Fighter training and work life balance is one of, if not THE biggest struggle for fighters living and training outside of Thailand. It's also a struggle for western fighters training long-term in Thailand too, and affects hobbyists and pro fighters alike, regardless of location. In this episode, Iman Barlow, winner of 19 world titles, [...]
What's the secret to winning in Muay Thai? Iman Barlow can shed some light! In this episode, Iman Barlow shares valuable insight into what it really takes to take your childhood dreams all the way. Part of the first generation of child nak Muay outside of Thailand, and with a competitive career spanning 25 [...]
How you coach fighters between rounds can make or break a fighter's performance entirely. Although there are certainly best practices, such as keeping your instructions to the bare minimum and focusing only on the priority information to avoid information overload... It's not as simple as "one size fits all". Different fighters have different personalities [...]
The mindset of Liam Harrison, capable of coming back despite being knocked down twice in succession by a fast-starting Muangthai PK.Saenchai in the first round at ONE 156... Looking on, it seemed he was done. But Liam's mind kicked into overdrive instead of overwhelm. With two "lives" gone, and a final one left... He got up, and knocked the Thai down 3 [...]
Every fight team, every Muay Thai gym, will at some stage encounter a bad attitude fighter – a destructive member who brings negativity rather than a supportive, positive contribution. These members gossip, sabotage, create conflict, and strive for 'them and us' divisions in your gym. The problem is, a bad attitude fighter may also [...]
Wasted Opportunities! Most of us visiting Thailand to train are fleeting visitors at best, and fail to understand the nuance of Thai culture and the business of Muay Thai in Thailand... This both prevents us from getting the most from our time in Thailand, [...]
Bryan Popejoy has found himself at the forefront of American Muay Thai since the 1980's, literally involved from Illinois in the East, through Arizona, to California in the West. His experience both as a Muay Thai fighter himself (in the early "Wild West" period of American Muay Thai), and as [...]
Kevin Ross is a pioneer in American Muay Thai, and I think everyone must have seen that photo of him in a mongkon, bowing on the floor, with his outstretched tattooed knuckles, spelling out Muay Thai… But there’s a lot more to Kevin's story than just shiny title belts. He's [...]
Not every fighter is as frank and honest as Paul Banasiak in their appraisal of themselves, with themselves, let alone sharing this with others. But, both with more than his fair share of introspective perspective, and also understanding the value of learning from other's mistakes as well as his own... He's happy [...]
In this episode of the Science of Building Champions podcast I chat with Ognjen Topic, European born three-times world champion, WKA International Champion, and ranked number 1 in the United States, who’s also trained and fought extensively in Thailand too. Ognjen’s introduction to Muay Thai wasn’t the easiest (on so many [...]
In this, the very first episode of the Science of Building Champions podcast, I’m joined by both TJ "The Thinking Man", AND "Mrs The Thinking Man", TJ’s wife Daisy, from Phuket – just a week out from both of their next fights on the same weekend… Originally from Houston, Texas [...]
Last October, I was privileged to speak with FSC Muay Thai’s Jake Purdy and head coach Sonny Perez, ahead of Jake’s battle with Bad Company’s Joe Craven for the UK #1 spot on the Yokkao 32 show in Bolton… What with computer hardware failure and a hectic personal schedule recently, it's taken me [...]
Something big happened at Yokkao 28 at the Macron Stadium in Bolton. Daniel McGowan took down a top-level Thai, Rungarai Kiatmoo9 in spectacular fashion. And this wasn't a lucky shot from an otherwise losing contender, but the finale to a commanding performance that saw one of Thailand's finest fighters KO'd from a left hook in [...]
Don Heatrick grabs the opportunity to speak to Richard Smith, Bad Company Muay Thai founder and senior instructor, about his philosophies and methods for preparing his team of Thai boxers, from undercard to World Title fight. These four episodes where filmed at the Supershowdown Presents Yokkao 23 & 24 event at the Bolton Macron Stadium [...]
