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So, who is Ido Portal and what does he do? Why does McGregor train with him? How does it benefit him?
I believe Ido Portal to be 35 years of age and Israeli. Though that information isn't clearly declared on any of his websites. His work seems to revolve around a concept which he simply calls "movement". From what I gather, he is basically a PT that can train and help you to be able to perform certain exercises and maintain certain body positions. In his training there seems to be a big focus on performing handstands, one-handed handstands, press to handstand, one-arm chinups, etc. A bit like gymnastics.
Now, what you have to ask yourself is: How would these abilities, performing these specific physical positions and maneuvres, benefit a martial artist? This seems wholly unclear. The training revolves around basic strength and balance exercises. A legitimate question could be: How often does the fighter training with Portal find himself in these positions in a fight? For example, how often do you do a handstand in the cage? The answer to this, of course, is "never". Now, improving balance and strength could of course be beneficial to a fighter, but you would have to compare it to what kind of results you get from other training. I myself fail to see how Ido's training would ever be more effective than training for specific MMA scenarios, or just drilling basic martial arts techniques. And no, a handstand isn't a martial arts technique.
My guess is if a fighter "feels" like he has improved control of his body it could be a positive factor for him, but this would of course be from a placebo effect. Seeing how McGregor's success stems so much from his confidence, his exceptional ability to believe in himself, I could see how it might help him. The way I see it, Ido is able to help for example crossfitters perform different exercises more easily, but this doesn't mean that it is at all relevant for an MMA setting.
Now, Ido. Who is he? When looking for information about him I found a couple of forum topics written by people who's paid for and taken his seminars. One of these described how there were 100 people there for a two day long seminar, with only two coaches there to oversee the whole thing. The seminar had Portal's name on it, but Ido was nowhere to be found which was a big disappointment to a lot of the people paying good money (700$) for it. The place where the seminar was held turned out to be too small and people were bumping into each other, attempting to do handstands just inches apart from each other.
It seems to me that Ido Portal has created a brand which focuses on maximising profit, and that at the core, his brand has very little substance. Holding seminars in that price range around the world naturally spells big bucks. Looking at the upcoming events on his website there are events planned almost every week this spring and summer. The seminar I mentioned above grossed 70 000$. I'm curious to know what Conor McGregor pays him? My guess is he's making a rich Ido Portal richer.
Words of wisdom found on Ido's website (www.idoportal.com/ido):
"People are not made of sugar. Also, one does not scare a hooker with a cock. In a nutshell - stop being so sensitive. Dealing with criticism well is an essential tool for a Mover who is interested in self development. Make that for any human."
tl;dr:
Portal could be a charlatan. He makes a lot of money and no one knows if the training he offers really benefits MMA fighters.
I believe Ido Portal to be 35 years of age and Israeli. Though that information isn't clearly declared on any of his websites. His work seems to revolve around a concept which he simply calls "movement". From what I gather, he is basically a PT that can train and help you to be able to perform certain exercises and maintain certain body positions. In his training there seems to be a big focus on performing handstands, one-handed handstands, press to handstand, one-arm chinups, etc. A bit like gymnastics.
Now, what you have to ask yourself is: How would these abilities, performing these specific physical positions and maneuvres, benefit a martial artist? This seems wholly unclear. The training revolves around basic strength and balance exercises. A legitimate question could be: How often does the fighter training with Portal find himself in these positions in a fight? For example, how often do you do a handstand in the cage? The answer to this, of course, is "never". Now, improving balance and strength could of course be beneficial to a fighter, but you would have to compare it to what kind of results you get from other training. I myself fail to see how Ido's training would ever be more effective than training for specific MMA scenarios, or just drilling basic martial arts techniques. And no, a handstand isn't a martial arts technique.
My guess is if a fighter "feels" like he has improved control of his body it could be a positive factor for him, but this would of course be from a placebo effect. Seeing how McGregor's success stems so much from his confidence, his exceptional ability to believe in himself, I could see how it might help him. The way I see it, Ido is able to help for example crossfitters perform different exercises more easily, but this doesn't mean that it is at all relevant for an MMA setting.
Now, Ido. Who is he? When looking for information about him I found a couple of forum topics written by people who's paid for and taken his seminars. One of these described how there were 100 people there for a two day long seminar, with only two coaches there to oversee the whole thing. The seminar had Portal's name on it, but Ido was nowhere to be found which was a big disappointment to a lot of the people paying good money (700$) for it. The place where the seminar was held turned out to be too small and people were bumping into each other, attempting to do handstands just inches apart from each other.
It seems to me that Ido Portal has created a brand which focuses on maximising profit, and that at the core, his brand has very little substance. Holding seminars in that price range around the world naturally spells big bucks. Looking at the upcoming events on his website there are events planned almost every week this spring and summer. The seminar I mentioned above grossed 70 000$. I'm curious to know what Conor McGregor pays him? My guess is he's making a rich Ido Portal richer.
Words of wisdom found on Ido's website (www.idoportal.com/ido):
"People are not made of sugar. Also, one does not scare a hooker with a cock. In a nutshell - stop being so sensitive. Dealing with criticism well is an essential tool for a Mover who is interested in self development. Make that for any human."
tl;dr:
Portal could be a charlatan. He makes a lot of money and no one knows if the training he offers really benefits MMA fighters.
