This month I’ve hit a mile stone as I’ve been training in Muay Thai for eight years, so today I feel a little accomplished. Go me. When I first started training way back in the mists of 2007 I never thought I would end up sparring let alone end up competing so it’s nice to know the will to succeed and passion for the martial art / sport is still alive and kicking in me (I get kicked enough already really) and stronger than ever. I think that deserves a second ‘go me’. This week has as always been a good week at the gym.

I’m nearly at the entry point for my fighting weight (61kg sitting at 61.8 this morning) and training is going well. I’ve found a sparring partner for the next  couple of weeks who is 57kg (I need to cut to around 58 to 59 ideally) so just boxing sparring yesterday gave me an idea of what fighting someone at a lower weight class than I’m used to is going to be about. I’m pretty sure the kid I’m fighting in a few weeks is going to be quick because the lad I was sparring with was.

But I did well, so I’m hoping it’s going to help me with movement a little more. Boxing footwork is of course not Muay Thai footwork but I find that boxing sparring not only helps with my hands but also makes me a little more aware of the ring, and can get me moving quicker. The key of course is then bringing that over into Thai and the best way to do that is by making a concious effort to bring it into sparring and training.

So I’ve spent a little time this week (yesterday actually) focusing on changing angles (just on a bag) and stepping off and hitting at the same time. I do this sometimes, but having the constitution of the Terminator I can usually take a lot as well as give it back too, so probably don’t defend and counter as well as I should. I have a tendency to keep the pressure on which Is important for the later rounds but maybe I need to play a different game in the beginning couple. My attacking is good and I can put simple combinations together well under pressure but I think really to step things up I need to start adding in a good system of defensive movement and counters.

So, taking stock of things at present I’ve remembered that really good defence can be just as effective as a good offence when your under pressure, or when your playing that game of mental chess with your opponent when your in the fight. I think of course it’s very important to remain aggressive but finding shots and making the moment happen is also something that I think works too.

So this of course, is something I’m going to be working on next week onwards. It’ll no doubt take longer than I’d like to come together but I’m sure I can make some good stuff happen before the show. Practice as they say makes perfect, and perseverance as I like to think is a virtue, and when it comes to perseverance it really boils down to how much you want to succeed at what you do.

I realized earlier on this morning that I’ve got my eyes firmly on the prize at present and I think a lot of that is to do with the fact that I’ve set a mental road map for the year ahead. I always find that training becomes more and more exciting when I have a real purpose for being there, and  I’ve always been up for a challenge or real test of myself as I’ve mentioned before. So on that basis, I’m already looking forward to training hard again next week onwards. This week has been an amazing week of training and I’m sure next week will be even better. I hope yours is too. Have a good week, and I’ll see you on the road.