Top 3 MMA gyms to train while in Asia by Charles Earley In today's fast-paced world, we're constantly on the move, whether it's for work, vacation, or other business commitments. And for those of us who like to stay in shape through activities like boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, or Muay Thai, keeping up with your training routine while traveling abroad can be quite a challenge. You might assume that it's easier to find training facilities in places like the United States and Europe, but if you're new to Asia, you're in for a pleasant surprise. This region offers a plethora of fantastic options. In this article, I'll highlight my top 3 MMA gyms in Southeast Asia, so you can make the most of your training while exploring this vibrant part of the world. Demetrious Johnson training at Evolve courtesy https://evolve-mma.com/ 1. Evolve MMA - Singapore Evolve MMA is widely regarded as the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) gym in Singapore, and for good reason. It is home to a world-class roster of instructors, including multiple world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, and No-Gi Grappling. It’s also known for its cutting-edge training facilities and its commitment to helping students of all levels reach their full potential. One of the things that makes this MMA gym so unique is its focus on world-class instruction. Students have the opportunity to train with some of the best martial artists in the world, including current ONE world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Christian Lee, and Danielle Kelly as well as former ONE and UFC champions who are now coaches, such as Shinya Aoki, Angela Lee, and Rafael dos Anjos. It also offers a wide variety of classes to cater to students of all levels and ages, from beginners to professional fighters. Whether you are looking to learn the basics of Muay Thai or train for your next MMA fight, Evolve MMA has a class for you. The gym is well-equipped, and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Among its top-notch amenities are a locker room, a sauna, and a juice bar. Cost of Training at Evolve MMA Evolve MMA's training options and membership options are tailored to your preferences, ensuring the best value for your money. For example, they have a 3-Month Vacation Pass, priced at $433 USD per month. This package provides comprehensive access to all the exceptional offerings at the gym, including private 1-on-1 sessions. 2. Tiger Muay Thai - Thailand Courtesy of https://www.tigermuaythai.com/ Tiger Muay Thai offers a variety of training programs to suit all levels of experience, from beginners to professional fighters. You can receive championship-level training in Muay Thai, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. The gym also has a dedicated team of coaches who are experts in their respective fields. Many of the coaches at Tiger Muay Thai are former champions themselves, and they are passionate about helping their students achieve their goals. One of the things that makes it so special is the commitment to developing its athletes. Tiger Muay Thai offers a variety of resources to its students, including world-class training facilities, nutrition counseling, and strength and conditioning programs. It also has a strong focus on competition. The gym regularly sends its athletes to compete in tournaments around the world. Champions who train at Tiger Muay Thai are: ● Valentina Shevchenko (UFC Flyweight Champion) ● Anatoliy Malykhin (Current ONE Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight World Champion) ● Fabrício Andrade (Current ONE Bantamweight World Champion) Cost to train at Tiger Muay Thai The cost to train at Tiger Muay Thai varies depending on the length of your stay and the type of accommodation you choose. However, the gym offers a variety of affordable options to suit all budgets. One such option lets you train at Tiger Muay Thai for as little as ฿5,500 per week (approximately $152 USD). This includes access to all of the gym's facilities and classes. 3. Fairtex Training Center - Pattaya, Thailand Courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/fairtextrainingcenter/ Fairtex Training Center Thailand is one of the most respected mixed martial arts (MMA) gyms in the world. Located in Pattaya, Thailand, Fairtex has been a training ground for some of the biggest names in MMA, including ONE Championship’s Stamp Fairtex, Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo, and “The Boxing Computer” Yodsanklai IWE, who is considered to be one of the world's top strikers. Fairtex is known for its professional training facilities and rigorous training program. In addition to MMA cages and boxing rings, the gym offers traditional exercise equipment and apparatuses. The training center also has a team of highly skilled and experienced coaches who can help athletes of all levels improve their skills. In addition to its MMA program, Fairtex also offers training in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling. This allows athletes to get a well-rounded training experience and develop all of the skills necessary to succeed in MMA. Cost to train at Fairtex The cost to train at Fairtex varies depending on the length of your stay and the type of accommodation you choose. However, Fairtex is very affordable compared to other world-class MMA gyms. Their unlimited monthly prices are provided below: ● Muay Thai unlimited monthly package 15,000 baht ($414 USD) ● BJJ unlimited monthly package 4,000 baht ($110 USD) ● MMA unlimited monthly package 4,000 baht ($110 USD) Conclusion In summary, Asia offers MMA enthusiasts a plethora of opportunities to further their training while immersing themselves in the vibrant culture of this region. Within this diverse landscape, these three standout MMA gyms emerge as prime choices, suited to martial artists of all skill levels. Each of these gyms offers affordable pricing options and comprehensive training programs, tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of every student. Whether you're a novice stepping into the world of MMA for the first time or a seasoned professional refining your skills, these gyms provide a nurturing and encouraging atmosphere, complemented by exceptional coaching and state-of-the-art facilities. As you begin your journey across Asia, seize the opportunity to train at one of these top three MMA gyms. This is your moment to elevate your skills and maintain optimal physical fitness, regardless of your travel itinerary.

