"Beyond the Rope II: with Simon Marcus"- Sat Oct 3

Our family at Brampton Muay Thai is hosting a Simon Marcus seminar! Check out the itinerary below...

• Saturday at 11:00am - 2:00pm 3 days from now · 12°C / 8°C Partly Cloudy

• Show Map Brampton Muay Thai 2500 Williams Pkwy Unit 17, Brampton, Ontario L6S 5M9

"Simon ''Bad Bwoy'' Marcus sits atop the worlds best when it comes to Muay Thai. As a friend, colleague and mentor to BMT, he'll be stopping by to help enrich and expand our knowledge/application of Muay Thai beyond the ropes, to improve our performance inside the ring.

Topics covered will be:
-Advanced Technical Sparring
-Advanced Bag Work
-Efficient clinching technique

Delivered as a 2 part series, the first session will be on October 3rd, and followed up with another session on Oct. 17th. 

Cost: $85 Cash

All levels welcome"

Can't make it? Stay tuned...word is there is a second part of the seminar going to be hosted later this month. 

Wrapping Up Knee Month

An extensive month of knee technique is still not enough to really get it all in...we've covered mechanics, set ups, defenses using knees, defenses against knees and more...

We're happy to say that while every one has improved much since the month began, it's important to keep training what you've learned. Write each class down in a notebook for safe keeping, and you'll always have drills you can practice on your own. The next knee month that rolls around promises to help improve what we've worked on so far.

Seeing as basic clinch knees was our focus this week, we thought an old Dieselnoi video would be appropriate. Known as the Sky Piercing Knee, he shows why as he demonstrates both long and clinch knees on the pads:



aaaand before we leave knee month behind, there's one more fight to share!
Kru Kosta found this gem, where Muay Thai legend Danny Bill executes step through knees repeatedly on his opponent (Rounds 4 and 5).

Found this written on the walls of YMT a couple days ago...that about sums our approach to training! Lets carry that attitude into today!

The Art of Sucking – What Matters is Showing Up

"Some days you don’t feel like training. Like, even just getting out of bed is so exhausting and emotionally difficult that you’re on the verge of tears just getting ready to go. Then, when you get there you end up having an awesome training session, where you feel great or really just blast it out and surprise yourself at your own awesomeness.
Today was not one of those days..."


Read full article by Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu:
http://8limbs.us/muay-thai-thailand/art-sucking-what-matters-is-showing-up

Tip of the Week

Channeling a little of Coach Grant (we miss you!!)...

It's important to learn how to engage specific muscle groups in order to maximize the effectiveness of your technique. Before he ever taught students to squat, dead lift or any kind of loaded exercise, Coach would have them do very specific movements first. Some of these included: pulling on a hockey stick, pressing one's foot into a wall and more.

These were ways to get your body to turn a muscle "on", and also gain the awareness of how to do so. Once you were able to engage the muscles he was targeting at will, Coach graduated to letting you lift. PC David incorporates many of these teachings into his bootcamp workouts and his Fundamentals Muay Thai warm up.

As we are focusing on knees this month, awareness and engagement are incredibly important. The only thing separating you from the ground during your knee is one support leg. Throwing this technique with power and balance will come from having control over you core and your support leg. Many beginners either fall off balance trying to throw a knee with power, or lose power because they are desperately trying to maintain balance.

Posting your weight on forward onto that support leg and learning to control those muscles will anchor you into the earth. This will propel your knee through the target while allowing you to return safely to your stance. Top fighters can already do this without giving it much thought or attention. The technique is embedded deeply into them.

Many of the exercises in our warm ups allow you to build this stability, as well as many of the strength exercises Coach left us with. Train hard, but train smart!

Team/ Learn to Run at 7pm!!

Team running happening Monday to Thursday, leaving at 7pm sharp!  The fighters, aspiring fighters, and anyone who wants to train harder will all leave together. 

At those times on Mondays and Wednesdays, Terry hosts "Learn to Run"- new runners will have Terry to pace with them and make sure they finish a reasonable distance for their level of ability, while helping them save their joints with proper running form. 

Train as a team, not as an island. 

Even though each runner has their own pace, the team leaves together. With each week, always aspire to close some of the gap between yourself and the next fastest person. If you're the leader of the pack, try to ensure that gap never closes. We can all help push each other to the next level.

For many people running is painful and difficult experience. It challenges the spirit to continue moving forward. Don't just look at it as a chance for cardio vascular improvement, but to make the heart strong enough to push through any challenge you may come across.

