Are you thinking of getting into sparring? Every club has their own rules and protocol when it comes to sparring.  At Legacy, we allow students to spar as early as a few months in...HOWEVER, safety is paramount.

PART 1. WHAT EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED FOR SPARRING

16oz GLOVES
Standard across the board are 16oz gloves being worn when there are punches to the head. 16oz gloves have more padding than the 10, 12, and 14oz gloves (duh). The excess padding will soften the force of your punches and thus minimize damage to your training partner. If you weigh less than 130lbs, you may get away with wearing 14oz gloves to spar (but please confirm with your coach first). Kids ages 8-12 years can potentially spar with 10-12oz gloves. Please respect your training partner and wear the appropriate size gloves. It is all of our duty to call out those who are sparring with undersized gloves.

Take note that not all 14-16oz gloves are created equal. Many entry level brands like Kimurawear, Benza, Reevo, etc are adequate for bag and pad work but not sparring because their “16oz” gloves are actually lighter than what is stated. You can’t go wrong with gloves made by reputable brands like Fairtex, Twins, Top King, Windy, Yokkao, Boon, and Raja.

SHIN GUARDS
Shin guards should always be worn for sparring, with the exception of tech sparring where the intensity is kept under 15%. The top of the shin guard should sit just under the bottom of your knee to prevent the upper shin from being exposed. As this can be painful for your partner if you block one of his kicks on the bare part of your upper shin. Your shin guards should also have a padded flap that goes over your foot for added protection to your toes. Sock shin guards (1st photo below) can be worn for tech sparring but not for regular sparring sessions. Most muay thai branded equipment will do just fine, they include Fairtex, Twins, Top King, Windy, Raja, Boon, Muay Thai Brand, Legacy, RDX, Kimurawear, etc.

MOUTH GUARD
Another important piece of equipment is the mouthguard. Any generic self-moulded one will suffice. If you are looking for added protection and fitting, talk to your Dentist to make custom mouth guards that are fitted to your teeth and gums. I prefer the generic ones as I found custom mouthguards were too tight and snug for my personal liking. I also often misplace my mouth guards so I didn’t like to spend too much on them. Consider investing in a mouthguard case and clip it to your gym bag for safe keeping. If you do go for the custom guards, they can run you anywhere between $200-$800. Check your employment benefits as many do cover the cost of constructing one. Military and para-military benefits generally include custom fitted mouthguards at 100%.

CUP/GROIN PROTECTOR
Guys, do I need to say more? Most will opt to leave this one out until they eat a knee right in the “you know where.” Yes, this has happened to me many times, especially in the clinch. Now, I always take an extra couple of minutes before battle to put on my cup. Muay thai cups can be made of steel or plastic. You honestly don’t need something as hard as a steel cup but if you want to feel like a badass Thai fighter then go right ahead. I had both kinds throughout my fight career. Fairtex and Twins steel cups are quite reputable. Shock Doctor has some reliable plastic groin protectors.

HEADGEAR
With modern research showing that headgear does nothing to reduce concussions or force of punches, many muay thai gyms no longer require headgear for sparring. Headgear is optional at Legacy. However, note that Muay Thai has many more offensive options than kickboxing and boxing (punch, elbow, kick, knee, throws, sweeps, locks). Although the headgear may not protect you from blunt trauma, it can reduce the chances of you getting cut and scraped from an accidental elbow or knee to the head or face.

You can read this article as to why Olympic Boxers aren’t required to wear headgear anymore:
https://www.wired.com/2016/08/olympic-boxers-arent-wearing-headgear-anymore/

KNEE AND ELBOW PADS
These can be worn for extra protection but take note that this is not an invitation for you to go bezerk and blast your partner with hard knees or sharp elbows. Elbow pads have a tendency to shift exposing your bare-elbow bone so be careful. NO KNEES TO THE HEAD, EVER. Knee pads and elbow pads will also protect your knee and elbow joints.

