I haven't written anything in a few weeks but I have been hard at work and pondering my training in and practice of Muay Thai, perhaps a trifle more pondering than is healthy but there it is. Here is what I have come to: I have to own this path more completely.
I am a big believer in the respect that is due one's teachers and coaches in martial arts, and I feel nothing but respect and gratitude towards all the people who have helped train me to date. Indeed, I have followed the suggestions and training regimens suggested by them quite closely, and waited when told to wait and acted when told to act.
But this is simply not likely to get get me much further down my path for a number of reasons. First, I am old to be doing this and no one is under any illusions that i am just a few wins from going pro. The result is that training opportunities are limited and not really that interesting to those who do work with me. They are to a person absolutely cool about it, but try as I might I am not ever going to be much stronger, faster or more flexible. I don't have 10 years to improve and compete. Second, there is real and general concern that I am going to get my ass kicked (and I may). The gym where I do most of my work is not about competing and honestly they are worried that I am going to get others involved in my quixotic activities and get more people beat up. My wife is understandably worried as well. This is the disadvantage of being old enough to know better, you are surrounded by others who know better as well. Finally, the structure of all the easily available training for someone working a serious real-world job while raising kids just isn't structured for someone serious about competing or really serious about the exploration of this particular martial art. Its about health and fitness, which is a role it has certainly served well for me.
So, I have realized that I have to make my own path and hope that my coaches and teachers respect me at this point and the choices I make. Some of these may carry some risk and some may seem inexplicable as part of serious preparation (trying to learn the Wai Kru Ram Muay for example). Its my hope that when I get wherever I am heading that it will make sense to them.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
What I am working on
So, what's next in terms of training? Right now I am focused on improving my mental game and on some specific aspects of my skills. I am still looking for a specific training regimen for the mental game so more on that later. In terms of skills, I am focused on my kicking game and on more effectively fighting while going backwards. I have different reasons to focus on each.
The focus on the kicks come directly out of my fight experience. When my opponent was retreating or even just maintaining distance, I struggled to put any kind of kick on them. Kicking is the weakest aspect of my Muay and in an actual bout with opponents who wanted to deliver outside kicks it was remarkably challenging to move and kick together. The only good kicking work I did was when we exchanging low kicks and relatively static. This is a problem because I think it even impacted my kicking counters, which I did not use for fear of handing my opponent an easily countered move.
The problem is really two fold. First I lack confidence in the kicking game and second I just have not done the reps to make it effective. The first problem is the greater one, I lack confidence because I lack the flexibility to confidently deliver kicks without overbalancing or taking too much time on a kick. So I am pursuing the "Limber 11" program, as suggested by an instructor, and I am pursuing it aggressively. If there is one thing I can do is follow a well-organized program with consistency. So hopefully this will help with flexibility and ability and thus, confidence. In terms of reps, I am working line drills with countering kicks off of angle changes and leg checks. I am also adding some pad work with my training partner to work the same thing. Regardless of where my flexibility is, I should be able to pursue this and get the practice in while simultaneously improving my flexibility.
The problem of going backwards is a case of the dog that did not bark. In my tournament, I was able to maintain the initiative to the point that I got to fight going forward the whole time. When I have gotten pounded in sparring I was inevitably going backwards. The trouble is when facing Muay Thai fighters I expect that I will not always be the most aggressive person in the ring and once you start rolling downhill bad things are likely to happen. So I need to be able to fight meaningfully backwards (as opposed to retreating). To do this, I am drilling punching and my teep while retreating against an aggressive pad holder. I feel like doing this as pad work will be more effective than in sparring because (again) what I need to do is put in the hours and make the movements automatic (as opposed to getting smacked around while sparring backwards). I am 100% sure I don't want to be trying to figure out what to do whil in the ring, I want to just do what needs doing.
There are a dozen other things but those are my focus for today.
The problem is really two fold. First I lack confidence in the kicking game and second I just have not done the reps to make it effective. The first problem is the greater one, I lack confidence because I lack the flexibility to confidently deliver kicks without overbalancing or taking too much time on a kick. So I am pursuing the "Limber 11" program, as suggested by an instructor, and I am pursuing it aggressively. If there is one thing I can do is follow a well-organized program with consistency. So hopefully this will help with flexibility and ability and thus, confidence. In terms of reps, I am working line drills with countering kicks off of angle changes and leg checks. I am also adding some pad work with my training partner to work the same thing. Regardless of where my flexibility is, I should be able to pursue this and get the practice in while simultaneously improving my flexibility.
The problem of going backwards is a case of the dog that did not bark. In my tournament, I was able to maintain the initiative to the point that I got to fight going forward the whole time. When I have gotten pounded in sparring I was inevitably going backwards. The trouble is when facing Muay Thai fighters I expect that I will not always be the most aggressive person in the ring and once you start rolling downhill bad things are likely to happen. So I need to be able to fight meaningfully backwards (as opposed to retreating). To do this, I am drilling punching and my teep while retreating against an aggressive pad holder. I feel like doing this as pad work will be more effective than in sparring because (again) what I need to do is put in the hours and make the movements automatic (as opposed to getting smacked around while sparring backwards). I am 100% sure I don't want to be trying to figure out what to do whil in the ring, I want to just do what needs doing.
There are a dozen other things but those are my focus for today.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Lessons understood: The mental game
I was really struck during my recent tournament by the importance of the mental game in fight sports. Its important in any difficult athletic activity but a couple of factors make it particularly critical here.
First, fighting is compressed into a remarkably short time period. Most fights, even without a knockout are going to be done in 15 minutes, many in 10. This means that virtually everything is preparation. You have trained for months. You have waited for hours. You have probably warmed up for longer than you'll be in the ring. Your body has to be at a peak when you step in, but even more importantly you have to be in as close to an optimal mental state as you can manage. All while preparing for...
