A Warrior's Thougts on the Martial Arts

After defeating Jakob in the semi-finals of this years WKF national chmapionships in full contact kickboxing, I went on to face Andreas K. from the Fight Club Graz for a 3 round bout.You can find Andreas on his club's website . Overview Point-wise, I dominated that fight from the beginning. Andreas is a good boxer, but I just had an advantage whein it comes to kicking. Scored a lot with high kicks and follow-up strikes. Didn't look too bad when it came to boxing, either. But then this guy was tough as coffin nails. No matter what I did, Andreas just wouldn't go down. More than that, I never was under the impression that any of my blows had any effect on him. Well, maybe that's not entirely true - in the third round, I hammered him with a roundhouse to the body that had him fight for balance for a moment. Still, it did nothing to actually stop him. Made me think of a zombie. Anyhow, in the third round, Andy's tenacity won the day. When I was throwing a right over...

Here's a re-post of my fight against Jakob from ATUS Weiz. The following footage was taken from a different point of view, so it might be worth watching again. Next up, the finals against Andreas from Fight Club Graz. So long, take care

Here's the edited video footage of last saturday's class. Elias, one of my fellow instructors (who also happens to be a great semi-contact competitor) joined us for a sparring session, so things got pretty intense. Took some nice video footage. I've eliminated everything except for the sparring part from the film, so here's a quick breakdown of what we did: ZaZen (meditation) Joint mobilization Shadow Sparring Boxing, lead hand only Boxing, rear hand only Boxing, Combinations, start each from a block Boxing, Combinations, start each from an evasion Boxing, freestyle Sparring, Boxing, 3 rounds Shadow Sparring Kicks, lead leg only Kicks, rear leg only Kicks, Combinations, start each from a direct counter Kicks, Combinations, start each from an indirect counter Kicks, freestyle Sparring, Semi-Contact, 3 rounds Shadow Sparring Kickboxing, Combinations, Punch-Kick-Punch Kickboxing, Combinations, Kick-Punch-Kick Kickboxing, ombinations, start each fr...

Last saturday, I competed at the WKF national championships 2012 in Villach. Took silver. My first fight on that day was against Jakob (if I remember correctly), a former boxer from ATUS Weiz. Gameplan When my fight was up, I wasn't really warmed up properly. Therefore, I decided to take things rather easy and start out slowly. Now I'm not particularly good at sticking to game plans, but at least I stuck to the easy pace for around 15 seconds before rushing in for the first time. My technical goal for that fight was to "force choice", as video game players call it. Virtuafighter.com defines the terms as follows: "In a situation where you can move before your opponent can, you can threaten them with two different potential attacks, such as a mid attack or a high throw. These are difficult to defend against at the same time, and the opponent is forced to choose how to respond."  In my case, this simply means alternating kicks, punches, high and low ...

After defeating Alfredo in the semi-finals , I was up against Yuri, a slovakian fighter. Yuri's pretty young and exceptionally talented. Also, he's really tall for the -71kg division, which is a great advantage especially in light-contact fights. Having seen Yuri perform in the semi-finals, my coach and I decided it would be best to keep the pace rather low, fight defensively and wait for an opportunity to out-box the slovakian. I don't know why, but I just dumped that gameplan a couple of seconds into the first round. Tried to score with an axe-kick. The ring canvas was slippery, though, so I fell. Now usually I'd try to close the gap and outbox tall guys. However, this time, I just went for that classical light-contact strategy and poked around with the lead leg. To my big surprise, Yuri didn't seem to have an answer to that. It's not like I'd score with those kicks, but I kept the center of the ring and had Yuri move a lot. A lot comes down to e...

My first opponent at the WKF Austrian Open 2012 was Alfredo S. from Venezuela. It'm been one of very few times that I faced a fighter who wasn't taller than me. Competeing in the -71kg division (rather than -75kg) definately is a good idea for me. Granted, there's still a lot of tall guys around at that weight, but then I'll always have to face that challenge, regardless of style and division. All men are simply not created equal. Anyhow, Alfredo displayed a rather unorthodox style. Don't get me wrong here - he's not a bad man, by any account. (On a sidenote, he took gold last saturday at the national championships in his division.) His stepping was just unline anything I've encountered so far. But then that's not exactly true, either. Felipe, one of my students, moves in a very similar fashion. I guess that's just the latin american genes showing. Since the fight was under light-contact rules, I decided to make heavy use of the lead leg. When ...

So on saturday I competed in the WKF national championships 2012. Took silver in the -71kg full-contact kickboxing division. Overall, our team did pretty well, in terms of medals: The results Thomas Reiss Shinergy[liesing] Semi-Contact MASTERS (+35years) Silver Frank Zauner Shinergy[zone wien] Semi-Contact -75kg Gold Semi-Contact -86kg Bronze Andreas Mehic Shinergy[stadlau] Semi-Contact YOUTH +71kg Silver Light-Contact YOUTH +71kg Bronze Lukas Pezenka Shinergy[stadlau] Full-Contact -71kg Silver           My 2 cents Not too shabby in my opinion, especially considering the fact we're note even kickboxers. Still, I'm not really satisfied. Should have taken gold. Got knocked out by my own fault in the finals. Did a stupid beginner's mistake. On a whole, though, I really can't complain - after all, I've won my first full-contact fight. Hence, regardless of the finals, I've scored quite a big personal success. Also, I found that there...

