Kombat Triage:

Self Care Defense Conditioning

By Khadi Madama
Kombat Triage:
Self Care Defense Conditioning
Copywrite 2013
Khadi Madama
www!ombat"triage"#onditioning#om
Spe#ial Than!s
$%d li!e to first re#ogni&e 'aron (i#hman) fo*nder of the MM' +ight Co*n#il) who got
it into his mind that ,oga had real -fight- merit) sight *nseen) after $ approa#hed him with
the wa#!y idea of writing wee!ly -on the mat- Meaning that $ wo*ld be writing
#omptemporaneo*sly) sharing appli#ations that $ *sed while wor!ing with my fight
trainees as their needs arised ea#h wee! The fa#t that he tr*sted and had faith in me to
!eep readers interested in offering *sef*l material is something for whi#h $ am tr*ly
gratef*l
The #o.er logo of the star! seated fig*re was #reated by So!e% Da.id / D%'ntonio)
fo*nder of C0TS $ thin! it absol*tely pro1e#ts a real .iral energy) the !ind to whi#h
fighters #an relate They !now what it feels li!e to be bare) s!eletal) and transparent) and
they !now that their ability to be lean) mean fighting ma#hines is what gi.es them the
edge They also !now the importan#e of fo#*s Da.id%s image embodies this 2e #reated
this for me as a genero*s gift) and $ am so .ery h*mbled by it
Than!s are in order to Sif* 'lan 3oldberg 2is name needs no introd*#tion Than!
yo* 'lan) for always wel#oming me on yo*r shows to promote my wor!
Than!s also to +ight 4romoter Donnie 2air) my friend from the mo.ie Mortal
Kombat) for #onstant +a#eboo! s*pport in promoting my wor! to fighters in his #amp
Than!s to /eff 5agner for the great testimonials and s*pport and interest in my wor!
2*ge than!s to 5orld Karate 0nions% Kathi and +ran! Tasetano for #onstant s*pport
of my wor!) in#l*ding honoring me with a p*blishing award for the boo! and promoting
my Kombat Triage Seminar at the ann*al 5K0 2all of +ame 5ee!end
'nd to (ob Car*##i) of Combat +a#tory) for s*pport and promotion and to so many
others who ha.e #onta#ted me) feat*red me in print) radio and other e.ents
Spe#ial mention and than!s go o*t to 6i.ing 6egend 2anshi +ran! D*7) whose merit
far rea#hes beyond Bloodsport) for endorsing this boo! $ am so h*mbled and honored to
say that some of these #ontents will be in#l*ded in 2anshi D*7%s Secrets of Warriorship)
when it la*n#hes in the near f*t*re
M*#h lo.e and gratit*de)
5riting to yo* from o*t of the red #orner
Khadi
'bo*t:
Kombat Triage: Self Care Defense Conditioning
8+ormerly released as MM' ,oga on the Mat: (eal ,oga for $nside the Cage9
+or the better part of a year) $ had the pleas*re and honor to be able to write for the
MM' +ight Co*n#il) a prestigio*s organi&ation dedi#ated to e.erything MM' +or the
past twenty years) $:.e been an a.id re#ogni&ed martial artist) whi#h in#l*des the st*dy of
the healing properties of Chi 3ong) and other alternati.e modes of health and healing
Those twenty odd years $%.e spent st*dying) tea#hing and sharing my !nowledge +or
more than forty years) $ ha.e dedi#ated my life to the st*dy and pra#ti#e of ,oga in all
forms) both for sports and therapy Then) more than a de#ade ago) already with a passion
in my heart for bo7ers and the MM' fighters $ wat#hed d*ring the e.ol*tion of #age
fighting) shoot fighting) and the 0+C) $ began st*dying what wor!ed best for Mi7ed
Martial 'rts) tea#hing it to st*dents who were endea.oring to be#ome fighters thro*gh
Bra&ilian /i*1its* and other martial arts training) in#l*ding one ;lympi# De#athlon 3old
Medalist That e7perien#e has now e7panded into the world of %street defense ta#ti#s and
military #ombat Soldiers who were former st*dents prior to enlisting ha.e been *sing my
system to !eep themsel.es well and sharing with their mates <a.y personnel ha.e *sed
my stress management te#hni=*es for dealing with e7treme deployment stress
Kombat Triage is a #omposition) a sele#tion from the body of my !nowledge that
seems to best assist in healing repetiti.e sports in1*ries) fle7ibility and #onditioning
problems en#o*ntered by all #ombat gladiators with whom $:.e had the pleas*re to share
the mat) the ring) the #age) both nearby and afar
Khadi Madama >Self"#are is the first line of self"defense?
+irst Se#tion:
3eneral Conditioning
Application 2 Category: General Conditioning: Hips-Shoulders-Neck
Three target areas of stress that $ am often as!ed abo*t are the 2amstrings) 2ips and
Sho*lders $t is by no mista!e that many bo7ers will enter into the ring) step into their
#orner and start hanging o.er from the waist to sha!e o*t their sho*lders $t%s nat*ral
,o*r body is always trying to align or repair itself and wor!ing with gra.ity is always
better than wor!ing against it $%d lo.e to be able to be in the #orner with my fa.orite
fighter the ne7t time he steps into it so that $ #o*ld help him loosen *p for a better fight
Sin#e $ #an%t do that) $%m 1*st as happy stepping onto the mat here with all of yo* ea#h
wee! 6et%s ta!e a loo! at the
MMA Standing Pre-Fight Tension elie!er:
1 Stand with yo*r feet no more than a foot apart
2 Ta!e a deep breath) 's yo* e7hale) fle7 yo*r !nees slightly) drop yo*r head onto yo*r
#hest and let yo*r sho*lders follow 6et yo*rself hang forward from the waist
3 Ta!e a moment to sha!e o*t yo*r sho*lders) then let them hang
@ Ma!e s*re yo* aren%t holding tension in yo*r ne#! $t sho*ld flop ba#! and forth were
someone were to tap it lightly
A Breathe trying to e7pand yo*r diaphragm o*tward This is going to gi.e yo* better
respiration d*ring the fight
B 'fter 1 min*te) begin to slowly #ome to a standing position again) while yo* *n#*rl) in
by in#h Ta!e a deep breath to finish ,o*%.e s*##essf*lly rela7ed and stret#hed all three
tight spots 3o winC
Time Needed To Perform: 2 min*tes
Best Time to Perform: /*st before a fight) or hea.y training
Application 6 Category: General Conditioning: Shoulders: Rotator Cuff
Strengthening and Injury Prevention
Writing to you straight off the mat every ee! is onderful" #ach ee!$ my
fighters come in ith a ne pro%lem for me to solve$ hich alays gives me a
fresh angle to rite a%out" &ne of the pro%lems ith protecting the Rotator Cuff
is that it is nearly impossi%le to strengthen it %y normal means of strength training
or range of motion e'ercise" (ost of these are good for e'ternal strength or
reach$ %ut not many ill allo access to the deep supportive tissue and
ligaments around this area" )ortunately$ there is one techni*ue that I have
personally used to mend my on trou%lesome shoulders$ %oth of hich$ these
days$ are magnificent" +ere,s hat you can start to do right no to help heal the
inner shoulder or prevent injuries %y %uilding them up from the inside out:
The Rotator Cuff Squeeze: With %are arms$ rela'ed and don at your sides$
ta!e your right hand and gra% your left arm$ tightly on the soft tissue just under
your left shoulder cap and inside your left arm" -y s*uee.ing this area firmly$ you
e'pose the tissues$ muscles and ligature in the Rotator Cuff$ ma!ing them ready
for the ne't part of the techni*ue" /o ma!e a fist ith your left hand and
s*uee.e your left el%o into your ri%s as if s*uee.ing a tennis %all$ until you feel
the tension %uild up inside the shoulder" 0on,t hold the position for more than a
second %ecause you,re going to do 12 reps" of this" 3If you feel anything more
than armth or normal muscle response coming into the area$ stop" &nly do as
many as many as you can ithout pain"4 Repeat on the right side" Rela' arms" If
your shoulders are in pretty healthy condition$ I ould do this only 1 time per
ee! as part of a preventative program" If your shoulders are shoing signs of
stress$ I ould perform this 5 times per ee! or 6 times per ee!" Remem%er to
chec! ith your 0r" if you are under any therapy pre7 or post regarding your
shoulders"
Time Needed to Perform: 68 seconds to 1 minute"
Best Time To Perform: Right after a hot shoer or %ath$ hile shoulders are
arm and hydrated"
Application 9 Category: General Conditioning: -uilding :p ;our Core

&ne of the things that I,ve noticed in or!ing ith my up and coming fighters is
that although many of them are strong< they or! out at the gym< do conditioning
e'ercises ith trainers< are also active in other sports$ yet they are una%le to
come from a prone to a sitting position ithout either hipping themselves
upards or ithout o%%ling" And$ trust me$ this is regardless of ho ripped they
are" -efore e get into fi'ing this pro%lem$ let,s e'amine hy this can %e
happening" In order for the core to %e as functional and strong as it may loo!$
%oth the A%dominal Wall and the Spinal #rector (uscles must %e developed
commensurately$ otherise one set of these muscle groups ill %e stronger than
the other and there can %e no ,muscle memory, for them to or! together" =his
means that there ill %e a lac! of efficiency and cohesive strength in the core"
Without a strong core$ your upper %ody ill tire more *uic!ly" =he good nes is
that in just 66 seconds a day you can achieve good core strength that ill ena%le
you to have %etter core development ith a%solutely no strain or pain to the
loer %ac!" =he %onus is that it ill also give you a very strong nec! for ((A
and all of it,s tight s*uee.es"
MMA Front Core Crescents: >ying on a sturdy %ut padded surface on your
%ac!$ place the palms of your hands on top of your thighs" )le' your toes
toards you" Pic! up your head and loo! at your toes< pic! up your legs only
a%out 5 inches" +old for 6 counts" 0o 6 reps" Rest and ta!e a couple of deep
%reaths"
MMA Reverse Core Crescents: >ying on your stomach$ place your hands
alongside of your thighs" Pic! up just your head until you feel it against your
%ac!" Pic! up your legs only a%out 1 inch" +old for 6 counts" 0o 6 reps" Rest"
Time Needed to Perform: 1:68 minutes
Best Time to Perform: 0uring regular conditioning training
Application 11 Category: General Conditioning: +ips7Shoulders7/ec!7?uads: 6
(i'ed Stretches for ((A
Sometimes it just feels great to lay on the floor and stretch" Particularly if your
%ody is very tight from other forms of training" With all the cross training that
most ((A fighters must rely on to %e at their %est$ time can often %e li!e gold"
(oreover$ li!e good fighting s!ills$ economy of movement is essential" +ere is
one of my all time favorite$ economical$ comforta%le and effective stretching sets
ever to find it,s ay onto an ((A training mat" =he %est part is$ it ill stretch your
shoulders$ *uads$ hips and nec! comforta%ly$ hile you rela' after a hard day of
training"
Three Mixed Stretches: >aying on your right side$ %end in your left leg to gra%
your left foot" Stretch up your left leg$ hile remaining on your side so that the
stretch is opening your hips" +old for a%out 68 seconds" Still holding your left
foot$ %ring it don to the floor in front of you$ moving your right arm don to
catch your foot so that you are holding your left foot ith %oth hands" >et your
head rela' so it is stretching onto the floor" +old for 68 seconds" /o release
your right hand and %end and stretch your left foot %ac! pulling your foot to your
%ehind" >et it rest on your other leg" +old for 68 seconds" Repeat for a total of 6
times$ then reverse sides" Remem%er to !eep %reathing through the nostrils in
order to flush to'ins that stiffen$ out of your joints"
Time Needed to Perform: 672 minutes
Best Time to Perform: After a demanding training session"
Application 16 Category: General Conditioning: =he )ighter@s Repose
0ontime =raining: =raining ;our -ody =o Repair" )or the true fighter$ there is
never any time real off7time" When a fighter lays off his training he runs the ris!
of a difficult re7entry$ especially if he,s %een off training for some time" =here is
something that I call$ 0ontime =raining" (ay%e you,ve just finished a long
training camp for an important fight" =he fight,s over and there,s that need to do
nothing at least for a little hile$ %ut nagging at you is the thought that doing
nothing after such an intense period could put you into a donard spiral" =hat,s
here A0ontime =rainingA comes in" It consists of doing other things$ hile your
%ody is recovering$ that !eep you ell7tuned$ hile not detracting from the need
for RBR" (y favorite of all 0ontime =raining is hat$ in ;oga practice is !non
as the Corpse Pose" I don,t li!e that term$ so I call it something very different
depending on ho I,m or!ing ith" =he main facet of it is that it allos your
%ody to repair at the cellular level$ ma!es up for lost sleep$ improves immune
function and refreshes the mind so that it or!s more efficiently" =here have
%een many %o'ers over the years ho ould %e aiting in their rooms pre7fight$
in an almost sleep li!e state$ hile others are pacing the floor" =he tacticians
seem to %e dran to going ithin and finding that spot here nothing can distract
their thoughts on inning and ho have %een very successful" So for this first in
a series of 0ontime =raining techni*ues e,ll learn:
The MMA Fighter's Power Reose!