... the physical danger of confrontation one on one with another determined individual who enters the ring with the sole purpose of knocking you down. This is what we have been evolved to avoid, its foolishly high risk to confront an equally matched foe. Fight or flight should be flight if you aren't sure, but we choose to fight.
So there are all the normal distractions that cause you to shank a golf ball, the time pressure that makes a gymnast's hand sweat when they grab the bars, and all the fear of that ape-man getting ready to fight (plus pain when you do get hit). In that state, you have to find your flow and execute a strategy and all without letting your opponent see your pain or fear.
I have not paid enough attention to my mental game.
First, fighting is compressed into a remarkably short time period. Most fights, even without a knockout are going to be done in 15 minutes, many in 10. This means that virtually everything is preparation. You have trained for months. You have waited for hours. You have probably warmed up for longer than you'll be in the ring. Your body has to be at a peak when you step in, but even more importantly you have to be in as close to an optimal mental state as you can manage. All while preparing for...
... the physical danger of confrontation one on one with another determined individual who enters the ring with the sole purpose of knocking you down. This is what we have been evolved to avoid, its foolishly high risk to confront an equally matched foe. Fight or flight should be flight if you aren't sure, but we choose to fight.
So there are all the normal distractions that cause you to shank a golf ball, the time pressure that makes a gymnast's hand sweat when they grab the bars, and all the fear of that ape-man getting ready to fight (plus pain when you do get hit). In that state, you have to find your flow and execute a strategy and all without letting your opponent see your pain or fear.
I have not paid enough attention to my mental game.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Battle of Baltimore details
More details as promised.
The Battle of Baltimore is a big, long-running (and hopelessly disorganized) martial arts competition with everything from traditional forms competition to point MMA. Hundreds of competitors from kids to adults.
I fought in the "continuous contact sparring". Although billed as light contact, one competitor left on an ambulance and others could not continue because of damage taken in their bouts. I was fighting as a light weight which included everyone up to 160 lbs (I arrived at 156). There were 4 fighters entered (ages 20, 21, 27, and me aged 48 long years).
First fight was against a southpaw Kung fu guy who had already won a forms competition. We spoke beforehand and he mentioned that he had been at this since age 3. My coach told me to "be first" just as we started. I took this message to heart and pursued a strategy of stalk, corner and box. Sure enough I walked right into a hard sidekick in the ribs (still sore a week later) but kept coming. This rattled him and I kept him going backwards the whole time. He had so much better technique than me, and managed to put a kick into the back of my head towards the end of the fight.. The thing was because he was running backwards nothing had much on it. So I won the decision.
Here is some video(I am in grey):
The second fight was harder. My opponent was mostly a TKD fighter but had trained in Muay Thai as well. He was fast and had watched my first fight, and taken the lessons to heart. He came hard at me to start and tried hard not to fight going backwards, that said I kept a very tight guard and he didn't put anything on my head and very little on my body. However he did have some good leg kicks and although I had some good defensive checking i was not able to develop much kicking off of it. He took some good punches from me but if he got into trouble he retreated from the fight area and we were re-set. I simply couldn't keep him cornered. If he had no easy out he'd clinch with me. Although he did not do much to me he definitely held the initiative throughout and didn't let me get in his head. I lost the decision but was not unhappy with much of my performance (okay, I do have a long list of "should have dones" but that is the way of things).
Here is a bit of video of that fight:
Learned more in 4 minutes than in the preceding 6 months and I want a three round Muay Thai fight next, but I am also clear on the difference in speed and strength of youth so we'll see what happens next.
Here is some video(I am in grey):
The second fight was harder. My opponent was mostly a TKD fighter but had trained in Muay Thai as well. He was fast and had watched my first fight, and taken the lessons to heart. He came hard at me to start and tried hard not to fight going backwards, that said I kept a very tight guard and he didn't put anything on my head and very little on my body. However he did have some good leg kicks and although I had some good defensive checking i was not able to develop much kicking off of it. He took some good punches from me but if he got into trouble he retreated from the fight area and we were re-set. I simply couldn't keep him cornered. If he had no easy out he'd clinch with me. Although he did not do much to me he definitely held the initiative throughout and didn't let me get in his head. I lost the decision but was not unhappy with much of my performance (okay, I do have a long list of "should have dones" but that is the way of things).
Here is a bit of video of that fight:
Learned more in 4 minutes than in the preceding 6 months and I want a three round Muay Thai fight next, but I am also clear on the difference in speed and strength of youth so we'll see what happens next.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Battle of Baltimore
I fought in the battle of Baltimore tournament yesterday. A long post on the whole thing shortly, but the short version if that I won one fight and then lost in my second. I sustained less damage than in a number of sparring rounds that I have fought in months past. And I really enjoyed the whole thing.
MUUUUUCCCHHHHHH more to follow.
MUUUUUCCCHHHHHH more to follow.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Good observation
Good observation from an instructor the other day, continue to drop my left when throwing my right. He looked at me and told me that this martial arts not cheerleading.
My teep is really working for me in sparring, hoping to use it to disrupt the fancy kicks of my opponents at the tournament. That's my biggest concern, kicks that I simply don't see in Muay thai.
Fighting Sunday, I feel strong, fast and ready. Bring it on! (See what I did there cheerleading-wise)
My teep is really working for me in sparring, hoping to use it to disrupt the fancy kicks of my opponents at the tournament. That's my biggest concern, kicks that I simply don't see in Muay thai.