Today's session was relatively low-impact due to the fact that I'm cutting weight and hence, my muscle glycogen levels are rather low. After five rounds á two minutes of very basic movement drills, I went through my standard shadow-sparring program for ten rounds. By 'standard' I mean starting out with a dedicates 'movement' round where no strikes are thrown whatsoever and then working up to full shadow sparring from that point. The movement drills Evasion: Bob left, right, left, weave right. Repeat to the other side. Repeat for the rest of the round. Counter Punching: Bob right, left, throw a jab while weaving to the right. Repeat to the other side, this time throwing a cross. Repeat for the rest of the round. Hand/Foot Coordination: Step in a square pattern (forward, right, backward, left - right, forward, left, back - ....), throwing a punch with every step. Alternate between the jab, cros, and jab/cross combination. Step forward with a jab/cross co...

Yesterday and monday, I didn't do quite a lot in terms of training. However, I taught three classes on monday and two yesterday. That gave me plenty of opportunity to participate in various warmup- and activation drills as well as some games during the kids class. So, it's not like I didn't do anythig - just nothing specific. Today, things looked different, though. I'm not going into detail anymore (it's just too late), so here's the gist of it: 12 rounds of moderately-paced shadow sparring, 5 rounds of moderately paced rope skipping (230 - 260 rope revolutions per round) That gives a total of 17 rounds for a total net time of 34 minutes. Since my fight's due in three days, that's enough for a day. Now, it's time to hit the bed. So long, take care

Today was rough. We did a last dedicated sparring session before the national championships next wednesday. The schedule was simple, but far from easy: Five rounds of shadow sparring (strict technical instruction) Three rounds of sparring (boxing only) Five rounds of shadow sparring (3 rounds pursuing loosely defined technical goals, 2 rounds freestyle) Three rounds of sparring (kickboxing) Five rounds of shadow sparring (3 rounds pursuing loosely defined technical goals, 2 rounds freestyle) Three rounds of sparring (kickboxing) That's a total of 24 rounds á 2 minutes. Hence, the net total time was  48 minutes, 18 of which were pretty high intensity. Speaking of intensity, there was some blood, which isn't necessarily a good thing just a week from the fight (wasn't my blood, though). Although I strongly advocate light sparring, I just couldn't help it today. Stuff happens. Anyhow, tomorrow's mothers day, so no training. Next week, I'll just stick to t...

There's this book that has had a great influence on my understanding of the martial arts: "Samurai Geist" , by Thomas Preston . Basically the book has an old samurai elaborate on the concept of bushido and the way of the sword. Excellent reading, definately a must for any serious martial artist (not necessarily for combat athletes, although II believe anyone can benefit from that book. What intrigued me most was something like this: "Many beginners make the mistake of believing the martial arts will teach them how to fight well and defend themselves. This is not true - rather, it teaches one how to die well." Now it's been years since I read the book (probably should read it again soon) and it was written in german, so the above is a rough translation from what I remember. Still, I think you get the idea. I even remember posting about this before, but I just can't find the post at the moment. Those lines have intrigued me so much that I've bee...

Today I did my last S&C session before my upcoming fight (which will take place on May 19th). I was in the gym from 15:50 - 16:55, so the whole thing took me just around an hour. Since I've elaborated my current routine in great detail in this post , I'm not going to repeat that stuff here. Hence, I'll only give you the stats. Squat   Warmup 80.0 x5 90.0 x 5 Work 100.0 x 3 115.0 x 3 127.5 x 4 Clean & Press Warmup 25.0 x 5 35.0 x 5 Work 45.0 x 3 50.0 x 3 57.5 x 3 Rope skipping / Pullups: 300 revolutions / x 300 revolutions / 8 300 revolutions / x 275 revolutions / 8 280 revolutions / x 285 revolutions / 8 270 revolutions / x 295 revolutions / 6 Tomorrow, I'll participate in the afternoon class I'm teaching and spar for the last time. After that, nothing but shadow sparring, pad work, rope skipping and stretching. Obviously, I'll keep you updated. So long, take care

Ever wondered how it is that the martial arts are organized in weight divisions, just as weightlifting and powerlifting, but then tennis, soccer or volleyball are not? Well, I do, from time to time... Preamble Today I was ultra-busy sorting out some stuff that's remotely linked to my dojo, so I simply haven't had a chance to make it to the gym. I was like "don't fret" decided to go for a run instead. Now I usually don't run a lot because my knees give me issues, so the decision might not have been particularly wise. Funny how rope skipping never causes problems, regardless of speed and duration... Then again my knees are actually getting better - I guess all those squats and deadlifts are paying off. In fact, I actually enjoyed the run. Still, running probably won't become a major staple in my training anywhere soon. I know boxers, kickboxers and thaiboxers swear by it. Rocky did it all the time, so there must be something to it, right? (Caution: sar...

Rather basic program today: 10 rounds of low-to-moderate intensity shadow sparring, 5 of which were really light movement drills. Then, another 5 rounds of pretty high-intensity rope skipping. Another 2 while I was teaching my afternoon class. Apart from that, nothing special in terms of training. On a sidenote, though, I was amazed at my student's performance during today's conditioning class. Those guys and girls do power cleans like they hadn't done much else in their live - I'm really glad to have the opportunity to work with them! Anyhow, as my trainer, Ronny, isn't totally fit (just a bit of coughing, but stil...), I won't hit the track for my 400m sprint intervals tomorrow. Rather, I'll do some rounds of shadow-sparring, probably some padwork, too. Then, I'll hit the gym for a crisp S&C session. So long, take care

Today's S&C session followed the same pattern as the previous one . First, a quick Iron Core Circuit (2 Sets), then my 5/3/1 lifts (Deadlift & Bench Press), followed by 8 rounds of rope skipping with pullups after every second round. Iron Core Today, I probably found the difference between a good and a bad leg curl with single leg balance : the leg that stays on the physioball must always push down, through the ball. In other words, it's imperative to always keep the hips extended to a maximum. This way, the body's center of gravity is positioned in such a way that a lot of weight rests on the heel of the fixed foot. Therefore, the ball can't roll to the side so easily. With that in mind, the exercise is even manageable with elevated arms. Up until now, I wasn't paying enough attention to the hip extension, which resulted in me failing all aover the place and displaying less than optimal form, to say the least. I guess that's not an issue anymore...

This is the blog title Today's S&C session revolved around squats, cleans and presses. Just like wednesday , I started things by going through Chad Waterbury's Iron Core circuit. Iron Core When I reviewed the program the first time , I meantioned just how hard the "leg curl with stability hold" exercise is. Looking at the original article again, I realized I was actually making things harder than they are meant to be. In the original video, both arms are placed on the ground while performing the exercise. I, on the other hand, did this with both pointing towards the ceiling. This vastly decreases the base of stability, hence making the exercise a thousand times harder. Seems my core isn't all that weak after all. Well, since I (almost) managed to do the exercise without support from the arms, I chose to keep that up. However, I start the first of the two sets exactly as in the video to properly activate the core before challenging it hard with the modi...

Today was what one could call an "active rest day". That means I did very little, apart from teaching three classes. I wasn't quite as active as I usually am during the classes I teach, but then I wasn't passive, either. Just going through the motions, so to say. Think active recovery. Tomorrow I'll hit the gym for a S&C session again. Anyhow, today I did some minor modifications when it comes to the blog's style. Fire has always been my element, if not my trademark. Yeah, I know it's not an element, but you get the meaning. How do you like the new design? Just let me know in the comments section below. So long, take care

Just came home from a tasty S&C session. In just about an hour, I did all that needs to be done, and then some of it. It wasn't easy, but then it wasn't as brutally hard as I thought it was going to be, either. But first things first... There's this thing with S&C they call periodization. Now I'm not going to give you a lecture on periodization here, just look it up in your copy of Zatsiorsky's "Science and Practice of Strength Training". Just in case you don't have access to that book, here comes the gist of it:                                                 Periodization Most sports have a distinct season and a distinct off-season. In a nutshell, season is when you play your sport, while off-season is when you don't. Duh. For skiing, winter would obviously be season, while summer is off-season...

My next fight will take place in Villach, on May 19th 2012. This time, it'll be full-contact again. Today, I worked out with Felipe, one of my students. The session was very specific to the reality of a kickboxing bout. What we did was 10 rounds of shadow-sparring, each round being dedicated to some technical or tactical espect (at least, I did it this way). After those 30 minutes, we tossed in three rounds of boxing. Since boxing is an integral part of kickboxing and becomes even more important under full-contact rules, I believe doing some isolated boxing sparring makes perfect sense - as opposed to a pure kicking sparring, say, under olympic Taekwon-Do rules. As a means of active recovery, we followed the sparring up with another 5 rounds of shadow sparring. Then, 18 rounds or 44 minutes into the workout, we did another three rounds of sparring, this time under kickboxing rules. Finally, as a cool-down, another 5 rounds of shadow sparring. I feel that this type of training is ex...

So today's installment is dedicated to Gabriel's light contact fight at the WKF Austrian Open 2012. The out was fought under light contact rules in the -67,5kg youth division. Gabriel fought at a Shinergy[battle] before but in terms of kickboxing, this was his debut fight. Considering this fact and his relatively limited training time - Gabriel first came to my Dojo about 6 months ago with no prior martial arts experience -, I'd say his performance was outstanding. Now since I was warmup up for my own fight, I haven't had a chance to take the coach's role, so Chris worked the corner. From what I heard, Gabriel just implemented every single coaching instruction. Watching the video, I can absolutely believe that, too. Gabriel's opponent - who I believe was from Slovakia, while Andreas, another fighter from my team, keeps telling me he heard him talk in bosnian - obviously had some tournament experience. Also, he displayed more than solid technique. In terms of...