)ind a *uiet spot here you can lay don on a comforta%le surface$ undistur%ed
for 68 minutes" >ay on your %ac! ith your feet a%out hip,s idth apart" Place
your arms a %it outard from your %ody ith your palms turned upard" Press
your tongue to the roof of your mouth hile %reathing through your nostrils$ you
simply let your %reath flo in and out alloing it to find it,s on rhythm"
(entally %egin to tell your %ody to rela'$ hile tensing the part slightly and then
forgetting a%out it$ in this order< left %ig toe$ C small toes on the left foot one at a
time" Arch of left foot$ left an!le$ calf$ !nee$ thigh and hip" 0o the right side" Rela'
your spine$ the to long muscles that are along side of your spine$ muscles
%eteen your shoulders$ a%dominal muscles$ internal organs$ chest" Continue
ith your left thum%$ each finger$ rist$ forearm$ el%o$ upper arm$ shoulder"
Repeat on right side" Rela' your nec!$ your vocal chords and your tongue< left
side of face$ eyeDeye%ro" Right side of face$ eyeDeye%ro" Chin$ loer lip$ upper
lip$ %ridge of your nose$ space %eteen your eye%ros$ forehead$ %ac! of your
head and %ase of your nec!" ;ou may ish to cover yourself ith a light %lan!et
as this process drops your inner %ody temperature as it puts you in a !ind of
stasis" Continue to %reathe sloly and lightly alloing your %reath to %ecome
very light" =his pose ill also or! onders at restoring you after surgery$ or prior
to a very challenging fight7777if performed 1 hour %efore" Add this very poerful
pose to your fighting arsenal and you ill have a very poerful tool for staying
young longer$ repairing injured tissues$ and recharging your inner %attery" It can
%e used to su%stitute for one nights sleep" I don,t recommend this$ %ut it ill give
you results if you need it"
Time Needed To Perform: 68 minutes
Best Time to Perform: After or %efore the main event
Application 19 Category: General =raining: )ocused -reathing
>ast ee!end I atched a great little movie called: )rom (e'ico With >ove" I
as happy %ecause it had a very happy ending$ %ut happier %ecause the training
scenes ere just onderful and offered some great advice a%out something that
I,ve %een insisting that my fighters pay close attention to if they ant to stri!e
ith more stealth$ more poer and more longevity" We,re tal!ing a%out one of
the %iggest challenges for a fighter in the octagon$ that of %eing gassed out and
su%se*uently of having to tap out simply %ecause he looses steam" )irst let,s
loo! at stealth" If you can,t control your %reathing$ a !een opponent$ ho is a
tactician$ is going to !no hen you,re a%out to do something$ %ecause a fighter
usually ta!es a %reath %efore he moves" /ot to mention that if you are gasping
for air and mouth %reathing$ its a give7aay that you could %e in trou%le" /e't$ for
the Astri!a%ilityA factor" If you are mouth %reathing$ its fairly sure of certain that
your stri!es ill not %e e'actly on target or as effective as if you are operating
ith full engines" -eing a%le to control your %reathing regulates your energy and
restores it during your time outs in the corner" (oreover$ if you ma!e %reath
control part of your au'iliary training$ you ill have 12E more o'ygen utili.ation
that a fighter ho doesn,t$ regardless of any other cardio training" =he %reathing
techni*ues in ;oga are very poerful and must %e learned %y a good instructor$
so I urge all of you to enlist someone very !noledgea%le in this area of training"
I can$ hoever$ offer a -reathing techni*ue that should help to get your started
and hich isn,t so complicated that you can,t learn it right here:
Right "n Target #ee Breath! )or this e'ercise %reathe in and out of the
nostrils only" /o mouth %reathing$ no ay" Sit up ith spine straight %ut rela'ed"
Start %y placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth 3hich is here it should
%e anytime you step into the ring so you don,t %ite it off if you ta!e a hit4"
Part 1: -reathe in sloly pushing your stomach outard$ then e'hale and pull it
%ac! in deeply toards the spine" Repeat 5 times"
Part 5" -reathe in as in Part 1$ %ut no continue to e'pand your ri% cage
outard" #'hale as in Part 1" Repeat 5 times"
Part 6" -reathe in as %efore %ut after e'panding the ri% cage$ pull the air up to
your upper lungs into the -ronchial area so that you feel li!e an e'panded
%alloon" #'hale completely pulling your stomach into your spine" Repeat 6 times"
After you are a%le to utili.e all 6 sections of your lungs ith parts 1$5 and 6$
practice Part 6 as the complete %reath" It is not necessary to perform more than
9 times per day if you perform properly" ;ou ill %egin to feel as if you have
accessed parts of your lungs that have never %een fully opened"
When you feel comforta%le ith the entire techni*ue$ you may incorporate
holding the %reath starting at 2 counts and going up to 15 counts %efore
e'haling" =his is hat helps you to get the %reath %ac! under control" (a!e sure
to practice in a room ithout stale air" A %onus of this practice is that it ill flush
to'ins from your joints and muscles to alleviate soreness after training"
Best Time to Perform: At the end of any training session"
Time Needed to Perform: 672 minutes ell orth it"
Application 1F Category: General Conditioning: )ocused -reathing 5
;ou !no that aful feeling you get hen you start to get inded and your
second ind hasn,t happened yetG =hat,s hen you,re really in trou%le in the
stamina and the stri!e department" I learned many years ago in my training$ the
practice of punching out the candle or palm stri!ing out the candle" If the stri!es
are on target$ the candle flame goes out ith a !ind of snapping sound" If the
stri!es are off target$ you can ave your hand around for a good amount of time
and the flame is simply not going out" In terms of your stri!ing accuracy$ yes$ you
can hit someone or !ic! someone and pro%a%ly ma!e them feel it" +oever$ if
you,re out of %reath and your muscles are starving for o'ygen$ that stri!e isn,t
going to %e as vital as it could %e" In a street confrontation that could %e a lot
more dangerous than in a sanctioned event in the octagon" If you have time this
ee!end$ give the candle tric! a try and see hat I mean" In the meantime$ let,s
get into another %reath control techni*ue so that hen you,re training you can
add it in to your e'tra arsenal" Remem%er that if you have asthma or any other
upper respiratory pro%lems$ please consult your physician" Although safe for
most$ if you are not used to %reath control techni*ues you ant to ma!e sure it,s
o! for you to proceed"
MMA M$%&# 'P BR&AT($N)! Remem%er the rule of alays %reathing in and
out through the nostrils and using good upper %ody posture hen practicing"
-reathe in pushing out your a%domen until you feel as if you have almost
completed the %reath" +old that for 2 counts" /o$ go the e'tra mile and pull the
%reath up into the upper lungs hile inhaling more" +old that for 6 counts" #'hale
out of the nostrils" /ote that this is going to feel very uncomforta%le for a fe
times until you get used to manipulating your %reath" =he dynamics are !ind of
li!e a car I once oned that had 6 car%uretors$ the to su%se*uent ones opening
at different speeds until the ma' as reached" =his %reath or!s the same ay$
e'panding your lung capacity over time so that it responds to greater need" =his
%reathing techni*ue ill also help you to gain control %ac! over your %reath if it is
erratic"
H /ever sit or lay don if you are seriously overheated or out of %reath" Sloly
al! it off hile %reathing deeply" As the erratic %reath dissipates$ you can sit and
use this %reath to recapture it completely"
Time Needed To Perform: F718 minutes
Best Time To Perform: Prior to training< as needed for %reath recovery"
Application 56 Category: General Conditioning: +ips$ Shoulders$ >egs$ /ec!
All fighters li!e economy of movement" (a!e something complicated and there
goes your reaction time" It,s the same thing ith foundational training" As a
fighter you need something efficient$ effective and easy in order for you to ant
to add it in to your regiment" =his is hat I particularly li!e a%out my %rand of
((A ;oga" &ne single techni*ue may offer multiple facets so that you can
*uic!ly enjoy the %enefits" =he ((A Guard -ridge fits all of the a%ove" ;ou can
get into it from the ((A Guard Slant$ hich really ma!es a great com%ination"
=he ((A Guard -ridge is great for stretching the shoulders$ relieving nec!
stress$ strengthening the legs$ and really giving relief to the spine$ especially if
it,s %een compressed or %ent forard for any undue length of time" &!$ to the
mat"
The MMA )uard Bridge! >ying on your %ac!$ !nees %ent$ feet close to your
hips" Gra% onto your an!les firmly" Pull on your an!les and lift your hips as high
as you can so that your chin is touching your chest" ;our shoulders ill %e pulled
%ac!ards and donards toards your hips" +old for a%out 576 deep %reaths"
Release" ;ou on,t need to do this more than once" +oever$ if you feel li!e
another go at ill %e even %etter$ go ahead" )inish up %y %ringing your !nees up
to your chest$ rela'ing your nec! and roc!ing side to side a fe times" #conomy
of movementI
Best Time To Perform: As a restorative after any forard spine compression orD
Prior to getting on the mat$ if your shoulders and loer spine are tight"
Time Needed To Perform: 1 minute"
Application 5C Category: General Conditioning: /ec! Alignment
=he upper triangle of the %ody consists of the %ase of the nec!$ the shoulders
and the upper7mid %ac!" If this area is compromised in any ay$ lac!s proper
alignment$ or sufficient strength$ it ill %e hard to hold yourself up in the octagon
if the opponent simply doesn@t ant to go to the ground" We@ve see this happen
time and time again" =he fighter is mostly a ground fighter or grappler so his
focus isn@t really on training to stay up on his pins for elongated periods of time"
Wea!ened$ he can ind up on the ground in a variety of holds and cho!es"
What he needs is not only strength$ %ut fle'i%ility so that he can recover from
those ground e'cursions and stay upards for as long as he needs" Shoulder
stretches help create poerful supporting tissues that reduce injuries and cut
recovery time< Aligning the nec! !eeps the upper %ac! sta%le and helps support
the root$ necessary for good %alance for those long7inded standing fights"
#ven moving around an opponent$ a good fighter ill have good %alanced
mo%ilityI =o that end e have:
MMA Yoga Triangle Choke Relief:
1" Stand ith feet close together: no more than C inches apart"
5" Inhale through the nostrils$ %ringing the arms up overhead until the palms
touch and your head is cradled %eteen your upper arms" ;our inhalation
should last until you reach this point"
6" #'hale"
C" -reathe naturally"
2" #'tend your palms upards$ stretching and pulling your spine up to align it"
6" Inhale$ e'hale as you %end sideays to the left$ hile !eeping your head
a%solutely cradled" 3you can loc! y our thum%s together here4"
9" -reathe naturally$ holding the pose for 68 seconds" 30o not lean forard or
let your head slip out from your arms" =o avoid misalignment$ stop the %end the
moment you feel that you are leaning or cannot maintain the head cradle4"
F" Inhale$ come %ac! up"
J" #'hale$ stretch arms outard and donard ith tension"
18" Rela'" Repeat on the right side" Perform 1 time$ each side$ per training
session" If you ma!e it a point to practice this on your off training days$ you ill
see great results" If you cannot hold for 68 seconds at first$ perform 5 more
times to ma!e up the 68 second re*uired"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutes
Best Time To Perform: Prior to groundor!
Application 59 Category: General Conditioning: -ac! Alignment
-ody Alignment =rumps Pain B Increases Impact" &n a recent long flight to >os
Angeles$ I tuned in to the on line vieing system to catch a documentary a%out
(i!e =yson,s early fights" It is clear in those early fights$ and the shos
commentary that supported my viepoint a%out (i!e,s a%ility to use his entire
%ody hen throing a punch" +e had good ,root, even hen mo%ile and hen he
thre something at an opponent they received the entire impact from that
famous fist all the ay don from his toes" (i!e not only had all the ins stac!ed
up in his favor$ he also had all of his %ody alignment in perfect running order ith
everything stac!ed perfectly in place$ too$ to deliver those poerful one7punch
!noc! outs" It is not unusual for us to see ((A fighters$ ho ant to stay on their
feet a little %it longer %efore going to the ground$ hich %rings me to the
important component of good %ody alignment" Studies have shon that a %ody
in good alignment suffers less pain than one that is out of sorts" )urther$ a %ody
that is aligned properly is a%le to stri!e and !ic! more efficiently and even have
%etter respiration" #ver atch a !ic! %o'er ho thros a !ic! only to ind up
tripping all over himself$ %ecause he is off %alance$ leaving himself ide open for
a delivery from the opponentG We call that a giftI Start to pay attention to your
%ody alignment" If things don,t feel right$ chec! in ith a good sports oriented
chiropractor$ orthopedist or physical therapist" If you have repetitive stress
injuries you may also ant to investigate Chinese Acupuncture to relief stagnant
energy flo in the %ody$ hich can cause pain and ea!ness" -efore a %out$ a
lot of attention is paid to !eeping the %ody arm$ let,s add in something else to
add to the arsenal:
The Red Corner Posture Chec*! Get in front of a mirror in your fight ear$
prefera%ly no Gi or =ee" -arefoot" )eet a%out F7J inches apart" =a!e a %reath
and pull yourself up %y your spine %y elongating it" Roll your shoulders %ac! and
then let them rela' into place$ a%ove your hips" Slightly fle' your !nees" See
here your ears are" =hey should %e over your shoulders" ;our tail%one should
%e tuc!ed in slightly" ;ou should feel as if you are suspended %y a string through
the center of your %ody all the ay through your spine to the point on the floor
half7ay %eteen your feet" If you have to sit a lot during the day$ allo yourself
to slin! forard a %it to allo your spine to return to it,s natural ASA curve$ as
sitting upright for any length of time creates serious compression to the loer
discs"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutes
Best Time To Perform: Prior to training
Application 65 Category: General Conditioning: #ye =raining
/egotiating the -lind Spot" #very fighter has one" It,s that spot in your peripheral
vision that !eeps you from seeing the incoming punch$ or the s!illfully e'ecuted
close inside !ic! to the head that came out of nohere" =he old ;oga masters
incorporated eye e'ercises in their training" =he old saying$ AWhere the hand
goes$ the eye goes$ here the eye goes the energy follos"A$ is thousands of
years old yet as fresh as the moment for those training in ((A or any martial art"
A lot of attention is paid to training of the eyes in ;oga ith each physical move
that %ody$ hand and eye are in sync" #ye training is inherent in most all ;oga
poses$ although these days$ that tradition may not %e held" =urning up the
aareness of the peripheral vision is li!e turning on a light" =he /inja have used
it for centuries to help them to see in the dar!" =he good nes is that it isn,t
complicated or time consuming" ;ou,ll need a long tapered candle$ red
prefera%ly$ if you can find one$ and patience" =his training ta!es and deserves
your time" /o you,re ready to learn:
MMA &+e Training , : >ight the taper candle and place it at arms length in front
of you$ at eye level" Sit facing the candle" >oo! right into the flame" Sloly turn
your head to the left !eeping your eyes on the candle flame" =urn as far to the
left as you can trying to not loose site of the flame" (ove sloly" /o turn %ac!
