Why is it whenever I get back into the swing of training something happens that throws a spanner in the works? happy Sunday by the way. Sorry I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks but you know.. excuses excuses. As you can probably tell I’m not in the best of moods.

Last week saw a full week at the gym and some training over the weekend too. This week has been full of sneezing coughing and general germ ridden shenanigans. And when I say shenanigans I mean sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, luckily the worst is over and I’ve managed to get a couple of decent runs in over the weekend

Still, although I’m back at square one next week at least I’ll be back. Surprisingly I’ve listened to myself for once and kept myself out the gym to rest up and get better. With age comes wisdom. In a way. Despite being back at square one it’s going to be good to be back.

Whinging over, it was good last week at least to get back into the swing of things. And setbacks being setbacks come up when you least expect them or want them to happen.training was good as always last week and I think making sure I’m there least 4 times a week is a good place to start to make real progress from.

Being honest, I’ve noticed that there’s been a few improvements happening over the past couple of months but as I always say (and I do always say it) the more you put in the more you get out. I guess I say it so frequently mainly because it’s true.

Running as well for me is a necessity when it comes to training. A while ago I shared an article that made it clear that if you  don’t run? don’t fight! it’s something I had drilled into me by the other fighters and my old trainer at my old gym in Bournemouth a while ago. I’ve competed since 2011 (albeit a year or so out of late) and it’s something that’s still an essential part of training for me.

Having good stamina is essential for me (and I guess anyone that takes fighting even remotely seriously) and when I’m training again next week I’ll make sure I push myself, from my point of view it’s important for the way I fight which usually involves a lot of pressure and in an ideal situation up  a lot of  “up close and personal.” The life of a short arse is never a easy one when it comes to all things Thai, but then again it’s not the easiest of fights full stop.

I’ve always found it’s important to be able to keep fighting and keep attacking no matter how hard things get in there, it’s very easy sometimes to get hit and freeze (especially if you get hit hard) and then spend too much time covering up when really you should be answering back.

I’ve learnt that it’s important to respond and not just react. Responding to me means coming back with an answer quickly. If you look at things from a point scoring perspective you even out the odds too. And besides, no one likes getting a pasting.

The more intense the fight gets the more it takes out of you, and for me I’m sure like many others a few seconds can last a life time, in retrospect I never knew 2 minutes could last forever till I stepped into a boxing ring. I think I’m going to make more of a point of running between sessions from here on in as it’s another area of training that’s felt light on the ground. My fitness at present however, isn’t too bad.

So as usual I’m looking forward to getting back on the training horse next week onwards. (that old chestnut ) Time well spent at the gym always yields the best results, and who knows if I play my cards right, stick to my guns, don’t give up and all that good stuff.. maybe I’ll be fighting again soon. In the meantime, have a good week, train hard and as always  I’ll see you on that road.