Skipping rope - great tool

Last weekend i have flew to Poland as we had some  family celebration.
As usually I try to kill two ( or more ) birds with one stone by seeing as many family members and close friends as possible.
I never know when will be next time I am going to see them again.
One very important person I went to see was my younger brother, Pawel.
Pawel is seventeen.
Him and his friends are keeping active and doing all different sorts of sports.
Martial arts,Thaiboxing ,football,weight lifting, running and many others.
They have got a lot of energy,looking for challenge and different way of spending the day.
I was thinking what kind of useful present I could bring with me for Pawel to share with his friends.
Something not too big or too heavy, to fit my hand baggage.
Something practical, universal, sports related and promoting healthy lifestyle.
Couldn't think of nothing better fitting all these criteria  than skipping ropes.
Basic PVC cord ropes, couple of pounds worth, available at any sports shop in UK.
Them basic ones I personally found the best. Light, fast and strong.
Jumping ropes are my every days training equipment. Running, skipping, shadow boxing, stretching, meditating, body weight workouts. All these are essential of mine and I believe many other fighters training.
You don't need much to do all of these activities. Jogging suit and trainers, skipping rope, bit of creative imagination to make your training more interesting and finally bit of strong will power.
You can use skipping rope as a great, full body warm up, you can use it to cool down as well as you can use it as a complete training.
You can put it in between other exercises to boost up your cardiovascular achievements or you can use it as an active rest in between the series.
Skipping can be done with different types of ropes to adjust the weight of that great tool. When using one type you can always put some weights on your wrists,  ankles or even you can wear weighted vests.
You can increase the speed, bring your knees up high or double skip.
It is fantastic cardiovascular workout which develops coordination, arms and legs strength, especially calves muscles.
A lot of skipping ropes beginners, get problems with with their shins.
I suppose it is due to unusual vibration and usage of that part of the legs while skipping.
So I wouldn't recommend to over do it at the beginning.
Increase the time and pressure of rope jumping gradually.
When doing the exercise remember that you wanna do it as a imitation of your fighting movements.
Make sure you keep your chin down, arms and elbows close to your body, use your shoulders rotation to move the rope more than your arms.
Stay loose and enjoy it.
Don't make it hard work .
Cross your arms, change your stands, play around.
Remember that you doing it to get better not to punish yourself.
Have fun.
Good luck.
www.GMMA.co.uk

Let the action talk.

Last Saturday afternoon instead of taking part in GuruMuayThai class as we usually do.

Me and my great friend and training partner Michael drove to Coventry, where represented our club at kickboxing show.

Going there we didn't know nothing about my opponent apart of that his weight should match my 75kg and that we were going to fight K1 rules.

We got in there with no expectations what so ever.

All we had in our strategy was to use all our strengths and experience the best we can possibly do.

This is one of the things we have learnt over the years of travelling and competing  around.

There is no point of wasting our precious energy on speculating and stressing over what my opponent brings with him.
Obviously I get some thoughts building up in my head going towards possible abilities and skills of my opponent but instead of concentrating  on what he has got in his sleeve, I am trying to turn it into planning how am I going to respond.
What we have always been taught by our coaches is that it doesn't matter what they can do if you don't give them chance to do it.
So the plan is simple: put the work rate very high, double up on each attack from the other side and make sure I do always respond. According to the plan, as long as my kicks and punches are solid, my distance and timing are right and I use the angles right way, I can't go wrong.
Michael has reminded me few facts about my strengths and advantages, what has pushed away any even minor self doubt.
In the ring anything can really happen, but I know for sure that negative thoughts are not going to make it any better. All they can do is; make me not perform to my best and make me regret things I haven't done after the fight. I've been there before.
I have walked into the ring as second, my rival and his team were already there.
Stepping in I could feel his eyes on me at all times. When I looked at him, he looked very angry and determined to hurt me. He definitely wanted to play the eye contact game ( must have watched a lot of UFC I suppose). I haven't fallowed the game, it isn't much of my style. Again I rather to save my energy and show my skills in the fight, not before.
That's how I have always wanted to be. Humble, respectful and calm fighter which talks with the actions at the appropriate time.
I suppose everyone reacts different to the stress and everyone has got different methods of breaking the opponent confidence.
I believe that my fighting experience makes me not only better fighter and instructor but also better human being in general. 
That's why I wanna be able to control my emotions and my life in the ring as well as outside.
I wanna be positive and confident and push the negativity away.
It is great if you have like minded people surrounding you, like my coaches and team Mates.
You can consider yourself a lucky.
I do.