Good grapplers know that good mat movement — both while upright and while horizontal — is all about creating excellent positioning for you and poor positioning for your opponent. BY MARK HATMAKER Photo Courtesy of Mark Hatmaker Good strikers know that having good power means having optimal posture and structural alignment in the middle of striking and that feinting or baiting poor alignment in your opponent can steal his or her power. The wise combatant trains assiduously for structural perfection whether in motion or stock-still. Nothing I’ve said so far should foster disagreement. Veteran martial artists, please stay with me a wee bit longer as I outline a thought experiment that easily can be taken to the real world. The preceding may be obvious, but even obvious hypotheses should be put to the test to ensure that what’s obvious is also true, as more often than we realize, obvious is sometimes just legend, dogma or simply familiar “truths.” OVERHEAD “LOCKOUT” TEST: For this hypothesis test, you’ll require a partner and a barbell. Load the bar with approximately one-third the body weight of the partner. Have the partner clean-and-press it almost to the locked-out position overhead. (By the way, make sure your partner doesn’t lock it out. Keep a quarter of an inch of muscle cushioning or “play” between the position and true skeletal lockout. The old-timers were scrupulous about this. Why? Ask anyone with arthritis in the knees, elbows, hips, etc.) Once the weight is comfortably controlled overhead, stand behind your partner and slowly use the finger of one hand to push on the right side of the person’s head. Do so until he or she says, “Stop.” If you’re using bumper plates and/or have a safe drop zone, you can go harder and the partner can pitch the weight forward to escape. Taking the head out of spinal alignment, even in slow motion, alters the body’s structural integrity and reduces the person’s ability to perform the lockout to full strength. You can repeat the single-finger push on the left side of the head, or you can push on the back of the head to move it forward or even push on the forehead so the chin is raised. All will result in reduced stability and reduced ability to handle the locked load. If you were to skip being gentle and shove the head, the drop would be exceptionally dramatic — and dangerous. This experiment demonstrates that strength is more than a function of muscles, tendons and ligaments; it’s also a function of alignment. The lockout proves the ability to handle and control a given load, and the shove proves that alignment plays a large part in what we do in most acts — from locking out a weight to sitting in a chair. The single finger did nothing to alter the strength of the muscle; it merely altered a corresponding vital factor. APPLICATIONS IN COMBAT: A good grappler mitigates the power of the person he or she desires to crush by altering alignment in the same way you just “stole strength” in the lockout test. You use a deliberately placed elbow pry to steal resistance to the top wrist lock, you alter the orientation of the radius and ulna to “eat” the strength of the arm that’s stronger than yours, you pronate the foot to make locking the powerful leg a literal snap and so on. Submissions are more than cool moves. When performed scientifically, they are exercises in destructive structural alignment. In striking, particularly for the old-timers and those who desire to save their fists on the street, the incessant probes to the head are less about the intent to connect bone on bone than to inspire head movement that steals power from the opponent’s strikes and opens the way to soft targets. (It is for this very reason that “head movement” in the striking arts is a misnomer. It is actually upper-body movement with the head acting as a structurally locked section of the spinal column. Head movement steals only power and balance, whereas upper-body movement that takes the head with it, well, now you’re talking!) ALLOW ME TO REPEAT the title of today’s topic: “Combat Conditioning: Are You Training for Weakness?” I’m not asking if you’re practicing your combat tactics correctly; I will assume that you are. I am asking if your conditioning is weakening those tactics. Keeping in mind all I’ve discussed regarding the value of alignment, peruse the following questions: • Do you dip your head while doing pushups, particularly those last few painful ones you squeeze out? • Do you tug your head forward on sit-ups, crunches or SEAL-style flutter kicks? • Do you lean that head side to side while cranking out reps on those heavy hammer curls? • Do you lift your chin on pull-ups? • Do you allow your head to sag on the down portion of burpees? • In short, do you break head-neck alignment while performing any conditioning drills? Likely the Special Forces dictum “How you train is how you will fight” is at the forefront of your mind more often than not, and if it’s not, it ought to be. Often, though, you might get a bit slippery about being scrupulous with your mechanics when what you do doesn’t resemble the fight itself. That’s unfortunate because you presumably are engaging in combat conditioning to better your fight game and your survival chances, and if you choose to steal your own power while you train, what exactly do you think will happen under combat stressors when you require all that sought-after power? How you train is how you will fight. Old-school boxers, wrestlers and combination fighters all stressed proper alignment and scrupulous head positioning. There were precious few exercises in which they permitted the altering of head position, rare circumstances in which it increased power. Follow in their footsteps. Remember that wise martial artists seek to steal power and alignment from their opponents and preserve their own power or increase it, even in endeavors that in no way resemble a fight. Those stress-under-load moments you encounter and the minor corrections you make to reduce their impact can spell large differences in your manifestation of power. Mark Hatmaker’s website is extremeselfprotection.com.

As Martial Artists, we know that great technique has the potential to defeat raw strength in an altercation. However, for the practitioner to accomplish what he must, a reasonable baseline of physical prowess must be present. A Martial Artist must have the strength to block or redirect a violent assault and the ability to generate enough power to subdue an attacker who wishes to do him harm. How you defend yourself will vary depending upon your Art of choice, but strength plays into your action one way or another. I’m not saying that strength training is a substitute for training in the dojo. I’m simply stating the fact that working out with weights is an excellent supplement to our Martial Arts training. You don’t have to take my word for it. If you look at the writings of Grandmaster Ed Parker, you’ll see that he was a proponent of resistance training. If you’re not a “Kenpo guy,” then look no further than Bruce Lee, and you’ll see the same. One would never say that either of these men skimped on their technique work in favor of lifting weights, but at the same time, they knew the great power of adding it to the Marital Artist’s training regimen. If you’re not an avid gym goer, how can you get the most out of adding a simple weight training routine while not take too much time away from your training in the dojo? Well, rather than get confused by trying to learn a ton of exercises and doing 90-minute workouts five times a week, I suggest keeping it short, simple, and effective. You can do enough in 15-30 minutes a week to create measurable results. We don’t even have to reinvent the wheel to reap the many benefits of increased strength. Powerlifters have been doing a few basic exercises that massively increase total body strength for decades. They specialize in barbell Bench Press, Deadlift, and Squat . These three exercises increase your pushing, pulling, and leg strength respectively. I imagine that you can see how stronger legs support more powerful stances. Similarly, pushing strength supports a stronger punch, and pulling power is necessary for throwing a non-compliant adversary. “So, what’s the routine and how do you get it done in as little as 15 minutes per week?” I’m glad you asked. The Routine*: Barbell Bench Press 5 x 5 Barbell Squat 5 x 5 Barbell Deadlift 5 x 5 I know it doesn’t look like much, but if you’re new to the gym, it’ll make huge changes in your strength. If you’re already a gym rat, adding this to your routine will power up your results. Rather than give some longwinded explanation of how to do each of these exercises, I will operate under the impression that you know how to do them or can easily look up the technique. Compared to other elaborate exercises like Olympic lifts, one of the nice things about these movements is their relative simplicity. Let’s dig in! As we look at the routine, we see “5 x 5.” This means that you perform FIVE SETS, and in each SET, you do FIVE REPETITIONS. When performing a repetition ( rep for short), you lift the weight upward powerfully in roughly a 1-second timeframe and lower it down in 2 seconds totaling 3 seconds for each rep. So, a set of 5 reps should take 15 seconds to complete. After you finish a set, rest for 45-75 seconds and do the next set of the same exercise. Once you complete the five sets for the first exercise, you move onto the next exercise and continue in the same fashion until finishing all five sets for the second exercise. From there, you’ll move on to the final exercise and finish the routine. If you observe the 45 second rest-period between sets you complete the entire workout in just 15 minutes. “How much weight do I use?” I like to start with a weight of medium challenge and then increase it each set so that by the last set I’m pushing to failure or at least really struggling with the final rep for each exercise. If you want to make it even simpler, just keep the weight the same for all five sets for a given exercise and then increase it a bit weekly. It is important to note that the weight you use for each of these exercises will be different from one to another. An important point to remember when lifting weights is to warm-up before jumping into your strength training routine. There are many ways to warm-up before starting your lift. You can do some katas, techniques, push-ups, bodyweight squats, go for a jog, etcetera. My favorite way to warm up for a heavy lift is to start with the very same exercise using a light weight for a couple sets of high reps to get the blood flowing and the muscle primed. The choice is up to you. The main thing is that you don’t get under heavy weight cold and try to go all out. That is a recipe for strained muscles or worse. As for breathing when lifting, exhale as you lift the weight up and inhale as you lower the weight down. There are other breathing techniques, but this is the preferred method. If you find yourself holding your breath, which is normal, remember to blow it out when the going gets tough. This is not unlike expelling the breath in the form of a kiai when throwing a strike. There you have it! You can do enough weight training in as little as 15 minutes per week to experience noticeable changes in your total body strength. And in just a few months, you will substantially improve your ability to defend yourself or your loved ones. Increasing your essential strength provides an amazing return for such a small investment of time! Salute, Ian Lauer CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) 3rd Degree Black Belt American Kenpo 1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do 1st Degree Black Belt Hapkido 1st Degree Black Belt Coszacks Karate *Always consult your physician before beginning any new training or exercise plan.