TECHNICAL (TECH) SPARRING
Light muay thai sparring (less that 10-15% power) using mainly kicks, knees, and clinch is known as technical (tech) sparring. The emphasis here is on technique, timing, and placement of strikes (accuracy and precision). Thai fighters are notorious for tech sparring. They seldom spar hard in training as they frequently compete, sometimes as often as every other week so they want to keep their body fresh and injury free. Western fighters do not have the luxury of frequent competition opportunities so we must incorporate harder rounds to stay sharp and fight ready. In anycase, for tech sparring you do not require much protective equipment, granted that both partners exhibit some self control. The choice of protective equipment is based on the style of tech sparring you are doing. Watch here:

With gloves and shin guards:

Without gloves and shin guards:

PART 2: SPARRING ETIQUETTE

COMING SOON!

I was reminded this week by a training partner to remember to have fun with my training and competition.  Whether it's muay thai or brazilian jiu-jitsu,  the pressure to perform as well as the high expectations you set for yourself can really take away the enjoyment in training and competition. 

Do you want to continue your sport for the long haul? Into your 40s, 50s, 60s?  It sounds cliche but if you do, you must learn to EMBRACE THE JOURNEY.  And the journey will be full of highs and lows, wins and losses; the journey can be an emotional rollercoaster ride at times! There will be days you don’t want to go to the gym, and days where you do go only to leave feeling discouraged and frustrated with your progress or lack thereof. The trick is to understand that these feelings are normal and are all part of the process.  We all go through it so learn to sit with the uncomfortable. 

Don’t fight it!  

As a general rule for myself, I try not to let my successes or failures get to my head.  Does that mean I don’t feel happy when I win, or sad when I lose?  Of course not.  I feel all of those emotions.  I just try to put them into perspective by turning my attention to my long term goals.  If you focus on your long term goals; 5,10,15 and even 20 years down the road, then these little milestones, good or bad, will easily be accepted for what they are...just small stepping stones of a larger, and more purposeful journey.

And it’s all about the journey. 

It is a common story. Someone having experienced something traumatic and doesn’t know how to process the experience develops extreme behaviours. Think movies like Karate Kid, Never Back Down, or Warrior. Dealing with poverty, bullying, and loss completely overshadows their behaviour leading them to make some questionable choices. Then through a series of synchronistic events they find themselves faced with learning a martial art, and through that art they transform their pain into something beneficial. 

What does this have to do with anger? 

Let me first set the stage by stating for the record that I’m not a psychologist. And the information shared here comes from my own healing practice, working with spiritual mentors and studying human behaviour over a long period of time.

Anger. Anger gets a bad rep because if untended can be very destructive. Think war, aggression, violence. 

Yet emotions are neither bad nor good, they simply provide information. On the positive side, anger inspires action by telling you what’s not working for you. It tells you who/what is overstepping your boundaries. It asks you to take your responsibility back. It allows you to choose again. 

From an energetic perspective, anger has an upward motion; it needs to leave your body. Anger literally NEEDS movement to leave the body.

I have personally spent a lot of time working on emotional wellbeing and for so many years I thought emotional intelligence was the ability to “control” emotions. What I have learned is that control doesn’t put the energy anywhere useful. The problem is when you don’t process it, or ignore it, then they tend to control you instead. 

The scenario is that you are angry; you realize a boundary has been crossed and you want to set it right, but you have no control over the outcome of the situation. The outcome is in the hands of someone else, the deed is done, the betrayal has happened. How do you respond? For the most part I believe we hope we don’t let anger drive our response (especially when we are dealing with family, friends, or colleagues). Then where does that anger go, where do we put it?   On the mat.

Every time you step on the mat, or in that ring, you can intentionally decide to transform that energy into something beneficial. Drawing on the explosive energy in training will not only leave you feeling lighter, but it will allow you to communicate boundaries with an even head when you need to. 

Maybe you do this already. Then this level of awareness and intentionality can really bring more depth to your practice. You can literally declare that the anger and energy you release can be transformed into new, useful energy. 

While you might not have control over a situation or another person, you ALWAYS own your-self. 

Who knows, you might find that you find more strength and passion with your practice when you bring awareness to how you are feeling beforehand. 

Please remind yourself of the real message of anger: that of dis-empowerment. It’s never truly about the other. It’s about not acting (or not knowing how to act or even not being capable to act) on your actual needs and desires. 

It is no wonder then that martial arts movies really appeal to people and it is a story that resonates. There is a real sense of freedom when you not only process your emotions but learn to use them to help you achieve your goals.