P.S I have won that fight by unanimous decision. 
www.GMMA.co.uk     

Composure

Everybody can kick and punch.
But if you wanna become a skillful and successful fighter, there is many more skills you need to develop.
In this post I am going to concentrate on one of them. The one I am currently working on.
It is "composure".
Not that fancy stands and moves you could think of.
Composure in terms of staying alert and ready at all times.
It is kind of back to basics proces.
I am trying to sharpen up my tools, while keeping right position and balance after each strike. That will help me to read the game better and always beeing able to react at various occasions.
It takes a lot of time spend on the footwork,balance, extending the strikes, stepping in and out ( managing the distance ) as well as right twist of the feet and body.
The aim is to become more fluid in all my actions.
There is few bad habits I got to get rid off, to make things work right.
But I am very excited as while I am working on my development I can already see the benefits of it.
I can see that by improving my "composure", many other aspects will get better too.
All that also helps with saving energy during the fight as well as during the practice.
I can see that when I manage to loosen up and sharpen my reaction while executing right turn in and out of each combination. Everything works smoother and clearer.
No unnecessary swinging and throwing hands gets involved.
All that works and looks much better at all.
All needs to be done is practice.
Teach my body and brain to react the way I want it to.
www.GMMA.co.uk

Love will give you wisdom.

There was a time, when I first started teaching martial arts to children, when I was pretty nervous.
I knew what I was doing. I was quite convinced that I've got a lot to share with them and what I've got to offer can help them improve their lives.
Task was theoretically simple. Just bring to the table my own experience. Exactly  the way I used to do with the groups and individual adults I was already teaching for a while.
I was impressed how easy can children learn and how quick they can achieve things when they love what they are doing.
However there was few factors of helping children that have got me a bit stressed.
First of all;  children have much less patience than adults.
As a foreigner speaking to the bunch of adults and bunch of kids I could clearly  see the difference. Children wouldn't hide if they didn't understand and they wouldn't try to figure out the meanings.
They would simply express themselves while adults would usually carry on the way they think is right, waiting for eventual corrections.
I could also see the way they look at me, especially the youngest ones. I became a role model for many of them in terms of Martial arts.
That was another reason why I could feel under pressure. I knew that what I do and say is been taken deep into their little hearts and they will fallow my footsteps.
Parents watching me taking care of their loved ones and hoping to help them rise their child the best they can.
And finally; GMMA Academy standards. The highest standards brought by my coaches, developed in a lifetime experience of their very intense work as a martial artists,fighters and instructors.
I've got given great credit by my Coaches and at this same time, expectations are great.
All those aspects have gave me a bit of stress as I have always been  trying to perform the best I can or even better.
So many times I've been asking myself how can I improve as a instructor.
There is so much to go with it .
Everyone is different, everyone has got different abilities and needs.
How can I help one person without missing on the other?
This and many more important questions would come through my head.
It took me a while to figure out that: all of those questions have only got one answer: "love".
When you bring love and passion to something that you are good at,you can create amazing things.
We all need love,understanding, patience and right motivation.
So I have learnt that everything goes easier when I just fallow my heart and intuition. When I treat everyone with love and respect, I can't go wrong and they will pay back with this same.
This is a win - win situation where we all improving in positive environment.
www.GMMA.co.uk

Busy life vs training

There is so much more I wanna get from my life.
As a fighter, student, instructor.
As well as in my career outside the sports and as a husband, brother, son and simply a men.
I strongly believe that we were born as a community and we should also leave as a community too. I wanna be able to so much more for others.
I know that I am on the right path to achieve all this. I am with right, like minded people.
As most of us this days I can't always do things that I would like to  (even if they are right things to do ). Like my training.
My routine is at least two trainings day, six days a week. When I accomplish this schedule,  I do have a Sunday off with full peace of mind.
If I know that tomorrow I've got to start work earlier I will make sure that I wake up early enough to do my morning session and prepare myself for rest of the day.
My main trainings (Gukwoone, GuruMuayThai etc) are in the afternoon or evening. And they are my priorities.
I will literally do all my best to attend my main sessions.
As much as the morning ones are flexible, I can't change nothing when it comes to the main ones.
So in the busy schedule of my other work related duties. Sometimes it is physically impossible to make it on time.
Sometimes even beeing slightly late is not an option either.
Do I just finish what I've got to do and go home to have a peaceful night?
No way.
That wouldn't be possible.  I wouldn't sleep well at all.
The more I achieve the busier I get and the harder it is to fit in everything I wanna do. But if I can't cope with what is happening now, how will I perform having more responsibilities and more duties (which I am planning to ) on my head.
I am not even parent yet:-) !
So I will always make sure that I have this couple of things with me at all times.
My training kit and membership card to chain of the gyms at different locations around London, where I can do my routine if I miss my planned training.
If I skip it today, tomorrow will something else pop out. Day after day, week after week I will miss more and instead of getting closer I will move away from my goals.
So here we are.
Missed my evening session and just about to start my own training of a run on the treadmill...
Good luck with achieving your goals👍
www.GMMA.co.uk