Fighting Sunday, I feel strong, fast and ready. Bring it on! (See what I did there cheerleading-wise)
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Why fight? Today's answer
To find my Jai yen, or cool heart, that detached resolve and sense of presence that let's me stand across from the tiger in the clearing without fear or illusion.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Vicissitudes continue
The battle goes on.
My main sparring partner and I have been banned from unsupervised sparring at our gym after he leveled me with a body shot. To be fair, we were going hard and it was an ugly scene. We weren't wearing any sort of chest guards (generally required) and it happened in full view of the parents watching the kids doing their Tae Kwon Do (probably should have been practicing in side room out of sight). The result is essentially no opportunity to do any real intensity sparring.
and then...
I fell while practicing on a concrete floor and really banged up my elbow. Swollen for a while now, doesn't seem to be broken, but hurts quite a lot.
But I am not giving in, and I am scheduled to fight on October 18th in the Battle of Baltimore Tournament's continuous contact sparring tournament. Not giving up.
My main sparring partner and I have been banned from unsupervised sparring at our gym after he leveled me with a body shot. To be fair, we were going hard and it was an ugly scene. We weren't wearing any sort of chest guards (generally required) and it happened in full view of the parents watching the kids doing their Tae Kwon Do (probably should have been practicing in side room out of sight). The result is essentially no opportunity to do any real intensity sparring.
and then...
I fell while practicing on a concrete floor and really banged up my elbow. Swollen for a while now, doesn't seem to be broken, but hurts quite a lot.
But I am not giving in, and I am scheduled to fight on October 18th in the Battle of Baltimore Tournament's continuous contact sparring tournament. Not giving up.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Doubt
Well, the 26th is off and after much rigmarole. The promoter seems to never have been able to really get the other guy to commit and he indicated he was out a week or more ago. But he was sure he could find a fight for me yet. What followed was a litany of increasingly inappropriate matches ranging from very young to fighters 20 pounds above my walking around weight. All of these proposed by someone who was a bit sketchy to begin with. So finally on Saturday I just cut him loose and said I wasn't available for the 26th. Honestly, if he came back with another proposal I would not be surprised at all.
So where does this leave me, the short answer is: in doubt. What is clear is that there aren't many potential opponents who are within even 15 years of my age especially once you narrow the field by weight and experience. It probably reflects my disappointment more than reality when I say that I feel humored by my trainers (look at the old guy, that's kind of funny that he thinks he can fight) and slightly hopeless of ever getting a fight. I am even considering an exhibition with a younger fighter just to demonstrate that I can stand in the ring and perhaps generating some interest. On the whole I am not at a real high point just now.
So where does this leave me, the short answer is: in doubt. What is clear is that there aren't many potential opponents who are within even 15 years of my age especially once you narrow the field by weight and experience. It probably reflects my disappointment more than reality when I say that I feel humored by my trainers (look at the old guy, that's kind of funny that he thinks he can fight) and slightly hopeless of ever getting a fight. I am even considering an exhibition with a younger fighter just to demonstrate that I can stand in the ring and perhaps generating some interest. On the whole I am not at a real high point just now.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
How I am training
With the fight to give me focus, I have pushed up my training time and intensity to about as high as I can without taking time off from my day job. It has been around 15 hours per week, generally broken down to into 3 workouts per day with one pre-dawn, one at lunch and then the evening. On a typical day this has included running (either hills outside or interval sprints on the treadmill, on one day both), kickboxing (either bag work in the gym, or Muay thai classes at BBMAC, plus some other stuff), a circuit of calisthenics and stretching (either on my own or in a "boot camp" format with a group in the park). Every seventh day is a rest day, and a needed one, as I have very little left by day six.
Hungry all the time, but feeling fast and strong.
Hungry all the time, but feeling fast and strong.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Up at 5am...
...doing roadwork, because I have a fight scheduled for September 26th with a 38 year old 0-0 fighter.
Training harder yet.
Training harder yet.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Why fight? Today's answer
So we get to this question, why do I want to fight at all? The funny thing is that to my non-kickboxing friends no answer is sufficient and to those who fight no answer is really necessary, so any answer has to be to the folks that I do this sort of stuff with:
That is who practice Muay thai (and "advanced acting for action movies") but not really with plans to ever compete.
So here are the reasons I think I am doing this: reach and focus.
Reach, one should not just do things that you know you can accomplish and I don't really know that this is doable. I have set this goal to do something hard because that makes me better at everything I do. There are moments, a lot of moments, when this seems stupid or undoable and I have to remind myself that this is precisely the point.
Focus, this goal is making me better at the things I can already do by forcing me to consider everything I do in training in light of whether it is viable in an actual bout. If it is silly or stiff or too complicated, then its back to basics and practice, practice, practice until I can't do a move wrong. When I don't want to workout I ask myself if my potential opponent is doing the same. Turn's out that bastard is working and so I have to as well. All of this is disciplined by the fact that what lies at the end of this road is a set of ropes that I have to climb over to stand across from someone who is there with the specific purpose of knocking me unconscious. That's an attention holder.
That is who practice Muay thai (and "advanced acting for action movies") but not really with plans to ever compete.
So here are the reasons I think I am doing this: reach and focus.
Reach, one should not just do things that you know you can accomplish and I don't really know that this is doable. I have set this goal to do something hard because that makes me better at everything I do. There are moments, a lot of moments, when this seems stupid or undoable and I have to remind myself that this is precisely the point.