to the front and repeat to the right" What is happening is that you are
strengthening your eyes to or! together for the greatest panoramic vie$
there%y cutting don on that %lind spot" ;our right eye must %e trained to %etter
see to the left and so on ith the left eye to the right"
MMA &+e Training -! Stand or sit ith your eyes facing forard" Sloly %egin to
loo! around the room to your left at eye level" =ry to not miss even one inch in
your line of vision" If your eye s!ips and you miss a spot$ go %ac! and repeat
until you do not miss anything ithin your visual range" Perform once sloly"
Repeat on the right" ;ou are training your eyes not to jump" In training the eyes
to see everything in your immediate field$ you ill have a lesser chance of %eing
clipped in a %lind spot"
MMA &+e Test: Get onto the mat ith a trusted training partner" #'plain that you
are going to or! on your peripheral vision" +ave them thro some stri!es at you
ithout you ta!ing your eyes off of their eyes" 3need less to say77there should %e
no poer in their punches at this time4" See ho you do ith seeing the incoming
stri!es" 0o the same ith some close inside !ic!s" See if you can %etter see
them coming up from %ehind" I used to %e a%le to deliver some very good$ very
close inside !ic!s to the head of my sparring partners 3I never used force77as this
as for target practice only4 ithout them seeing it coming %ecause they didn,t
%other ith good eye training" -ut no you can$ so you on,t get caught ,short
sighted,"
Time Needed To Perform: 676 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0uring your don time training hen you are rela'ed"
Application 6C Category: General Conditioning
-reathing for #'cellence in the Arena" We,ve all had the e'perience of atching
a fight that e ere loo!ing forard to$ only to %e disappointed %ecause one of
the fighters has %egun to loose steam and eventually gasses out" +opefully this
isn,t &:R fighter on a %ad nightI I,ve ritten %efore a%out the need for serious
%reath training in order to hold up endurance and stamina" -ut hat I didn,t
e'press %efore is that not only does the serious %reath training improve your
respiratory stamina it ill also !eep you up on your feet in the event that your
opponent,s plan is to stay on his feet longer" ;ou !no that your training has to
allo for that" -ac! in the day %efore ((A too! root and I as trying to sell the
idea of learning to %reath properly to other martial artists$ I as sometimes met
ith a strange loo!" =hese days$ fighters are much more !een on learning
everything there is to !no that ill give them an advantage" What I,m saying is
that you don,t ant your orst opponent to %e yourself$ simply %ecause you
haven,t paid attention to the importance of properly directed %reathing" -y
concentrating on %reathing out long and slo from deep in the a%domen you can
avoid fatigue and control your emotions in a fight" =his also drives the energy
donard to the loer anatomy and spinal column$ hich ill !eep your %ody
going ith reneed strength" And later$ help to alleviate loer %ac! pain as ell"
;ou can,t just muster that up during a fight$ hoever$ ithout practicing it outside
the arena on a regular %asis" (y suggestion is to practice every day$ even if only
for 2 minutes and then to pic! one night of the ee! as a dontime training
here you ill spend time only on %reathing$ visuali.ing$ and other dontime
training tools" =his %uilds up your infrastructure hile alloing your %ody to repair
itself ith increased o'ygen and %lood flo"
)ra.er's Breathing /uest ! I suggest practicing this in three different
positions$ standing$ lying and sitting" And then to put it into use ith a sparring
partner ho is illing to or! ith you sloly ithout force$ hile you develop
this a%ility" #ach ill offer a different aareness" In time it ill come naturally to
you so that you are doing this automatically ithout thin!ing" =he focus is on the
e'halation" Alays %reathe through the nostrils" Imagine that you have a foot%all
that you are %loing up as you inhale and then sloly and deeply deflate the
foot%all pulling the a%domen inards as you e'hale" It is this motion that
revitali.es the loer spine nourishing the poer in the legs"
Best Time To Perform: 0uring regular conditioning or any other rela'ed time"
Time Needed To Perform: 2718 minutes
Application 62 Category: General Conditioning: -reathing
-reathing In =ight Places" )or an ((A fighter or grappler$ one of the most
difficult things to do is maintain calm hen it,s difficult to %reath$ %ecause the
opponent has managed to loc! you up in a constricting position" &r$ you may
have to !eep your head tuc!ed in7close during a mount" It can %e very
uncomforta%le to say the least$ %ut on the more serious side of the e*uation$ it
can mean that you ill simply have to tap out %efore you ,go to sleep," =hese
techni*ues are in no ay meant to encourage you to stay in any situation here
it is dangerous for you to tough it out" =hey are meant to improve your a%ility to
%reathe hen you are trying to %uy a little time for a in %ecause you see an
opening to get out of a loc!" =hey are meant to help you have more control over
your %reathing so you don,t panic and to help you gain more o'ygen utili.ation"
With that caveat in mind$ a Plo Pose is e'cellent for practicing %reathing ith
your throat tuc!ed hard into the chest$ hile the eight of the chest is also in
place" It is not dissimilar from some of the situations you may find yourself in$
especially if you are in the early stages of training" So$ rely on =he Plo Pose as
one training option" (y fighters have found this very useful" /e't$ let,s %egin %y
learning to practice %reathing in a chin loc! so that you learn ho to direct the
%reath into the %ac! of the throat hen you,ve got to !eep your head don or
someone tries to loc! you up"
)ra.er's (ead 0oc* Breathing: Perform this %y sitting in a comforta%le
position" It is necessary for you to %e a%le to isolate the Glottis$ hich is an
aperture in the %ac! of the throat" If the Glottis is closed completely$ no air can
pass through" If it is open completely$ air inta!e is unrestricted and also$ to a
degree$ asted and easily dissipated" -ut$ if the Glottis is partially closed$ the air
inta!e is regulated$ the o'ygen in the %lood increases and %reathing ith the
head restricted is very easy$ %uying you time if you need it" -reathing through
your nostrils$ try %reathing in to the %ac! of the throat ith some tension" It ill %e
li!e a light snoring sound$ e'hale the same ay" ;ou ill notice that you can
inhale and e'hale for much longer a period of time than if you %reathe normally"
/o try to %reath li!e this ith your chin tuc!ed in to your chest for a fe
%reaths" 3;ou ill find it very rela'ing4" When you feel very comforta%le ith the
techni*ue$ get a trusted partner and e'periment ith %eing loc!ed up and
or!ing ith the %reath" /eedless to say$ never practice any %reathing techni*ue
to fatigue or to the point of discomfort" =his is meant to increase o'ygen
utili.ation$ help you %reathe %etter in loc! ups hen you don,t need to tap out yet$
or hen you must !eep your on head tuc!ed in tight for protection"
Time Needed To Perform! 672 minutes
Best Time To Perform! As an adjunct to regular practice and hen you are
or!ing on getting out of loc!s"
Application 66 Category: General Conditioning: Staying +ealthy -efore a )ight
+ealthy Pre7fight -reathing" I,ve often said that (artial Arts is the most jealous
lover you can ever have" It ill demand everything you,ve got and more" It ill
ta!e and ta!e and ta!e until there is nothing left$ %ut then$ just hen you are
completely empty$ it fills you up ith more than you ever thought possi%le to
receive" =he poer in ;oga is it,s a%ility to conserve$ activate and replenish your
energy through %reath and movement or %reath and stillness" When you are
facing an opponent in order to in$ you cannot thin! a%out sparing your energy"
In martial arts that means that you haven,t committed" ;ou,ve got to have enough
stored energy to carry you through to the end so that you don,t have to orry
a%out getting tired" ;ou,ve got to commit ith no loo!ing %ac!" =his is the poer
of ;oga in the martial arts" -ringing the poer of the mind$ the %ody and the
heart of the fighter in complete harmony ith the tas! ahead" =here can %e
nothing that should stand in your ay of success" ;our physical and mental
health$ aside from your training$ is vital" =raining for months to prepare for an
important fight only to get sic! %efore the fight and una%le to function ith full
integrity is the nightmare of every fighter out there" +ere is one techni*ue you
can practice to insure that your %ody doesn,t get sic!" It is a protection for your
immune function %y regulating the e'change of your %reathing polarity$ hich
should change every 55 hours appro'imately or illness sets in due to overheating
of your cellular tissues" I guarantee that you,ll loo! very silly doing this$ %ut hat
do you care if it helps you focus on success and !eeps you healthy %efore a
fight"
A.ternate Breathing Technique! Sitting comforta%ly$ place your right thum% on
your right nostril$ your inde' and middle fingers in %eteen your eye%ros$ and
you right and little fingers on your left nostril" Keeping your right nostril closed$
%reathe into your left nostril" Close %oth nostrils and hold the %reath long enough
to say something li!e: AI,m a successful fighterA" #'hale out of the right nostril"
Inhale %ac! through the right nostril and repeat the same phrase$ then e'hale out
of the left nostril" =hat is one complete round" Rounds alays complete on the
left side" =here is no limit on ho many rounds you can perform" 0o as many as
you are comforta%le performing" ;ou can change the phrase to any other positive
phrase that supports your efforts" 0on,t underestimate this techni*ue over time to
help you remain immune to outside infections and illness" =his %uilds a shield of
protection to help insure that you meet your goal to %e ell in the fight game"
Time Needed To Perform: 2 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0uring rela'ed times in %eteen training times"
Application C9 Category: General Conditioning: Stri!ing
A )ighter,s (editation: =raining With Candles for Pinpoint Accuracy" =here is an
old &riental saying that goes something li!e$ AIf si.e mattered$ the tiger ouldn,t
fear the scorpionA" 0on,t get me rong$ if a fighter is taller$ has a reach
advantage and out masses his opponent$ chances are that he has a %it of an
advantage" >et,s face it$ on the street$ no one ho is small is going to pic! on
someone si.es %igger" >i!e the old adage says$ Apic! on someone your on
si.eIA" +oever$ e all !no that in the real orld$ %ullies pic! on smaller
opponents$ and often$ although there are eight classes to distinguish safety
categories for fighters$ there aren,t any height divisions" We,ve all seen (i!e
=yson !noc! out an opponent ith one single punch" =his doesn,t happen most
of the time though$ so if you,re a smaller fighter or you,re a fighter that needs to
conserve energy for hatever reason$ %eing a%le to pinpoint your stri!es are one
ay of leveling the playing field against a fighter ho has more stamina or is
relying on the poer %ehind his fists$ especially if he,s the !ind of fighter ho
prefers to stay on his feet" &ne ay of practicing that !ind of pinpointing is to
have a candle for a training partner" =he reason %ehind this is %ecause for you to
pinpoint !ic!s or stri!es on vital points on a real partner ould %e to su%ject them
to meridian damage" Wor!ing ith a candle ill do the same thing ithout
harming anyone and ithout you having to e'ert yourself" It,s simple" If the
candle flame goes out$ you,ve %een right on target" If it doesn,t$ you have %een
stri!ing or punching$ %ut not at pinpoint range" Were you to ever have to defend
yourself on the street$ %eing a%le to !ic! or stri!e into a vital point could %e very
important" =his is here you have to sting li!e a scorpion7precise7*uic!7on
target7effectiveI
The Red1Cand.e Training Budd+! =a!e a red taper candle that is 1571FA high"
Place it at a level here you can stri!e at the flame that ould appro'imate a
possi%le opponent" >ight it" While concentrating on the flame of the candle$ stri!e
into the heart of the flame ith your open palm first$ using a snapping motion that
seems to come up from your aist" =hen you can graduate to using your fist"
=his is not something that is learned overnight" ;ou can sat at the flame many
times ithout it going out" If this as a live opponent$ you ould %e stri!ing him
and pro%a%ly ma!ing progress in ea!ening his %ody$ %ut the stri!es ould %e
only partially effective and you ould %e earing yourself out at the same time" If
he,s strong$ he may not even flinch" With a pinpoint stri!e$ he,s going to feel it$
even if you don,t use a lot of effort" =ry a variety< open fist$ punch" Remem%er to
concentrate on the flame" =he minute you can stri!e out the flame$ you ill
understand" Something a%out that stri!e felt different" Crisp$ clear$ Ain the .oneA"
2ic*s ! /o place the candle at various levels here you might !ic! an
opponent$ near the an!les$ outside top of !nee$ head" Practice using your feet
ith a variety of !ic!s< a round house$ toe !ic!$ side heel !ic!" =hese !ic!s can
%e so effective that even a light impact on a vital point 3outside a%ove the !nee4
is very painful" In %oth techni*ues it is essential to e'hale poerfully hen
e'ecuting the move"
Best Time To Perform: I li!e to encourage these during donton training to
add variety"
Time Needed To Perform! 2718 minutes
Application CF Category: General Conditioning: A%s and >um%ar
Some Special ((A ;oga =raining =ips: =he Core =est" A lot of attention is paid
to the strength of the AcoreA and a lot of training goes into this necessary
foundation of the %ody,s a%ility to hold up for a long stand up fight" We are
seeing a lot of fights here one fighter may simply not ant to go to the ground
too soon$ preferring more of a stand up approach" If you are one of those
fighters ho is %etter in the ground game and your core is ea! and you,re
forced to %e on your feet for a longer time$ your core may not hold" =he core can
%e tric!y$ too" ;ou may not !no your core is ea! %ecause up until no$ you,ve
%een training to strengthen it" I,ve often or!ed ith young grapplers ho train
very hard and pay attention to their cores$ yet have a very hard time doing some
simple ;oga stationary poses" =o that end$ I offer a test so that you can !no
here your core strength stands" If you are una%le to perform this it means that
your core is not as strong as you %elieve it to %e" ;ou ill need to %e a%le to see
a cloc! in order to time yourself"
The Core Test! Stationar+ 0eg 0ifts ! >ay on your %ac! on a soft surface<
%arefoot" In this first test$ use your hands$ palms don$ placed under your hips
for support"
1" Place yourself here you can easily see a cloc! and lift your legs to a C2
degree angle from off the floor" 3=his means that they are at an angle$ a foot
don from the ceiling4" +old them in place for 1 minute"
5" /e't phase: 0rop your legs another foot don and hold for 1 minute"
6" =hird phase: 0rop your legs to the last challenge$ hich is a%ove the floor
a%out 17C inches and hold for 1 minute"
At the end of the test$ loer your legs to the floor ithout dropping them" Pull
your !nees to your chest$ loosely$ so that you can roc! side to side to massage
the loer spine" If you could do all three minutes ithout caving in$ your core is
pretty strong77stronger than most" +oever$ the real test comes in stepping this
up to %eing a%le to do the test ith no hands under your hips and finally$ the last
test is to %e a%le to do the test hile lifting some light eights simultaneously
throughout the test" When you get to this stage$ you !no that your core is truly
strong" If you can,t do phase one of the test$ don,t %e surprised" Lust ma!e it a
point to practice once per ee!" 0on,t try to %uild this up too fast" &nce per ee!
