This is the first installment of our video series, I think you will get some good training guidelines from this stuff.
The techniques are from Raptor's first level.
In this video, Kurt will demonstrate the use of sticks, similar to ladder drills in football, to drill proper footwork for Boxing, Kickboxing and M.M.A.
There are 3 basic elements that we incorporate in our footwork:
1. The steps
2. The rocking motion
3. The jab
All my students must master these and make them second nature. I tell them that they must have these 3 things on "Autopilot". When a fighter is in the ring the coach should never have to tell them to move the head or feet or to keep popping out that jab!
Much more to come.
Stay tuned!
Coach Toby

Functionality part 1

Functionality is a word that is floating around quite a bit lately. I think that the concept is quite sage and sound. The idea is that we might be doing too much of the wrong things and not enough of the correct things.
An example of this is the age old boxing training practice of "roadwork" or, jogging. When a person is fighting in a boxing, kickboxing or m.m.a. match the physical exertion the body is under hardly resembles a 20 kilometre jog. Imagine a long distance runner, having trained for his event for many years, the long thin musculature and the lean upper body are not favourable to a fighter.
All three types of muscle tissue (cardiac, smooth and skeletal) are made up of fibre-like cells.
The skeletal muscle tissue can be changed dramatically by the manor of the training.
1. Plyometric exercise; A combination of cardio and resistance training encourages the formation of type IIa fibres or "fast twitch".
2. Resistance exercise; weight training etc. builds up type IIb and somewhat IIa fibres, forming thin and thick myofilaments, increasing the size of the muscle
3. Endurance exercise; Cardiovascular training, prolonged intervals using less force over longer periods result in vast increases in blood flow and type I or "slow twitch" fibres, also known as "slow oxidative".
The human body will recruit the necessary fibres and combinations of fibres as well as the proper level of vascular efficiency to best suit the activity that you do most often.
Therefore, if I will be swinging punches, torque my body violently while pushing around someone my identical weight for 5 rounds (intervals) of 3 minutes, for example, how would I benefit from jogging around for an hourStay tuned.
Coach Toby

Boxing/Kickboxing Tip #4

A very simple formula for success in the stand up fight game.
Think about it this way;
If someone punched you in the face what would you do?
Most people would retaliate with the same strike as a natural human reaction .
As Shawn Tompkins often says, 'Fighting is a game of percentages', we want to
use this to our advantage.
An example of this is, if I were to throw a head shot at my opponent, I can assume that
they will try to hit me back and therefore I should always finish my combination with a defense.
I am aware of how elementary this sounds but after seeing hundreds of beginners as well as many professional fighters make that fatal mistake, I always drill my students to train this way habitually.
Try this;
Grab a partner and some focus mitts.
Throw 1, 2, 3, and 4 punch combinations and at the end of each one either slip, bob or rock before you take a step or throw another punch.
Always finish your last punch before doing the head movement and finish the head movement before taking a step. This will ensure that you keep your balance and get the full effectiveness of the technique.
Again, this type of drill will make you look like a physic! Every time your opponent tries to counter off your attack you won't be there!
Apply this same strategy to kick combinations as well as much of the grappling game.
If you kick his legs, the odds are that he will kick yours, if you attack one of his arms on the ground, you cause him to think of his arms.
In all of these cases, you can use the same theory to get another advantage on your opponent;
Assume that he has done some of the same training and keep your own counters as random as possible. ie: When he throws a punch to your head, go to the body, the next time, throw a kick and the time after that go back to the head.
Remember, all of these strategies will not work unless you have a strong foundation in the basics.
We started filming the videos this week so they will be ready shortly.
Keep your hands up!
Coach Toby

Boxing / Kickbxing tip #3

Build a strong foundation, build a strong house!

At Raptor we drill the shit out of footwork and it pays off in abundance with the way that we fight. Think about it this way, if you are always one or more steps ahead of your opponent he/she will be too busy looking for you to implement strategy. The first drills we work with new students are ladder-type drills that are as exciting as licking tissue paper but, with good footwork built in to your combination you can establish your dominance in the ring right from the start of the fight.
Conversely, if your footwork is lacking, you will never get good distance on your opponent, which translates to not being able to hit him and not having proper position for your own defense.
We do what is called "lateral movements" which are made up of three components or elements that I insist are to be mastered before anyone even attempts to do any sparring, let alone fighting. The three elements are:

1. The footwork - forward, back, left, right.
2. head movement (rocking motion) - the rule and rhyme is "rock the way you walk".
3. The Jab - jab lands when the front foot lands.

The way I explain it to my students is that these three elements need to be on auto-pilot while you are in the ring, the coach should never have to yell at you to keep your hands up or move your feet or head.

We will be putting up some great videos soon that will show these drills and techniques in detail.
The first level of kickboxing (Private) at Raptor will give you a fantastic foundation weather you are a Boxer, kickboxer or M.M.A. fighter and we will try to cover all of these in the video series so keep following!

Coach Toby

"Bitch Tits"

'Bitch Tits", or pseudo gynecomastia
If you are into bodybuilding or you are over 40 you may have an intimate and not so happy knowledge of this expression. It refers to the formation of breast-like protuberances in the
pectoral area of a man's chest. This is an indication of an imbalance of hormones in the body and only one of many issues that can occur caused by several factors. My topic for today is hormones and the system that provides these hormones is called the endocrine system.

