T Nation

Fighting at Two Weeks Notice

Combat
#1

hi !

so i have my first muay thai fight coming up in 17 days… my trainer told me that on week ago, then i caught a real bad flue… shit!

i personally feel i am in mediocre shape but the flue prevented me from training last week.

Cancelling the fight is not an option!!! I already had to cancel my first try of a fight in december because i broke a rib during sparring.

Here are a lot of skilled guys and i thought you guys can help me plan the next 17 days.

Here are some stats about me:

  • 6’5 tall , 210 pounds
  • Muay Thai training since 10 month
  • lack of sparring experience due to rib injury
  • i am not the toughest or strongest dude but i am intelligent and i have heart
  • my cardio is okay for a super-heavyweight-muay-thai-starter
  • there are nearly only lighter faster sparring partner, no real partner in my weight class

So what can i do ?

I came up with the following plan :

1 Thursday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Hard long Padwork, Sparring
2 Friday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Sparring, Heavy Bag
3 Saturday Morning: light run, shadowbox Afternoon: Sparring
4 Sunday Recovery: long walk, streching

5 Monday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Hard long Padwork
6 Tuesday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Sparring, Padwork
7 Wednesday Evening: light run, shadowbox
8 Thursday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Hard long Padwork, Sparring
9 Friday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Sparring, Heavy Bag
10 Saturday Afternoon: Sparring
11 Sunday Recovery: long walk, streching

12 Monday Morning: light run Evening: Sparring, light Padwork
13 Tuesday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Sparring, light Padwork
14 Wednesday Morning: light run, shadowbox Evening: Sparring, light Padwork
15 Thursday Evening: light work
16 Friday Recovery: long walk, streching
17 Saturday : FIGHT DAY - Will win through TKO or Decision

So guys please give me your constructive criticism !

#2

dude honestly thats brutal and real shit of your trainer, i come from a small gym , but our trainer loves and respects us and would never throw us in on such short notice.

If there is a guy with a gun holding you to this fight , then you better fight, other wise what the fuck???.

Promotions take months to arrange , did a fight fall through leaving you holding the baby???.

Any way spar with the quickest most skilled guy in your gym, fuck the size difference , im 250 and in good shape and i spar with lil guys, they can still k.o you.

good luck man, oh and you shouldnt be sparring a week before your fight , shadow only!! just my opinion

#3

oh yeah , burpees burpees burpees , great conditioner, did them up to 2 days before my fight and at the end of the first round of going hard, my opponent was puffing and nearly out, me i was laughing and mildly breathing.

do em

#4

How long are the rounds? Break it up I took my last fight on two weeks notice. for me it was

Monday:am run .5 miles to a outdoor basketball court then 10 shuttle sprints to the end of the court and back waiting just long enough to where I thought my heart rate was dropping then go again (About 15-20 second rest I would guess)then jog 1/2 mile home
Pm Muay thai

tuesday am Metcon set up around the total time of the fight I.E a cindy wod or something like that

    Pm Muay thai

wednesday am LSD about 2 miles

      Pm Muay thai

Thursday am metcon
pm muay thai

Friday am do the sprint thing
Pm muay thai and also a lot of sparring on friday some sparring during the weak but lots of rounds on friday.

Saturday am Muay thai
pm LSD about 2 miles

Sunday relax

Repeat.

I did this for two weeks after the first round I felt awesome like I was just getting started (and I guess I was) then I koed him in the second.

#5

Oh as far as taking the fight on short notice this is common. Opponents drop out all the time. I took a fight on 3 days notice last year. As long as you are somewhat consistently training you will be ok. My maintenance is like 3 days a week plus maybe 5 conditioning/weight training work in the week.

#6

First guys thanks for your advice! I will have to fight 3 rounds at 2 minutes.
And there is a slight possibility i have a second fight that night. It is a newbie-tournament and that means 4 additional
guys in my weigh class would have to show up… my trainer says that should not happen. This should modify my preparation but i think i cannot increase the intensity more…

I am not angry with my trainer cause he really thought i was ready in december when i had my rib injury…
although i think he does not know i really lack of confidence because i have not sparred for such a long time.

@dza1978: From now on i will spar with everybody . If i can choose between workouts i will prioritize them in the following order:
Spar, Padwork, Heavybag, Conditioning with BWE and Sprints

And why should i stop sparring in the last week? Everybody tells me that but i really think this is my weak point and light sparring will not hurt me although it will built up my confidence.

@Hyperion: Thanks for adapting my plan. i will vary my morning workout: Sprint, BWE-circle training, LSD
This is really a great idea! I was worried that will make my training to stressfull… So if i feel bad i will
reduce my morning workout to LSD and try to train hard an the afternoon.

Your been there-done that attitude motivates me. I was a little overwhelmed because of the shitty flue.
My traininer asked me: Are 4 weeks okay to prepare ? And i said yes. The flue was a setback, but i wont back down for a second time.

I know i can do that.

Any more recommendations, especially for the last week ?

Any tips for my muay thai workouts? I will skip the normal muay thai classes and alway look for someone to spar or a skilled pad holder…

#7

bro , you dont spar in the last week coz if you are sparring @ around 90 percent with only a mouth guard 16 oz gloves and shin guards, you dont wanna cop a nice shot and injure your self or get concussed.

the last work out i had 3 days before my fight , i knew i was ready , prior to that i would do 10 sets of 2 minute knees on the bag or pads with sit ups and press ups in btween.