is just fine" ;ou,ll see rapid progress just ta!ing your time" 0on@t forget to %reathe
during the process"
Best Time To Perform: &nce per ee! during regular ground training"
Time Needed To Perform: 6 minutes
Se#ond Se#tion:
+le7ibility +a#tors
Application 52 Category: )le'i%ility )actors: Standing An!le )le'ors

I see it pretty regularly" )ighters in training ho have simply had too much
pressure put to their an!les hile drilling in the guard$ hich necessitates using
the feet to loc! up the legs of their opponents" =hey ho%%le into class
complaining of having tisted the an!le or of someone rolling over onto it %y
mista!e" =his ta!es me %ac! to my early training days in ;oga hen my teacher
used to ma!e us do standing an!le fle'ors in every class$ %oring though they
may have %een" >ater$ as I %egan teaching$ I folloed suit and they %ecame a
regular feature of each session" I remem%er encouraging students %y telling
them that as long as they do these Asilly loo!ing an!le e'ercisesA they on,t
suffer from a tisted or sprained an!le" I as trying to sell them on the idea" And$
no I,m going to try to sell you on the idea too" I state very honestly that over the
decades of martial arts and other activities$ including stepping into an unseen
divot$ I have never$ ever$ e'perienced any injury to my an!les" =he added %onus
is a very strong layer of Interosseous muscle on the top of my foot that has
proven to cause e'tra pain to an opponent during a !ic!" I no give you the:
MMA Fighter's An*.e F.e3! =hese ill not %e good to do on a highly padded
mat" )ind a %it of more sta%le flooring and stand ith your %are feet a%out 6
inches apart" Keep your !nees fle'ed and upper %ody and arms loose and
rela'ed" -egin %y rolling your feet onto their sides to the left and then to the right"
/ote that if you are rolling to the left$ your left an!le ill %end almost all the ay$
%ut your right foot rolling to the left ill only slightly tilt" =his ill %e the same
result hen you roll to the right" #ventually$ you ill %e a%le to roll the feet of
each respective side all the ay to the floor" Perform a%out J rolls on each side if
you have time" 6 rolls each side if you are pressed for time" =he end result over
time is that your an!les ill %e very impervious to tisting or tor*ue7causing
injuries and that is something you can stand onI
Best Time to Perform: -efore each heavy training session" 0irectly after any
strain has occurred to alleviate stiffness setting in"
Time Needed To Perform: 5 minutes
Application 52 Category: )le'i%ility )actors: Standing An!le )le'ors

I see it pretty regularly" )ighters in training ho have simply had too much
pressure put to their an!les hile drilling in the guard$ hich necessitates using
the feet to loc! up the legs of their opponents" =hey ho%%le into class
complaining of having tisted the an!le or of someone rolling over onto it %y
mista!e" =his ta!es me %ac! to my early training days in ;oga hen my teacher
used to ma!e us do standing an!le fle'ors in every class$ %oring though they
may have %een" >ater$ as I %egan teaching$ I folloed suit and they %ecame a
regular feature of each session" I remem%er encouraging students %y telling
them that as long as they do these Asilly loo!ing an!le e'ercisesA they on,t
suffer from a tisted or sprained an!le" I as trying to sell them on the idea" And$
no I,m going to try to sell you on the idea too" I state very honestly that over the
decades of martial arts and other activities$ including stepping into an unseen
divot$ I have never$ ever$ e'perienced any injury to my an!les" =he added %onus
is a very strong layer of Interosseous muscle on the top of my foot that has
proven to cause e'tra pain to an opponent during a !ic!" I no give you the:
MMA Fighter's An*.e F.e3! =hese ill not %e good to do on a highly padded
mat" )ind a %it of more sta%le flooring and stand ith your %are feet a%out 6
inches apart" Keep your !nees fle'ed and upper %ody and arms loose and
rela'ed" -egin %y rolling your feet onto their sides to the left and then to the right"
/ote that if you are rolling to the left$ your left an!le ill %end almost all the ay$
%ut your right foot rolling to the left ill only slightly tilt" =his ill %e the same
result hen you roll to the right" #ventually$ you ill %e a%le to roll the feet of
each respective side all the ay to the floor" Perform a%out J rolls on each side if
you have time" 6 rolls each side if you are pressed for time" =he end result over
time is that your an!les ill %e very impervious to tisting or tor*ue7causing
injuries and that is something you can stand onI
Best Time to Perform: -efore each heavy training session" 0irectly after any
strain has occurred to alleviate stiffness setting in"
Time Needed To Perform: 5 minutes
Application 5F Category: )le'i%ility )actors: >egs7+amstrings7Calves
Avoiding +amstring and Calf Injuries" =here is nothing %etter for physical ell7
%eing than a %ody that is not only strong$ %ut fle'i%le" -oth must coincide in the
same %ody or im%alances occur that seriously hamper safety$ leaving the fighter
ith inconsistencies in his attac!$ return and response" (isalignments cause
serious pro%lems to the fighter@s sta%ility" In fact$ if hamstrings are too tight they
can$ over time$ restructure to the detriment$ the spines, proper alignment7causing
pain" =oo tight of hamstrings inhi%it !ic!ing accuracy" =oo ea! hamstrings ma!e
it impossi%le to touch ones toes from a standing position" =ight calf muscles are
su%ject to tears the minute they are tor*ued during a mishap" )le'i%ility offers a
solution" =his may sound daunting$ hoever$ hamstrings respond *uic!ly to
proper stretching and so do your calves"
MMA (amstring and Ca.f )ra.e: In a standing position$ place yourself ne't to
a all or a chair for %alance" -ring your left foot up %ehind you$ to gra% your left
an!le" Pull your foot in as close to your %ac!side as possi%le" -reathe in and
hold the position for 5 %reaths" =ry to e'tend your foot %ac!ards and out in an
arched position %ehind you" ;ou ill have to %end slightly forard in order to do
this" And$ you ill feel the stretch in the front of your thighs as ell$ including your
*uadriceps muscles" Rela' and repeat the process on the right side" /e't$ sloly
stretch forard to touch your toes$ hich should %e closer than they ere %efore"
Time Needed to Perform: 576 minutes
Best Time to Perform: Prior to any conditioning training or sparring drills"
Application 69 Category: )le'i%ility )actors: :pper -ac!$ /ec!$ >egs
A )ighting Stance (a!es Good Sense
#veryone in the fight game !nos that evading a punch trumps everything else"
>earning ho to dodge a punch$ a ja%$ a stri!e or any com%ination of %los to
the head is paramount" After all$ not every fighter is Roc!y -al%oa ho needs a
fe croning hits to ma!e him mad enough to in" A lot of effort goes into
training a fighter to %e fast enough to avoid that !ind of contact" In ((A e often
see a lot of different training styles com%ined in one fighter$ hoever$ one %ody
dynamic that runs li!e a golden thread is that of !eeping the chest slightly
concave$ hile the upper %ac! is slightly raised$ alloing the fighter to protect
himself and to !eep his arms up and his fists ready" If a fighter comes out of the
corner ith his chest out he could %e loo!ing for trou%le %ecause he,ll have to
load up his fists to deliver and this cuts his economy" =he a%ility for a fighter to
have his upper spine %oth strong and fle'i%le so he can %oth deflect and deliver
a punch is essential" +oever$ there is something else$ an inner dynamic that is
going on that can %e capitali.ed on" When the spine is in that position ith the
chest slightly concaveD%ac! slightly arched$ it sends more energy up to the %rain
here the fighter can utili.e it for %etter stamina< especially if he,s %een trained to
%reathe properly" Posture to a fighter$ as long as he is on his feet$ is a must" =his
stance also allos him$ if he is strong$ fle'i%le and aligned$ to punch %etter" =hin!
of this as the three legged stool theory" +e is no a%le to or! longer on his feet
if need %e$ he has stamina$ agility and the energy is running to sustain him" +e
can also do something else" =he alignment allos him to thro all of his %ody
into the punch giving him ma'imum poer" )or ((A fighters ho lift eights$
this can %e a pro%lem %ecause e'cessive eight lifting can cause undo stiffness
for the fight game" Insure that you are not over training ith eights causing your
upper %ody to not %e a%le to move *uic!ly$ and fluidly" ;ou may %e poerful$ %ut
not %e a%le to e'ecute on e'act target if you are stiff or misaligned" +ere,s a
great ;oga pose to really focus on that upper %ac! area$ %oth %reathing into it
3e'panding the %ac! of the lungs4 and %reathing hile the head is constricted$
giving you that other edge over fighters ho are uncomforta%le in such
confrontations"
The )ra.er's Ra44it! Sitting on your heels$ toes flat pointing %ehind" =ongue
to the roof of your mouth here every fighter should !eep it during a %out" 0ra
in a deep %reath through the nostrils" +old the %reath for a%out F counts hile
tuc!ing your chin into your chest" #'hale$ release the tension in the nec!"
-reathe in again hile stretching your nec! up to the ceiling" )eel that grip on
your nec!G Good" It,s going to relieve tension and %ring %lood flo and energy to
your %rain" #'hale" Inhale again$ no e'hale and loer your forehead to the
floor$ arms rela'ed$ hands rela'ed and %ac! toards your feet" Remain a%out 68
seconds$ %reathing as if to open the %ac! of your lungs" /o lift your hips up so
that you can roll onto the top of your head" ;ou,ll feel some pressure at the cron
%ut that,s normal" Concentrate on the pressure you feel at your throat"
Remem%er that you %reathe into the %ac! of the throat here for clear controlled
%reathing" +old for a%out 68 seconds" Roll your hips %ac! don and return to
your original folded up position" Rest a moment %efore inhaling and sloly
returning to your original seated starting point" Good for your nec!$ good for
e'panding the upper spine$ good for %reathing in constricted places" Good for
flushing venous %lood in your legs for faster leg or! on your feet" Good$ four
ays past SundayI
Time Needed To Perform! 576 minutes
Best Time To Perform! 0uring regular training sessions$ or during dontime
training as an adjunct" Repeat up to 6 times per training set"
Third Se#tion:
4re and 4ost +ightDTraining (elief
A.ication , Categor+! Post Fight5Training Re.ief! Nec* Ro..s
;ou,ve had a really great training session$ learned some ne techni*ues and
rolled ith really great training partners this ee!" =here,s only one pro%lem77
your nec! is sore" =he first thing you do is start singing it around thin!ing that
it,s going to help" After all$ you,re a fighter$ you,re strong and your nec! has
already %een put to the test$ rightG +ere,s hat I have found really or!s to
repair my fighters" It ill not only relieve the soreness and tension$ it ill help you
to locate the areas that may need some massage$ icing$ heat or topical pain
reliever" It ill also help to identify if some of the pro%lem is coming from your
shoulders or upper %ac!$ should you discover points of pain"
MMA N&C2 R"00S!
Sit in any comforta%le upright position here your head is clear to ma!e slo
rotations" Pay attention to your %reathing and your shoulders" >et them rela'$
too$ %y letting them find a natural position$ slightly forard"
>et your head fall onto your chest< leave it there for a moment or to to release
tension"
Sloly lift it up and let it fall onto your %ac!" /o straining or pushing" >et it %e
here it is" +old a moment" Repeat this 6 ',s"
-ring your head %ac! to the center" )ocus on %reathing to encourage rela'ation"
0rop your head toards your left shoulder ithout stretching$ hold a moment$
no %ring it to the right" Repeat this side set 6 ',s"
-ring your head %ac! to the center again and drop again onto your chest"
Sloly rotate your head in ide$ la.y circles moving counter cloc!ise 6 ',s"
Repeat cloc!ise"
Time Needed To Perform : Appro'imately 6 minutes"
Best Time To Perform : Prior to and after training and especially %efore a fight
or tournament"
Application 6 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Knees
Knees" Lust a%out every ee! one of my favorite fighters ill come to me
reporting that they,ve %anged up a !nee or Mtor*ued@ it out during training< fell on
it$ or over %ent it" Knees re*uire special care" With a fe precautions and some
restoration tips$ e should %e a%le to relieve a good deal of the pro%lem" If your
!nee feels unsta%le$ or is very inflamed$ you need to see! professional
treatment$ %ut if you are running into the typical soreness or range of motion
pro%lems caused %y very tight ham strings or ea! *uads$ there is a lot you can
do to improve !nee function" It is also essential to do a little investigative or!
too" ;our !nee pro%lem may not %e the result of your ((A or -LL training$ at all"
It may %e that other sports or cross training are inflicting the punishment on your
!nees" A lot of you are doing conditioning training$ including running" I,ve had
fighters ith all sorts of joint and loer %ac! pro%lems that I could trace to
something as simple as ne running shoes" If you are cross training and you
change running shoes$ %rea! them in sloly %efore ta!ing them out for a long
conditioning session"
=hat %eing said$ try the folloing a%solutely silly loo!ing !nee e'ercise prior to
any heavy duty training" It ill release the Synovial fluid under the !nee caps to
protect them$ and loosen up the supportive netor! of ligaments$ %ands and
muscles around your !nees" I,ve %orroed this from ;oga style training of the
Shao >in mon!s" ;ou@ll find it very effective"
MMA Knee Rotations: )rom a standing position$ %end don just enough to %e
a%le to place your hands on your !neecaps" -egin to rotate your !nees circling
them to the left a%out J times$ then repeating to the right" ;ou can do these up to
59 times on each side" ;ou may hear or feel some crac!ing in the !nees as the
Synovial fluid releases$ %ut that is normal"
Pressure Points: Sometimes the discomfort you are feeling in the !nees isn,t
coming from the !nee itself$ %ut from the ?uads or other supporting tissues at
the top of the !nee" A%out 1 1D5 75 inches a%ove your !nee$ toards the outer
sides are to pressure points" =ry to locate them ith your thum% and middle
fingers" When you find them$ they ill feel very tender" 0on,t %e afraid to dig into
them a %it and or! those tender areas" =hey ill start to relieve pain in the !nee
almost immediately" =hey ill also open up the flo of stagnant energy that$
hen impeded$ causes circulation pro%lems resulting in poor !nee function"
&ne more good old remedy for over used !nees that are only slightly inflamed$ is
to ma!e a et compress out of ru%%ing alcohol" Remem%er that the more you
can do to strengthen and stretch the surrounding ligaments and muscles around
your !nees$ the less you ill feel any impact"
Time Needed To Perform: 6 minutes
Best Time To Perform: Prior to training$ in %eteen training sessions"
Application C Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Shoulder Stress
If your %ody is rigid$ you ill sustain more injuries hen you get thron$ hit or
joint loc!ed and this is regardless of hether you are in training or during a %out"
=his is the other side of the e*uation that I rote a%out a fe ee!s %ac! hen I
said that your %ody is alays trying to align itself$ %ut a lot of the times ho you
continue to move incorrectly$ or ignore %ody dynamics can get into the ay of
that happening" =hat,s ho it is ith your shoulders" (any of you eight train or
have eight trained in the past and you have some damage from that" Some of
you are not as sensitive to pain as others$ hich renders you more suscepti%le to
injuries simply %ecause your pain threshold is higher and you don,t tap out soon
enough to let your partner !no you,ve had it" Shoulders are the ind %eneath
your sails in the orld of ((A" Without them or!ing properly your stand up
punching time ill %e sorely hampered$ in fact$ your stri!es may even %e off
target" &n the ground you can get into a lot of trou%le if you get arm7%arred or
have any e'cess eight or stri!es imposed on the shoulders$ hich is often the
case" &K$ so hat can you do to help protect your ((A ings and reduce some
of the stressG
First: Keep your shoulders arm" #ver notice ho %o'ers !eep that toel
around their shoulders hen they,re aiting for the fight to startG =hey,re !eeping
their shoulders arm" Warm shoulders or! %etter and sustain less injuries"
While riding in your car$ deflect the icy cold air from the AC unit aay from your
shoulders"
Second: Watching your favorite :)C rerunG While sitting there$ ta!e your right
hand and use the inde'$ middle and ring fingers to locate the tender area on the
outside of the pec muscle that is to the side your shoulder$ just inside and almost
under the %one" ;ou,ll !no you,re on the right spot %ecause it ill %e tender"
0on,t let that stop you" Allo your left shoulder to hang as limp as you can ma!e
it$ hile you continue to dig in there and massage the area" ;ou,re going to
notice that your shoulder starts to drop a little" Good" /o you,re ma!ing
progress" Perform this for a%out a minute and then s*uee.e the pec muscle
using your thum% ith the other fingers for a%out 12768 seconds" =hat,s all you,ll
really need" /o$ repeat this on the right side"
Third: -efore stepping onto the mat or into the ring$ loosely put your hand on
your shoulder and sloly ma!e a%out 6 outard and then inard circles" Slo is
the !ey and don,t forget to %reathe hile you,re doing that to help open up the
upper %ronchia for %etter respiration"
Fourth: =he Chinese use certain her%s to !eep the shoulders arm and in good
health" Cinnamon is the most revered for that" Get it into your diet and get a tu%e
of =iger -alm$ hich contains all of the ingredients for arming shoulders" Apply
it after you,ve had a hot shoer here you,ve hydrated the shoulders ith a good
penetrating stream of ater"
Time Needed To Perform: (assage71 minute each sideDShoulder rotations: 68
seconds each side"
Best Time To Perform: (assage7In %eteen training sessionsDShoulder
rotations: -efore a training session or %out"
Application 2 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: +ips B Shoulders
0on,t you just love rolling ith your training partnersG =here is something
e'hilarating a%out diving onto the floor$ running through those drills or facing the
%ag for the sheer pleasure of %eing a%le to pound it out ith fists or !nees" (any
of you are cross training too$ throing -o'ing or (uay =hai into the mi'" After all$
this IS (i'ed (artial Arts" (i'ed (artial Arts is the %ane of %oredom" =raining in
((A insures that you,re never$ ever going to %e %ored or lonely again" It,s a
dream come true" +oever$ there are those occasions hen it can serve you up
unanted companions li!e over adducted hip e'tensions and shoulders that are
just needing to do nothing$ in order to recover" What you need to do is %ring
those hips %ac! in to normal range and strengthen the ligaments surrounding
them$ so they recover more *uic!ly" After that$ a rela'ing A/o +olds -arredA
stretch that you can do anyhere that,s comforta%le$ is just the tic!et"
Mau Thai !i" Reco#er: Sitting on the mat ith your legs outstretched in front$
%ring your left foot up and over the outside of your right !nee" Clasp your !nee
ith %oth hands and pull it toards your chest" =urn toards the left until you feel
tension in your hip and hold this for a%out 6 %reaths" Repeat on the right side"
0on,t over due" :se this techni*ue once only on each side" Add an e'tra rep on
the side that has %een over adducted during training" >ess is %etter77relief is on
the ay" /o$ finish ith777
Time Needed to Perform! appro'imately 6 minutes"
Best Time To Perform: After any strain involving the hips" Prior to any training or
fight if hips are pro%lem areas for you"
Application F Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: La Stress B Pre7
fight Litters
I love sitting cage side here all the action is and I also love %eing on the mat so
that I,m very close to the issues that can surface for fighters and students ali!e in
the orld of ((A" Recently I had the honor of passing out the %elts to
competitors at an event$ %ut not %efore itnessing some pretty tough impact on a
fighter,s ja" =he ja is vital to the %ody,s alignment li!e the :7Loint is to a car"
Impact it %eyond the point of dura%ility and it,s going to affect the nec!$ shoulders
and eventually the spine" And sadly$ the effect isn,t alays immediately
noticea%le" =he old %o'ers had a saying a%out Ahat !ind of chinA a %o'er had"
=his as a reference to the stamina of the %o'ers ja %ecause the to cannot
%e separated"
In order to develop a good strong yet fle'i%le AchinA$ one that deflects stress from
the ja it is important to have a point of origin for !eeping the supportive joint
ligaments and muscles ell toned" And it,s important to %e aare of here your
chin is at all times$ especially hen not training or fighting" ;ou already !no to
!eep that chin of yours slightly tuc!ed in hen you,re fighting on your feet$ %ut
during the rest of your average day$ it is good to %e aare if you are letting your
chin droop forard rather than !eeping it in alignment ith your ears over your
shoulders"
0et6s identif+ the 7+gomatic Arch" It,s a sore point that you can find here your
jas come together in front of your ears" Place your thum%s into each one" It ill
not feel very pleasant$ hoever$ if you apply medium pressure in small circular
movements the si.e of a dime for a%out 12768 seconds$ you ill help to relieve
any stress to the ja that you may have e'perienced during a difficult grappling
session"
=he deep %reathing ill help to alleviate any pre or post fight jitters$ as ell$ if
you remain in that resting position and visuali.e your %est in yet$ especially ith
that great ((A )ighters Chin you no have"
The )ra.er's Fish Pose: >aying on your %ac!$ place your hands$ palms don
under your hips" =he arms should %e at a%out a C2 degree angle" Carefully arch
your %ac! and nec!$ as you slide onto the %ac! of your head" =he rest of your
%ody is rela'ed ith your legs out straight on the floor" +old this pose for 68
seconds hile focusing on diaphragmatic %reathing and the strong aligned point
of your chin$ no aligning perfectly to your jas" Rela' and return to lying don
comforta%ly" =hat,s it" &ne thirty second session of =he Grapplers )ish Pose and
you can just feel the alignment and strength in the ja%one" /ot to mention relief
to the nec!"