Focus, this goal is making me better at the things I can already do by forcing me to consider everything I do in training in light of whether it is viable in an actual bout. If it is silly or stiff or too complicated, then its back to basics and practice, practice, practice until I can't do a move wrong. When I don't want to workout I ask myself if my potential opponent is doing the same. Turn's out that bastard is working and so I have to as well. All of this is disciplined by the fact that what lies at the end of this road is a set of ropes that I have to climb over to stand across from someone who is there with the specific purpose of knocking me unconscious. That's an attention holder.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Another call, another pass
I got another call over the weekend for a fight, and again had to take a pass. My trainer recommended I do so and honestly i knew he was right, but it was much harder than the last time. I am really ready to get in the ring, mentally, but the problem wasn't mental this time. The problem was it was a fight with a more experienced fighter in 6 days. I realized I would have to start the weight cut immediately and would have no time to prep at all. This would be straight "off the couch." At the same time, it was a reputable promoter and a good opponent so it was hard to listen to the good advice that I couldn't realistically be ready...dammit.
I don't know how I will discipline myself to reject whatever offer comes next, regardless
I don't know how I will discipline myself to reject whatever offer comes next, regardless
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
2 minutes at a time
I have been running for a long time, since high school on and off, and very consistently over the last several years. I run a reasonably fast mile and 5k (7.5 to 8 minutes) but I have felt like my endurance in sparring has been on a plateau for some time.
I decided to take a look at what trainers were saying about the subject and discovered that most seem to have moved off the straight road work to interval training. At the same time, one doesn't just abandon the aerobic training that has worked very well over the years. The thing is that fight sports are almost universally anaerobic exercises, short bursts of only a few minutes requiring peak effort. Interval running, hard dashes or climbs at speed, train for the ability to expend the energy very quickly and with power. This expenditure can go from seconds up to a maximum of 2 minutes or so. apparently as you get to the 2 minute mark the exercise begins to become more aerobic. So I realized that my running has been oriented more towards training for distance running than to kickboxing.
Here's what I have started doing to improve it. Any day that I am not in the gym sparring or on pad work, I run on the following pattern. I am continuing the running at distance but am adding a series of interval dashes in the first couple of miles. So the pattern goes: .5 mile warm-up jog, 2 minutes sprint, 1 minute jog (repeated 4 times, 1 round longer than any amateur fight I am likely to be in), then finish at normal 7.5-8 minute mile speed for the remaining distance, generally 5K. I am enjoying this new pattern (well enjoying is probably a strong word) because it is preserving my aerobic training and improving my anaerobic training. I think I detect improvement when sparring, but its early days.
I decided to take a look at what trainers were saying about the subject and discovered that most seem to have moved off the straight road work to interval training. At the same time, one doesn't just abandon the aerobic training that has worked very well over the years. The thing is that fight sports are almost universally anaerobic exercises, short bursts of only a few minutes requiring peak effort. Interval running, hard dashes or climbs at speed, train for the ability to expend the energy very quickly and with power. This expenditure can go from seconds up to a maximum of 2 minutes or so. apparently as you get to the 2 minute mark the exercise begins to become more aerobic. So I realized that my running has been oriented more towards training for distance running than to kickboxing.
Here's what I have started doing to improve it. Any day that I am not in the gym sparring or on pad work, I run on the following pattern. I am continuing the running at distance but am adding a series of interval dashes in the first couple of miles. So the pattern goes: .5 mile warm-up jog, 2 minutes sprint, 1 minute jog (repeated 4 times, 1 round longer than any amateur fight I am likely to be in), then finish at normal 7.5-8 minute mile speed for the remaining distance, generally 5K. I am enjoying this new pattern (well enjoying is probably a strong word) because it is preserving my aerobic training and improving my anaerobic training. I think I detect improvement when sparring, but its early days.
Always wear your mouth guard
I was knocked to the ground while doing some clinch training the other day. No gloves or other protective gear on, except the cup and mouth guard. My training partner tried turning hard out of my clinch and I basically ate a spinning elbow (I am still trying to figure out exactly how this happened as it would constitute a very nice move if I could work it out). The upshot is that our trainer has told us to always wear our mouth guards, even when it does not seem like a necessity. I am fairly sure it would have cost me teeth without it.
Also the fifth time I have been legitimately knocked down while training (adding the elbow to a sidekick, a low round kick, uppercut to the liver, and nicely executed jab). And so it goes
Also the fifth time I have been legitimately knocked down while training (adding the elbow to a sidekick, a low round kick, uppercut to the liver, and nicely executed jab). And so it goes
Friday, July 31, 2015
Promoters and opponents
How does a match get set. Well apparently this is an art in its own right. A dark art. A dark art performed by shady characters...all of whom have shiny websites.
Just last night, one of the instructors at my gym (who has lots of fight experience, isn't big on nonsense, and basically breathes martial arts 24/7) was warning me that some of these promoters are pretty sleazy characters. They want one of two kinds of fights: great technical fights and brutal beatdowns. The first appeal to all the fighters and coaches and serious fight fans. The latter appeal to pretty much everyone. As a fighter with a 0-0 record, I might not be considered the best candidate for the first type of fight.
So that was on my mind when I heard back from a promoter that he might have a fight for me. 145 lbs (check), 0-0 record (check), and 2 months to prepare (check). Then I asked the age. 18 years old but he emphasized "self-trained." So the question is who is supposed to take the beatdown here? I have had the advantage of years of training with some very competent martial artists and amateur kick-boxers. He has 30 years on me.
Hmmmm, I think maybe not, but wow it was very hard to turn down the opportunity but there isn't a lot of point in taking a fight I would stand little chance in.
But damn, a bird in the hand
Just last night, one of the instructors at my gym (who has lots of fight experience, isn't big on nonsense, and basically breathes martial arts 24/7) was warning me that some of these promoters are pretty sleazy characters. They want one of two kinds of fights: great technical fights and brutal beatdowns. The first appeal to all the fighters and coaches and serious fight fans. The latter appeal to pretty much everyone. As a fighter with a 0-0 record, I might not be considered the best candidate for the first type of fight.
