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Hey guys, I am sitting here enjoying some beers and I am in the mood to write a massive thread filled with as much knowledge as I can think of off the type of my head.
The Fighters Bible
I will try and include as much detailed info as I can. Everything from taping your hands all the way to gear I enjoy and some I dislike.
Fighting is and always has been a huge passion of mine, above everything else I love coaching and watching someone come in for the first time knowing nothing, and grooming them into a better person as well as athlete and martial artist. I have hopes of running my own gym down the road, I have a book near completion, and I also want to run a successful clothing company and fight team. Coaching is my passion.
Choosing a gym
When you first walk into a gym for the first time, it can be an overwhelming and intimidating experience. You never know what your going to experience and I have seen it all. I have been fortunate enough in my lifetime to train at enough gyms and camps and I have seen it all. Everything from a ****y guy walking in off the street thinking he was the next phenom, all the way to the quiet, mild mannered person become a great professional.
When you are searching for a gym a few things should be key. The quality of the coaches should always be of importance as well as the quality of training partners. To me the thing that really makes a gym is the atmosphere, I like friendly guys who are softspoken and polite. Arrogance from a coach or training partner is not ever necessary but it seems to be way too common these days.
You want a nice clean facility to train in, otherwise you are at a higher risk of catching an infection like ringworm or some other nasty thing. Trust me, ringworm sucks!
Everyone needs something different from their coaching staff, depending on your personality. Some people do well under harsh criticism, some don't. I prefer honest criticism but I would be lier if I didn't admit to loving some praise now and then.
Equipment
I have used many different types of gloves over the years, both for boxing and MMA.
My favorite Muay thai gloves are probably anything made by fairtex.
Fairtex.com - The Official Fairtex Homepage And Online Store.
They make high quality gear but you will pay a higher price for it.
Once I started to really work my hands more and I could feel my power growing on weekly basis, I made the switch to a pair of rival, lace up boxing gloves. They feel amazing and work very well.
Here the gloves I swear by.
RS1 High Performance Pro Sparring Gloves - Sparring Gloves - Rival Boxing Gear Inc.
And here is a direct link to their website. I have a pair of their focus mitts but I have never tried any of their MMA gear so I can't vouch for it.
Boxing equipment at Rival Boxing Gear - gloves, shoes, apparel, MMA
As for shin guards, I prefer the fairtex ones for hard thai sparring, they are padded well, and are comfortable, they seem to slide a little more than I would like but that might be because I have chicken legs.
For MMA sparring I use Hayabusa shin guards. Much less padding but they fit 10x tighter and don't slide or move at all. You also have a more fluid range of motion using them. Great shinguards, give them a try!
Hayabusa Fightwear
Mouthguard
If your going the cheap route, a shock doctor mouth guard is always a good choice, I have used the tapout ones before as well, and they are like 2 for 20$. They worked well and disrupt my breathing too badly. I use a dentist made guard now but it is far more expensive.
Handwraps
There are a lot of different types of wraps these days, I prefer the "mexican" style of wraps. I hate the ones that are straight cotton though. Look for a type that has a fair amount of stretch and give in them. These are the only type I will use.
CUP
I train in a JACO cup and supporter and fight with a steel muay thai cup. you have to have it tied on but it is well worth it. You get used to it after a while.
Shorts and rashguards
I am not just saying this because they are one of my main sponsors, I truly believe they make the best product in the world. JACO makes amazing shorts, rashguards and clothing to wear day to day. I only wear their shorts, and only grapple in their guards. They are a little pricey but their gear is well worth it. Here is a link to their website and if you decide to buy anything pm me and ill see if I can swing a sweet deal your way.
Jaco Clothing | Hybrid Training Performance Apparel - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), CrossFit, Boot Camp Training, P90X, TRX, and Yoga
Other
I use thai oil when i finish training. Picture rub a535 on steroids, it is great stuff but I am not sure if you can purchase it in North America anywhere. It really helps get the bumps and bruises out and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Just don't ever use it right out of the shower and never put it anywhere near your John Henry. Bad idea, trust me. Used it on a tweaked groin and ended up in tears.
I also wear a ankle slip on my lead leg when I fight. Just a blue tensor sort of thing. I find it helps give me grip when I am planting to sprawl or throw kicks. The canvas in a ring or cage can get very, very slippery when you are in there.
