Training and X-rays!

I’ve had a massive week of training, four sessions in a row and six in total. I had a wrestling session with a friend/instructor who has another fight coming up this Sunday at the South West Fighting Championships 2 in Torquay. My colleague from work is also fighting there and it will be his first MMA fight, so good luck to them both. The wrestling session was great, as we did it at a local boxing gym and used the ring for some corner shoots and take downs. This let me brush up on the basics that are easily forgotten as we usually concentrate on striking or groundwork. I’m happy with my takedowns but like everything else, it never hurts to keep practising against new people.

I then had a session the following day with a mate from the Exeter Fighter Club and although he is heavier and a lot taller than me, I handled it very well and got most of the submissions. Later in the week, we had another wrestling session with me being one of the smallest in the class and being overpowered most of the time. But it really came to show that technique was important, as I managed to take a few people down with double legged takedowns.

During all this training I’ve been waiting for the results of my ex-ray that I had on my hip recently, as it was causing me some discomfort and the results are in! I have an Exostosis, which is basically a piece of bone that I have chipped off ages ago, re-attaching itself to a bone and growing out again. The op is to simply shave it off and back to work in a day or two, but due to the stitches, it may be a couple of weeks before I can train, bummer!!!

The diet is going well and although I’m training hard and eating well, I don’t seem to put any weight on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fitter than I have been in ages and starting to tone up a bit, but I will now look to put a bit more muscle on, as this can only help with the locks and holds.

Good luck once again to the guys fighting this Sunday and keep an eye on the website, as I’ll have some good footage of it thanks to the organisers.

Train hard.

NH

Training: Stepping things up a gear!

Well, it’s been hard work for the last couple of weeks, what with the website and training but I think the site is looking really good now and we’re starting to give away great prizes, like the ticket to the next South West Fight in Torquay on the 27^th March.

I’ve been training at Lion’s Den in Exmouth and love it, (check out the interview with Dave). It’s a great bunch of guys AND girls and they make me feel really welcome. There’s not one girl that I fancy fighting as they are truly good when sparring and the guys don’t seem to hold back against them and this is good to see. I also find that I’m learning a lot about my sparring and technique.

There’s not so much being taught on a one to one basis but one of the guys, an Irish guy takes over after the gruelling warm up from Dave the owner. This chap seems to really know what he’s on about as he shows and teaches counter moves to the countermoves that you may find yourself being in.

The Wednesday class is my favourite as it’s all about sparring and this is what I need. The other classes during the week are conditioning classes and fighters classes for those from the Lion’s Den Fighters team that have a fight coming up. The whole idea is to develop fighters for Lion’s Den, ready for the cage and I like this.

I can see it taking me another eight months on top of my four months with Dean and ten years of Kickboxing, to be ready and at a level that I’m happy to fight at. But when I am, look out. I was sparring with one of the top boys from Lion’s Den and managed to kick him in the side of the face, I did pull it a bit before it connected and spent the rest of the round, keeping away from him. It just went to show how professional they all are, as the guy was really humble and said “we’re all here to learn”.

I can see myself staying at this club long term, it would just be easier if they were a bit closer to Exeter, as the last thing I want after a training session, is a forty minute drive home to my shower and bed.

I have also been lately finding that my cardio has slipped, this may be due to the fact that I’ve lost almost a stone in weight over the last two months. The weight loss is allegedly due to stress, so says my GP, but hey, what do they know! So now I’m on a diet to increase my endurance and recovery during and after training. This seems to really be working, as I am starting to see the difference and is another example of why the MMA Prospects website is so useful because I got the dietary advice from the Nutritionist on there.