SOCIAL MEDIA EVERYTHING

            I was going to write on this subject today but then realized that I had already previously, several times in fact. I guess it is a growing pandemic, but in reality, this has been going on since the beginning of time. However, now it is that much easier to have a more expansive reach with social media.

            I find it interesting because in many ways the internet made it more difficult for individuals to get away with B.S., because of the fact that people could see what does and does not work in real life and what those who are successful are actually doing. This went on for some time but over the last few years, particularly recently, this has begun to shift and somehow it seems as if we are going backwards, in many ways. More and more the “show” people seem to be the ones getting play. I guess that is just the way of the world though. The real typically takes a backseat to the fake. The things that tend to be popular are rarely the things that are pure, real and raw.

            What I have always taken solace in is the fact that one, the real will always stand out more, particularly with the popularity of the fake and two, the ones who know and who are really in it know what is what and who is who. 

            Since the beginning of this journey, I have wanted to do my part in helping the sport that I love grow, not only to grow but also to maintain its purity with that growth, which is almost impossible. Life is all about balance so when something gets better it also has the exact same potential to be worse.

            Years ago, I, along with several others, would often talk about the idea of creating a TV show where we would drive around the country to all of these phony gyms and put them on blast. However, as hilarious and therapeutic as that may have been, fighting against things rarely gets the result that you are looking for. Promoting and working towards whatever the opposite of it may be is usually your best bet.

            These are just my opinions and in no way the gold standard. I am not trying to preach or convert anyone, only sharing what I see, feel and believe, take it or leave it. So, here are three blogs I had previously written that all talk about this age we now find ourselves in.

Instafamous

            We live in an age of instant gratification thanks, or no thanks to, depending on your take, social media, where everyone seems to continually be patting themselves on the back. It is the “look at me” era. Anyone with a smart phone can make themselves feel superior with a few likes and followers. “Insta famous!” I’m not trying to sit here and tell people what’s right or wrong however, when you are more concerned with what you appear to be on the internet as opposed to actually putting in the work you need to do in order to be the best, there is a problem. Now, if all you really care about is the public perception that you put on then go for it, but if your goal is to actually be the best then it’s time to put down the phone, shut your mouth and get back to work.

            I have always been of the mindset that nothing is ever good enough, that is not to say that I am not grateful and appreciative for the things that I have been able to accomplish. What it means is that no matter what I do, I know that there is always more room for growth. I can always improve, I can always be better. There is no finish line until you take that last breath. Until then, there will always be new mountains to climb.

            Some might take this as being too hard on yourself but I find that to be one of the biggest reasons for mediocrity. We have literally set the bar so low these days that it is actually on the floor. I see people who win a few fights or titles, particularly at the lower level, and they parade themselves around as if they are now one if the greatest to ever step foot in the ring. Sure, if you compare yourself to where you used to be or to people that have not done anything then yea, I can see how one might think that. For me, however, I have always set my sights on being one of the best of all time, and in that aspect, there is always more work to be done. It is the big fish in a small pond problem, which Damien Trainor has a nice write up on his blog that you can check out here and here is the link to the one that I wrote.

            We tend to forget just how big this world is. Do you want to be the best on your block or the best ever? Anyone can be the best in the gym, the best in their city, state, etc., but if you think you are ever going to achieve greatness then you had better set you sets higher.

            It is easy to look back and say, “Well in my day people just had a different mindset.” Yes and no. People definitely did but that is also because it was not as easy to pretend you were something that you were not back then, although there were still those that found a way. There always has been, and always will be, those that are more concerned with what they appear to be rather than what they actually are.

            It is difficult for me to look back on my career and have any kind of ego about it. Sure, I have done a lot, but my eyes remain focused on what else I can do, not on what I have already accomplished. Maybe when I retire, I will be able to take a step back and really enjoy it but until then I will continually be trying to improve, set new bars and better myself.

            I try to look at it like this, it is literally impossible to be 100% perfect at anything you do so in that sense, no matter how good you get, you can always get better. Even if you have ‘perfected’ something, it does not stay that way indefinitely. We need to be continually perfecting every weapon we have. The problem is that there are so many and once you start getting one thing down the others begin to dull. It is a constant juggling act. 

            We must strive daily to not only be better than we were, but to be the best we can be. This goes for every aspect of life.

Fake Trainers

            I will be the first to admit that great trainers were not always the best fighters; in fact that is rarely the case. I feel a reason for this is that the fighters that are able to get to that elite level have had to focus so much time and energy on themselves. They need to be selfish. Fighting also may have come more naturally to them. Most people tend to struggle on all of the steps to getting a technique down. Even when I am teaching, I find myself showing a kick or a technique and saying, “Just do it!” not understanding why it is so difficult for them. I was always shown and rarely ever had things broken down. Coming up under Thai’s that one, did not speak the best English and two, that is the way that they had been taught as well. Regardless, you still need to out in the work and endless repetitions no matter who you are.