Training Program
Once you have your gear, and your gym, you need to find a program that suits you. If you are going to take any piece of advice that I am going to give, please learn wrestling. Go to every single wrestling class you can, hell go to the college in your town and pay to drop in on a class whenever you can. Wrestling is so important in MMA and fighting in general. If you can dictate where the fight takes place you have such a massive advantage.
If you are a wrestler transitioning into MMA the hardest part is usually learning to get hit. A lot of wrestlers seems a little gun shy their first few months of training. This will pass.
Other then that, Cardio is key, learn to judge how your body reacts to fatigue and rest up when you need it. Over training is worse than under training and can cause some injuries.
Get as much experience as possible. Training with people larger than yourself whenever possible is the way to go. When you get ragdolled in the gym all day long it makes the fight much easier. People your size no longer seem scary and you will feel much more powerful and confident then if you trained with people smaller than you.
General training tips
You may not always see improvements in yourself daily, weekly or even monthly. There are so many times when I thought I peaked. If you feel this way, start to work something else, Work your hands more, your takedowns more. Drill mount escapes until its ingrained so far into your muscle memory.
Here are some good basic muay thai and kickboxing combo's and tips I think will help people work their striking to a better level.
All done from right left lead or orthodox.
Jab, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse, L hook.
Jab, cross, L hook, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse, L hook.
Jab, Jab, cross.
Cross, L hook, Cross.
L hook, Cross, L hook Rl leg kick, L hook.
Dig
R body hook, L body hook, R body hook, L body Hook, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse.
I am just writing some simple opposite side combinations for you to get an idea. Throwing opposite side when your learning always helps you generate power and learn the technique better. Watch most high level thai boxers, its almost always opposite side punches and kicks. That way you can make ever strike a power shot.
When I first started training my roundhouse kicks were the weakest part of my game. Now they are by far my best.
I learned to generate a lot more power my placing a folding chair in a room and learning to kick around the chair in one clean fluid motion. Kick above the chair by about a foot and practice doing a clean circle in one go. This will greatly help improve your switch step kicks as well. It also works well for spinning back kicks and hook kicks.
Part 2 is on its way
The Fighters Bible
I will try and include as much detailed info as I can. Everything from taping your hands all the way to gear I enjoy and some I dislike.
Fighting is and always has been a huge passion of mine, above everything else I love coaching and watching someone come in for the first time knowing nothing, and grooming them into a better person as well as athlete and martial artist. I have hopes of running my own gym down the road, I have a book near completion, and I also want to run a successful clothing company and fight team. Coaching is my passion.
Choosing a gym
When you first walk into a gym for the first time, it can be an overwhelming and intimidating experience. You never know what your going to experience and I have seen it all. I have been fortunate enough in my lifetime to train at enough gyms and camps and I have seen it all. Everything from a ****y guy walking in off the street thinking he was the next phenom, all the way to the quiet, mild mannered person become a great professional.
When you are searching for a gym a few things should be key. The quality of the coaches should always be of importance as well as the quality of training partners. To me the thing that really makes a gym is the atmosphere, I like friendly guys who are softspoken and polite. Arrogance from a coach or training partner is not ever necessary but it seems to be way too common these days.
You want a nice clean facility to train in, otherwise you are at a higher risk of catching an infection like ringworm or some other nasty thing. Trust me, ringworm sucks!
Everyone needs something different from their coaching staff, depending on your personality. Some people do well under harsh criticism, some don't. I prefer honest criticism but I would be lier if I didn't admit to loving some praise now and then.
Equipment
I have used many different types of gloves over the years, both for boxing and MMA.
My favorite Muay thai gloves are probably anything made by fairtex.
Fairtex.com - The Official Fairtex Homepage And Online Store.
They make high quality gear but you will pay a higher price for it.
Once I started to really work my hands more and I could feel my power growing on weekly basis, I made the switch to a pair of rival, lace up boxing gloves. They feel amazing and work very well.
Here the gloves I swear by.
RS1 High Performance Pro Sparring Gloves - Sparring Gloves - Rival Boxing Gear Inc.
And here is a direct link to their website. I have a pair of their focus mitts but I have never tried any of their MMA gear so I can't vouch for it.