Great turnout for SHEspars at YMT

We had a great turnout and experience today hosting SHEspars! Well done ladies.

"A HUGE thank you to YORK Muay Thai for hosting our SHEspars event today. It was a warm and inviting atmosphere - despite the cold, rainy weather outside.

Lots of new faces today and a great intensity!

Thank you to all who came out!"

- Jennifer Boffo, SHEspars coordinator

SHEspars @ York Muay Thai THIS Sunday Sept 13

• Sunday Sept 13 at 1:00pm

• Show Map York Muay Thai - Authentic Muay Thai School 153-155 Limestone Crescent, Toronto, Ontario M3J 2R1

York Muay Thai is happy to host SHEspars this Sunday:

A group of FEMALE athletes who train in the sport of Muay Thai, participating in ladies only sparring sessions - hosted by different gyms across the GTA. Meeting once per month.

Participants must RSVP to the event coordinator at https://www.facebook.com/events/1658880400995168/

------

Attention Ladies attending YMT's SHEspars...
---------------------------------------------------------
***PLEASE make sure you have the required equipment for this in advance of the event. You MUST have the minimum required equipment to participate.

**********************
** EQUIPMENT **
**********************
> Mouthpiece -- (required)
> Sparring Gloves (14-16oz) -- (required)
> Shin Guards -- (required)
> Must remove or tape piercings or wear headgear if needed
> Headgear (optional)
> Protective chest gear/cups (optional/recommended)

*****************
** SAFETY **
*****************
> Beginners please get approval from your Kru for sparring
> This is NOT 100% full out sparring, it's technical based – please agree on your intensity level with your partners each time you switch and be mindful of the different experience levels present
> Do your best to remain calm and accurate with your techniques to avoid injuries to yourselves and your sparring partner

Thoughts on the knee

Unity of the body. 

No matter where you go, technique will always be taught a little differently (sometimes VERY differently). The same goes for watching professional fighters- each fighter will often adjust their technique to the situation that may sometimes break the conventions they'd otherwise teach to their students.

What I'm discussing today is foundation. The base technique which should be trained over and over, and be the base upon which one can build a higher level of performance.



Note Buakaw's shoulder, and the posture of his torso.

This is unity of the body. Commitment to technique.

There are 2 common misconceptions about knees. One is that they should be performed leaning back to reach a target, and the other is in twisting the shoulder backwards as your arms pull. The former is often caused by the latter- beginners or the less informed assume that pulling your arms back means twisting your torso, and therefore causes a lean back. This will be detrimental to:

1. Your power- you will have half of your body weight NOT supporting your strike.

2. Your balance- you will find resetting into your stance a slower task

3. Your body- the potential stress on your back is enormous




As you can see from the photos, a good basic knee doesn't require twisting. The arms can pull, but the shoulder on the side of the knee comes forward to support the body.

Note that Buakaw's head, support knee and shoulders line up.

This is unity of the body. Commitment to technique.

Leaning back is not needed to provide reach. Bringing your body INTO the strike, sending your weight into the direction of the target is the answer. 

PCP's Movie Pick for September: Whiplash (2014)

Ok, so I'm going to start recommending some movies on the blog in order to stimulate your minds and challenge the way you think about training, fighting, competing, martial arts, or whatever the case may be. My picks might not necessarily be fighting movies (although there will likely be some of those too). Some will be fun, while others will be a little more thought provoking.



Whiplash (2014) 


"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'."

That being said, my first pick is Damien Chazelle's Whiplash (2104) staring J.K. Simmons as an ends-justifies-the-means music teacher at a prestigious New York music school, and Miles Teller as the student who aspires to be one of the greatest drummers ever. What follows is a tense, complex, uncomfortable examination of the demands, sacrifice, and drive required to be great. It is a challenging movie, as it illustrates the delicate relationship between a teacher (or coach) and their student, and how toxic it can become under the wrong circumstances. It doesn't shy away from showing the psychological consequences of toxicity. J.K's character believes he is pushing people "beyond what is expected of them" otherwise he is depriving the world of the next great musician. His demanding, obsessive approach is as effective as it is problematic. This film shows taking this particular path to greatness can essentially ruin your life.

Whiplash is definitely a movie to check out if you have aspirations of becoming world class at anything, really.There are definite parallels between this movie and fighting. Floyd Mayweather, for example, didn't have a much of a childhood, never worked any part-time jobs, and dropped out of school in order to become the best boxer alive. You don't necessarily have to approach coaching in the psychologically damaging way that J.K Simmons does in Whiplash, but there are definite sacrifices to be made.