Archive for August, 2009
MMA training tip – Heavy Bag (round of speed)
Posted by: | Comments“Ten!” shouts the fighter standing to my front, his voice directed straight at me.
I launch another combination, this one made up of at least six quick punches, toward the heavy bag that he is braced up against.
Another shout roars from his lips “Twenty!” His voice seems a little louder this time.
I pick up the pace; my next ten punches all land within a few seconds. I blast past the forty, fifty and sixty punch count with ease. Closing in on the one hundred punch mark, my arms begin to ache and my hand speed begins to slow.
“Speed it up Jeff!” another voice, this one very familiar, originating from behind me reminds me of my momentary purpose. Breathing heavily, I dig my feet into the ground and manage to speed up my punching a bit more, enough to seemingly satisfy my coach for the moment.
Finally a bell sounds to signal the end of the one minute round. Wiping the sweat my forehead, I take a few deeps breaths and position myself behind the heavy bag, switching places with my partner so he can now perform the same drill. Switching back and forth we each complete three sets on the bag. At the end we’re fairly tired but the workout is far from over…
The heavy bag drill I just illustrated in the above paragraphs is one of my favourites. It focuses on developing hand speed, relaxation and cardiovascular conditioning, three important assets for a mixed martial artist. I’m going to list a few details necessary for you to properly drill it solo or with a friend (which is way more fun).
• The goal is to throw as many punches as possible against the heavy bag during the one minute duration of the round.
• Ideally it’s best to mix up your punching technique by throwing a blend of jabs, hooks, crosses and body shots.
• Throw every punch with proper technique, rotation and leverage instead of simply smacking the bag with lots of speed but little power.
• Throw you punches from a realistic distance and fighting stance, never standing too close to the heavy bag, to maximize the realism and cardiovascular benefits of the exercise.
• Your partner –who should be holding the heavy bag fairly steady—should keep count of your punches, shouting out every tenth punch (10!, 20! 30!…) so that you can have an accurate idea as to where you are in regards to number of punches thrown.
• Try to improve your punch count each time you do this drill and you will find yourself throwing more punches during your shadowboxing and sparring rounds.
• Remember relaxation is the key! Keep your arms loose at all times to execute punches that are harder and much faster.
Train hard, train smart, and most importantly have fun!
Jeff “The Inferno” Joslin
APEX Training & Fight Footage
Posted by: | CommentsThese videos show some of my final workouts before I travelled to Quebec to fight for the Apex welterweight world title against Nuri Shakir. This was the fight before I got the call to fight Josh Koscheck in the UFC.
I was dehydrated at the beginning of the video, having already dropped probably 10 pounds in 4 days. I had put the weight back on by the time I was hitting pads in my hotel room the next morning.
TRAINING A FEW DAYS OUT AND THE MORNING OF THE FIGHT
FIGHT TIME!
Can Kimbo win "The Ultimate Fighter"?
Posted by: | CommentsI was just watching Spike TV and the commercial for the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was shown. Kimbo Slice was featured throughout most of it. I must admit that I might start watching the show again just to see how he does.
Can he win the show? Will he somehow be given fights that will showcase his strengths and not expose his weaknesses? Time will tell but I’m certain there won’t be a lack of drama in the house with Kimbo around.
I really don’t think he’ll make it to the finals. If he does, that’s great for him as it will build him back up as a contender, regaining some of the hype he lost when he was KO’d by Seth Petruzelli in Elite XC.
What are your thoughts about Kimbo and the upcoming season of the ultimate fighter?
UFC 101 Predictions
Posted by: | CommentsOn August 8th, UFC 101 will be taking place in Philadelphia, PA. In my opinion the card is nothing extraordinary. I am however really looking forward to the main event match-up between B.J Penn and Kenny Florian. I’ll get a little more into that bout and several other within my fight breakdowns below.