I have been stalling on getting this piece out as I originally was going to reflect on Martial Arts- the year of 2022 in Winter Warrior Land. But then this happened. And I would not be a martial artist if I did not speak the truth about what is occurring around us. Footnote: I began my martial arts practice when I was 10 years old. I grew up in a very loving but chaotic family home, coupled with the 70s in San Francisco and my parents finding themselves and, sometimes, forgetting they had kids. Martial arts was the structured discipline I needed that helped me ground to a coherent field of practice when home life was topsy turvy. My martial arts teacher yelled at me when I was 10 for kicking a girl in the head during practice. I remember feeling shame and embarrassment: wasn't I supposed to do this? So I quit. I recall the training being mean and brutal and, albeit a structure, unsuitable for an already confused 10-year-old. A decade and a half later, after several near-death experiences (which I write about in my book that will be launched in 2024), I was guided to find the kindest and most loving martial arts instructor I have met, Master Sung Jin Su. During these years of intense training and practice, I processed much of the stored-up fear and trauma from early childhood. The physical exercise was demanding. But the spiritual and emotional healing allowed through the practice of Martial Arts changed my life forever. I had to work through deep self-hatred and shame and all those emotions we all experience at some point. It was my teacher's kindness, love, and patience that not only allowed me to become a 4-time world grand champion but a loving mom, good friend, and worker amongst workers, to feel I belonged and that I had developed an extended family. Had I not had this experience, I am not confident I would be writing this today. So, when I heard about our beloved Eric The Trainer's passing, I felt my nervous system give out: how could it be that someone who was so loving and kind and appeared so light and happy took their own life? It was incomprehensible to me, and I imagine to many, many thousands of others who loved and knew Eric. Then, in the same period, beloved Stephen tWitch Boss did the same thing. I did not know tWitch nor was I close to Eric, but I felt connected to both of these giant-hearted men: tWitche's aliveness and giving, positive energy, his dance athleticism, his adoring work with Ellen Degeneres, his fantastic family and Eric, his martial athleticism, his community, his giving, his family, his aliveness, all of which I witnessed at the Martial Arts Super Show in 2019. High-functioning Depression. I do not fully understand this concept, and I am still learning and processing all this entails. Still, I can relate to this in my own life when I feel that something is internally off, and I pretend to be ok. Barbara Brennan's work refers to masking one's true core with a pattern or personality trait that we may have developed at a very young age in order to cope with stress. And we know that "being human" means suffering. The Buddha teaches us this. Jesus teaches us this. Many great mentors teach us that suffering is a part of life. But when suffering is so internal that we mask it from those closest to us and even to ourselves, then we are dealing with an entirely new level of what it means to suffer. It's like knowing that there are fish in the ocean, cognitively, but then putting on deep sea gear and seeing the actual world that makes up 75% of our planet: there is no comparison to knowing vs. really seeing what is underneath the surface. I cannot ever claim to be close to understanding the deep pain Eric-the-trainer and Stephen tWitch Boss must have been experiencing to take their own lives. But what I can say from my own experience with deep emotional and mental pain is that martial arts, the practice, the community, and the teacher, saved my life. The practice forces us to be in the flow of life, to deal with the deep internal demons, and to allow lodged cellular traumas to work themselves out. It is impossible to be a martial artist and not release deep suffering into a safe and caring community, thus allowing for profound emotional, spiritual, and physical healing. A call to action: Pay attention. Practice. Get to Nature. Practice. Ask. Practice. Talk about it. Practice. Go deeper. Practice. Look under the surface. Practice. Feel others in your life. Practice. Love yourself. Practice.

Nothing is more important than the breath. And while it is an involuntary function, it is also one that can be manipulated and used to enhance meditation, martial arts, and more. Whether using the breath for additional power when striking, for a more centered relaxed state when meditating, or even to project your voice to the back of the auditorium, breath is important. The Breath Breathing exercises and techniques can be used to develop better use of the breath, but I think it is crucial not to make things complicated. I’ve been teaching a class on this subject for years now, and I am always amazed at how technical such a primal and fundamental function can become. People often come to the class having had some prior experience working with their breath and usually ask about “the right way” to breathe, such as, “ Should I do alternate nostril breathing?” While I understand the different methods have their various purposes, I think a basic practice that unites your body, breath, and mind has the most beneficial outcome. I don’t believe that there is any need for any legalistic adherence to particular dogmas either. Do what works, and I’ve found that the simplest is best. Anxiety and Stress Relief Almost none of the people that come to my breath class are martial artists looking for more power, or musicians looking to set their inner muse free. Most of my students come looking for solutions or methods to alleviate the effects of anxiety and stress. In the past, it was a small percentage of the students, and now it is fast becoming the majority. If I was a betting man, I would bet that many people are reading this piece right now for that very reason. If so, give the following exercise a try. Abdominal breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, is a technique I teach, and it is easy to learn. How do you do it? Here are the steps. Lay down on the floor, and place a book, or similar object, on your abdomen. If you don’t have a book, you can use your hands (one on top of the other). Inhale and push your stomach up. Exhale and let your stomach fall. The object (or hands) will “ride” your abdomen as it rises and falls with your breath. Count from 1 to 5 for your inhale and 1 to 5 for your exhale. Strive to keep both the inhale and exhale the same duration. After you do the exercise for a five-count, you can add more numbers. In my class, I like to take the count up to 7 and then 9, which almost always elicits an audible gasp from the students. Take it slow, and do several repetitions. You should feel that you’re breathing deeper and feel your abdomen expand, rather than your chest, as you breathe. Once learned, you don’t need to repeat the process above unless you think you need to reinforce the method. It should be like riding a bike. Another version of the same exercise can be done standing. Do everything the same as above, but instead of laying down, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and place your hands just below your navel. The process is pretty easy, and one just has to remember that whether you do either of the techniques above, the goal is to focus on your breath and to breathe slowly and deeply. After doing a repetition of about ten breaths, one will usually experience a calmer state. While an exercise can’t eliminate anxiety or stress, it may help in coping with their effects. Over time, and with the incorporation of other strategies, it may be possible to lessen their impact both in terms of severity and duration. Give it a try. Martial Arts Breath control and abdominal breathing have always been stressed in all of my martial arts studies. The kiai is probably the most well-known technique for using the breath in martial arts, but it is not the only method. In the Chinese martial arts that I have studied, an exhale at the moment of striking was taught. In judo, deep breathing, whether standing searching for a throw, or on the ground grappling, was stressed to keep from gassing out. While I was always told to “Breathe from my diaphragm,” I was never instructed how to do it. Teaching the method was never part of the curriculum. The technique that I provided above was one I learned when I studied voice. It’s not an issue now, since I know how to do it, but it was always incredibly frustrating in my lessons to be admonished to breathe through my diaphragm, and not shown how. It was like being told to punch, but not instructed how to make a fist. The best time to teach breathing is in the beginning when students are learning stances, falls (Ukemi), proper bone alignment, etc. Proper breathing will improve a student’s technique, and help them with other related practices such as meditation. Calm Focus The breath, when incorporated with a simple and deliberate task, such as counting, can be very calming and centering. When I am searching for a state of calm focus, I sit and breathe, as described previously, often for a count of ten breaths, thinking only of the number and the act of breathing. I have found that it helps me to feel present, in the moment, and in a better state of mind to deal with whatever the day is throwing at me. If you want to start a daily practice but think that you don’t have the time, note, it is not a half-hour or an hour, it is ten breaths. You can always do more, but I would start with ten. As with everything I have ever learned, how often you do something is more important than how long. A short, but consistent, practice each day is a good start. Breathing is something we are all doing all the time, and yet using it for the improvement and enhancement of our lives often seems elusive. It doesn’t need to be. Start now. Review the exercise above, and breathe in, breathe out. Repeat.