Time Needed to Perform: 68 seconds to 1 minute for %oth techni*ues
Best Time to Perform: -efore a fight$ and afterards if any stress to the ja has
occurred"
Application J Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Grappler@s )oot
Grappling re*uires that you %e a%le to use those feet li!e e'tra hands" )le'i%ility
and strength are needed to do that" After all$ your feet get tuc!ed under you$ and
under your opponent" ;ou use them to loc! up the opponent,s legs" =hey are
also su%jected to varying %ody eights" Particularly$ if you are Ain the guardA your
feet are turned inard$ and ith this added eight$ ma!ing them suscepti%le to
stress" Another danger is if the opponent shifts his eight or is a%le to elevate his
%ody and then he inds up crashing %ac! don on your feet" If this happens$
you may find that you are una%le to al! ithout difficulty$ including %eing a%le to
put eight on the foot" =he good nes is that this condition is temporary and ill
clear up in a day of so if you continue to al! normally using care hen stepping
onto the affected foot" =he %etter nes$ is that there is a means of !eeping the
an!les and (etatarsal area of the foot very fle'i%le$ hich ill reduce the stress"
A %onus is that there is a simple ay to actually %uild muscle ithin the foot$
hich ill give any !ic!s you choose to thro during stand up$ a real impact"
)inally$ the %est nes is that this techni*ue is so simple$ you can do it hile
atching your ne't :)C" ;ou may loo! and feel silly ith this techni*ue$ %ut you
on,t have to ta!e time out from the training or fight game %ecause your feet
hurt"
)ra.ers Foot Reair! Sitting on the mat or anyhere ith your legs
outstretched$ %egin to circle your an!les sloly inard$ then outard" =his should
%e done ith intention so that you feel the action in your calves and shins" ;ou
ill also feel it on the top of your foot$ the Achilles tendon and pro%a%ly the arch"
Perform until you feel the %urn" Rela'" =hat,s it" Simple" ;our feet ill %ecome
li!e they are pac!ed ith steel in a fe months time and opponents on,t li!e the
ay their legs feel hen you decide to use them"
Time Needed to Perform: 175 minutes
Best Time to Perform: Prior to practice< anytime you have the time"
Application 18 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Relieving A=he
GuardA" 3>o -ac! Pain Relief4
Recently$ I had the honor to attend a -LLD((A or!shop$ hich included some
seminars and open mat time" =he other thing it included as a friendly group of
Ren.o Gracie %lac! %elts$ ho ere guests of honor$ and also some others ho
are fighters ith hom I,ve %een or!ing" I had a chance to help one of the men
ith shoulder pro%lems$ and it asn,t long %efore my students ere calling me
onto the mat to relieve some of the stress encountered during a long day of
learning ne techni*ues and a lot of rolling" =hey had spent many an hour
getting in and out of =he Guard" I as in my idea of heavenI -ut they ere
starting to really feel the stress" +ere,s hat I suggested for ARelieving =he
GuardA hich or!ed fairly *uic! to relieve the symptoms of lo %ac!$ shoulder$
hips and upper %ac! stress$ all in one tidy position"
Re.ieving The )uard: >aying on your %ac!$ cross your an!les up under you as if
you had %een sitting cross7legged and then decided to lay don" =his should %e
a very loose pose ith your !nees falling naturally outard" Clasp rists very
loosely and simply %ring your arms up over your head to rest on the floor a%ove
your head" (a!e as little effort as possi%le" =his isn,t meant to %e a forced
stretch" -reathing through the nose$ ta!e a%out 276 deep %reaths$ pushing your
stomach out on the inhalation and e'haling as you let your stomach sin! %ac! in"
=his is helpful in relieving stress to the loer %ac! and the shoulders" When
finished$ %ring your arms %ac! don in front$ e'tend your legs and carefully seat
yourself %ac! up" =his pose can %e don on top of your %ed as ell" =he secret
is in !eeping the pose very loose and rela'ed"
Time Needed to Perform: a%out 672 minutes
Best Time to Perform: After rolling to relieve stress< or pre7fight prep
Application 1J Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Groin Pain
Almost every -LL or ((A fighter or student complains of the !ind of groin pain
associated ith lots of rolling and e'tra eight %eing placed on the groin area
from %eing in the guard" &ne of the %est ays to prevent the pro%lem in the first
place is simply to insure that this area is ell7stretched and that the ligaments
are strong and resilient" &ne of my favorites accomplishes this %y stretching the
hips simultaneously in to different directions" =he other$ a little less demanding$
%ut effective acts as a great finish up to the first" Remem%er that it isn,t
necessary to do any of the movements that I suggest more than 176 times in
order to %e highly effective" ;ou,re already putting your %ody to great tas!$ so
hat is needed is a simple application that is effective and doesn,t further the
stress already e'perienced"
T(& (A0F M"'NT STR&TC(! Kneel on the mat ith !nees together" Stretch
your left foot out to the side so that your foot is pointing perpendicular from your
hip" 3ie If you,re facing /orth$ your foot ill %e facing West4$ %ut only as far as it
ill go ithout your !nee hyper7e'tending7your !nee ill %e slightly fle'ed if
you,re in the correct position" Sin! toards your left !nee until it is %ent over your
left heel" ;our %ody facing forard" ;ou ill feel a very strong stretch in the groin
hich may even feel slightly painful" =he good nes is$ it on,t feel painful hen
you,re finished" Remem%er that you control the depth of the stretch" And$ your
safety lay in not alloing your leg to %end over the heel of the foot" +old this for
a%out 68 seconds" Return %ac! to %eginning and perform again$ if desired"
Repeat on the right side" =his stretch ill ena%le far more fle'i%ility to your hips
and groin$ protecting them in the long run" )inish ith:
T(& MMA ($P "P&N&R! Sit on the mat ith the soles of your feet together$
alloing your !nees to fall outard herever they are comforta%le" Pull in the
%ase of your spine$ %reathe$ hold onto your feet and pic! up then drop your
!nees" =his ill relieve stress hile very gently stretching the groin" =his
techni*ue can %e used %y itself if you,re really just too sore to do anything else"
Time Needed To Perform: 67C minutes if %oth are performed"
Best Time to Perform: Anytime that you are e'periencing that pulled feeling or
after a lot of guard or!"
Application 58 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Sinus -loc!age
Restoration -reathing for -loc!ed Sinuses When =apping &ut is a Good =hing
Can there %e anything orse hen you,re trying to get in some good training$
and your head is stuffed upG I don,t thin! so" #verything just feels ,off,$ and it,s
hard to have the same amount of energy that you normally have$ let alone the
focus" (ove a stuffed head to the octagon and you,re really not going to %e a
happy camper" =a!e heart %ecause there is relief$ it,s almost instant and it
doesn,t involve mind7dulling drugs" We,re going to %orro a great techni*ue from
Chinese ;oga$ %etter !non as Chi Gong" Plus$ it,s the one time hen ,tapping
out, is going to %e just the tic!et"
MMA TAP "'T ST'FF&# (&A# R&0$&F! #'tend the arm$ palm up that
corresponds to the stuffed nostril" (a!e a loose fist ith the opposite hand or
use your open hand" =ap up the inside of your arm$ all the ay to the shoulder$
then don the outside of your arm$ %ac! to your rist" 0o this for a%out 12
seconds" ;our nostril should open up" Perform on %oth sides if %oth nostrils are
stuffed" Repeat hen necessary"
Time Needed To Perform: 68 seconds
Best Time To Perform: Prior to training$ sparring or competing
Application 55 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: >oer -ac! Strain
It,s real easy to strain the loer %ac! after rolling$ if you,re training -LL$ and
particularly if you,ve %een doing a lot of drills ith you in the guard position
repeating the drills over and over again" >oer %ac! strain can %e caused %y
over tight hamstrings$ e'cess eight %eing placed on the %ac! in the guard$ or if
part of your ((A training involves (uay =hai$ ith the emphasis of protecting
the chest in the standing guard position" Remem%er that hat you do ith your
nec! can have an effect all the ay don the spine" >et,s ta!e a loo! at one ay
to relieve that tension right on the spot or right after your training is complete to
com%at that loer %ac! pro%lem"
T(& MMA )'AR# S0ANT! >ay on your %ac! ith your !nees %ent$ feet flat on
the mat" ;our arms are ith palms don$ comforta%ly along side of your hips"
+ead$ nec! and shoulders rela'ed" :sing your feet to push against the mat$ lift
up your hips until you are in a perfect inclined plane" ;our feet and thighs are
doing all the or!" +old this for 175 deep %reaths$ then sloly loer your spine$
one verte%ra after another until your spine is resting flat on the mat" Chec! for
relief" If you need to repeat the process$ go ahead" 6',s should do it if you,re
really tense"
Time Needed To Perform: 5 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0irectly after training to relieve discomfort"
Application 5J Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: +ands
Grappling B Punching +and Care" =here are 59 %ones in each hand$ comprising
one *uarter of the %ones in the human %ody" Aside from your feet$ they are your
golden tic!ets in the fight game" =hey control the distance and determine
hether or not you can loc! up an opponent successfully" A steel grip and a
,dead on target, punch are the results of properly formed fists and ell developed
strong hands" If they hurt$ though$ you,re in %ig trou%le" =here is nothing orse
for a fighter to have to hold %ac! or use a less dominant hand %ecause the other
one is painfully disadvantaged" ;our trainer has already educated you on ho to
ma!e a proper fist and you already !no the importance of choosing the correct
gloves for your particular needs" >et,s ta!e a loo! at some of the self7care you
can do on your on hands in %eteen training and fighting to insure that they
remain healthy and poerful" ;oga is %ased on the opposite dynamics of tension
and rela'ation and this is true for your hole %ody as ell as your hands" If
you,ve got sore !nuc!les$ general pain$ selling or %ruising$ your hands ill
respond ell to the same type of ,%ath, that I,ve suggested in the past" Another
techni*ue is to stretch your hands$ rela' them and massage them$ stimulating
various acupressure points to open up the flo of energy to increase healing"
Remem%er that if your %ody e'periences micro tears$ so do your hands" While
icing may %e good immediately after an injury causes selling$ hot ater is hat
is needed to repair the micro tears" =ry the folloing techni*ues to insure that
your golden tic!ets are fight orthy"
)ra.er's 0ion Fist (and Stretch 8 Massage! Sitting ith your hands and
arms rela'ed on top of your thighs$ inhale deeply$ e'hale hile stretching your
fingers ide li!e the clas of a lion$ hands slightly tilted upards so that you feel
this tension all the ay up your arms to your shoulders" +old for the length of the
e'halation" Repeat up to 6 times" 3note: in ;oga the e'halation is performed li!e
a loud roar$ %ut not necessary hen used as a hand strengthening applicatio$
although you can roar if you ant toI4"
Massage! Ru% your palms together until they feel hot$ then %egin %y pulling from
the rist s*uee.ing tightly as if you are trying to remove a tight %and from your
arm" =his ill slightly s*uee.e the %ones together" Repeat 6 ',s$ on each hand"
:sing your right thum%$ press it into the center of your palm 3it may feel a %it
tender4 and massage in deep circles$ %racing your hand your right fingers"
Repeat on the other side" /o locate the joint area %eteen the thum% and
inde' finger and massage up into the joint" =his area is tender also" Repeat on
%oth sides" )inish %y ru%%ing hands together as if you are ashing them to
remove paint or car lu%ricant so that you massage all the fingers$ and inside all
of the %ones and !nuc!les" ;ou can use a lotion or not as you desire" =he idea is
to increase the circulation" /o finish ith the
)ra.er's (and Bath!