So that was on my mind when I heard back from a promoter that he might have a fight for me. 145 lbs (check), 0-0 record (check), and 2 months to prepare (check). Then I asked the age. 18 years old but he emphasized "self-trained." So the question is who is supposed to take the beatdown here? I have had the advantage of years of training with some very competent martial artists and amateur kick-boxers. He has 30 years on me.
Hmmmm, I think maybe not, but wow it was very hard to turn down the opportunity but there isn't a lot of point in taking a fight I would stand little chance in.
But damn, a bird in the hand
Monday, July 20, 2015
Seeking an opponent
My trainer actually endorsed the idea that I am ready to fight (or at least ready to schedule a fight and then work my ass off in preparation for a fight), and is working with his promoter to find an opponent and a venue. I feel ready to go (see above parenthetical comment) and cannot wait to get something scheduled.
Trial Weight Cut Results
So the results of the cut are in, 9 pounds in 3.5 days. Not quite what I was after but also just the most basic measures, no steam room or epsom salt baths or any of a dozen other techniques that I have standing by (and which range from the uncomfortable to the positively distasteful). I felt all awash when loading water (weird and unpleasant), then when dehydrated my wedding ring fell right off when and I had some leg cramps after exercising (the former was actually a little unnerving as it made the point unexpectedly that this was working), and I felt light-headed when exercising not long before the "weigh-in." Eating during the cut was a lot of (unsalted) eggs, tuna, greek yogurt and salad greens (and a little bit of ice cream actually), which got old. I rehydrated quickly and was back up to near my starting weight within around 12 hours, although I ate a little a normal sized meal early on and it was too much. The next day, "fight day" in this simulation, I felt great and actually very light and energetic almost like the bounce back after an illness.
I had to cut the whole thing a bit short when my wife started sending me articles on how many people die doing a weight cut. This really pointed up the distance between the world I live in and the world of any sort of fight sports. Nobody I see in my daily work/parenting/neighborhood life thinks this weight cutting is anything other than completely nuts. This includes people training for marathons and other sports, who i frankly think are beating their bodies up in serious ways. The fact is that every single fight event in which weight classes figure are going to have people doing varying degrees of weight cuts (and they are all probably unhealthy). So I find myself spending a lot of time trying to explain why I would even want to do any of this but especially this bit which is very visible outside of the gym where I train. It points up that beyond the learning curve for an older guy trying to work all this out, that there is a lot of social pressure to not do this. More on this in the days ahead.
BTW finding advice about how to do a good safe cut seems pretty rare online (the basic outline of what I did came from this Muay Thai Guy article), and that certainly reflects that there is risk here (and nobody wants the liability). So let me say I am not recommending anybody do what I have done, I share it because I am sharing the experience, and not as a roadmap.
I had to cut the whole thing a bit short when my wife started sending me articles on how many people die doing a weight cut. This really pointed up the distance between the world I live in and the world of any sort of fight sports. Nobody I see in my daily work/parenting/neighborhood life thinks this weight cutting is anything other than completely nuts. This includes people training for marathons and other sports, who i frankly think are beating their bodies up in serious ways. The fact is that every single fight event in which weight classes figure are going to have people doing varying degrees of weight cuts (and they are all probably unhealthy). So I find myself spending a lot of time trying to explain why I would even want to do any of this but especially this bit which is very visible outside of the gym where I train. It points up that beyond the learning curve for an older guy trying to work all this out, that there is a lot of social pressure to not do this. More on this in the days ahead.
BTW finding advice about how to do a good safe cut seems pretty rare online (the basic outline of what I did came from this Muay Thai Guy article), and that certainly reflects that there is risk here (and nobody wants the liability). So let me say I am not recommending anybody do what I have done, I share it because I am sharing the experience, and not as a roadmap.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Action shots
A few shots that I liked a lot from our testing event (all taken by Lisa Cohen, a fellow student and excellent photographer).
(although every time I look at it I think "where are my hands?")
and finally
(in which I continue to drop my left, oh well another 8,000 or so punches to go)
(although every time I look at it I think "where are my hands?")
and finally
(in which I continue to drop my left, oh well another 8,000 or so punches to go)
Monday, July 13, 2015
Trial Weight Cut
Something I have not been looking forward to is the weight cut in preparation for the fight. To begin with it sounds deeply unpleasant (and I am aware of the irony that I feel this is unpleasant and getting punched is not) and it certainly doesn't seem to be a particularly healthy activity, but more critically I have never done one and do not know what kind of result I will get. So the answer is a trial cut, followed by an evening of high intensity sparring. This is essentially the closest I can get to simulating the run-up to a fight.
My plan:
Monday thru Wednesday - 10% Calorie reduction (1800 from my usual 2000), two-a-day intense and varied workouts (minimum burn of 800 calories per day)
Thursday - Load water (2 gallons (32 cups) and extra salt), Continue intense workouts, extra protein/fat in diet
Friday - Load water (2 gallons, no salt), Solid workout (500 calories), extra protein/fat in diet
Saturday - Normal water (1 gallon, distilled only, no salt), Solid workout (500 calories), extra protein/fat in diet
Sunday - Minimal water, light workout,, extra protein/fat in diet
Monday - Weigh-in and rehydrate (if goal is not met in morning weigh-in, exercise to meet goal)
Standing weight today: 157, weight-class goal:145
Crazy as it seems this is how its done.
