a Muay Thai World Champions, World Champion Kickboxers, a North American Kyokushin Champion, a World Sport JuJitsu Champion, and some strong veteran MMA fighters. In Judo I have had the opportunity to get on the mat with a couple of ranked Senior Players (in my 40s). I've competed against some incredible Veteran (or Master's) Judo athletes in the IJF Veterans World Championship. I will be 50 this year and the sky is still the limit. I am able to challenge myself and still grow as a martial artist and person. So, follow you passion and never give up a dream. There will be ups and downs along the way. Being able to have the journey is what makes it fun. Search.

The Fights At UFC 196 Were Not Upsets

Sure, you've seen or heard about the last UFC fight show. Tate defeated Holm and Diaz defeated McGregor. Many are happy to see the "Notorious"lose. Are these upsets? No. This is the fight game. Both Holly and Conner stepped up to the plate. Both Meisha and Nate stepped up to the plate. The are warriors. Warriors fight. Belts, titles, wins, losses, etc. are all part of fighting. At the end of the a fighter wants to be able to say, "I went in there and laid it on the line". If one can say that, win, lose or draw the can be content. While many will rest on their laurels or never step up to the plate, those who do will always be fulfilled. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what others think of you. It's what you think of yourself. And if you have the courage to challenge yourself to do something others will never try, then you feel good about yourself.

Drilling Vs Doing

How does one become proficient at doing something? Should you drill or perform the activity real time. For me personally, I prefer to just do it. When I played soccer as a youth, we would scrimmage to prepare for the game. When I boxed,sparring was the main method of preparation (same for kickboxing, judo, etc.). I never really did a lot of drills because I felt that after a certain point they created a pattern to how one moves and reacts. I always wanted to be adaptable, so I would just do. This may not work for all, but it is my believe. I want to be like water and be adaptable.

Discipline & Consistent Training

They way people learn in martial arts is very different than it was years ago. People tend to want to learn flash and flare over basics and they try skip on to what they see as advanced before perfecting the basics. It isn't fun to run, skip rope, shadow box, hit the bag, do push ups, etc. day in and day out. It is exciting to work on one or 2 things for one training session. People get bored easily and want to move on to the next hottest thing (not just in the gym, but in other aspects of life). Well, the basics are most important and when all else fails, you can fall back on them. The discipline of training day in and day out for the sake of training is what we must do. This is how you build a foundation. Take your time and build your house strong. Don't throw it up quickly (like a lot of the new subdivisions these days). Make it last.