)ill a %asin ith hot ater$ #psom Salts according to pac!age$ 1DC cup podered
ginger and for e'tra .ip$ >avender oil if you have it" 3Remem%er hat I rote
earlier7>avender oil has the a%ility to repair nerves so it isn,t just for your
grandmother4" >et your hands soa! for a%out 58 minutes hile you atch your
favorite :)C or =he #'penda%les" Good stuffI
Best Time to Perform: At the end of the training ee!< or as repair hen
needed
Time Needed To Perform: 58 minutes to C8 minutes if you do all of the a%ove"
Application C1 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: A )ighters -ath
It feels great to !no that you,re training at high level and achieving performance
goals li!e a top athlete$ %ut there are times hen your %ody may really %e
shoing signs of needing relief" +ard training$ although optimum for serious
((A contenders$ doesn,t come ithout the pro%lems that create greatness" I,m
referring to the micro7tears in your muscles$ the sore7ness that follos lactic acid
com%ustion and overheating of the nerves in the target areas most affected %y
((A training" )ortunately$ there is some serious and effective relief availa%le"
>et,s ta!e our training into the !itchen for some of the %est remedies I,ve ever put
together for my fighters:
Khadi$s MMA %ight Relief Bath Salts: (i' together 1D5 cup of sea salt$ 1D5 cup
of dried ground ginger$ 1D571 cup of #psom Salts" Add to comforta%ly hot %ath
ater here you soa! for a%out 12758 minutes"
=he #psom Salts contain magnesium hich help to improve muscle function$ the
sea salt relieves pain and the dried ginger relieves inflammation$ hile the hot
ater helps repair the micro tears" :se this %ath 175 times per ee!" (y fighters
report a lot of relief$ especially during pre7competitionD%out training hen their
training is particularly stepped up"
While you,re soa!ing in the tu%$ %reathe deeply to help push to'ins out of your
joints and visuali.e your ne't in"
A techni&ue used ' other athletes is to picture yourself inside a television
screen succeeding at your goal" Nisuali.e yourself holding up that championship
%eltI
Time Needed To Perform: 58 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 175 times per ee! %efore sleep"
Application C6 Category: Pre and Post )ightD=raining Relief: Shoulders
Pre7fight SternumDShoulder Relief (assage" =here is no end to the value that
sports specific massage can have on ((A fighters$ hose shoulders ta!e a
%eating$ literally" ;oga is said to %e a form of self7massage and this is oing to
the fact that each of the compression poses are designed to press on various
pressure points to relieve %loc!ages in energy flo caused %y muscle strains and
injuries" It ma!es sense that !nuc!ling don to a good massage ith someone
ho !nos ho to treat the !inds of pro%lems encountered in the arena is
another essential ingredient" >earning ho to do a fe self7massage techni*ues
is also a good idea for self care" =he %ody is an ama.ing grid map of the huge
netor! of nerves and muscles that all or! together and that effect one another"
=he Sternum is one of those areas" >ocated in the front of the %ody on the chest$
massaging this area has the a%ility to rela' the shoulders hen massaged and
the good nes is that you can do *uite a %it of this yourself hile ta!ing a shoer
or even hen you,re lying don$ in the event you are not scheduled for a
professional massage" =he %est part is that you can do this %efore a fight to rela'
the shoulders" Remem%er that rela'ed shoulders O less injuries and more
accurate stri!es"
Pre(%ight Sternum(Shoulder Stress Massage : I li!e the idea of fighters
performing this techni*ue hile in the shoer$ simply %ecause your muscles
respond %etter if they are arm and hydrated" :sing the closed fingers of your
right hand$ start at the center of your chest and ma!e small circular motions
a%ove the pectoral muscles moving outards toard the shoulders" 0on,t %e
alarmed if this area feels tender" =here are lymph glands located here and they
ill %enefit as ell" ;ou may notice that you can feel this massage right don to
your finger tips$ hich let,s you !no more a%out that grid or! I mentioned
earlier" /o$ repeat on the other side using the palm of your hand$ folloed %y a
stream of hot ater$ if you are in the shoer" If not$ using a hot compress ill feel
great to complete this techni*ue" &ne more thing$ don,t forget to deep %reathe
hile performing$ so that your %ody ill release those to'ins" Repeat on the right
side using your left hand"
Best Time To Perform: Pre7fight$ or Post7fight if your shoulders are tal!ing to
you"
Time Needed To Perform: 57C minutes
"
+o*rth Se#tion:
(emedies To 3ain The Edge
Application 15: Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: Arm -ar Relief
It,s positively inevita%le that during training or in a fight$ you,re going to
e'perience an Arm -ar" It,s pro%a%ly the most communicative means of ma!ing
you thin! a%out your el%os$ as normally e don,t give them much thought until
they,re in pain" =his is hy I advocate ta!ing the time to rotate your el%os$
much li!e you ould rotate your an!les" =his ill not completely alleviate the pain
associated ith a serious Arm -ar$ %ut good prevention ill help" I,ve covered the
#l%o Rotations in a previous column$ so today$ I,m going to do hat I can to
help you relieve that aching feeling in your el%o joint hen it,s %een hyper
e'tended"
%irst$ if you have the time$ put some heat on it" +ot shoer ater$ hot compress
or hot medicine li!e =iger -alm or any other analgesic application" Avoid cold"
Avoid putting your arm in the same position to ,chec! if the discomfort is still
there,"
Second$ let,s identify to vital points on the el%os that ill open up the Chi flo
for rapid relief" Seated$ rest your affected el%o$ %ent and rela'ed$ across your
stomach so that it lays very comforta%ly$ as if it ere in an invisi%le sling" /otice
here the fold is on your el%o at it,s joint" :sing your opposite hand$ ta!e your
thum% and dig it into the soft tissue that is in the center of your arm just a%ove
your el%o joint$ a%out 171D5 inches" ;ou ill !no you are on the spot if this
point hurts on contact of pressure" &nce you locate it$ dig your thum% in and
massage in a circular motion a%out the si.e of a *uarter for a%out 68 seconds 7 1
minute" H all pressure points are tender to the touch$ so don,t %e concerned< it,s
normal"
Third: /o locate the ne't point hich is just %elo the center of your el%o joint
on the top of the forearm" Also a%out 1 1D5 inches don from the joint" It is also
tender" Repeat the process" )ollo up %y cupping your el%o ith your opposite
hand and let it flop up and don$ %ut never all the ay open" =his helps to
lu%ricate the joint and to ,un shoc!, it from the Arm -ar"
I have found that this techni*ue has offered almost immediate relief to *uite a
num%er of my fighters"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0irectly after the injury
Application 16 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: ((A Strong (edicine
for -ruising
=he Chinese (artial Artists have %een using special lineaments for various
martial arts related injuries$ as ell as legendary eli'irs for strength and longevity
for centuries" (ost martial artists from other traditions are more familiar ith the
topical treatments found over the counter at the pharmacy" Certainly$ learning
a%out the myriad collection of Chinese lineaments could ta!e a long time as the
varieties and uses could fill volumes" (y intention is to familiari.e you ith the
most common lineaments that are fairly easy to o%tain in local oriental mar!ets"
=he important thing a%out using a ALaoA is that it,s composition allos it to
penetrate into the coagulated %lood of a %ruise to help heal it faster" Laos are
made from a variety of her%al and other natural ingredients$ and usually cured
for ahile" =hey do not have a pleasant smell$ %ut they are onderful for healing
the contusions of tissue over %ony areas of the %ody"
;ou can also find 0it 0a Lao 3sometimes spelled Lo4 on the Internet" &nce you
have it$ you may find it very helpful to paint the Lao onto the %ruised area ith a
cotton sa%" >et it dry and then try to forget that it doesn,t smell li!e apple pie
and let it or!s its magic"
0it 0a Lao is also a onderful treatment to ru% into your hands if you,ve %een
doing a lot of or! on the heavy %ag" #ven earing gloves$ your hands can ta!e
a pounding over time and if you,ve had any internal hand injuries$ Lao$ ru%%ed in
and alloed to penetrate for ahile ill help to minimali.e damage to %one"
/aturally$ this ould also or! for feet that get a lot of impact from !ic!ing the
%ag$ or applied on your !nees if they,ve ta!en a %eating on the mat"
Time Needed To Perform: 576 minutes for a thorough massage into the hands"
Best Time To Perform: As soon after the injury as possi%le" Repeat as needed"
Application 1C Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: (ore Strong (edicine for
((A Part 5
Since there are a variety of injuries that any ((A fighter can sustain$ there has
to %e a variety of treatments to assist in their recovery" /ot all injuries involve
%ruising" =a!e the case of just plain soreness resulting from students of the fight
game drilling techni*ues over and over again" =he !ind of drilling that is needed
in order to engrain a rapid response to an opponent,s attac!" Without drilling over
and over again$ it is difficult to create the muscle memory needed to respond
instantaneously ithout thin!ing" =hat is the to7edged sord of hard training"
=he don7side that I,m referring to is a condition called RSI 3Repetitive Strain
Injury4 or C=0 3Cumulative =rauma 0isorder4" =he good nes is that the soft
training of ((A specific ;oga coupled ith &riental applied medicines can %e an
easy solution" /aturally$ If you have a serious injury$ you should go *uic!ly to a
sports injury specialist"
&ne Chinese lineament that has %een very effective in helping to reduce
significant discomfort to these types of muscle strains and joint tenderness is
White )loer" It is very ine'pensive$ comes in a tiny$ easy to pac! up in your
duffle$ %ottle and really delivers some strong relief hen applied correctly" =his is
not for use on any open ounds or %ruising" Great for !nees and el%os$
especially after an arm %ar or your !nees have %een over7%ent or compressed in
Athe guardA for an elongated time" Also for an!les that have %een e'posed to
e'cessive eight or over7tor*ued" Apply a fe drops to the given area" :se the
pressure point techni*ues that I,ve shared$ and feel free to apply a hot compress"
I %elieve in icing only if there is rapid selling ith discoloration$ in hich case
you need to have your injury loo!ed at %y a professional" )or everyday soreness$
White )loer Analgesic >ineament ill do the tric! nicely" /o !idding$ you can
get it a tiny %ottle the si.e of a *uarter to ta!e ith you anyhere you may need
it" &ther uses are that it is terrific to inhale if your head is stuffy" Great %efore you
enter the octagon and hen your corner man ta!es care of you %eteen rounds"
Availa%le all over the Internet or at your local &riental store"
Time Needed To Perform: 672 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0irectly folloing training induced injury" Re7apply after
a hot shoer or %ath"
Application 12 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: +ardcore =raining7
+omeopathic,s$ +er%als B Aromatics
=here are many +omeopathic remedies that are !non to specifically assist in
reducing the impact of injuries and to help relieve symptoms and speed up
recovery" =here are some that are so specific that they are ama.ingly a%le to
target !nees and shoulders" &thers are inhaled and have shon incredi%le a%ility
to improve circulation and restore nerve function$ hile others very effectively
target inflammation" >et,s get right don to %usiness so you can have a poerful
arsenal at the ready to !eep you high on your game"
>et,s tac!le the +omeopathic,s first and let me state that I am not a licensed
+omeopathic doctor$ although I have studied e' tensely over the years" I !no
that these have %een very effective in accelerating the recovery of AC>,s and
post7operative shoulder damage here the fighter as given no hope of ever
returning to training$ let alone the arena" =hat %eing said$ please ma!e sure that
you chec! ith your 0r" %efore using any of the contents of this column to ma!e
sure that it ill not interact ith anything else you may %e ta!ing" 3It,s pretty
certain that it on,t$ %ut let,s ma!e sure4" =hese are availa%le ine'pensively at
most health food stores"
!)M*)PAT!+C$S: ,+n ta'let form- "leasant to take and non(allergenic. Not
to 'e confused /ith to"ical a""lications in cream form((these go right to
the heart of the in0ur.1
Arnica: :sed in dislocations$ %ruises$ contusions$ fractures$ concussions<
primarily for soft tissue injuries"
Rhus =o': :sed hen muscles have %een overstretched$ e'cessive eight
lifting$ sprains$ toes that have
%een stu%%ed$ tisted an!les< used primarily for fi%rous injuries and ligmentous
structures of the
%ody including overused calf muscles"
>edum Palustre: Nery good for use ith %lac! eyes from %eing hit" 3=his may not
%e readily availa%le %ut a
good health food store should %e a%le to order it"4
!er'als:
=urmeric: Common in Ayurvedic medicine$ this her% is associated ith reducing
attendants and general
inflammations hen included in the diet" =here are no definitive study results< all
are still
inconclusive$ %ut many report relief" =urmeric can %e found in Curry Poder$ or in
capsule form
in health food stores" Remem%er to chec! ith your physician %efore ta!ing it
large *uantities
%eyond normal dietary inta!e"
Cinnamon: Cinnamon has the a%ility to !eep shoulders arm$ hich is hat they
need to %e hen you do all
that punching and grappling" Add some to your diet"
Aromatics:
>avender: What you ould associate ith something feminine and soothing is
also a%le to increase %lood
flo" -etter %lood flo$ %etter stamina$ less gas outI Studies ith male su%jects
have shon that
after inhaling >avender for 68 minutes$ circulation increased significantly and
cortisol as
significantly loer$ reducing ris! factors for cardiovascular events" =his translates
as reducing pre7
fight stress$ hile increasing circulation to protect your heart" =hin! that >avender
is seet stuff
for your grandmotherG We could$ in the near future$ easily see >avender at some
training campsI
'ppli#ation 21 Category: (emedies To 3ain The Edge: <osebleeds
There%s nothing worse than getting #lipped and then getting a nosebleed $f yo*%re in the
o#tagon) yo*%.e got yo*r #orner man and yo*r #*t man to ta!e #are of yo* B*t) if yo*%re
training) and yo*%re not a fighter in the #orner""yo* #an be on yo*r own to deal with this
problem $f yo*%re an instr*#tor and yo* ha.e a st*dent that brea!s o*t in a nosebleed) it
#an be da*nting to handle the sit*ation This !ind of MM' remedy is one of those things
yo* don%t want to forget) be#a*se if yo* are an instr*#tor) #oa#h) fighter or st*dent)
#han#es are yo*%re going to be able to p*t it to good *se at some point in time The well"
prepared MM' fighter is prepared for any e.ent*ality) parti#*larly those that might
otherwise !eep him from getting into the o#tagon E.ery #ompetitor !nows the
disappointment of ha.ing prepared so meti#*lo*sly for an e.ent only to wind *p not able
to f*lfill his goal $f nosebleeds are o##*rring fre=*ently there #o*ld be a n*mber of
simple reasons why) b*t these sho*ld be addressed by a physi#ian The abo.e instr*#tions
are for those on the spot sit*ations that need immediate treatment They are not meant to
repla#e attention by a physi#ian where needed 2ere%s an effe#ti.e way to manage this
problem:
MMA Nose"leed escue: $f the nosebleed is from the left nostril) raise the right arm
