Archive for November, 2012

Just in case you aren?t familiar with these things, a thermostat changes the temperature in a room where as a thermometer reacts to the temperature in the room.

So what has this got to do with fight training? Every club needs at least one thermostat – these are the guys that when they are training or taking a session it is just harder, there is no real reason for it, they just seem to be able to make everyone lift their effort. These people are invaluable as they get the best out of you and seem to be able to push you past where you thought you could go, then the next time they expect more. These guys do not need big names or big classes to give a hard session they expect 100% every time that you are on the mat, any less and you are wasting their time and more importantly your time.

The thermometer is most people, when the training is easy they go easy and when the training is hard they go hard. If they are against someone that they can beat easy then they take it easy, if they are against someone hard then they go hard. These are the people that have a great fight against top fighters but then struggle against less skilled people as they let the opponent set the temperature and they just react to it.

I was lucky enough to train with Randy Couture in America, and he is a thermostat. When training with him one moment that stands out, when I was doing some striking with him and I spent the first 3 seconds of the round putting in my mouth guard, which I didn?t think anything of, he made sure I made up that time at the end. He was not being a dick or trying to show who was boss he was just worried that I missed out on three seconds of training. When you think of training at the level that he was competing at if you missed three seconds of every round that would mount up to 5 ? 6 rounds missed over a training camp at that could make the difference.

One other thermostat I was lucky enough to train with was Robert Drysdale, who has amazing BJJ. I asked him how he works his skills when everyone he trains with is less skilled. Think of that for a minute, everyone you train with you can beat so how the hell can you get better. This was his answer, ?I can go 100% against everyone?. This made me very curious on how that was possible. ?I can get in the most dangerous positions against anyone and work hard to get out?. That is, he kept the intensity high by making himself work against people that he could destroy by working on his weak areas, which I am guessing are not that weak relative to the rest of us.

If you take Randy and Robert?s training mentality you can see how they got so far. Thermostat?s are born not made but you can work on changing the temperature a little more for now on as it is your training and you need to make the most of it.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/

Everyone knows that UFC has evolved leaps and bounds since UFC 1. People also know that any pro fighter now would?ve dominated UFC 1. But the question remains – would you win UFC 1?

 
UFC 1 was November 12th 1993 in Denver Colorado and the line up was:
Gerrad Gordeau (Savate and Kyokushin ? Dutch Champion for 8 consecutive years)
Telia Tuli (Sumo Wrestling, 170kg)
Kevin Rosier (kickboxing 6?4 120kg)
Zane Frazier (4th Dan Kenpo Karate, WKF Super Heavyweight Kickboxing Champ)
Royce Gracie (BJJ Black Belt)
Art Jimmerson (boxer, former Golden Gloves Champ)
Ken Shamrock (Catch Wrestler)
Pat Smith (black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido and Kenpo. #1 Super Heavy Kicboxer in USA and #5 international)

With your current skills, then going back in time, how would you have gone against that line up? I am going to base this on my skills, former NZ Kickboxing Champion, BJJ Purple Belt, Freestyle Wrestler (2nd Nationals) and my size 6tf ?3in 110kg.

 
They are all relatively dangerous fighters but with my wrestling skill I believe I could get the karate and kickboxers to the ground. From there I would use GnP and position to open up submissions. Therefore in theory that would take care of Gordeau, Rosier, Frazier, Jimmerson and Smith. That leaves Tuli, Shamrock and Gracie. Tuli would be no picnic with his size but all going well after moving him around for a while he would become a easy target. Now down to business.
Royce Gracie, how would you handle him?? I would try to keep in standing as his fight history shows that takedowns were not his strength. I would keep the fight standing as long as possible and look to pick him off with striking. However this would not be as easy as you think as Gracie keeps distance with that front kick until he decides to shoot in. This means that he will not spend hardly anytime in the striking zone, hence making that plan difficult. Assuming that he did get it to the ground, by pulling guard, would my purple belt defence with some GnP make up for the massive gap in skill while inside Gracie?s guard? I would not want to spend any time in that place and would look to get away as soon as possible, this would then give him openings to sweep or sub. I have not been in his guard but have been in some very good BJJ guards and find it a hard place to live. Therefore the only way I could beat Gracie is if I landed a big punch, or managed to survive in his guard and inflict damage, as I am bigger this may work but it wouldn?t be easy at all.

 
Ken Shamrock to me is a harder fight, as he would be better wrestler than me and has dangerous strikes and my defence against leg locks is average at best. I would not like my chances in this fight at all. Shamrock is fit and would have strength on me as well. Shamrock was good, the only way for me to win would be to keep in standing and catch him as he came in, as he tends to lose his head a little in the heat of battle.

 
Overall people say how much MMA has moved on but when you ask most people who train it they are very unsure if they would win UFC 1, that shows you how good Gracie and Shamrock were. I picked them as Gracie and Shamrock were the only two who went on from there to have a carer in MMA. The other advantage that I have is hindsight, I know what they all did as we have all seen it on TV. Could I match them with my skills now? I am unsure. I would however love to roll with gracie and spar with Shamrock just to get an idea on how good they are. One thing I have learned over the years is that those good guys are really really good, and you can not comprehend it until you are on the receiving end.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/