By Lito Angeles Photo: Rick Hustead The criteria I used to determine the best pre-emptive strikes are encapsulated in 10 questions: Is it simple? Is it direct? Is it powerful? Is it adaptable? Is it versatile? Can it instantly knock out or incapacitate an adversary? Has it been proved effective in harsh real-life conditions? Is it “real-life practical” for the average person to employ? Is it psychologically palatable for most people? Two strikes meet all these criteria. The first is a Western-boxing-style hook punch to the side of the jaw. (It’s the best target to attack when you’re unarmed because it’s the best route to producing a clinical knockout.) The temple, the area behind the ear, the side of the neck and the base of the skull are also vulnerable targets for the hook. For the average person, it’s optimal to use the dominant hand from the rear side. If you’re a well-trained martial artist and/or combat-sport athlete who’s proficient at throwing hooks with either hand or if you stand with your dominant hand in front, you can certainly initiate a pre-emptive hook from the lead side. In terms of what “tool” to use it with, most martial arts instructors and combat-sport coaches teach using the fists. I, on the other hand, advocate using the palms. I’ll explain why in the second part of this column. The reason the hook is No. 1 for me is it’s a proven shot that has produced countless knockouts in all arenas of combat sports and in real-life engagements. In nearly all sports that include striking, the hook is arguably the predominant one-shot knockout blow. This applies to real-world street fights, as well. No matter what arena we’re talking about, a decently powerful and reasonably accurate hook has the ability to render anyone instantly unconscious by shaking the brain and torquing the brain stem in a severe way. It is, along with the No. 2 shot on my shortlist, the highest-percentage practical technique for producing an instantaneous one-shot knockout, which is the primary objective when using a pre-emptive strike for self-defense. It’s one and done — in the blink of an eye. Remember that in self-defense, nothing is more simple and direct, as well as effective and efficient, than a one-shot knockout. If you doubt this, go to YouTube and search for combat-sport and street-fight knockouts. You’ll find countless videos taken in both venues that showcase the potency of this strike. The No. 2 pre-emptive strike is the Western-boxing-style dominant-hand rear straight punch. It’s often referred to as a cross or straight right (or left) in boxing parlance. Like the hook, the rear straight can be executed using a fist or palm — and, as with the hook, I prefer using the palm. The targets are the side of the jaw, the temple, the side of the neck and the area behind the ear. Excluding the hook, the rear straight has produced more one-shot knockouts in combat-sport matches than any other technique or maneuver. Both the hook and the rear straight are great options for self-defense. On a related note, I believe that Western boxing is the best system of barehanded combat to learn and master first for unarmed self-defense. There is nothing more effective and efficient than being able to instantly knock out an adversary with one strike when you have to get physical to neutralize a threat. There is nothing better you can do with your empty hands to ensure your personal safety through physical means. Reinforcing this point, boxing-based blows have been scientifically proved to be the most biomechanically powerful strikes you can execute. While other martial arts/combat sports such as kickboxing, MMA and muay Thai incorporate Western boxing strikes in their arsenals, I recommend most people who are strictly interested in self-defense start with boxing so they can focus on mastering its hand strikes first and foremost. As I mentioned, the head is the best target for unarmed self-defense (combat sports, too), and boxing-based hand strikes that use the palms or fists are the most practical choices for the average person. Back the rear straight: Notice that I didn’t include the chin or throat as target areas. They were deliberately omitted. When you strike the chin at its center point, the probability of producing a one-shot knockout is low because at that straight-on angle, the chin/head/neck will act like a shock absorbing car bumper and neutralize the impact. Often when this happens, your adversary will stumble backward but remain upright, which then necessitates a seamless transition to a follow-up barrage. For this reason, you should angulate your rear straight at 15 to 45 degrees (depending on your range and position relative to your adversary). This will enable you to strike the side of the jaw, which is the best way to twist the head and potently rattle the brain to produce a clean knockout. The throat is not a practical target to attack with a fist or palm, either. Most people will have their head/chin in a naturally neutral position or tilted slightly downward. In either case, the opening to strike this target is too small for a fist or palm to hit cleanly. You’ll likely make contact with the chin if you go for the throat, and I already covered why a chin strike isn’t a good one in terms of effecting a one-shot knockout. These two strikes — the hook (from the rear or lead side, with the palm or fist) and rear straight (with the palm or fist) — are unequivocally the top techniques for pre-emptive striking. These are the ones I recommend for anyone, male or female,who has the attitude and aptitude to learn. For those who don’t have the prerequisite attributes, there are other options and alternatives, and they will be addressed in a future column. There’s one more thing I must mention: The hook and rear straight are both height- and direction-adaptable, as well as versatilely repeatable. That means you can execute them with either hand against taller or shorter adversaries and even against multiple assailants. With that said, they aren’t the only techniques that are effective for pre-emptive striking. There are seven other strikes that are valuable, but they don’t satisfy all the criteria listed above because of certain limitations that put them in a category below the hook and rear straight. Nevertheless, I will cover them in a forthcoming column. Lito Angeles is Black Belt’s 2022 Self-Defense Instructor of the Year. To order his bestselling book Fight Night! The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Mixed Martial Arts, visit shop.blackbeltmag.com. This article first appeared in 2022 edition of Black Belt Magazine.