abo.e the head 6i!ewise) if the nosebleed presents from the right nostril) raise the left
arm abo.e the head *ntil it s*bsides) whi#h will ta!e effe#t shortly
#est Ti$e To Per%or$: $mmediately at the onset
Ti$e Needed To Per%or$: 'bo*t 1"2 min*tes
Application 56 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: =oe -ursitis
Going =oe =o =oe ith -ursitis" We alays thin! first of -ursitis as %eing in the
shoulders$ %ut it can also stri!e the toes$ creating a very painful selling in the
joints that can escalate into the need for surgical procedures" >et,s not try to
even thin! a%out going that route" >et,s try to grapple this pro%lem %efore it
occurs" And$ I mean grapple" =here are enough tools in ;oga to provide
preventative measures to protect the toes so that =oe -ursitis doesn,t happen"
=oe -ursitis can %e caused %y impact to the toes either from you !ic!ing or from
your toes receiving an impact from the opponent$ placing targeted %los or
eight to the suscepti%le areas of the toes"
=he good nes is that you can grapple your on foot hile atching your
favorite :)C reruns to insure that you are in good stead in the foot department"
Toe )ra.ing for Bursitis! Sit comforta%ly anyhere here you are a%le to
access your %are feet" Start ith your left foot$ %y placing it up on your right !nee"
+old onto it ith your left hand hile you thread your right hand fingers in
%eteen each toe" =his is going to ta!e some effort$ as most toes are difficult to
move into that open position" =a!e your time and ma!e the effort to do this
%eginning ith your right inde' finger %eteen your %ig and second toes and
then continue ith the rest of your fingers$ leaving your thum% free" &nce your
hand is in position$ push your fingers all the ay so that they are threaded in up
to the tops of your fingers" While sta%ili.ing your foot ith your left hand$ circle
the %all of your foot and toes several times in %oth directions" /e't$ %end the
toes %ac! and forth a fe times" =o finish up$ use your left hand$ ma!e a fist and
pound aay at the arch of your foot a%out 9 times" /o repeat the hole thing
on the other foot" =his isn,t your grandmother,s foot massage$ this is the real deal
for real toe %ursitis prevention for real fighters"
Best Time To Perform: 0uring any P0ontimeQ"
Time Needed To Perform: 2718 minutes
Application 61 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: )ight Prep
Preparing for a fight" =here are a lot of components re*uired to prepare for a
fight" =here,s the physical training$ the mental training$ the special diet and
supplements for enhancing performance" Also there are the e'tra %its of
!noledge that give a fighter an edge over other fighters or even over his last
e'perience" &ver the years$ I,ve trained an &lympic Gold (edallist$ helped fello
martial artists prepare for long competitions$ and my favorite7helping them to
gear up for ((A fights" I,ve found that the folloing tips have helped greatly"
)earing ' for )ra.ing! Warm up$ then !eep your %ody arm %y !eeping
yourself moving a little during your ait period %efore the fight" 0on,t arm up
over and over again" Warm up once at the %eginning of the ait$ then just stay
moderately active %y al!ing a little" Practice deep %reathing$ 9 %reaths at a
time$ %reathing in and out through the nose" ;our %lood ill %e o'ygenated for
great stamina" Warming up over and over again ill result in lactic acid
com%ustion in the muscles and tire you out" 0on,t sit too long" When you !no
you,re getting close to fight time$ arm up again and then stay on your feet until
it@s time"
!Y2RAT+)N: =he %est ay to stay hydrated is to sip 1 18 o. %ottle of ater per
hour" -y sipping ater sloly$ your %ody ill retain normal fluid range" Remem%er
/&= to gulp ater hen you are over heated or out of %reath" *AT+N3: /o
sugary foods or drin!s prior" It@s a gift to your opponent %ecause it ill ma!e you
ea!" So ill thin!ing a%out family mem%ers or friends in the audience" (entally$
you must get into the ring alone ith only the voice of your corner team in your
head" #at a light meal the night %efore of comple' car%s$ and protein for good
long lasting energy and muscle poer" After the fight$ hile overheated$ don,t sit
don" Wal! it off and you,ll feel less stiff and sore the ne't day" Remem%er to
have a good soa! in a arm %ath ith #psom salts after the fight" ;ou,ll %e right
and ready to fight another day and none the less for ear"
Application 66 Category: )le'i%ility )actors: >um%ar Pro%lems
+erniated 0iscs In =he >oer Spine" It is not unusual that I am told %y students
or those that ant to train in ((A$ of their loer %ac! pain caused %y herniated
discs" =his pro%lem is not usually caused %y ((A %ut insinuates itself from other
causes such as auto injuries$ ea! spinal erector muscles that have alloed the
discs to %ecome herniated$ or! injuries$ overeight around the middle and
other causes" =he first line of pro%lem solving$ hich is ineffective %y itself$ is to
strengthen the core" +oever$ just strengthening the core on,t create space for
the discs to %e a%le to return to their correct position" What is needed is space$
fle'i%ility and strength in order for this area to improve" (oving in such a ay that
continues to compress the herniated discs or that put more strain on the loer
area ill only increase pain" ;oga poses that stretch and align the discs$ then
strengthen the core to hold the discs in place offer more long term relief" &ne
such pose is the Plo" -y elongating the spine and opening it at the lum%ar and
sacral area it creates the space needed" =he important thing is to perform the
plo correctly %eing sure to arm up the spine first %y %ringing !nees up to the
chest$ rapping your arms around them and then roc!ing from side to side" I,ve
often taught the folloing pose to ne ((A students ho need to develop the
fle'i%ility to perform a reverse shoulder roll$ hich is a side %enefit"
)ra.ers MMA Bac* Stretch! After arming up your spine" >ay on your %ac!"
Support your hips ith your hands$ palms don" >ift your legs and hips until you
are curling them over your shoulders and onto the floor %ehind you$ legs
outstretched" It is important to remain rela'ed" )eel the stretch in the loer spine
and as compressed as you are$ try to %reath as fully as possi%le" ;ou ill only try
to hold this pose for 68 seconds" =hat is all that is needed" ;ou ill only perform
this once per day" (ow to come 4ac* down safe.+! =ry to roll don sloly %y
arching your head %ac!ards to A%rea! the fallA$ then %ending your !nees %ac!
into your chest$ here you ill side roc! ith your head and nec! rela'ed for a
fe minutes" =his is not an overnight cure %ut in time it ill offer relief and it ill
retrain your spine to %e more effective in holding in the discs"
Remem%er to have regular hot soa!s in the tu% ith #psom salts to help repair
micro tears and relieve pain"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutes
Best Time To Perform: 0uring regular conditioning times"
Application 6F Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: Candles and Control
Gaining =he #dge: =he &ctagon and =he )our Poster -ed" =o fighters" -oth
a%out the same eight$ height$ stature" =hey,ve %oth trained in similar camps %y
e'cellent trainers" =heir fight stats are pretty ell matched and they,re %oth in
optimum health for the event" What is it that causes one fighter to %e a%le to in
over anotherG =he AedgeA" =he fighter ho ins has just a little something more
inside of himself that ena%les him to go the distance$ out strategy the opponent
and pro%a%ly a sprin!ling of other mi'ed tric!s for the mi'ed martial arts scene"
And$ moreover$ they are tric!s of the trade he on,t %e sharing too generously"
>ast ee! I spo!e of martial arts as the most jealous lover you ill ever have$ %ut
this ee! I ant to tal! a%out some little secrets for gaining the edge" Sage
advice for nelyeds is to not %ring thoughts of home and parents into the
honeymoon four poster %ed or it ill ruin the romance in the honeymoon" It,s the
same ith your jealous lover7mi'ed martial arts$ if you %ring anyone else,s voice
in your head into the octagon on fight night" :nless it %elongs to your trainer" ;ou
must mentally enter alone ith nothing in your heart e'cept love for inning"
&ften this can %e very difficult if there is strife in your life$ or if someone has put
any thoughts of defeat or danger in your head$ or you are coming into the fight
off of a loss or to" So$ let,s !eep the fight romance going a %it hotter and
%righter ith the glo of a candle or to" =here are a couple of reasons hy you
ould ant to do a candle meditation" &ne is that %y %ringing your attention to
the center of your eye%ros ill clear out all negative thin!ing and fortify your
conviction for a in" 0on,t discount this" =he :S (ilitary has long used
visuali.ation for improving training drills for special forces %ecause they !no
focusing on this vital point is poerful" Second$ you,ll %e using a red taper candle
first$ then a yello taper candle" Red has long %een associated ith fighters
delivering more stri!es and !ic!s and ith more ins$ as discovered in a survey
several years ago" Red simply trumps other colors in the ring of com%at" :se it
for your candle meditation and your mind ill %e very clear" In a later column$
e,ll loo! at ho to use a candle to perfect pinpoint stri!es and !ic!s" =he yello
candle is !non to stimulate the hypothalamus< your reptilian$ instinctual %rain"
;ou need that as a fighter on his ay to a in" -eing over calm li!e you,re going
to a tea party isn,t going to or!" ;ou need pure ra energy that is focused on
the tas! ahead" >ighting the yello candle ill also help if your %ody is sun
depleted" (y fighters alays li!ed the candle meditations7feeling that they ere
instrumental in clearing the mind and also alleviating some %ody pain"
Cand.e Training For Mi3ed Martia. Arts ! =hese instructions hold for %oth
colored candles" In a dimly lit room$ ta!e a redDyello tall taper candle" Place it
so that it is arms length aay from you and just under eye height" Ga.e into the
candle deeply$ hile visuali.ing your in over the opponent" See yourself getting
the inner,s %elt" 0o some self tal! a%out that you can outit$ out maneuver and
su%due any opponent ith ease" If your eyes %urn and tear$ all the %etter to
eliminate cellular to'ins" Practice for a%out 175 minutes" Cover your eyes ith the
palms of your hands$ then change to the other colored candle and repeat" =a!ing
time to deeply focus opens your mind for clear strategies"
Best Time To Perform: &nce or tice per ee! and %efore a %out on the same
day or night %efore"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutesDC minutes for %oth colored candles"
Application 6J Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: Pressure Points
Putting =he Pressure &n Pressure Points" #arlier$ I,ve given some important tips
on the %enefit of pressure points for helping to heal my fight students$ as more
often than not one of them ill e'perience soreness$ slight inflammation or
e'cessive stiffness in the joints of !nees$ shoulders and el%os" +oever$ in this
article I ant to tal! a %it on the importance of having a full range of pressure
point !noledge as it relates to the dangers of the fight game" #very fighter ho
trains and every instructor ho teaches should !no ho to revive a fighter
should he faint" Some fighters thin! that pressure point or! should remain in
the orld of myths and legends$ %ut it actually has it roots in the ancient practice
of Ludo" =he Ludo that e'isted more than 5888 years ago$ hich included an in
depth !noledge of pressure points not only for inflicting pain$ %ut for healing"
=he !ind of healing that is sometimes needed to get %ac! into full fighting range"
When the cut7man in the corner applies pressure to stop %leeding$ he@s or!ing
the same type of principle" Pressure point or! can even !eep you younger
longer to e'tend your fight career$ as it helps to %ring o'ygen %ac! into the cells
from increased %lood flo" =he old Ludo masters !ne ho to revive a fighter$
even at the point of death" :seful stuffI I thin! my favorite techni*ue for reviving
a fighter ho has fainted is one that e used to do in Chinese Chin /a
Grappling" -asically$ you ould reverse arm loc! the opponent then press your
!nee into the dorsal area of the %ac!$ hile reaching over the head to eye gouge"
=his fun little e'ercise$ if used properly 3ithout the eye gouge4 or the arm %ar$
ill revive someone ho has fainted" =his can %e especially useful if he,s %een
Aput to sleepA %ecause he as too proud to tap himself out during training or he
simply doesn,t !no his limit yet" +ere,s the real method$ hich if used mildly %y
a trusted partner is also great to de7!in! a spine"
The MMA Reviva. Method 9 , The Bac*: If a training partner or student has
fainted$ it is possi%le to revive him %y carefully rolling him over onto the stomach
or side$ 3ma!e sure his %reathing is not o%structed4 %ending the %ody %ac!ards
slightly and gently positioning a !nee into the Cth or 2th dorsal area$ 3%eteen
the shoulders4 and slightly to the left" Apply pressure until they are revived"
Best Time To Perform: As an emergency for revival"
Time Needed To Perform: :p to 2 minutes"
Application C8 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: Pressure Points7feet
Putting =he Pressure &n Pressure Points R5" ((A fighters are alays fighting
tight hamstrings and this is pro%a%ly from some of the other conditioning that
they have to do in order to stay in shape" It,s not uncommon to find that some of
their conditioning !eeps their joints lim%er hile simultaneously shortening the
hamstring muscles" In traditional ;oga$ the pose that helps that pro%lem is the
Seated Posterior Stretch$ %ut hen e dig don a little deeper e can uncover
an ancient ;oga secret that often goes unremem%ered in the area of meridian
or! and that is the activation of a pressure point at the inner %ase of the %ig toe"
=his pressure point is a general revival point and has the a%ility to revive
someone ho has fainted$ hich as I have said$ can occur if the person doesn,t
tap out *uic!ly enough" ;ou simply apply deep pressure for several moments to
the point$ hile %reathing deeply yourself" )or instructors this can %e another
great tool" If e move this techni*ue into %asic ((A ;oga training$ thin! of ho
poerful it ill %e if you,ve not faintedG If you perform this on a regular %asis
during regular stretching$ the %enefits of helping to !eep you alert ould %e
onderful" ;ou get to stretch out those hamstrings and revive your energy all at
the same time" I,d say this is a must for the ((A trainee,s tool%o'"
MMA Reviving Toe )ri and (amstring Stretch! Sitting on the mat ith your
legs stretched out in front of you$ %reathe in through the nostrils$ raising arms
over head to elongate the spine< e'hale as you stretch your chin forard as if
you ere to touch your chin to your !nees and reach for your to %ig toes" Rela'$
%ut rap your inde' fingers around your %ig toes at the %ase$ applying pressure
as you pull them toards you" 0on,t forget to !eep %reathing as you are a%le$
hile you continue to hold this pose for up to 5 minutes" If you ma!e it that far$
you have reached the ma'imum time for this pose" Rela' your toes and sloly
let yourself %ac! don onto the mat to rest for 1 full minute hile you rela'ingly
%reathe" If you feel any loer %ac! tension$ %ring !nees up toards your chest$
loosely$ and roc! from side to side to release the residual tension" H =o revive
someone ho has fainted$ gra% the %ase of the toes from the %ottom and push
your thum% into that point from the %ottom of the foot holding for a fe minutes"
Best Time To Perform: Prior to any training regiment< if you need a *uic!