My plan:
Monday thru Wednesday - 10% Calorie reduction (1800 from my usual 2000), two-a-day intense and varied workouts (minimum burn of 800 calories per day)
Thursday - Load water (2 gallons (32 cups) and extra salt), Continue intense workouts, extra protein/fat in diet
Friday - Load water (2 gallons, no salt), Solid workout (500 calories), extra protein/fat in diet
Saturday - Normal water (1 gallon, distilled only, no salt), Solid workout (500 calories), extra protein/fat in diet
Sunday - Minimal water, light workout,, extra protein/fat in diet
Monday - Weigh-in and rehydrate (if goal is not met in morning weigh-in, exercise to meet goal)
Standing weight today: 157, weight-class goal:145
Crazy as it seems this is how its done.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Training Notes
I make notes from training, sometimes more and sometimes less, often simply things like “Kick after the clinch dumbass” and “hit back” or notes on form on conditioning exercises. This week though I sparred a lot and the notes were interesting enough that I thought they might be of interest to someone other than just me.
Notes from sparring (April 26-May 2)
3 BBC classes and Black Belt testing
Partners: Daniel, Elliot, Larry, Dusan, Mark, Kwesi, Willard
Static opponents: Constant low kick attacks effective, followed by flurries of punches. The approach encouraged them to stay in place and heighten reach advantage in a couple of instances
Taller opponents: Fast inside and uppercuts mixed with short jabs. Cutting off kicks effective and threw partners off-balance. In close or out of reach, have to avoid middle distances. Larry used speed and holding moves (extended guard and push kicks) to limit the effectiveness of my tactics.
Sluggers/Pocket fighters: Change angles and pepper with high/low alternating side shots, must not allow them to establish and dominate pocket. Still retreating way too much with Elliot.
Notes from sparring (April 26-May 2)
3 BBC classes and Black Belt testing
Partners: Daniel, Elliot, Larry, Dusan, Mark, Kwesi, Willard
Static opponents: Constant low kick attacks effective, followed by flurries of punches. The approach encouraged them to stay in place and heighten reach advantage in a couple of instances
Taller opponents: Fast inside and uppercuts mixed with short jabs. Cutting off kicks effective and threw partners off-balance. In close or out of reach, have to avoid middle distances. Larry used speed and holding moves (extended guard and push kicks) to limit the effectiveness of my tactics.
Sluggers/Pocket fighters: Change angles and pepper with high/low alternating side shots, must not allow them to establish and dominate pocket. Still retreating way too much with Elliot.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Notes from Thai Championship Boxing
In April 2015, I attended a local amateur fight night and came away with some thoughts about the fights and fighters. First let me say that none of my thoughts should be taken as, in any way, disparaging the fighters who had the nerve to climb in the ring and risk real hurt. I have only respect for them.
In no particular order, my observations:
-Too many fighters throw 1 or 2 punches/kicks and just stop, this is noteworthy because we all do it while sparring and everyone I have trained with to date is adamant to keep going and add moves. I know from some hard sparring that this can be tough but it was really striking how few real combinations seemed to be thrown. I think the ability to sustain complex sets of strikes may be a real key to success here.
-There is some kind of negotiation around protective gear and allowable strikes but it is not clear if this is based on some formula of total fights, fighter preference or what. Interestingly, the elbows seem to be a particular area of compromise. Many of the newer fighters are not permitted to use elbows at all but there are others who are fighting with protected elbows, which seems to remove them as a cutting weapon while retaining them as an impact weapon.
-In Round 3, very few of these fighters have much left. It was striking how conditioning was a factor, and one I believe I already have an edge in. At least half the fighters seemed fully gassed out by the start of round 3. someone who isn't is really going to have a substantial advantage.
-I can do this, these amateurs really are amateurs and I may not win but I can fight. I was prepared to back out of this whole endeavor if I wasn't convinced of this. The thing is that we mostly just see professionals on T.V. do this sort of thing, and they are much, much better than the folks fighting these amateur bouts (who I should add are much better than I am in many cases).
-Even the best folks are making the same mistakes that we make. By "we" I mean all my fellow kickboxing cohort who have no interest in competing. They drop their hands, over-extend, throw themselves off-balance and walk into strikes by not moving off the center line. Particularly notable was how fighters would try to chase and catch low kicks, leaving heads wide open. The winning fighters make less of these mistakes but they are apparent among all but the best fighters in the group I watched.
-Changing angles will save your tail,which deserves special mention. I particularly noted this when a couple of middleweights fought. One of these guys was scary tough looking and basically a wall of muscle, but his opponent won by not standing in the pocket and slugging it out. he kept changing the angle and decided when and where to fight. That is the kind of fighter I want to be.
-Even the best prepared fighter can go down with one shot. Watched a fighter go down 21 seconds into round 1 with one punch, leading me to conclude that we are all (or maybe most) one strike from the canvas. Defense, movement and hitting them enough to keep them from lining up a textbook move is critical because anyone you face can put you down.
Altogether an incredibly useful experience (and lots of fun).
In no particular order, my observations:
-Too many fighters throw 1 or 2 punches/kicks and just stop, this is noteworthy because we all do it while sparring and everyone I have trained with to date is adamant to keep going and add moves. I know from some hard sparring that this can be tough but it was really striking how few real combinations seemed to be thrown. I think the ability to sustain complex sets of strikes may be a real key to success here.
-There is some kind of negotiation around protective gear and allowable strikes but it is not clear if this is based on some formula of total fights, fighter preference or what. Interestingly, the elbows seem to be a particular area of compromise. Many of the newer fighters are not permitted to use elbows at all but there are others who are fighting with protected elbows, which seems to remove them as a cutting weapon while retaining them as an impact weapon.
-In Round 3, very few of these fighters have much left. It was striking how conditioning was a factor, and one I believe I already have an edge in. At least half the fighters seemed fully gassed out by the start of round 3. someone who isn't is really going to have a substantial advantage.