One of the greatest influences in the Martial Arts world has been Bruce Lee. There are, of course, naysayers that like to focus on his lack of a prolific professional fight career that many MMA stars benefit from today. To argue what Bruce Lee could or couldn’t do in the Octagon is really a moot point. It reminds me of the comparisons of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls team versus today’s best teams. All that we really know and can prove is who is the best in their day. That said, one of the best at promotion and creating excitement regarding the Arts in his day was Bruce Lee. Bruce captured the audience’s imagination and wowed them with his skillset at his formal introduction to the American Martial Arts world via American Kenpo Grandmaster Ed Parker’s Long Beach International Karate Championship. His impact then and through the remaining years of his life was so profound that we still discuss him to this very day. One of Lee’s greatest contributions to the Arts wasn’t based on his physical talents. Rather it springs from his philosophical views and the establishment of the proper mindset for the ultimate benefit of our studies. Together with you, I would like to explore a few quotes from Bruce Lee and see how they can serve as guideposts for our training. Let’s dive in. “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.” Whether you are an experienced Martial Artist or a brand-new beginner, establishing a proper mindset is perhaps the most important thing you can do to prepare for success. When approaching something new or different, we frequently use past experiences or fabricated beliefs which falsely shape what we are about to learn. As Bruce points out, it is vital to clear the mind and be willing to assimilate and be shaped by what we are taught. When we submit to this idea, we are prepared to learn. “Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy and cast spells, that's why it's called spelling.” As you train and work to be like water, the temptation for self-talk is unavoidable. As Bruce points out though, what you tell yourself is of the utmost importance. Speaking negatively about oneself may happen for several reasons, but it doesn’t do anything positive for us in the long run. We should use caution and make sure what we tell ourselves during training is positive. Build yourself up rather than tear yourself down. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” As you’re working to assimilate knowledge with the proper mindset and positive self-talk, focus your training in a way to maximize your results. The continual temptation for Martial Artists is to spread themselves so thin that they do a lot but master nothing. As Bruce talks about the man that practices one kick 10,000 times, he seems to be purporting mastery of a few skills rather than dabbling in a multitude. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” Take the skills you develop through much practice and make them your own. Bruce then says to reject and get rid of that which you find useless IN THE MOMENT. This jives with his thoughts on the one-kick ideology but allow me to suggest a simple possibility. That which is “useless” for you today , may not be useless tomorrow . Furthermore, it may be helpful to someone you’re teaching in the future with a different natural talent base. For this reason, even when applying Bruce’s philosophical ideas to my training, I like to return to the beginning mindset and approach my training with an open and clear mind. “The ego boundary is the differentiation between the self and the other. It is not a fixed thing. If it is fixed, then is becomes a character or an armor like the shell of a turtle.” On the flipside of focusing on little rather than exposure to much, Bruce talked about the ego . This is a humbling warning reminding us not to me overly confident with that one kick that has been practiced 10,000 times. Yes, focus and build a strong skill, but always be willing to be humbled and learn something new. Your ego may tell you to identify as a turtle, but that may be holding you back. To survive in the wild, you may need to evolve into something other than a turtle. For a real-life example, look at the evolution of MMA and the fight game over the last few decades. You can’t deny the evolution of the fighters, and the skillset changes over even that short period of time. What would have been enough to be a champ in 1990, may not be enough to even make the UFC roster today. I don’t want to get too far off-topic with combat sports. My main point is that our skills must evolve with the real-life threats of today, and we can’t let our ego hold us back from learning something new. “Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick. Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life!” When push comes to shove, and there is no referee to make sure a fight is fair, you must be willing to do what is necessary. Bruce expresses that you should be ready to take some damage and deal with pain. But he also makes it abundantly clear that you must have the fortitude and skills to take it one step further than any attacker you may face. You must be able to push through adversity and unquestionably defeat anyone with ill intent toward you or your family. “Don't think, FEEL.” If you find yourself in the situation where you must exercise your skills for self-preservation, you will be well served for having practiced extensively with intensity and intention. For in the moment of battle, you can’t spend time thinking. You must feel and act on the instinct you have developed through your years of directed preparation in the dojo. Bruce Lee brought so much to the Martial Arts world. It was not only his physical skills, but his philosophical views which are some of his most significant contributions. I hope you’ll consider these guideposts from Bruce’s quotes and use them in shaping your studies to develop a training approach that helps you become the best Martial Artist you can be. Salute, Ian Lauer

by Andrew Bryan This is the fourth in a series of articles in which I talk about the history of martial arts and professional wrestling. Prior installments can be found here , here and of course here . via New Japan Pro Wrestling On October 1st 2022, just over a year from writing, the legendary Antonio Inoki died. He was known by many names, born Kanji Inoki, then converted to Islam and went by Muhammed Hussein Inoki, but most knew him as Antonio, one of the greatest and most influential wrestlers of all time. Today we look at his life and legacy. If you are a frequent reader of my articles, you will have likely read the name Antonio Inoki a few times, even if you aren’t familiar with the man himself. He was mentioned in both The Life and Times of Gene LeBell and Rikidōzan vs Kimura: The Legendary Footnote. The world of professional wrestling is a small one, and eventually everyone knows everyone else. Antonio Inoki trained under both Rikidōzan and the legendary Karl Gotch, on his journey to become a professional wrestler. For those not in the know, in the early days of professional wrestling, wrestlers were taught legitimate catch-wrestling, and were capable of fighting for real. Catch wrestling is a simple enough concept to understand, you could win by submission, or by pin, and it’s still practised today by fighters like Josh Barnett and Shayna Baszler. The ability to fight for real, and the legitimacy of professional wrestling as a martial art – was woven into the DNA of Antonio Inoki. This mindset is something that never left him, and proved to be controversial later in his career, but we will get there. The JWA As a wrestler, Antonio Inoki began his career in the Japanese Wrestling Alliance, founded by Rikidōzan, who of course sat at the top of the company as its primary draw and star. The JWA largely consisted of former sumo wrestlers and judoka, who were adapting their transferable skills to professional wrestling. Antonio Inoki was a slightly different breed of wrestler, with his training under Karl Gotch putting him more in line with classic European professional wrestlers, who’s style permeated the rest of the globe. After Rikidōzan murder in 1963, the JWA would last for another 10 years, mostly relying on the star power of Antonio Inoki and fellow wrestling legend, Giant Baba. The relationship between Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, is a saga in of its own and could easily make up multiple articles, but in short. Baba and Inoki were in fierce competition with each other, were none too fond of one another and shaped wrestling as we know it today. The two men would ultimately leave the JWA and go their separate ways, although they walked very similar paths. Giant Baba would found the legendary All Japan Pro Wrestling, known for its influence from American Wrestling, particularly “Southern Rasslin’” and