energy %oost"
Time Needed To Perform: 176 minutes
Application C5 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: +ands

Putting =he Pressure &n Pressure Points R 6: +and Reviving Point" A great time
to or! on Pressure Point =reatments is hen you,ve just come off of a very
e'tended training period prior to a %out" ;ou need that little %it of clear space to
recover a %it %efore the %out$ yet$ you canMt afford to %e idle" =his is a great time
to practice the pressure points" #ach one is designed to not only help revive
someone ho may have fainted or suffered a !noc! out$ %ut they are also
designed to deto'ify the %ody and get stagnant %lood floing to help you feel
%etter" =his one ill help relieve a stress headache or sinus congestion too" I
suggest creating a log and e'perimenting during these short dontimes so that
you can see some of the %enefits to your fight game" See hich ones or! %est"
When you learn ho to manipulate them on your on %ody$ you ill %e %etter
prepared to apply them to someone else" 3Remem%er that none of these are
meant to eliminate the need for #(=$ %ut ill safely assist until help arrives
should that %e needed4" ;ou can practice these hile atching a movie or sports
as they don,t re*uire any deep concentration$ just practice" Remem%er that all
pressure points are %ilateral"
2eeing :our (and $n Pressure Point 9 ;! Reviving< Re.ieving headache<
congestion: )ind this spot %y ma!ing a loose fist" :sing the thum% of your
opposite hand$ dig in deeply to the area here your inde' finger and thum%
come together$ right at the top of the joint" If you press into this spot and it
doesn,t hurt$ or it isn@t tender$ you are not on it" &nce you locate it$ you can jam
your thum% into it and push inards moving your thum% %ac! and forth" It ill not
feel pleasant$ %ut if you are congested$ it ill %ring relief" =o revive someone$ or
yourself from feeling sluggish$ instead of ru%%ing the spot$ simply apply the rules
of grappling and clamp onto the spot ith your opposite inde' finger and thum%
and hold on for a%out 68 seconds" Repeat on the opposite hand"
Best Time to Perform: Anytime relief is needed for congestion$ or post hard
training$ during dontimes
Time Needed to Perform: 175 minutes
Application C6 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: )eet
Putting =he Pressure &n Pressure Points R C Grappling +oo! )oot Point" A lot of
people don,t reali.e that pressure point !noledge is an integral part of ;oga"
#very move is designed to put pressure on various meridians and pressure
points in the %ody to relieve discomfort$ inflammation and stiffness$ hich is hy
;oga is such a specific science" =he ancient Ludo masters ere a%le to identify
these strategic points in order to inflict crippling pain on their opponents or to
heal those ounded" =hey also used them in a general sense for good health"
&ne of the most important points for creating longevity is the 0ragon point in the
center of the %all of the foot" >ongevity is one of those things that are precious to
the ((A fighter %ecause the ear and tear caused %y e'cessive hard training
and the release of free radicals can ta!e it,s toll" =here have %een many %outs
here the older fighter has on out over a much younger one$ after ta!ing a lot
of ver%al a%use from the press or the commentators" I remem%er one such %out
%eteen Randy Couture and =ito &rti.$ years apart in age" Randy had paid a lot
of attention to his training and diet and it shoed" +e as green$ lean and mean"
And$ he dominated the ring for all three$ long rounds over the very effective and
younger =ito" It asn,t luc!" &r =ito,s lac!" It as Randy,s paid attention to his
training to Againing the edgeA to really stay on top of his game" >earning pressure
points for !eeping yourself in the game longer$ for feeling %etter or for having to
help revive a fello ((A %rother is ell orth the effort" Sure$ you,ll loo! silly
sitting around pushing on parts of your %ody$ %ut hat do you careG ;ou,re
adding e'tra mileage to your fight plan" Remem%er that although these
techni*ues are safe$ they are not meant to replace or refuse appropriate medical
assistance in case a fighter goes don from a K& or fainting"
The )ra.ing (oo* Foot Point! Sit on the mat ith the soles of your feet
facing each other$ !nees open and rela'ed" )ind the point %y loo!ing at the
%ottom of your left foot" It ill %e located just under the %all of your foot$ in the
center" It ill %e tender to touch if you really jam your finger up into it" ;ou can
deeply ru% into that spot for a%out CJ times for ma'imum %enefit" /o$ repeat on
the right foot" In the unfortunate event that someone has suffered a K& and you
need to revive them$ you ould gra% a hold of their feet %y AgrapplingA your
thum%s into the point and applying deep pressure$ hile holding the other side of
the foot ith your other fingers" -reathe deeply yourself$ hile applying pressure"
=he techni*ue is good for improving general health as ell and ill help to
alleviate foot complaints in general"
Time Needed To Perform: 576 minutes on each foot
Best Time to Perform: 0uring any dontime training or during a arm up for
foot complaints
Application CC Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: Stomach
Putting the Pressure &n Pressure Points: R 2 =he Sei.e And Control Stomach
Point" In centuries past$ a arrior had to contend ith more than just his
opponent" +e had to contend ith the elements as ell$ after all$ a arrior
stric!en don in the jungle ith typhoid or cholera couldn,t defend his country let
alone himself" =his is ho the study of the meridian points %egan ith the early
Ludo masters" =his involved an intrinsic netor! system that could not only help
increase health$ %ut that could also disa%le an opponent or revive a fallen
comrade to fight another day" =he Sei.e and Control stomach point is one of
those all around points that can do all of the a%ove" It can %e especially useful if
someone has %een K&,d or ho simply didn,t tap out soon enough" >i!e all
pressure points there is an uncomforta%le reaction hen they are pressed into$
hich helps to learn here they are" =hey vary from person to person %y small
degrees so that only a very practiced master is a%le to locate them almost
instantly" =herefore$ it,s alays a good idea to practice on yourself first$ then ith
trusted training partners so that you have a variety of %ody si.es from hich to
learn" Remem%er that none of the ArevivalA techni*ues are meant to replace
medical assistance and should only %e used if there is an emergency and help
may not %e immediately availa%le" =he folloing pressure point is very indicative
of ho devastating a lo %lo can %e$ and hy even those that land a%ove the
groin are still so de%ilitating"
9 = The Seize And Contro. Stomach Point ! -elo the naval$ a%out 67C inches$
there are to acupressure points" ;ou don,t have to orry a%out pinpointing
them" Gra% onto the s!in and tist it assertively" =his is the area that ill activate
the to pressure points %y merely tisting the s!in" /otice ho sometimes the
corner man ill open up the top of the fighter,s %o'ers to cool don the
a%domenG =hese vital points are located in this area" =hese are also areas that
massage therapists don,t usually massage" =hey are poerful" Remem%er$ out in
the ilderness$ accessing these points to alleviate cholera and typhoid ere the
arriors only hope of living to fight another fight$ so they are a tool to revive
someone ho may have fainted from heat or simple e'haustion$ as ell$ during
training"
Best Time To Perform: As a dontime practice"
Time Needed To Perform: 175 minutes
Application C2 Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: 0iaphragmDChest
Putting the Pressure on Pressure Points R 6 Chest (assage for a 0oned
)ighter =hese last si' techni*ues are those that$ hopefully$ no one ill ever have
to use in case of an emergency" +oever$ it is important to remem%er that all
pressure points that are used to revive a doned fighter can also %e used just for
!eeping oneself in good health %y !eeping meridian points open to help relieve
inflammation" )urther$ they can %e used to help heal your training %rothers$ as
ell" &n a side note$ if massage asn,t important$ %o'ers and restlers
traditionally ouldn,t have enlisted the assistance of professional sports
massage e'perts to help encourage good %lood flo to relieve coagulated %lood
from injuries and the ravages of inflamed joints and muscles" =oday,s massage
therapists don,t usually massage the diaphragm and chest area$ hoever$ if you
can find one that speciali.es in sports$ you may %e a%le to have them apply this
massage techni*ue as a means of not only increasing the energy to the solar
ple'us and chest$ %ut to help stretch the chest muscles$ hich can %ecome
shortened due the need for fighters to !eep the chest somehat closed during
any stand up time" Remem%er to have an emphasis on deep %reathing" 0eep
%reathing is not only invigorating$ increasing your fight stamina$ %ut it ill help to
push to'ins out of your joints$ and lactic acid %uild up that creates sore muscles$
hen you can,t get a massage" Remem%er to %reathe through the nose hen
applying %reathing practice to these applications" 0on,t discount the importance
of this type of dontime training" +o many times have you as!ed a training
partner to A!nee you in the %ac!$ hile pulling on your el%osA$ in order to adjust
your spine from all of the forard %ending that goes on in training" We all have"
=hat,s the point" =he folloing techni*ue has %een used to revive a fighter %y
stimulating the flo of %lood to the heart and has %een used in times past %y the
ancient Ludo masters to save someone$ unconscious$ ho has suffered a severe
%lo" Again$ none of these applications should ever %e used in place of
medicalDemergency treatment %y a professional" =hey are given as traditional
!noledge for health and self7care and are to %e used only if proper treatment %y
a professional is not availa%le"
Chest Massage for a #owned Fighter> or for )ood 'er 4od+ Circu.ation!
With %oth hands$ or!ing from the %ottom of the solar ple'us massage pushing
upards and outards toards the diaphragm" -reathe out as you or! upards
onto the chest area" If you are performing this on yourself$ %reath in as you push
upards onto your on chest$ then %reathe out %efore the ne't set" Hin ancient
times here there ere no #(=,s$ these !noledgea%le masters ould actually
revive someone %y specifically massaging the heart 3e'ternally4 ith their to
hands"
Best Time To Perform: 0uring any dontime training hen you ish to increase
stamina and health"
Time Needed To Perform: 572 minutes
Application CJ Category: Remedies =o Gain =he #dge: )ighter@s Ring Wal!
=he +idden (eaning of the Ring Wal! and &ther Ideas" It isn,t %y a flu!e of
nature that hen arriors enter the ring or the octagon e often see them circle
the ring$ dance around the ring$ run their hands along the ropes or run their
hands over the ires of the cage" Sometimes e can spot them !neeling or
crouching don in front of their corner to say a prayer or perform some other
ritual" =his is a very poerful act that actually helps to activate that good old
reptilian %rain I,ve mentioned %efore" Without %eing a%le to activate the reptilian
%rain$ the fighter must rely on ill poer$ hich ill e'haust him long %efore his
primordial energy ould have given out" In ancient India$ out in the ilds of the
forests or jungles$ no ;oga as performed ithout a ceremony of al!ing around
the area$ using a special chant and sprin!ling holy ater in order to clear the field
and create a more poerful %ase for achieving results" In every culture around
the orld$ ancient arriors painted their faces$ danced around a circle and
performed rituals$ sometimes around a campfire" =he arriors in Peru mentally
entered into the spiritual %ody of an animal$ hich e !no as the /a.ca >ines$
ancient geoglyphs created into animal shapes" =he arriors ould alays e'it
the %ody at it,s most poerful part to a%sor% the animal or creature,s poer"
+aving one of these rituals not only !eeps your %ody arm %efore the fight$ %ut it
ill also !eep your spirits up" If you have not made use of the ring al! ritual$
create one" Get into the ring$ and leave your energy signature around so that
hen you,re fighting$ you can Apic! up your energyA for a %oost" Sound cra.yG
;ou on@t care hen you@re holding up the championship %elt"
=his %rings me to another su%ject" =he state of mind of the fighter 'efore a
fight" If you seem a %it off center %efore your fight in the coming days
approaching the event$ ta!e a loo! at hat conversations you are having ith
yourself" Remem%er that fear e'ists in the future and hen you are in the
clinches$ you are in the AnoA and in real time" It ill %e necessary for you to train
your mind to thin! only of success as diligently as you are training the %ody" ;ou
ultimately have control over your %ody$ as you ill see in the little e'periment I,ll
teach you" If you must project a%out your fight$ use affirmations that you can truly
%elieve$ such as$ AI,m going to perform at my %estA" A=he fight ill turn out %etter
than I can imagineA"
More on good hdration: I too! a onderful e%inar on avoiding %rain injuries
recently and one of the topics that came up as the need for fighters to %e
properly hydrated during a fight in order to lessen %rain injuries from a %lo to
the head" If even 5 percent dehydration e'ists$ there ill %e decreased
performance" Paying attention to this in hotter eather is even more important"
Remem%er to drin! li*uid that has replacement nutrients"
A Fighter's Test of Mind "ver Matter! Place the palms of your hands together
at chest level" =a!e note of the si.e of your hands" =he finger length ill %e
slightly shorter on one side" =his is true for everyone" /o$ close your eyes and
repeat the affirmation$ AGro longer$ gro longer$ gro longerA" &pen your eyes
and you,ll see that the shorter palm is no the same length" ;ou can reverse to
return your palms to their previous state"
Although this is a fun test to play ith friends at your ne't get7together$ for the
fighter trying to gain an edge it can %e an enormous application hen used to
reframe a fighters self7image" If you can control one palm$ thin! of hat you can
do to heal your %ody$ function as if you ere taller or overcome any mental
limitations" It is said of the ;oga masters that they had the poer to ma!e
themselves gro taller$ heavier$ lighter$ smaller or to %ecome invisi%le" +ere is
proof positive that you can %e all that you can %e if you use your mind$ nurture
your on arrior spirit$ and train your %ody7then set yourself free of all
limitations" So$ develop that ring al!$ choose your arrior name to e'ude poer$
pic! out your special ring al! fighter,s song and just go and %e the champion
that you are" WinI
Best Time To Perform: 0uring A0ontimeA training
Time Needed To Perform: 1 minute
)inal =houghts:
-ecause these columns ere ritten as the material %ecame appropriate each
ee!$ they ere not necessarily in order most of the time" +ence$ you@ll see that
they are not in numerical order$ %ut in order of ho they happened$ first and then
ho they %est fit into a category for easy location"
;ou@ll also notice that there are CJ applications" =o the &rientals$ CJ is the
num%er of redemption" When I started to rite my ee!ly column for the ((A
)ight Council$ I intended to rite for 28 ee!s" A hole year ith 5 ee!s off for
holidays" -ut hen I got to the CJ
th
application$ I had e'hausted the !noledge
that I could impart on the ritten page that I felt as specifically appropriate to
((A or that didn@t re*uire personal instruction" So$ CJ7the num%er of
redemption7seems appropriate"
#very fighter ants redemption and to that end$ I hope that I have %een of help"
Khadi
Writing =o ;ou$
)rom &ut of the Red Corner
=he )irst >ady of ((A ;oga
((A ;oga &n =he (at