The sweet spot

When competing, the mental side is the most important thing. After all the physical work has been done, getting the mind right is key. When it’s time to compete, the person who has a better mental process has a big advantage when the victory is on the line

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Gareth Lewis
Making the most of it

Within a fight gym, there are many levels of talent. The majority of us, though, sit somewhere in the middle. At any given time, there may be more people in the room better then you, and in other rooms, you will be better than most. Using statistics as a guide it is unlikely that you are the best or the worst – this is the best place to be.

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Gareth Lewis
Bag of firewood

Have you ever picked up a bag of firewood? If yes, then you’ll know how awkward, uncomfortable, and painful it is. There are jagged edges that dig into you and none of it is pleasant.

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Gareth Lewis
Foundations

No matter what we do in life, if we want to succeed there needs to be a strong base on which to build from. Most of us try to get ahead and speed up this process only to find ourselves back at the basics before we know it.

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Gareth Lewis
Working the corner

When you have a fighter competing and you’re in the corner, there is a whole process involved. Since you go through the build-up with them, come fight time, you may as well be in there with them.

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Gareth Lewis
Best of the best

After a very dominant performance, Khabib announced his retirement from MMA. During his post-fight interview, Khabib mentioned he should be #1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Consequently, there have been many debates and differing opinions regarding who is at the top of this list, and discussions about the ‘goats’ of MMA.

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Gareth Lewis
To the right of north

Having never done an Eastern martial art, specifically Chinese martial arts, they have always been a bit strange to me. They are impressive, but I just never saw a benefit to my own personal style. Recently I have come across a little information that changed how I viewed the Chinese martial arts.

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Gareth Lewis
I want to fight

Recently I have had a few people ask me about fighting. The usual questions are: when would I be ready? How would I go in a fight? And more. Fighting is one of those things that you don’t quite know until it happens.

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Gareth Lewis
Underestimated

When going against a new opponent, you have a few calculations to make. Figuring out how hard you need to go against them, for example. These calculations also have to take a few things into consideration. Such as size, physique, rank (if applicable) and attitude/how many tattoos.

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Gareth Lewis
Make it look easy

Fighters like Andersson Silva and Jon Jones are among the most successful fighters in UFC history (if not the most successful). However, I have never liked them. And I wonder if this this is because they make it look too easy.

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Gareth Lewis
Going stale

Like any relationship, if you keep doing the same things, you’ll likely be getting the same results. The same principle can be applied to your training. If you find yourself doing the same moves against the same people and getting the same results, it might be time to change it up.

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Gareth Lewis
When will I get better?

When you start off trying something new it is exciting up until the point you realise you kinda suck. Then you start to wonder if will ever be any good – or you quit. And sometimes, you do both.

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Gareth Lewis
Inside my head

Over the last few weeks, people have brought up the topic of my “fight brain.” Even though it feels weird to talk about, this is what goes through my head on any given session.

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Gareth Lewis
Have you tried?

When you’re in a social setting and you meet people that just watch MMA or have only just started MMA, you get some pretty interesting questions.

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Gareth Lewis
Big Concerns

The bigger people are, the bigger their responsibility is to look after training partners. To quote Spider-Man, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

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Gareth Lewis
Adesanya v Costa

The end of September will see the return of Israel Adesanya to the UFC octagon. He is set to defend his middleweight belt against Paulo Costa. Some are saying this is the most dangerous opponent that he has faced.

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Gareth Lewis
Side lines

Watching a fight is always easier than actually fighting. But recently, one of the best fighting minds seemed to be lacking ideas in a UFC main event.

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Gareth Lewis
Bullseye

As a trainer you, want your students to target you. In the sense that you want them to be trying to get the better of you; to beat you in some aspect of the sport. What happens, though, when this goes too far?

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Gareth Lewis
Baby got back

In most areas in life, telling someone they have heavy hips is likely to result in sharp slap across the cheek. Or, at the very least, you’ll be on the other side of a very dirty look. However, when said in an MMA context, you’re being paid a large compliment.

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Gareth Lewis