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer
Coming off a submission victory vs. Mac Danzig in his last outing, Josh Neer has set himself up to begin climbing the ranks of the lightweight division . His opponent, Kurt Pellegrino is already well on his way in doing just that as he attempts to collect his third consecutive win this Saturday.
I think this fight is going to be one of those all over the place, back and forth scraps that crowds love to watch. Mix in a little blood and this fight may be a candidate for “Fight of the Night”. In the end I think Pellegrino will employ a ground based attack to secure a victory by decision.
Inferno’s Pick – Kurt Pellegrino (Decision)
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
Both Almeida and Grove have similar pro records but they are drastically different in body type and fighting style.
Without a doubt Ricardo Almeida, who is many inches shorter than his ultra-tall opponent, is going to look to secure a submission hold early into this fight. He’s tapped a few opponents out with the “Arm-in” guillotine variation and that’s something Grove will have to constantly look out for.
Grove, who possesses a more diverse arsenal than Almeida will be a threat in every round due to his lengthy strikes and aggressive style. Add in the fact that he’s probably drilled his submission defences more than ever before and I think this match-up may go the full three rounds.
I have a gut feeling that Grove will land some strong strikes early into the match that will cause problems for the talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Almeida. I think Groves will win this one by TKO sometime within the 3rd round.
Inferno’s Pick – Kendall Grove (TKO)
Amir Sadollah vs. Johnny Hendricks
Every card, there is a fight where I really don’t know too much about either fighter. This is one of them. I haven’t watched the “Ultimate Fighter” Show since season 3, so I haven’t had the chance to watch Amir Sadollah fight. I haven’t seen his opponent Johnny Hendricks fight either. I’m glad I’ll get the chance to see them both in action this coming weekend.
Hendricks has done very well is the WEC, scoring back to back wins, and now looks to duplicate that success in the world’s best MMA organization, the UFC. I’m going to pick him to win this one by decision based on his strong wrestling background. Even though it’s his first fight in the UFC, he’s already had the chance to fight in a big cage in front of some large crowds in the WEC. That type of experience will certainly pay off during this fight.
Inferno’s Pick – Johnny Hendricks (Decision)
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
This fight could turn out to be a great one but for some reason I’m not very excited about it.
Forrest always fights hard to please the crowd and brings a truckload of heart and grit to the cage every time he steps into it. Anderson Silva, who in many people’s eyes is one of the greatest — pound for pound — fighters in the world, has had many moments of brilliance in the cage. He has also shown some passivity during some of his recent bouts, employing a cautious fighting style, vastly different from his usual calculated ferociousness.
I anticipate this fight will be a stand-up battle with both fighters carefully picking their moments to attack. This definitely won’t be the toe to toe scrap that many fans are salivating over the thought of. In the end I believe Anderson Silva will do what he does best which is finding a way to win fights. How will it end? I’m thinking stoppage due to cut.
Inferno’s Pick – Anderson Silva (TKO)
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Oh yeah! I am pumped for this one. Kenny Florian is easily one of my favourite fighters in the sport of MMA. Yes, he’s a nice guy with great skills but what I like more is the fact that he is always working to improve in all combat disciplines. With a super technical ground game and an ever improving striking game, he’s a great example of the benefits of hard work and dedication.
His opponent, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is a unique adversary. His freakish flexibility, superb balance and excellent timing are extremely difficult to replicate in training. You pretty much have to solve that puzzle within the twenty five minutes – if it lasts that long – of fight time.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a lightweight fight. At lightweight is where I believe BJ will be the most difficult to beat. Matched up against fighters that possess similar builds, he will not have to put on extra weight during training. We get to see a lean, quick, strongly conditioned BJ Penn come fight time.
Who will win? Difficult to say but I’m going with Kenny Florian. He’s worked hard, been through some tough battles and has fought for five full rounds in the past. It’s his time.
Inferno’s Pick – Kenny Florian (Decision)
Who are you picking?