The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs that make certain types of hormones.
(endo referring to internal functions)
It communicates with and controls the nervous system, reproductive system,
kidneys, gut, liver, pancreas and fat to operate with the following:


* sex drive and reproduction
* energy level
* growth and development of body tissue
* homeostasis or balance of body systems
* responses to stress and injury
* fat loss, increase and retention

The ebb and flow of these hormones are responsible for the sensation of most of the
emotions we feel, therefore they are largely responsible for our behavior as well.
There are many things in our environment and lifestyle that cause imbalances in the release of
one or more hormones, either, too much or too little.
Eg. 1. A problem with a gland or the blood supply
or receptors on the organs, tissues, or cells may cause this imbalance.
Eg. 2. If the liver or kidneys are not healthy, it results in problems clearing hormones from the blood.
Eg. 3. The network may not be properly regulating the hormones in the blood stream as well.

To illustrate some of the effect of these imbalances we can use the so-called "sex" hormones
in men and women that cause the more obvious symptoms:

Low bioavailability of testosterone levels in men causes:

* Low sex drive
* Emotional, psychological and behavioral changes
* Decreased muscle mass
* Loss of muscle strength
* Increased upper and central body fat
* Osteoporosis or weak bones and back pain
* "Feminization" of the male physique (Thus the reference to the bodybuilders nightmare, "bitch tits")
* Cardiovascular risk

High Estrogen and Low Progesterone in women causes:
* Increased storage of fat
* Anxiety ie:
- panic
- irritability
- mood swings
* Heavy Bleeding
* Bloating and Water Retention
* Breast Tenderness
* Headaches

Low Estrogen and High Progesterone

* Hot Flashes, Palpitations
* Insomnia
* Depression
* Forgetfulness
* Irregular Periods
* Loss of Libido

The visible effects of a hormone imbalance are not desirable but the less visible include types of cancer, diseases of all the major organs including the heart, liver and kidneys and for this reason as well as the more obvious,we should never ignore the endocrine system.
Stress, pharmaceutical drugs, birth control pills, improper nutrition and pollution are major causes of imbalances in your system.
An endocrinologist is a specialist trained to diagnose and treat diseases, which affect your
glands and hormone levels, they know how to treat conditions, which are specific to your endocrine system.
I would suggest that you find one who takes a more holistic approach to addressing the problems whereas, most physicians will simply prescribe a pharmaceutical drug which can lead to other problems, it is, I believe, more prudent to look at the root cause of the issue and restoring the body's own innate balance.
A friend of mine, Dr. Stephen Chung, BSc, MSc, PhD, a research biologist at U.B.C. in endocrinology specifically for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation and a member of Trillium Wellness Consultants, is my recommendation for any of my students and friends and family in this area. Dr. Chung has helped so many people with these issues and he will always try to find the most natural and lasting solution to the underlying problem rather than masking it with drugs and placebos.
POCO Naturals, 604-942-5612

Boxing / Kickboxing tip # 2

As anyone who attends my classes at Raptor knows, I am all about the drills! If you have any understanding of the human brain and how patterns are formed therein, you must recognize the benefit of repetition. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to restructure itself after training or practice. In many ways, neuroplasticity is what makes personal growth and development possible at its most basic level. One of the fun sayings around neuroplasticity: “neurons that fire together wire together… and neurons that fire apart wire apart.”. Effectively this means that when neurons activate at the same time as a response to an event, the neurons become associated with one another and the connections become stronger. This is why people talk about “neural pathways being set” with respect to increased practice – the more practice you accumulate, the more ingrained or grooved the pathways become. Of course the inverse happens as well: if those pathways aren’t utilized, the space will be used by other pathways needing room to grow. Use it or lose it! Many martial arts teachers will give you some sort of formula; "Ten times and you know it well enough to do the technique in class, one hundred times and you know it well enough to use it in a tournament, and ten thousand times and you can defend yourself with it in a street fight".
When we use our 'circular drills' ie. 5,4,bob,6,3, etc. we get the benefits of repetitions that reinforce our neural pathways and the additional benefit of flowing from one move to another which sets up the next logical defense or counter. The result being, for example, that the fighter looks like they are phycic when they seem to know what punch is coming next when in reality they simply drilled that sequence enough to react instinctivly.
In the near future, I will be adding video of these teachniques and drill to the blog, so stay posted!
Remember, practice makes perfect!
Coach Toby

90% Mental?......

What does it mean when your coach would say "Winning is %90 mental!" while he was talking about football or soccer or hockey? What the hell does my brain have to do with it, I'me gonna smash people and hit things? Well, I will tell you what my experience has shown me.
Imagine your first fight, you are walking up to the ring or cage and all around you are screaming people, card girls, tough guys, cameras etc. Now you step up onto the floor of the ring and you know that this is it, the time to put up or shut up. Like diving off a diving board, there is no turning back. Now, you look across at the guy you are here to fight and you see that he is big, mean looking and covered in ink! Between the crowd and the violence that is about to happen, your adrenaline is threatening to push your heart through your spine and cause you to vomit on the reff. The bell is sounded and suddenly your feet won't respond, your hands feel like coleslaw, all the training you have been doing is out the window. MAYBE you should have been doing some mental prep!?!?
I think that the mental aspects are more important in the fighting sports than any other. After all, you are all alone up there in front of many people with another trained fighter ready to take your head off!
I spent about a year with a mental coach and I would recommend it to anyone. Areadne Sawyer of Peak Performance Coaching ( http://www.ariadnescoaching.com/index.html ) helped me so much and gave me an entire toolbox of skills to learn new and better mental habits.
If you want to see a good example of a fighter who is very well prepared emotionally and mentally for the sport, look up Chris Horodeki on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQt0IgXn67A

By for now,
Coach Toby