Boxing equipment at Rival Boxing Gear - gloves, shoes, apparel, MMA
As for shin guards, I prefer the fairtex ones for hard thai sparring, they are padded well, and are comfortable, they seem to slide a little more than I would like but that might be because I have chicken legs.
For MMA sparring I use Hayabusa shin guards. Much less padding but they fit 10x tighter and don't slide or move at all. You also have a more fluid range of motion using them. Great shinguards, give them a try!
Hayabusa Fightwear
Mouthguard
If your going the cheap route, a shock doctor mouth guard is always a good choice, I have used the tapout ones before as well, and they are like 2 for 20$. They worked well and disrupt my breathing too badly. I use a dentist made guard now but it is far more expensive.
Handwraps
There are a lot of different types of wraps these days, I prefer the "mexican" style of wraps. I hate the ones that are straight cotton though. Look for a type that has a fair amount of stretch and give in them. These are the only type I will use.
CUP
I train in a JACO cup and supporter and fight with a steel muay thai cup. you have to have it tied on but it is well worth it. You get used to it after a while.
Shorts and rashguards
I am not just saying this because they are one of my main sponsors, I truly believe they make the best product in the world. JACO makes amazing shorts, rashguards and clothing to wear day to day. I only wear their shorts, and only grapple in their guards. They are a little pricey but their gear is well worth it. Here is a link to their website and if you decide to buy anything pm me and ill see if I can swing a sweet deal your way.
Jaco Clothing | Hybrid Training Performance Apparel - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), CrossFit, Boot Camp Training, P90X, TRX, and Yoga
Other
I use thai oil when i finish training. Picture rub a535 on steroids, it is great stuff but I am not sure if you can purchase it in North America anywhere. It really helps get the bumps and bruises out and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Just don't ever use it right out of the shower and never put it anywhere near your John Henry. Bad idea, trust me. Used it on a tweaked groin and ended up in tears.
I also wear a ankle slip on my lead leg when I fight. Just a blue tensor sort of thing. I find it helps give me grip when I am planting to sprawl or throw kicks. The canvas in a ring or cage can get very, very slippery when you are in there.
Training Program
Once you have your gear, and your gym, you need to find a program that suits you. If you are going to take any piece of advice that I am going to give, please learn wrestling. Go to every single wrestling class you can, hell go to the college in your town and pay to drop in on a class whenever you can. Wrestling is so important in MMA and fighting in general. If you can dictate where the fight takes place you have such a massive advantage.
If you are a wrestler transitioning into MMA the hardest part is usually learning to get hit. A lot of wrestlers seems a little gun shy their first few months of training. This will pass.
Other then that, Cardio is key, learn to judge how your body reacts to fatigue and rest up when you need it. Over training is worse than under training and can cause some injuries.
Get as much experience as possible. Training with people larger than yourself whenever possible is the way to go. When you get ragdolled in the gym all day long it makes the fight much easier. People your size no longer seem scary and you will feel much more powerful and confident then if you trained with people smaller than you.
General training tips
You may not always see improvements in yourself daily, weekly or even monthly. There are so many times when I thought I peaked. If you feel this way, start to work something else, Work your hands more, your takedowns more. Drill mount escapes until its ingrained so far into your muscle memory.
Here are some good basic muay thai and kickboxing combo's and tips I think will help people work their striking to a better level.
All done from right left lead or orthodox.
Jab, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse, L hook.
Jab, cross, L hook, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse, L hook.
Jab, Jab, cross.
Cross, L hook, Cross.
L hook, Cross, L hook Rl leg kick, L hook.
Dig
R body hook, L body hook, R body hook, L body Hook, cross, L hook, RL roundhouse.
I am just writing some simple opposite side combinations for you to get an idea. Throwing opposite side when your learning always helps you generate power and learn the technique better. Watch most high level thai boxers, its almost always opposite side punches and kicks. That way you can make ever strike a power shot.
When I first started training my roundhouse kicks were the weakest part of my game. Now they are by far my best.
I learned to generate a lot more power my placing a folding chair in a room and learning to kick around the chair in one clean fluid motion. Kick above the chair by about a foot and practice doing a clean circle in one go. This will greatly help improve your switch step kicks as well. It also works well for spinning back kicks and hook kicks.
Part 2 is on its way
Last edited:
