Training When Injured - Revisited

UFC 84 was a great card. I loved Silva's match a lot, especially when he was holding Jardine down by the throat in a "where's my money" posture. Awesome. I didn't expect the match to end so soon. I did think it was going to be an exciting stand up fight, but thought Jardine would land some solid blows. He didn't even get to turn on the entire fight! BJ's fight. I guess no one was surprised. I was pretty shocked that only 55% of the people who voted in, thought BJ was going to win. I was expecting much more votes for BJ. Machida, great strategy and continues his winning streak. (For those of you who may not remember, Machida beat BJ in Japan in 2005. Of course, he outweighed BJ by a ton back then and BJ did very well, taking the match all the way to a decision.) Anyway, this weekend should be good, too. Uriah, Jens, Munoz...good fights.

So I received an email from a blog reader who was asking about training while injured, and I thought I'd go into more detail in my answer. I touched up on this subject before, but here's another go.

We all know how it feels to get injured. It sucks. Besides the pain, injuries prevent us from training. Knowing how to train around injuries is an important part of getting better at any sport. For minor injuries, a little bit of ice, some rest, tape and/or braces, and easing back into training often do the trick. However, major injuries are more tricky.

Major injuries do not go away quickly and it's important to not let an injury get worse. Hence, you have to be very smart about how you train, if you are even capable of doing anything physical. For hand, arm and shoulder injuries, for example, you probably won't be able to strike effectively, but you might be able to grapple lightly if you tuck your arm into your belt and work your open guard using just your legs and one arm. If your opponent passes your guard then stop; let your opponent go back into your guard; and then start again. I've done this countless times when I've jacked up my arms in the past, and it helped me really improve my open guard game.

Athletes are stubborn and usually train despite injuries. Smart athletes, however, will train smart when their injured and know how to control their training sessions. Here are some things to keep in mind if you plan to train while healing an injury:

• Only roll or strike lightly. I think any takedowns are a bad idea when injured.
• Roll or spar with people who are more advanced and know how to control their power, speed, etc. Stay away from beginners who can injure you.
• Avoid positions that will place your injured body part in dangerous situations. (e.g. If you have a shoulder injury, don't even bother resisting when someone tries to go for an american/figure four lock on your arm--immediately tap).
• Tap right away if you even think you are near a position where your injured body part will be affected
  

When you're recovering from an injury, assuming it's not a lower body injurey, think about doing a lot of cardio/conditioning. You can even try to do some light weight training sessions to keep your body moving so you don't get "soft." Lastly, nuture your mind. Watch a lot of training tapes, competitions, read books. There's still a lot you can do while you're injured. (I'm going through it right now--my shoulder.)

If you keep up with a similar program while you're injured, when you've recovered, you'll still be in the game mentally and ought to still have decent conditioning. Hope this helps.

Tags: injuries, training, mixed martial arts, brazilian jiu jitsu

Beginners and Mixed Martial Arts

As MMA is growing, it's obvious that more people are getting into the sport. A lot of gyms offer kickboxing/muay thai, bjj, boxing and wrestling classes. A good number of schools also offer MMA classes. What I've noticed, however, is that these "MMA" lasses are really just BJJ, Muay Thai, or Wrestling classes (I'm talking about classes for beginners). Many people want to get into MMA but hardly anyone wants to train in the particular styles that "make up" MMA. It seems like everyone wants to just put on grappling gloves and learn how to fight in the cage or ring. It's unfortunate that a good number of students get discouraged because they realize it takes time and a lot of sacrifice to get good in MMA. What can make matters worse, you have some MMA instructors who actually think they can just teach "MMA" and have people with no background spar MMA rules after a class or two. The students get hurt because they really don't know what they're doing and the instructor doesn't know what he/she is doing, too.

When a person is completely green with no background in grappling, striking or takedowns, and the person wants to do MMA, they inevitably will be taught the basics of each area. They need to have solid ground work, know how to strike, and know how to execute and defend takedowns. As a result, MMA classes, again particularly for beginners, turn into a regular BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling class. When it comes to more experience athletes, they can mix everything up and truly focus on the finer details of MMA training.

I see this happen in the Philippines and the U.S. often; I'm sure it happens all over the world. It makes me wonder whether a true MMA curriculum can be created. I don't expect the curriculum to be static because the sport and its techniques/strategies evolve. However, maybe a basic MMA curriculum is possible. It would clearly entail all aspects of the fight game: ground, takedowns, striking, etc. I know of some teams/gyms that have tried this but many of them weren't successful. It seems their training was (is) too broad, and athletes never get enough focused training on a certain area. The best fighters still are the people who come from a solid background in a particular style.

Will programs progress to a point where a person with no background can enroll in a fight gym and learn a strict "MMA curriculum?" I don't know. Until that happens, new students ought to understand that they have to spend time training in grappling, striking, and takedowns. There aren't any shortcuts.

Tags: beginners, mixed martial arts, programs

UFC 84 and 85; WEC and Pinoy Mark Munoz

I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. There are going to be a lot of great fights and I'm looking forward to watching BJ and Mark Munoz fight. UFC 84 is this weekend with a good fight card. I see BJ dominating the fight and don't think Sherk has anything on BJ. The only way I see BJ losing is if he isn't his "normal self." June 1 is WEC which also has a good fight card. I'm looking forward to watching Uriah and Mark Munoz. Mark is definitely someone to reckon with and I hope he goes far in the sport. I think he will do very well in his upcoming match. He has a solid background in wrestling and is training with a great fight camp. June 7, UFC 85, we'll get to see Brandon fight. I think he'll take the fight and can inflict the most damage striking. If the fight goes to the ground, then Fabricio has a better chance.

For those of you who do not know much about Mark Munoz, check out these YouTube clips I found.





Lots of other great fights will be on the three cards. I am definitely not going to miss any of them.

Tags: mark munoz, brandon vera, ufc 84, ufc 85, philippines, WEC

Using the Right Kinds of Protein and Carbohydrates

I'm back. I was planning to write entries daily after school ended, but I took some well deserved time off to "clean the saw." I figured that I've been so busy with school and everything else, that I needed some time to really relax. I believe one can't push him or herself hard mentally, physically, and even spiritually, for too long or you will burn yourself out--it's always good to recharge your batteries.



I bought a new surf board and have been hitting the beach early mornings to surf. I got up early this morning and was in the water by about 5:30am. I've been teaching regularly, but I haven't been training hard. I've decided to take things easy until the middle of June. I will be out of town the first and second week of June, so I don't want to get into a good training rhythm than have to break it. Also, I will be working with a new company starting next week and it will probably take a week or two to get ramped up and normalize my schedule. Other than that, I've still been working on one of my own business projects, and I've been reading a lot. I've gone through 3 good books (only read non-fiction) in the past few days. I was planning to buy more books tonight, but decided to write this blog entry instead. . .

I received an email yesterday from a reader who was asking questions about using the right kind of protein and supplementing with carbs such as dextrose. One area where I think a lot of our Pinoy brothers lack knowledge of is in proper nutrition/supplementation - particularly for people who train a lot. So, I thought it would be a good topic to write about. Now, I'm not a nutritionist, but I have studied nutrition for years, tried many different programs and supplements, and have made myself a guinea pig to a lot of "training experiments." Here's my take on using the right kinds of protein and carbohydrates (again, I'm not a nutritionist, but believe someone who is certified in the field could and would confirm much of what I'm going to write).

Protein

I don't plan to discuss every single kind of protein and/or amino acid in existence. First, there are so many different kinds that it would take forever to right about them all. Second, I'm sure you guys can find the information easily in a bookstore or on the Internet. What I do what to share are some insights as to what kind of protein to use, depending on the time of the day or your goals.

Here are some tips you can use to assess what kind of protein in right for you:

• Pre-workout
• Whey or a blended protein supplement
• Do not overload on the protein because you do not want to feel bloated before a training session
• Avoid protein with a lot of fat
• Post-workout
• Primarily whey, but a blended protein formula will work well, too
• Take it within 30 minutes from the end of your training session
• Avoid protien with a lot of fat
  
• Increase body weight
• I wish I had the problem of needing to increase weight! Anyway, use a lot of casein protein instead of whey because casein tends not to decrease hunger the way whey protein does
• Meal Replacements
• Mixed protein blends with whey and casein, or milk protein and carbs
• Avoid casein protein because they are low in calories and do not provide a lot of energy and won't satisfy your hunger
• Late at Night
• Any kind of "slow release" protein like milk protein
• Fat and fiber will help slow down the digestion of the protein as well
• Dieting
• Whey protein because it tends to decrease hunger more than the other kinds of protein
• Use fiber to also help slow digestion and decrease hunger
• Strength/Power
• A mixed protein blend with whey and casein is best
• Keep eating! Strength and power increase more effectively when you provided your body with the energy/food it needs
• When I go through these phases, I eat anywhere from 6-8x a day.

Carbs

Just like proteins, you should understand the different kinds of carbs out there and how and/or when to take which kinds and when. Know more about the types of carbs can help you make better choices.

• Simple carbs: They're commonly known as sugars and without getting detailed, they have a more pronounced effect on your insulin levels, making them better before (right before) and after workouts when the body seeks to build and repair muscle.
• Dextrose is a type of simple carb that can be found in any Mercury drug in the Philippines. It's "quick" energy, but not "quality/long term" energy. You can use it pre-workout but take only a little because you will crash hard and fast if you use too much. It's best taken with protein after training or a workout.
• Sucrose is the another common simple carb. It's regular table sugar. If you have to choose between dextrose and sucrose, I would go with dextrose.
• Complex carbs: Complex carbs provide an advantage over simple carbs because they deliver energy with a less dramatic insulin response (less likely to crash), making them good choices as meal replacements an hour or so before training.
• Maltodextrin is probably one of the most popular. You can buy it alone, but it's normally included in good protein powders or meal replacement drinks. It's a good source of energy without having to take in sugar.
• Oat bran (or similar) are good complex carbs from oats that provide a longer lasting form of energy, making them good for pre-workout meals/shakes.
  
• Fiber is another carbohydrate that is nondigestible. It's great to use when you are trying to slow down digestion. It can make you feel "fuller" so you won't eat as much, too.

I hope these tips help some of you get a better grasp on the topic of supplementing properly with protein and carbs. If you have questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Tags: protein, carbohydrates, training

Quick Update!

My finals are almost over! My last two are tomorrow and after, I will have more time to write blog entries. For the people who have emailed me with questions and comments, I apologize for not getting back to you soon. I have been very busy and will make sure to reply to each one of your emails.

On another note, I'm looking forward to the UFC on May 24. Seems like it's going to be a great fight card! I doubt I will be heading to Vegas then because I will be busy, but I will be traveling around in a couple weeks: San Fran, LA, Vegas and NYC. I'm going to try and get some training in at each city.

I've Said It Before, and I'll Say It Again. . .Focus.

Focus. If you want to get really good at something, you have to focus a lot of your time and effort on that certain thing. The more you put in, the better the results. . .

As I said in my last entry, finals are next week and I will probably miss a few days here and there. I went to LA Boxing today to train and didn't feel like I performed well. I got tired very fast and my movement seemed sluggish.

My mind has been all over the place: thinking about several new job opportunities I have, studying for finals, working on my own business project, training, teaching, etc. etc. Honestly, my mind has been "awake" even while I'm sleeping--I've been waking up constantly the last few nights because of a thought that pops into my head. Clearly, I haven't been sleeping well.

Normally, I can balance everything pretty well, but there are times (like now) where things aren't in perfect harmony. I haven't had the time to really think through my training sessions and devote time to working specific moves or drills. Hopefully, after this crazy weekend of studying, and next week's finals, everything will go back to normal.

I can't emphasize it enough; if you guys want to improve your game, make sure you're working specific areas instead of spreading yourself too thinly. Right now, I feel my training is suffering a bit because of everything else I have to do. I guess it doesn't help that I'm passionate about everything I'm doing and will not give-up one thing for another. (As a side note, I don't believe in the saying "do what you love" because it assumes you can choose one thing over another and your "passion" doesn't change.) However, after exams I'll have more time on my hands and will make sure I'm "focusing."

Hope everyone's training is going well.

A Busy Week

Today was pretty much my last day of class for the semester, so I'm glad. But next week are finals and I'll be studying pretty much throughout the weekend and all of next week. During this time, I will try to write a blog entry each day, but it will depend on my schedule. Hopefully I'm not too busy.

Because I'll have a bit more time on my hands when finals are over, I've been doing a little research on "high performance" cardiovascular training. The training method calls for different cardio routines and the use of some pretty high tech equipment. I'm planning to make myself a guinea pig and try everything out for 2-3 months. I'll also have more time to focus on my new power and strength program (which I've started because I can no longer do power lifts because of my shoulder injury). I'll give some updates on my progress once in a while.

I'll be teaching tomorrow at LA Boxing and plan on training at Undisputed on Thursday. I'm pretty sure John (War Machine) will be training for his UFC fight on May 24, so I'll probably help out and train after. Anyway, that's it for now. It's been a long day.

Sparring/Grappling with Bigger Opponents--Some Tips for the "Little" Guys

Yesterday I took a pretty hard head butt to my left ear while grappling. So what happened? Can anyone say cauliflower ear? My left ear has been messed up for years, but now it's worse. It hurts like hell and I'm forced to wear headgear while sparring--which I don't really like. I guess I'll have to deal with it though for a couple of weeks so I can give my ear some time to "heal."

In any martial arts school, particular in North America or Europe, you're going to get some really big guys who enroll and want to learn how to fight. If you're a decent instructor, you'll make it a point to spar with all of your students--small or big. As I'm beginning to teach again, I'm noticing a lot of different people joining who have various training backgrounds and body types. As one of the 140 pounders out there, most people are bigger, heavier, and stronger than I am. So, I thought I'd give some pointers to the other featherweights who have to spar with bigger guys often.

First, face it. Strength and size does really matter. As a "small" guy, we can be a placed in a very disadvantageous situation. If we are talking about grappling, you are likely going to play guard and will have to deal with a lot of pressure and strength. In terms of weight and strength, we're already at a disadvantage. When it comes to striking, you will clearly be at a disadvantage as well. Your sparring partner will have a reach advantage and they will hit much harder.

Don't think a heavier sparring partner will understand that they outweigh you, are stronger, or have longer reach. Don't expect them to take it easy on you. For most people, it comes natural to use all of their physical attributes when sparring. As a result, it's important to get good position/distance, use your speed, and use your brain! (You have to be wiser than your sparring partner.)

Here are some grappling tips that might help you (in no particular order):

1. Although this doesn't apply in every situation, it seems to hold true for most situations when a smaller guys is sparring a bigger partner. If you have to play guard, try using your butter fly guard or open guard more (e.g. x-guard). You're in better position to keep your opponents weight off of you and are more mobile. If you are sparring against a heavier and stronger person who is technical, it can be difficult to mount an attack from closed guard because they may be able to control your hips better. Likewise, you will have to deal with more of the weight because you won't have a leg in between your bodies and there will be much less space for you to move.

2. This should be common knowledge--try and get the person's back. You have a much better chance of finishing your opponent because you will not have to worry about them mounting a serious attack on you. You will have more time to focus on your offensive techniques without have to worry as much about your opponents strength, size, etc.

3. Use arm drags. They may or may not work. But they don't require a lot of strength, and if executed properly, you have a great chance of getting the person's back or even turning them over.

4. Use guillotines. When you're sparring a person who has good core strength and powerful arms and legs, it can be hard to hold them down in many positions and secure a tight armlock or even a footlock. However, if you can secure a good hold around a person's neck, you have a much better chance of submitting them.

Now for some striking tips:

1. Keep your guard up! It's obvious that a bigger opponent will be able to land some heavy blows, so make sure you have your arms up in position to block.

2. Understand how to control the distance between you and your opponent. This requires good footwork and angling. Respect your opponents strength and reach.

3. Work on your counter striking. Bigger opponents often get over confident when fighting smaller guys. They may throw their techniques without setting them up in combinations and you can possibly capitalize on this. If you counter and land a good strike, you have a great window to enter in and land a solid combination.

4. Stick and move. Once you land a good combo, get out (unless you know you've hurt them and put them on the defensive). You don't want to be in your opponent's range when he recovers.

5. Work on your timing and power. When opportunities to attack arise, you will have to be ready for them. So make sure you can time your moves properly. Likewise, develop power behind your strikes so when you have the chance to hit, you can land solid combinations. You don't want to waste your strikes by throwing weak punches or kicks.

There are countless tips and ways to approach sparring/grappling/fighting against a bigger opponent. However, I find that these tips work well for me and I hope they help you too.

Tags: sparring, fighting, grappling, taller, bigger, opponent, tips, techniques

Back to the Basics

(LA Boxing in Rancho Penasquitos)

I ended up not going to the fights yesterday in Mexico. As the day went by, I was getting a little lazy to drive and did have some work I wanted to finish. Also, I wasn't excited to hear that there have been a good number of shootings lately in Tijuana. I was glad that I decided to stay home because I was productive and did what I needed to do. Four guys from Undisputed competed and they were 2-2. One fighter didn't compete because his opponent backed out for some reason.

I spent pretty much the entire morning today at LA Boxing. It was their grand opening. They have a good number of students who've enrolled and it's going to be interesting to see how crowded the place gets during weekday evenings.

I taught group classes yesterday and today, and also a private lesson. The students were beginners, but I hear there are a good number of experienced people who joined. They will probably start training during the week. Because most of the students will be beginners, it's going to be a great way for me to review and train basic techniques. I plan to limit the number of moves I use and focus primarily on one fundamental movement or position every night or week. It's been a long while since I've had a chance to dedicate a good amount of time simply focusing on particular techniques and timing (because of school), so teaching at LA Boxing will give me that opportunity.

So far everything is looking good. The facility is nice and the people are great. Ali, the owner is a a great guy and really wants to provide a solid program for people who want to compete or those who just want a good workout. Chris, Donovan--the staff--and the trainers all bring a lot of energy to the gym and it will be fun seeing them regularly. After giving our comments to Ali, there will be a few "improvements" to the gym to provide a better training environment (e.g. the mat area will have a padded wall or cage).

I noticed there are a lot of Filipinos in the area. There's even a Filipino restaurant a few doors down from LA Boxing. I saw huge signs with "Lumpia" and "Pancit." I have a feeling there will be a lot of Pinoys who enroll. It was cool to hear that some of the Pinoy students I taught this weekend have been reading my training blog, even before they knew I was going to teach at LA Boxing. Anyway, it will be nice to have a good number of Pinoys training hard in the gym.

Tags: la boxing, rancho penasquitos, philippines, mixed martial arts, brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing

Interested in Training with Zach Light and "Razor" Rob McCullough?

In the past, I've talked with a number of professional MMA fighters about going to the Philippines to help train some of the locals--not simple seminars, but something more like a week or more of intense training. One of Rampage's coaches, Zach Light (who also fought in the Philippines at the Ring of Fire event) and Rob McCullough (former WEC Champion), are both interested in coming over and helping our fighters. I've been in touch with Zach and we'll see what we can possibly do. I would love to bring the guys over and will have to make sure that my schedule permits. Right now, I'm not 100% about my plans for the next few months. I'll be talking to Zach in the coming days and will get a better idea of how long they could stay, when they could go, etc.

If you guys might be interested in some good and hard MMA training with the two, drop me an email or leave a comment.

Tomorrow's going to be a pretty busy day. I have a 11am BJJ class to teach and am planning to get in a little training before then. In the afternoon, I'll be heading to Mexico for the fights. That's going to take up the rest of the day/evening. I'll be lugging around my camera all day, so I'll take some pics, and maybe some video, of the place I'm teaching and of the fights.

Tags: Zach Light, Rob McCullough, Razor, mma, philippines, seminar, training

Teaching Schedule at LA Boxing in Rancho Penasquitos

I've set up my final teaching schedule at LA Boxing. I will start teaching this Saturday morning and will also be there Sunday morning for the grand opening. My regular teaching schedule will start on Monday.

Mondays

• 4:15pm Kids Program (12-16)
• 5:30pm BJJ
  
• 6:30pm BJJ
  

Wednesdays

• 4:15pm Kids Program (12-16)
• 5:30pm BJJ
• 7:00pm Muay Thai

Saturdays

• 10:00am BJJ
• 11:00am BJJ

I'm unsure of the complete weekly schedule at this moment but I know there will be classes everyday. As the place is just opening, there's a good chance that we may tweak the schedule a little bit. I'll check on teaching some MMA as well.

I'll be heading to Mexico on Saturday evening to check out a MMA competition. A number of fighters from Undisputed will be competing. I'm sure they'll all put on a good show. I'll make sure to take some pics.

Tags: LA Boxing, Rancho Penasquitos, mma, bjj, classes