Copycatting skills of children

While enjoying beautiful English spring I have recently been increasing outdoor training of my own, as well as with my students. It would be a criminal not to use this warm and sunny days.
At the beginning of this week, at one of the West London parks I was training one of my regular students, a five years old boy. His mum and little sister, two years old were enjoying the weather watching us from time to time.
Little girl was as most of the little children would be really interested in all surroundings,flowers,trees, dogs passing by. But every time her brother had a break for a drink she would come to me,bow the way we do at Gukwoone and kick the pads with big smile on her face.
We spent some time on developing back kick of my young student and added it up to nice short combination at the end.
When we finally finished the training little girl had run back to me again and begun kicking the pads the best she could.
I gave her short instructions and taught her how to punch too.
Over sudden she has turned around and performed back kick which has briefly seen us practicing with her brother.
We were all amazed.
After all we went to playground in the park to let children have some fun.
Girl has continued fallowing the footstepsof her older brother.
She would fearlessly repeat every action taken by him.
One thing I know for sure and there is no doubt about it,is that children have great ability of copycatting others.
There is no boundaries in their abilities as they not over thinking it. They have no doubt, all they wanna do is accomplish their mission.
That's why as a teachers,parents,older siblings,any other kind of mentors or role models, we have very responsible task. We have to choose wisely what kind of people we are, what kind of attitude we have and what do we say to our upper coming hero's.
Words are not enough to inspire them and make them become confident and successful.
They need to see great perspective in our actions.
Will I teach my students how to perform correct back kick without showing them example?
Will I teach them respect while laughing at their problems and difficulties?
Will I teach them how to improve if I am staying still satisfied with what I've got ?
Whatever is your role; teacher, parent,brother,sister.
Remember that kids simply observing and copycatting.
Don't matter how much you explain, they will most likely fallow your actions rather than words.
www.GMMA.co.uk

Stressing food

I have experienced how stress can affect our nerve system and our health at numbers of situations.
I have had serious problem with my lower back ( when I have thought that my fighting career was finished ).
At very unexpected moment, when I was actually feeling pretty strong.
I have seen my wife beeing incorrectly diagnosed with asthma few months after our wedding. When she finally settled down after all the preparation and stressing about the ceremony and party.
So many times I've got ill straight after the fight as my nerve system would be overloaded in the preparation and during the competition. When it was all done my body and brain would completely relax and being tired after all the tension I would catch any virus hanging around.
Having the back problem I have mentioned before I was regularly visiting chiropractic for months.
At that time I would always have pack or two of peppermint chewing gums in my pocket.
Emptying pockets before each session my Chiropractic has noticed that and proposed me a test.
Test was simple: I had to lie down  on my back and lift my legs and arms,keeping them straight and try to resist while he was pulling pushing or to the side and pushing down.
It wouldn't look too bad.
Then he would ask me to put one of the chewing gum in my mouth, without even chewing just let the taste come out.
It was no longer than two minutes before we repeated the test.
I couldn'tbelieve of the outcome and I have accused the doctor of pushing and pulling harder than before.
He would smile and explain to me what was he trying to prove.
Doctor has explained to me that what I have experienced was result of my nerve system being weaken up while protecting my body against poisoning chemical of the chewing gum called aspartame.
While he was explaining I was waiting for the taste to go away and we had the test for the third time.
Everything was more or less back to normal after about five minutes chat.
Aspartame is one of many chemical ingredients of today's processed food.
Along with many other sweeteners, regulators, preservatives and countless enhancements used by food producers.
All of those have similar effect on our health to mental stress.
It all affects our nerve system then amune.
You can run and train everyday, but if you are not having good rest, peaceful life, plenty of love and healthy diet.
You might still suffer health wise.
So make right choices at your next meal.
www.GMMA.co.uk