the creation of what is commonly known as ‘The Kings Road Style’. Meanwhile Antonio Inoki would found New Japan Pro Wrestling, the promotion it’s more likely you have heard of, if not already a wrestling fan. While All Japan would have great success for some thirty years, after the passing of Giant Baba, it would effectively be replaced by Pro Wrestling Noah. All Japan still exists today, but it’s not near the popularity of NJPW, Noah or Dragon Gate. Meanwhile NJPW went through many twists and turns to sit today as the second largest promotion in the world (aside from WWE) and the largest promotion in Japan. While AJPW was known for the Kings Road Style, NJPW was known for strong style. Strong Style vs Muhammed Ali Strong Style is based upon the catch wrestling principles that Antonio Inoki learned. Submission moves, gritty wrestling mixed with legitimate martial arts strikes. It is best exemplified today by wrestlers like Minoru Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata. It is a tough, gruelling style that requires you to endure a lot of pain as you’re repeatedly hit. For a great example look at any match between Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kenoh in Pro Wrestling Noah, as they repeatedly full force kick each other in the chest. This was Antonio Inoki’s bread and butter, and the fact that he had legitimate fighting skills, coupled with the fact he literally owned the ring that he stood in – meant that any wrestler had to have respect, and perhaps a healthy dose of fear for Antonio Inoki. One particularly famous match saw Inoki legitimately knock out The Great Antonio. A large behemoth of a man who struck Inoki with multiple stiff, dangerous shots to the back of the head. This saw Inoki retaliate and knock his partner out for real. Antonio Inoki positioned professional wrestling as a real, legitimate martial art and that his wrestlers were tough and could fight. In the first few years of NJPW’s existence, Antonio Inoki fought in exhibition matches against different martial artists to demonstrate the power of his strong style pro wrestling. … Which brings us to the time when he fought Muhammed Ali… Muhammed Ali and Antonio Inoki fought each other in what is sometimes considered to be the first (and worst) mixed martial arts match. It is also one of the least enjoyable fights you can ever sit through to the point of it coming out the other end and being funny. Refereed by Gene LeBell, I’ve talked about this fight before, this fight was meant to prove that Muhammed Ali could beat any professional wrestler in a fight. Today you might think to yourself ‘well yeah, obviously’ but at the time people weren’t necessarily in the know that professional wrestling was a worked show, rather than legitimate contest, and the presence of legit tough guys like Inoki blurred the line. Old pro wrestling looked more like a real fight and in the days before MMA, audiences weren’t really as educated as to what a fight would look like, if it wasn’t a boxing match. It’s often claimed that Ali wasn’t aware that the fight was going to be real, but this doesn’t make an awful lot of sense. As Ali, correctly realised that if Inoki were allowed to actually wrestle with Ali, he would lose. Inoki would simply walk up to him through his punches, grab him, take him to the floor, and submit him. So Antonio Inoki was not allowed to wrestle in this wrestler vs boxer match. If the fight was meant to be a worked match – these rules wouldn’t have been in place. Not only that but the rule was made that Antonio Inoki was only allowed to kick, if one of his knees were touching the ground. Otherwise he would simply leg kick Ali to death. While it’s interesting that Ali had worked out in the 1970s what some boxing fans still don’t understand today, this rule resulted in maybe the most hilarious fight I’ve ever sat through. A slog of kicks from a buttscooted position, Inoki being too respectful of Ali’s hands, and Ali being too reluctant to do anything at all – saw the fight ruled a draw. While Ali claimed that he was the real winner, in actuality the decision went to referee Gene LeBell, who being educated on both grappling and striking, ruled the fight a draw, but only because Inoki had a point deducted during the fight. What was interesting is that the two ringside judges, actually scored the bout with the opposite bias, with the wrestling expert thinking Ali had won, and the boxing judge thinking that Inoki had won. The fight was of course, panned, rubbish thrown into the ring and as a global community, we all promptly forgot that it happened until internet articles and videos started bringing it up again. In Inoki’s mind though, the point was made. Strong style worked and he had beaten Muhammed Ali. The Decline NJPW existed as a successful promotion, but nothing mind blowing, until the popularity of MMA in Japan began to rise. The narrative goes that this began the decline of NJPW and Antonio Inoki’s eventual departure. Antonio Inoki’s insistence on strong style, saw him throwing his wrestlers into MMA organisations to fight against trained fighters. The issue is that while there are some strong style wrestlers who could indeed do that, the majority of them simply weren’t equipped to fight against people who’s day job is training for the ring. The numerous wrestling losses caused NJPW to decline and fall out of favour with audiences, and eventually Inoki left to start a new promotion. While NJPW would bounce back by mixing a wide array of exciting wrestling styles with strong style wrestlers, Inoki would gradually move further and further away from wrestling. Politics & The Collision in Korea Here’s where things get murkier, the career of Inoki is complex, he had two stints in politics. He was a member of house of councillors as a representative of the Sports and Peace Party, which he founded. In 1990, Inoki went on a private mission to Iraq, where he negotiated the release of Japanese citizens, who were currently being held hostage in Baghdad. The trip proved life changing as not only was Inoki successful in his mission to free those held hostage, but it also resulted in a pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq, which saw Inoki convert to Islam. Five years later in an attempt to improve diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea, Inoki put together a high profile wrestling show. A cross promotion event between NJPW and WCW, which was just a year out from becoming the biggest professional wrestling show in the world, The Collision in Korea was a two day event held in Pyongyang. The event, despite not being well known in the West, is the largest ever professional wrestling event in history, with more than 190,000 people in attendance on the first day. For comparison the most successful WrestleMania event, WM32, saw 101,763 in attendance. Inoki already had good will in North Korea due to his affiliation with Rikidōzan who was himself North Korean on the technicality that he was born in an area that would one day become North Korea. With Kim Jong-Il looking to make a big impression on the world, the event was star studded. The event was headlined by Ric Flair vs Antonio Inoki, with the undercard featuring The Steiner Brothers, Road Warrior Hawk and Yuji Nagata. Tiger Hattori was refereeing and Muhammed Ali was present in the audience, presumably seething the whole time. The event was huge… and then it got weird. At the end of the event Ric Flair was expected to read a statement about how North Korea could easily destroy the United States, which he of course declined. They were also greeted with a speech about the greatness of passed leader Kim Il-Sung and were required to leave flowers at his statue. Then there is the added question of while the attendance figures were huge, to what degree was the attendance forced. While Inoki doesn’t hold responsibility for what the North Korean government may or may not have done, the fact of the matter is we just don’t know. The event saw no coverage in the West, and wasn’t archived on WWE’s Network. Unfortunately for Antonio Inoki, it didn’t have the desired effect of improving relations between Japan and North Korea. The Passing of Inoki Unlike the last wrestling legend, I talked about. Antonio Inoki lived a long life, while his mentor was tragically murdered, Inoki lived not only to the age of 79, but was able to witness the 50th Anniversary of NJPW, the company he founded at just 29 years of age. He was a complicated and fascinating man, his religious and political beliefs would flip flop all his life. His business decisions were great and terrible. His wrestling skills were second to none. We haven’t even touched on his work with WWE, and there is so much more to say about him. He was, like most, a complicated man with a complicated legacy – but perhaps no wrestler has left a legacy quite so fascinating.