“Any anger that is not coming out, flowing freely, will turn into sadism, power drive, stammering, and other means of torturing.” – Bruce Lee

After almost a year and a half of lockdowns and stay at home orders, things are starting to open up and we are finally able to travel again! For the last month and a half, Federico and I have been in Sicily, Italy, visiting his family in the main city of Palermo and staying on the island of Pantelleria. Whether you are planning an overnight stay, or spending time abroad, there is often a change in your normal routine that makes it harder to maintain healthy habits. Being in a country where I am a guest for dinner most evenings and there is a pasticceria (pastry shop) at every corner, I have been struggling to maintain my typical fitness and nutrition routine. However, I want to share a few tricks that I have found to keep what are the most important health components for me.

DRINK WATER. Whether you are on a plane or traveling by car, it is easy to forget to hydrate. I brought my own water bottle and refill it constantly. I also drink a litre of water first thing in the morning to ensure that I am getting a good amount for the day.

PACK SNACKS. I bought a box of protein bars (Cliff Builders Bars are my favourite) and prepackaged protein shakes to throw in my suitcase in case I can’t find something to eat at the airport, or we are going on a day trip. Prepackaged dried fruit, mixed nuts, and whole grain pretzels, or crackers are handy snacks to have and instant oatmeal can be easily made for breakfasts. I also brought my BCAA powder to add to my water during a workout and electrolyte tablets to replenish my minerals and add flavour to my water.

ASK FOR A ROOM WITH A FRIDGE IF POSSIBLE. We are lucky to be staying with family and have somewhere to store the food we pick up at the local market. Having fresh fruits, veggies, yogurt, cheese, etc. readily available will allow you to make healthy choices and you can also save a bit of money by not eating out for each meal too!

PLAN IN ADVANCE. While staying in Palermo the first few weeks we knew we would be eating out a lot so we were careful to make good choices at restaurants such as splitting a pizza and ordering a salad on the side. We also looked at the menu beforehand to find dishes we liked and that contained lean protein and veggies. If you are staying somewhere with a kitchen like we are here in Pantelleria, you can stock your fridge and pantry with whole grain pasta, rice, local fruits and veggies and can cook most of your own meals.

EXERCISE. When on vacation make sure to get your steps in when you are sightseeing. Staying in the center of the area you are visiting allows you to walk to most places and saves you money on transit. Here there is lots for us to do and we are taking advantage of the beautiful trails through the mountains, swimming in the sea and we have squeezed in a few workouts as well. Federico actually bought a heavy bag and gloves to use here, but a bodyweight workout with squats, pushups and lunges can easily be done wherever you are staying. I have even stopped at a playground to do pull ups and box jumps!

Finally, enjoy yourself! We have been under so much stress with the pandemic that it is nice to get away and indulge a little. The gelato here is amazing and I have made it my goal to try as many flavours as I can. I know that when I get back home, the club is waiting for me and I will get back to being more diligent about what I am eating.

As a coach and owner of 2 gyms, I often get approached by students telling me that they are interested in fighting.  Our gym has over 100 members. Let's be honest, not every member will get an opportunity to compete and represent their club.  There is a lot of time and resources that goes into preparing someone for battle and it’s just not feasible nor practical to have the entire club fighting.  Extra pad rounds with coaches,  putting together your workout plan, finding cornermen (2 person) to accompany you for the day of the fight, prospecting for an opponent, organizing and planning for the event, and other behind the scenes work are some examples of extra duties required by the club to prepare for you to compete.

“Being skillful isn’t enough.”  

At our club we don’t just look at skill to determine who makes the cut.  Likewise, you could be the hardest working Joe out there but if your skill doesn’t measure up, then keep training.

So how does a club determine who gets to be on the fight roster?  I can tell you how Legacy decides.

How to Join the Legacy Fight Team (in no particular order)

When you first join,  it’s perfectly fine to let the coach  know that you are interested in competing.  You can go a step further and ask how the club determines who gets to fight and what the requirements are.  Just understand that competing and representing your club is a privilege, NOT A RIGHT.  You get chosen based on set criterias and unfortunately, not everyone will get chosen.  There is usually already a waitlist of students patiently waiting for their turn, so if you are a newcomer interested you will have to be patient.  

So you got chosen to join the fight team?  Well, with great power comes great responsibilities.  This is what teamLEGACY expects from our fighters:

Specific Requirements and Expectations for our Fighters

Do you have what it takes?