-I can do this, these amateurs really are amateurs and I may not win but I can fight. I was prepared to back out of this whole endeavor if I wasn't convinced of this. The thing is that we mostly just see professionals on T.V. do this sort of thing, and they are much, much better than the folks fighting these amateur bouts (who I should add are much better than I am in many cases).
-Even the best folks are making the same mistakes that we make. By "we" I mean all my fellow kickboxing cohort who have no interest in competing. They drop their hands, over-extend, throw themselves off-balance and walk into strikes by not moving off the center line. Particularly notable was how fighters would try to chase and catch low kicks, leaving heads wide open. The winning fighters make less of these mistakes but they are apparent among all but the best fighters in the group I watched.
-Changing angles will save your tail,which deserves special mention. I particularly noted this when a couple of middleweights fought. One of these guys was scary tough looking and basically a wall of muscle, but his opponent won by not standing in the pocket and slugging it out. he kept changing the angle and decided when and where to fight. That is the kind of fighter I want to be.
-Even the best prepared fighter can go down with one shot. Watched a fighter go down 21 seconds into round 1 with one punch, leading me to conclude that we are all (or maybe most) one strike from the canvas. Defense, movement and hitting them enough to keep them from lining up a textbook move is critical because anyone you face can put you down.
Altogether an incredibly useful experience (and lots of fun).
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Fight Plan 2015
So how does someone way past the age of 21 who has never fought competitively begin? Add to that question, how do you shoehorn that kind of preparation into a life that includes two elementary school aged children, a "unevenly enthusiastic about this project" wife, a demanding (but sedentary) job and all the other stuff that goes along with this project.
My answer is simple, you make a plan. Others are running marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing, and sailing around the world. If they can do that, I can do this. The only real difference is this is fighting.
So I developed a fight preparation plan with four areas: Physical, Mental, Technical and Social
The Physical was the most obvious and the most easily defined. I needed to be able to keep up with very fit people in very intense situations. I needed the specific strengths and flexibility to execute and survive in full contact Muay Thai. Finally, I needed to craft this to a late forty year old body that is more easily injured and takes longer to come back from injury (so a continuous but not overwhelming program). Here is what I am doing.
Physical
P1. Overall Fitness
2 per day x 6 days, 1per x 1 day of following:
-Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring Classes or training sessions
-Footwork (20 minutes plus of intense jump rope , shadow boxing, drill)
-Calisthenics (laddering up to 200 push-ups, sit-ups and squats)
-Running (2-4 miles per run)
P2. Flexibilty
Hip openers (every day)
Neck strengtheners (5 days per week)
P4. Physical durability
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
P3. Nutrition
Meet app goals on Calories, Protein and Sugar
Hydration, 8 cups per day
The mental preparation was actually much more challenging to capture for planning. The upside is the I am not scared of being beaten on. To my surprise, I found that my mis-spent youth and some kind of brain malfunction has made me considerably less afraid of being punched than most people. The real problems I am dealing with are relaxing, and executing thoughtful actions in situations that are very intense. Again, as an older fighter who has to think he will face younger fighters, I cannot afford to waste energy being tight or give back anything in terms of thinking because things are moving fast and hard. So:
Mental
M1. Mindfulness
Breathing exercises/meditation (3 time per week)
M2. Calmness
Relaxation exercises during sparring (every time)
M3. Toughness
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
M4. Intelligence
Visualization exercises (3 time per week)
Technical preparation is pretty straightforward, practicing different techniques and fixing my form for greater impact. The problem is that I often have no idea what the problems are, so this is where finding some advanced students and experienced trainers has been the key. Unfortunately, its also where the whole working-all-the-time and raising kids thing makes getting together with them on a reasonable schedule difficult. Still here is what I am pursuing,
Technical
T1. Technique improvement
Focus on single aspect in Muay Thai class
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
Develop "go to" strikes and combos
T2. Technique Drill
Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring (4 times per week)
T3. Fight strategy
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
View & review fights (1 per week)
T4. Rules
Review rules and acceptable actions (ongoing)
Review with experts (ongoing)
Finally there is the social, which a number of people have thought was a little odd to include. I have explained it like this, Muay Thai is not a life and death struggle, it is a rough sport. It is also not a unified sport or even an especially popular one and as a result the norms, rules (both in and out of the ring), and "way of being" to participate are not altogether obvious from a novice entering the field. So I have spent some time trying to sort through all of this.
Social
S1. Connect to fight circle
Identify networks to fight in
Observe fights in person
S2. How to win/Judging
Review scoring and concepts with experts (ongoing)
I don't know if this will take me all the way into the ring but my hope is that it will take me far enough that my trainers will agree that I am ready to get in the ring.
My answer is simple, you make a plan. Others are running marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing, and sailing around the world. If they can do that, I can do this. The only real difference is this is fighting.
So I developed a fight preparation plan with four areas: Physical, Mental, Technical and Social
The Physical was the most obvious and the most easily defined. I needed to be able to keep up with very fit people in very intense situations. I needed the specific strengths and flexibility to execute and survive in full contact Muay Thai. Finally, I needed to craft this to a late forty year old body that is more easily injured and takes longer to come back from injury (so a continuous but not overwhelming program). Here is what I am doing.