In the world of combat sports, stepping into the octagon is as extreme as it gets. Standing across from another person who has trained specifically to cause you bodily injury is an unsettling thought for any normal person. In order for these abnormal, yet special individuals to succeed on fight night, everything must be aligned, mind, body, and spirit. The slightest miscalculation or attention to detail could result in a brutal night at the office. For that reason, MMA fighters invest a lot of time and money in preparing for that one night of battle. Fighters have struggled to make it to the Octagon on fight night because of injuries. Injuries are very common in MMA, but can they be avoided? In this article, we’ll find out. How Long Is an MMA Fight Training Camp? For an MMA fighter to be in shape and ready to go at fight time, the necessary training must be done in the form of a fight training camp. A typical fight camp normally ranges between six to eight weeks. For major fights and championships, camps can extend to 16 weeks. MMA Fighters must follow a customized schedule in order to enhance their skills and develop a winning strategy. Occasionally, fights get booked on short notice. This would require an even shorter fight camp. An MMA fight training camp will often contain the following: ●Wrestling ●Kickboxing or Muay Thai ●Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ●Strength and conditioning ●Reaction drills On a daily basis, multiple training sessions take place throughout the day to perfect these skills. To accomplish this in the most effective way, the camp is divided into cycles. At the start of MMA fight camp, a fighter may begin at their home gym with the usual coaches. It is quite common for fighters to refer to another gym or bring in people to train with if they cannot receive all the skills they need at their current gym. How Much Is an MMA Fight Training Camp? The cost of an MMA fight camp depends on many things. An MMA fighter seeking outside help at other gyms and training with specialists can get expensive fast. Having a fight camp at their home gym with their regular coaches and training partners will be much cheaper. In a 2013 Bleacher report article, retired MMA fighter John Cholish explained how much it costs to be a UFC fighter. During his time with the UFC, Cholish trained in New York City at Renzo Gracie Academy. Cholish explained how much he spends on a fight camp by saying, "This is just gym fees, travel expenses, making sure you're eating the right stuff, and not talking day-to-day stuff like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. More like supplements, training gear, all that top to bottom. I'd say roughly between $4,000 to $6,000 a month when you look at it." Former UFC featherweight and BKFC fighter Chad Mendes detailed how much it cost him when UFC fights got canceled. He told MMAJunkie , “I don’t know what these guys are doing to get injured or what is going on, but it’s just frustrating.” “I go through a camp, and I spend my own money. I'll go $6,000 or $7,000 or even $10,000 in, and then right before the fight it falls through. I don't get that money back, so that in itself is frustrating, let alone having to kill myself for nothing.” he continued. At UFC 280 on fight island, we saw the crowning of the new lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. It is reported coach, mentor, and childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team spent a staggering $1 million to ensure Makhachev was ready to take home the lightweight title against former champion Charles Oliveira. Obviously, this is on the extreme side of things, but can you imagine if that fight had a T.J. Dillashaw pre-existing shoulder moment or was canceled altogether due to injury? Why Injuries Occur Training too hard and overtraining is the most common cause of injuries during fight camp. There was a time when nearly all the fighters out of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) couldn’t make it to fight day due to injury. To simulate fight night, fighters grappled or sparred too hard and too much, causing back, knee, or shoulder injuries. This was a recurring theme for former champions Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, and Cain Velasquez. Nurmagomedov faced a lot of criticism because of the fights he had to pull out of for medical reasons. For this reason, UFC veterans like Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez have stopped sparring to preserve their health. It seems like more high-profile fighters are going this route to keep their bodies and minds healthy. Injuries have slowly declined from the good old days when AKA pretty much dominated the UFC. By incorporating old recovery methods like acupuncture, cupping, and massage, fighters, and coaches are now training smarter and not harder. Fight camps are also using new methods in the form of technology. The use of cryotherapy and monitoring devices can contribute to an injury-free fight camp. Can MMA Fighter’s Avoid Injuries Before a Fight? It’s hard to train for a fight without actually fighting. As a result, fight camp injuries are common in MMA. However, steps can be taken to reduce them. Injury reductions over the years have proven this to be true. Giving fighters ample time to rest and heal from tough training sessions is important. Pushing through muscle fatigue will increase the risk of injury. Fight camp injuries can also be reduced with the use of technology to enhance training output and speed recovery. As fighters and coaches start to focus more on health and on effective training techniques, fight cancelations will continue to be reduced. This benefits us MMA fans as we’ll get to see more fighters make it to the octagon on fight night.

Amir Aliakbari got off to a rough start when he joined ONE Championship, but the Iranian superstar has gotten back on the path toward the top of the heavyweight mountain. Now he is set for a pivotal clash against Dustin Joynson at ONE Fight Night 12 on July 14. After a powerful finish of Mauro Cerilli last August, Aliakbari returned with a first-round TKO over former ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera to prove his status as a threat to the throne. Aliakbari knows the Canadian will be a tough out but is confident he has the advantage in the matchup. “Dustin is a good opponent, and I have been training for many months after my last fight with Brandon, and I hope to reap the benefits of my hard work in my next fight,” Aliakbari told ONE. “Dustin is a good fighter. He has a strong chin and stamina, but his weak points are my strong points.” Getting back in the win column was important for Aliakbari, and his back-to-back TKO wins have given him momentum in the division. He can attribute some of that success to his mindset. The Iranian is focused on only one thing — winning. “The most important thing in my life is martial arts and, more importantly, being successful at it,” Aliakbari said. Not one to mince words, Aliakbari was steadfast in his prediction for the heavyweight clash. The 35-year-old does not see it getting to the judges. “This fight will be over before we reach a decision if God wills,” Aliakbari said. But the heavyweight knows another challenge awaits with a big performance, and one that is important for him to attempt again. In his second bout in ONE, Aliakbari was ousted by Anatoly Malykhin. The Russian now stands atop the division with the undisputed ONE Heavyweight World Championship. And Aliakbari feels it is his destiny to take him off his pedestal. “After my big loss to him, Anatoly Malykhin became stronger and prouder of himself. It’s my job now to break his prestige,” Aliakbari said. He will first need to get past Joynson on July 14 to get that chance. Aliakbari is prepared to show the world he deserves the rematch and a chance at ultimate glory. ONE Fight Night 12 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, July 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.

In the previous installment on this topic, it was suggested at great length that a dedicated fanbase like the one attached to Mixed Martial Arts seems surprisingly uninvolved and uninterested in things like fighter pay. Surprisingly is actually a compliment to the average MMA fan here - because MMA fans as a rule really love their sport and its fighters. So, it is indeed a surprise the topic is not more prevalent in the consciousness and conversation of fans. Of course, if sport is an escape, it makes all the sense in the world to avoid how the proverbial sausage gets made and not talk about real life things. But, still. Nothing? Along with the treatment of fighters and their paychecks – however measly – comes the question as to why the Ultimate Fighting Championship has literally monopolized dominated the market in Mixed Martial Arts. If fans are indeed fanatics of MMA, how can they give so much of their attention exclusively to one promotion? In the beginning of the last bit on this, it was stated that it seems the MMA fanbase that exclusively follows the UFC as the sole producer of the combat sport, also appears to be tacitly going along with things just being the way they are. Would it be too much to say that it is simply accepted that when Dana White, who is the president of the UFC, says something, it is taken as what it is? When he says terrible things of fighters, that is alright? When he maligns the media (who essentially pay to promote his company), that is alright? Or the hinge pin of this discussion; when he maligns fans, that is alright? Think this is overstatement? Go search the phrase online “Dana blasts.” Part of the allure when MMA was burgeoning was that it was a fight sport with fighter-types associated – including its very vocal president. There was a feeling that we were all in on some Fight Club stuff. The voice for the company was saying we will be who we want to be. Then came legalization in all states, stars (the writer groans when that word comes up), television deals, USADA, and apparel deals. And this last one is where we pause for a moment and remind ourselves. Many times from the man himself, it was stated the goal was to be super-duper professional like the other sports. A drinking game (figuratively of course) could be made of the times White says “this thing” referring to what they have built and how it is mainstream and huge and global and extra professional – super-duper, extra professional. Did we say, professional? And here we are with the sport having gone literally global. The promotion itself being in partnership with ESPN; possibly the most ubiquitous sports commodity on earth. And as recent as months ago, the president of the company is saying of boxers: “All those f****** guys are overpaid.” It is quite possible that this is an attractive quality to some. But this is a Martial Arts context we are in. The loudest voice in the sport said that people getting punched in the head for a living are being overpaid. Not ice-skaters. Not curlers. Boxers. Take a minute if you would, and go watch interviews from retired boxers. This is not really about pay if we have any empathy. Enter the other promotions. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Chatri Sityodtong – President of One Championship - answered some tough questions very candidly about the journey he has been on as a promoter. How the first three years were so very difficult. He spoke about how even now they are still working - having had some devastating setbacks due to the pandemic and other things – to become profitable. He also spoke of particular numbers gauging success for combat sports and how One is leading the pack – even over UFC – in many parts of the world. But what about the ethos? What about when told he is not as big or as good as UFC? What about the constant drone of always being a bridesmaid? Maybe taking a swing at a star like Nate Diaz is the shot in the arm he needs, right? Wrong. Chatri spoke of the ethos of his company being about the Martial Arts. He emphatically said UFC is an MMA company. He doesn’t want a star for stars’ sake. He wants the best strikers, the best grapplers, the best kickbokers, etc. He is not taking castoffs from other organizations. He is building his own fighters. And it would seem for all intents and purposes, succeeding at doing so. And not once has he ever told us we are idiots or as White did to a fan who said a card wasn’t good, “Stay home then, f***face!” – in public no less. We have not even talked about Bellator and Scott Coker’s reputation and integrity, or the backing that PFL has gotten from pretty significant investors, or even the smaller promotions producing some excellent talent. If in a discussion, this is the part where people ask weird impossible hypotheticals about champions in one place fighting champions in another. Aside from the actual evidence such as Eddie Alvarez spanning promotions and reaching the absolute heights in each, or the title fight between UFC Champion Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira essentially being a showcase of fighters not homegrown in the UFC, or seeing UFC fighters even in their prime struggling elsewhere – aside from all of that, people will likely still simply accept that the UFC has all of the good fighters and fights. If you go further past the top five in the UFC, you will see without doubt that things are way more equal and open in the talent pool. Still, UFC is best, right? Maybe. This is all to say that the UFC did it. They told us all ‘it is what it is’ and what it is is that we consume what we are fed. There seems no number high enough of fighters complaining about their lot in the UFC or fighters extoling the virtues of another organization that will make the casual fan take notice. Will this end up in the end being a ‘what might have been’? Could there have been a scenario in a parallel universe where fighters got to excel, be paid handsomely like other pro sports, be appreciated by fan and promoter alike, and have opportunities in a free market to appreciate in value? All while representing the honor of Martial Arts? The strange thing is that this seems to be a model that is not all that costly. It could be that everyone could win if done right. Wishful thinking perhaps – if the cost of doing business is less ego.