            It has only been through teaching that I was forced to dissect all the steps that go into something like a kick. It even surprises me that I do not actually pay attention to what all the intricate details are until I go to teach them because I never had to really think about it before. That being said there are way too many 'fake' trainers out there teaching Muay Thai, as I'm sure there are in every other fighting style/martial art/sport/business. People that somehow get in good with a gym or the right fighter then piggyback their way until they are known as a good trainer just by association. Unfortunately, especially in MMA, these people get away with this because the people that they are teaching really have no clue, how would they? I mean if you are going to someone to learn how to fight and they know more then you why would you ever question them, how would you even know the difference. My eyes were really opened to this years back when I used to train under Master Toddy. He would do these instructor courses where owners of gyms and trainers would come in and do a weeklong course in order to get certified by him. I would always sit there watching him teaching these people and just be baffled at the fact that hardly any of them could even do the most basic of techniques. The majority of the time they would have backgrounds in some other martial art, karate/tae kwon do/etc, and just want to be certified to teach Muay Thai, which to me is total BS. How are you going to take a course for a week and then suddenly be certified to teach something like that? But that's another topic all together! Then I would come to find out that they would have like six schools and hundreds of student, I was shocked! “How does this happen?” I would ask myself. Finally, one day one of the gym owners had a few of his students with him, who were also taking some classes. We got to talking and they told me how amazed they were at the level of most of the people at the gym. “We never learn stuff like this!” they would tell me. After getting to know them a bit better, I felt comfortable enough to ask, “So, is there just nowhere else to train or do you not realize that your instructor has no idea what he's talking about?” He laughed and told me that there just weren't any other options, “It's either that or train by myself!” which sometimes might be a better option.

            Over the years I started seeing it more and more, these trainers who really had no background, no fight experience and no real knowledge, would be the head trainers of some pretty high-level fighters and gyms (I won't drop any names). As I said earlier having been a high-level fighter, or a fighter period, is not a prerequisite to being a good trainer. It is definitely beneficial for a trainer to have at least some fighting experience, regardless of the level. When you are in there telling your student what they should be doing it would help if you actually knew what they were dealing with at that moment and what they are really going through. Fortunately, these days it is a lot more difficult for those fake trainers to pass themselves off as the real deal. Some of the funniest videos, yet also saddest, are the ones of those trainers being exposed. It still baffles me that any of them are able to continue to operate. I think to myself, “Do these students not have any access to the internet, can they not see how full of shit this guy is?” I think sometimes people know but they do not want to admit it, especially if they have been with that teacher for a number of years. Another big reason seems to be the fact that people want to believe in all this fancy, weird, movie style, choreographed fighting because it looks pretty. I could go on and on about this for hours but you get the point so I will leave you with this; it can be very difficult to find quality training, especially if you are in an area of the country/world, where there just is not anything offered. What I would say to people that are first starting out, or people that are not quite sure if there school/trainer is legit, is do your research. Ask around, find out who they have trained, what their background is, etc. Then you can decide.

            As I stated previously, being a fighter does not necessarily make them a great trainer and just because they have fought, does not mean they know how to teach. I think one of the most important things about finding a good trainer is not just about how much they know, it's about how well you both work together. You can have the greatest trainer in the world and if they do not mesh well with you then it is all for nothing. Just as you can have the best facility in the world but that does not necessarily equate to great training. Look at some of the camps of the highest-level Thai boxers in Thailand; they are training in what most would consider dumps. Bags that are duct tapped together, training on concrete, no real weight equipment, yet there are some of the best in the world. Find out what works best for you and just open your eyes.

-Feel free to dissect this blog, quote it, bash it, critique it, tell everyone what's wrong with it but hopefully it is helpful to those that need it.

Dues

            Not sure when this happened but I definitely see it more often these days, across all aspects of life. Maybe it's just the way of the world now but, speaking on fighting here, no one wants to pay their dues anymore. I'll hear of an amateur fighter getting the unbelievable opportunity of fighting on huge card then suddenly they start making demands. Hearing things like them asking for money. Money? What? Are you serious? You do realize that there are countless fighters out there who would literally pay to have this opportunity. You're an amateur and are on a huge promotion, have some freaking gratitude, even more so if you haven’t made a name for yourself. Of course, there is also the flip side to that where you will have a promoter/promotion hold the fact that it’s “a great opportunity” over your head in order to low ball you. That is just one example that always sticks in my head but I see it all the time. A person will have a few amateur fights and continually ask when they should go pro. Ummmmm never, shut up, keep your head down, keep fighting, when you're ready someone will let you know. Till then just focus on you. Stop trying to sprint to the finish line. 

            I remember when I first started fighting we would drive all over the country, often several times a month, just to get fights. No one was paying us, at times, we would pay just to fight, no one was even guaranteeing we would have a fight when we showed up. It was just part of paying our dues. You bust your ass all day every day, find out there are some fights, pack up the van with all the fighters that will fit and hit the road. You all show up not knowing if, who or when you would fight. If they would have way more experience then you, outweigh you by twenty five pounds or if you would fight at all. That was just the way it was, and we loved it!!! There were no big shows to get on, no fights on TV that we could look at as a goal to reach. We did it for the love of the sport. We did it for the desire to be the best that we could be, even if no one ever knew about it. Guess that was a different time.

            I hear many fighters complain that they do not get the recognition they deserve, or they will see other fighters getting lots of opportunities even though they feel they are more deserving. To that, I will say this, I do not care what you do in life, it is not just about being good at your job, or even being the best for that matter, there are countless other factors that go into it. You think only the best fighters are the ones who make it? Talent and skill are just one piece of the puzzle, and a small piece at that. More than anything, you need people that want to see you. It can be to see you lose or to see you win but people have to care. Why would a promoter want to put a fighter on a card that can't put people in the seats? It’s simple business. You'll hear people say things like, ”The only reason that guys on the card is because he can sell 300 tickets.” and you know what, you are absolutely correct, but that's just the way it is in life. Deal with it. I'm not saying you need to have some gimmick, or try and be something you are not just in order to get some buzz around you. Just be you, do the work, pay your dues and things tend to fall in place, hopefully. There are no guarantees regardless of what you do so you had better be able to live with yourself and your decisions when it is all said and done.

-The end