Physical
P1. Overall Fitness
2 per day x 6 days, 1per x 1 day of following:
-Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring Classes or training sessions
-Footwork (20 minutes plus of intense jump rope , shadow boxing, drill)
-Calisthenics (laddering up to 200 push-ups, sit-ups and squats)
-Running (2-4 miles per run)
P2. Flexibilty
Hip openers (every day)
Neck strengtheners (5 days per week)
P4. Physical durability
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
P3. Nutrition
Meet app goals on Calories, Protein and Sugar
Hydration, 8 cups per day
The mental preparation was actually much more challenging to capture for planning. The upside is the I am not scared of being beaten on. To my surprise, I found that my mis-spent youth and some kind of brain malfunction has made me considerably less afraid of being punched than most people. The real problems I am dealing with are relaxing, and executing thoughtful actions in situations that are very intense. Again, as an older fighter who has to think he will face younger fighters, I cannot afford to waste energy being tight or give back anything in terms of thinking because things are moving fast and hard. So:
Mental
M1. Mindfulness
Breathing exercises/meditation (3 time per week)
M2. Calmness
Relaxation exercises during sparring (every time)
M3. Toughness
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
M4. Intelligence
Visualization exercises (3 time per week)
Technical preparation is pretty straightforward, practicing different techniques and fixing my form for greater impact. The problem is that I often have no idea what the problems are, so this is where finding some advanced students and experienced trainers has been the key. Unfortunately, its also where the whole working-all-the-time and raising kids thing makes getting together with them on a reasonable schedule difficult. Still here is what I am pursuing,
Technical
T1. Technique improvement
Focus on single aspect in Muay Thai class
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
Develop "go to" strikes and combos
T2. Technique Drill
Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring (4 times per week)
T3. Fight strategy
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
View & review fights (1 per week)
T4. Rules
Review rules and acceptable actions (ongoing)
Review with experts (ongoing)
Finally there is the social, which a number of people have thought was a little odd to include. I have explained it like this, Muay Thai is not a life and death struggle, it is a rough sport. It is also not a unified sport or even an especially popular one and as a result the norms, rules (both in and out of the ring), and "way of being" to participate are not altogether obvious from a novice entering the field. So I have spent some time trying to sort through all of this.
Social
S1. Connect to fight circle
Identify networks to fight in
Observe fights in person
S2. How to win/Judging
Review scoring and concepts with experts (ongoing)
I don't know if this will take me all the way into the ring but my hope is that it will take me far enough that my trainers will agree that I am ready to get in the ring.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Aspirations
About a year into my training, one of the students (about a year ahead of me) decided to try a competitive fight at the Battle of Baltimore (a long-running more or less traditional Martial Arts competition). She was successful and won her continuous sparring competition. I only knew her from class but this had an enormous impact on me. I began pondering the idea that if this woman, another parent who had come in as a novice and was not a kid, could pursue this that it might not be impossible for me to try the same thing.
I talked to one of the instructors and he said it was doable (he said it with such easy confidence that it freaked me out a bit). It was at that point I realized I had no idea how that I got from point "a" (wanting) to point "z" (doing). I did not know what different kinds of competitions existed, how one went about doing them, what rules might govern them, or how to go about training for these things. This is very much an insider's game and trying to figure it out was going to take some time.
But I began to form the aspiration to fight competitively, an aspiration I am doing my best to make reality.
I talked to one of the instructors and he said it was doable (he said it with such easy confidence that it freaked me out a bit). It was at that point I realized I had no idea how that I got from point "a" (wanting) to point "z" (doing). I did not know what different kinds of competitions existed, how one went about doing them, what rules might govern them, or how to go about training for these things. This is very much an insider's game and trying to figure it out was going to take some time.
But I began to form the aspiration to fight competitively, an aspiration I am doing my best to make reality.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Early days
This is the first of few posts where I will lay out my journey to date.
June of 2012, I signed up for the Muay Thai program at Black Belt Martial Arts (BBMAC) in Kensington, MD. My daughter Claire had been doing Tae Kwan Do "Little Dragons" program for a while and I was really liking what I was seeing in both the kid and adult program. The thing was that, although I had done a variety of martial arts back in eighties and nineties (culminating in several years of Aikido), I was out of shape, overweight, and worried about looking like a complete fool. When BBMAC offered a June "Father's month" (where all the dads could do a month of classes for free), I screwed up my nerve and signed up.
I would love to say that I was instantly in my element, and though I enjoyed it from day one, I was really not good, not good at all. I was game though and the staff and students were unrelentingly (and unironically) encouraging. Here is a shot from September.
Its actually kind of uncomfortable to post this now since I was 30 pounds heavier and hardly able to tie my belt at this point.
Time passed and I started into sparring and other somewhat more advanced stuff, but it was still clear I had a long way to go. Here's a picture from not long after I started sparring in my gear.
Turned out I really enjoyed the sparring, but more on that down the line.
June of 2012, I signed up for the Muay Thai program at Black Belt Martial Arts (BBMAC) in Kensington, MD. My daughter Claire had been doing Tae Kwan Do "Little Dragons" program for a while and I was really liking what I was seeing in both the kid and adult program. The thing was that, although I had done a variety of martial arts back in eighties and nineties (culminating in several years of Aikido), I was out of shape, overweight, and worried about looking like a complete fool. When BBMAC offered a June "Father's month" (where all the dads could do a month of classes for free), I screwed up my nerve and signed up.
I would love to say that I was instantly in my element, and though I enjoyed it from day one, I was really not good, not good at all. I was game though and the staff and students were unrelentingly (and unironically) encouraging. Here is a shot from September.
Its actually kind of uncomfortable to post this now since I was 30 pounds heavier and hardly able to tie my belt at this point.
Time passed and I started into sparring and other somewhat more advanced stuff, but it was still clear I had a long way to go. Here's a picture from not long after I started sparring in my gear.
Turned out I really enjoyed the sparring, but more on that down the line.
Beginnings
This is the blog of one guy, late forties suburban dad, who discovered Muay Thai and his journey from beginner to wherever it leads. The name is a play on the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of anything to gain mastery, and I figure it will take something like that number of punches before I throw one I am really happy with.
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