The irradiation concept is a must-know for anybody serious about martial arts and strength training. The principle of irradiation will increase your strength, speed, and power. And it is fantastic for preparing the body for athletics and sports. Look at it like this: what you do during your deadlift will augment your strength more than just doing a deadlift. And the same goes for squatting and all exercises and activity imaginable. For example, irradiation is a technique to try during your movements, techniques, and exercises because it will instantly increase your rep count and power. What is the Principle of Irradiation? The irradiation idea was developed in the 1890s by Charles Scott Sherrington. His concept implies that as impulses from the nervous system increase, they transfer the signal to other muscles to contract. A muscle that generates significant tension will recruit and exacerbate the tension of the surrounding muscles. Donald Hebb, a prominent psychologist considered the "father of neuropsychology," also contributed to Sherrington’s Law. Hebb stated, "Cells that fire together will wire together." His discovery indicates that any two cells or systems regularly active at the same moment will connect and activate together. Irradiation Techniques Try it out. Put one hand on your triceps. Start by clenching your other hand by making a fist as tightly as possible. You can do it slowly or quickly, tightening your grip to max tension. You'll feel the contraction all the way up to your triceps. Unconsciously, this irradiation recruits all the muscles up to your mid-back. You can also touch your chest, shoulder, and back muscles to feel the impulse when doing the grip technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b9SbrF1aCo (Exercises to Develop Crushing Grip Strength Video.) Are you having trouble perceiving irradiation using the grip? Therefore, try this. Stand tall and clench your glutes the same way as described with the grip. Slowly or fast to max tension. It is essential to feel what is occurring between the relaxation and contraction. As you tighten your glutes, you will also feel your abdominal and leg muscles contract all the way down to your feet, rooting into the floor. There is an added irradiation effect if you do nasal diaphragmatic breathing that tenses the core. Understand when your muscles create maximum tension and force, they irradiate that tension to the neighboring muscles. The stronger you become using irradiation, the more connected your muscles will be throughout your whole body. An Important Remark Regarding Stability To create maximum force and power, proper alignment and stability are required. If your joints lack stability and your hips and spine are misaligned, your strength potential will be diminished. You can force yourself to become stronger; however, this will only harm your body. What you don’t understand about your nervous system is that your ability to increase tension and force is restricted when stability is lacking. So, no matter how much force you generate or how many weights you stack on the bar to increase force, you are more likely to suffer from strain and injury rather than increase strength. Simply put, if something is not stable, the force will cause it to crumble and fall. Therefore, if you wish to get stronger, consider stability first! As I explain to everyone, stability is like the difference between diving into a lake from a dock versus a canoe. The dock is sturdy, and you can generate force from the sturdy platform to increase speed, height, and force. However, you cannot do the same from an unstable canoe on the water. Consequently, stability is the key to achieving peak strength, power, and explosiveness. What does this signify? When doing a squat, deadlift, shoulder press, bench press, etc., you can use irradiation to actively activate your lats, core, glutes, and grip. Irradiation induces isometric contraction, which enhances muscle tension and structural stability. The nervous system picks up on the tension and allows greater force augmentation. Consequently, if you apply the irradiation theory to your five-rep maximum, you can perform more repetitions. Therefore, recognize that your lack of stability and misalignment may prevent you from optimizing your strength. As your neuromuscular condition and coordination improve, your injury risk decreases as you activate the systems that enhance your strength. How to Implement Irradiation Tension During Exercises Utilizing the lats during Squats, Deadlifts, Rows, and Presses. Squats When you bring the bar onto your upper back, pull down on the bar and pull your elbows toward your ribs. This will activate and engage your core, mid-back, and lats. Deadlift Pinch your armpits. You will activate your lats throughout the deadlift by drawing your elbows toward your body. At the top of the deadlift, contract your glutes. As you descend, bend slightly forward onto your big toe, and you will feel additional muscular contractions. In addition, foot position will stimulate the ankles, knees, and hips. Rows Maximally clenching the bar with your fist will engage all the arm's muscles, from the forearm to your mid-back. Unilateral Shoulder Press The first approach to improve your press is to tighten and clench your non-working hand's fist. And at the same time, clench your glutes. In this manner, the shoulder press engages the entire body, not just the shoulders. In addition, the isometric contraction chain augments tension and force in the nervous system for the working arm to do more work, hence increasing the number of repetitions. The second method involves using a resistance band. Attach it high, so it provides a great deal of resistance when pulled down. Pull it down and maintain the isometric single-arm lat pull while performing dumbbell shoulder presses with the opposite arm. Also, contract your glutes as you press. This is my preferred method because it is very effective! Bench Press When performing a bench press, maintain a tight grip on the bar and attempt to bend it like a strongman. Gripping and trying to bend the bar will cause your elbows to move toward your ribs, activating your lats. This signal of irradiation reaches your shoulders and upper back muscles as well. During the concentric portion of the push, you can press your feet into the floor. This will engage your core, glutes, and hips, allowing your entire body to work during the bench press. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1uwUndk56Y&t=270s (Do more reps. Be stronger instantly! Irradiation Principal Exercises Video.) Understand sometimes, tension is created by clenching, increasing abdominal tension, your grip, or altering your foot position. Now that you know what irradiation is and how it functions, try to include it in your movements. Check out the book INSTANT STRENGTH for more info about strength, speed, power, and explosive training. Or, to see more great videos to develop your sport and training, watch the BALANCED BODY channel.