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

The cure for dieting

I have some exciting stuff for dieting and addictions to food, particularly sugar and carbs as well as addictions to alcohol and drugs. This stuff is powerful but quite easy. The book I got this from is The Diet Cure by Julia Ross
Julia Ross is a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology and a specialist in the treatment of eating disorders and addictions.She is a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology, has developed a breakthrough method that uses amino acids to jump-start your program. You will feel your mood improve and your food cravings disappear within 24 hours.
The goal her book The Diet Cure is to stop your food cravings, address your eating and weight problems, and eliminate your mood swings and negative obsessions about your body. The first thing you must do is determine what is causing these problems.
The Quick Symptom Questionnaire http://www.dietcure.com/Questionnairea.html
Here is a questionnaire similar to the one you'll find in chapter one of the Diet Cure. Its nine key sections will help you to identify the particular physical imbalances at the root of your problems. Take a look and see if this will help you.
Have fun and stay healthy!
Coach Toby

Boxing / Kickboxing Tip #1

Hi, this will be the first tip in this series and there will be many more to come. I hope these are informative and help with your training.
One of the most important things that I or any other martial arts teacher can impart on students of all levels is, to KEEP YOUR HANDS UP!
Most fighters and fans have heard of the "Button", which is the area of the jaw that, when hit, seems to shut the fighters lights out. While may not be an actual button, it seems to be just as effective for the purpose of finishing a fight early. We see fighters such as Liddel and Wanderlei, two of the toughest s.o.b.s to enter the Octagon, drop that hand and the opponent capitalize with accuracy and timing and "BOOM OUT GO THE LIGHTS!. You hear folks talk about a "glass jaw" but in reality, anyone who gets hit with the correct leverage and the power that any trained fighter would posess is suseptible to this fate. In a self defense situation the same rule goes - we must always protect the pumpkin! I always say to my students that there are 2 ways that I never want them to lose a fight; 1. Never gas out for lack of training and 2. KEEP YOU HANDS UP!
And remember;
Stay loose, like Drunkin' Man Kung-Fu baby!
Coach Toby

PH level.

Hi I just wanted to remind everyone how it is very important to keep an eye on your ph. level ( how acidic or alkaline you are). The higher your body’s pH level the fewer toxins are being produced by bacteria and parasites which can result in more energy and health and less chance of getting sick.
Here are some basic steps that you can start with to get you on the right track.
Step 1

Know what the average pH level of the human body is:

The average range is between 6.4 and 7.5. Numbers lower than 6.4 indicate acidic body chemistry, higher numbers indicate alkaline.

Step 2

Know the two basic tenets about disease:

1) All disease (including cancers) and toxins are acidic; 2) Bacteria, viruses, and parasites die when exposed to high alkaline environments.

If your body is too acidic, then you might be sluggish, prone to depression, illness, chronic fatigue or a host of other ailments and conditions.

Step 3

Find out your body’s pH level.

An easy way to find out is through a litmus paper test. Remember those science experiments from school where you dipped that little strip of paper into a lemon juice solution? Same paper.

Step 4


Get yourself some pH test strips, I recommend 'Alaka' brand urine stream strips and you can get them at POCO NATURALS in Port Coq. Ask for Dr. Chung and tell him Toby sent you!


Step 5
Fresh veggies can raise your body pH.
One more time!.....
Fresh veggies can raise your body pH!

Learn what foods can you eat to raise your pH level.

• There is loads of free information on the web and free lists of alkaline and acidic foods.

Hi, this is a new blog and I am new at this but I wanted a way of keeping people informed about the club and share all the great information that I research.
Knowledge is power and everyone has a right to learn.
The world wide web has opened so many doors and leveled the playing field for so many people to empower themselves with knowledge from around the world.
For fighters it means we can share training methods and new techniques and everybody can benefit from learning about health and fitness!