Also not sparring helps you relax , just shadow for the last week , helps get you feelin how all your basic combos flow.

good luck man , win the stare down when the refs givin you two instructions before the start of round one and lay the guy out, if your trainer believes in you so should you…good luck

#8

If it is 2 minute rounds you shouldnt have a problem. As stated make sure you are wearing your headgear! When I took my fight I had to spar a lot to get the timing down. You dont have to spar 90 percent to get good sparring in.

Are you weighing in the night before the fight? I trained just like I posted up until the day of weigh in (mine was the night before)and I felt great come fight time. as far as the metcon work just stick to body weight exercises. I.E squats burpees pushups situps pullups etc.

#9

Training went good so far the last days. i am really recovered from flue although i gassed during padwork in the 3rd round.But i think i will get my conditioning up to par within the next 14 days…

what i really need to work on is not to panic and turn my fighting stance to much to one side… thats why i want to spar as much as i can.

and distance, whaaa distance makes me crazy.
It is so difficult especially against a smaller aggressive opponnent … if i could capitalize more on my length and height… it would be a much easier fight

Thats why i want to spar as much as i can.

As a general rule i will try to make my hole training always short, intense and two workouts a day. My body should try to get known of 6 - 10 min of a crueling workout.

#10

Make sure you are jabbing. I am tall (6’6") and I have a problem with guys just running and I get in the habit of chasing them. But I jab a lot. In the ring it is different (i dont usually get to spar in a ring) Take the center of the ring and use it to cut them off meaning step with them instead of just circling. As far as the stance you need to be careful about getting sideways because that is usually when you turn your back.

When shadow boxing work on pivoting to keep your hips more square with your opponent. If you are sparring a shorter opponent and are feeling like you are taking a lot of shots clinch and knee. Or push them off and kick. Let us know how the fight goes!!!

#11

yeah agree with hyperion, if the opponent is shorter clinch knee and push away n kick his legs out from under him.

also if an aggressive sparring opponent keeps moving in on you inside thigh kick or front push kick him in the solarplexes every time , he wont be so eager to rush in.

good luck man

#12

Fast Hindu squats. Boosts leg strength, gives you a good cardio workout, and challenges your balance. Shoot for a 1 set of 200+ reps

#13

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. Will work on my jab und will use my knees if somebody tries to close the distance.

Saturday sparring was better. i did not turn sideways an i never took my eyes of the opponent. I realized i have a pretty good defense, although i sparred with heavy and strong opponents.

My teammates where screaming i should jab more… so i guess that will be a major point to work on.

In will attach a little bit of shadow boxing , working on pivoting and circling to my morning workout

Metcon with fast Hindu squats and other BWEs or sprints are my main exercises in the morning. I do not use any long slow distance work from now on.

#14

so only a few days away…

my coach told me i will have to fight a small 4 men tournament. so i will have to fight 2 times for 3 rounds of 2min.

I am a bit concerned about that although my coach said my cardio will not be a problem.

everbody in my team asks me if i am already afraid… guess it will be a funny experience.

#15

good luck homey. Just leave it all out there.

#16

also I gotta concur with your trainer that cardio should not be an issure for two (potentially) matches at 3 rds of 2 minutes…that’s probably less than you do on a day of sparring.

#17

i got my first fight on saturday and i lost but it was a great experience…

When i stopped training and tried to recover i got sick again… First i thought it was only psychologically. But know 2 days after the fight i am even more ill(flue). I knew it would be better to cancel the fight but i told everybody about the event and i thought i can overcome it. that is no excuse for my defeat.

Back to the fight, it was really a weird day. first i had no opponent under muay thai or K1 Rules. So i entered a 4 men Kickboxing (with Low Kick) Tournament.

When the fight started i was not really there with my head. My opponent started punching and i was just backing up. I dont know why but i did not let my hands go. I realized i was better than my opponent and i did not capitalized on that. He threw really uncontrolled awkward punches.

2nd round i took my heart and i punched back and immediatly rocked him hard several times. I could have knocked him out easily but i did not connect on my punches. I just watched him rolling his eyes back and waited for him to get his composure back.

i dont know why but i was thinking i could not handle a second fight because of the flue.

slimjim said- leave it all in the ring.

Man, i did the exact opposite. when the fight was over my opponent was lying on the ground and i was not breathing heavily…
He did not hurt me a single time. i just gave that victory away.

BUT I loved the feeling in the ring! Cant wait to get back and prove that i have what it takes…
I feel a little bit like i let my team down, but it was my first fight. I knew i am no street brawler. i know what
i have to work on from now on and i will do it with infinite intensity.

#18

the more i think about it, the more i am pissed off that i blew this chance away, FUCK

#19

[quote]dnbjoe wrote:
the more i think about it, the more i am pissed off that i blew this chance away, FUCK

[/quote]

it sucks you lost, but at least you stepped in the ring (or cage). hell, i’ve never had an official fight, so i give a lot of respect for anyone who steps in there and lets it all hang out.

you got your first tight out of the way-now you can train and fight knowing how it all feels.

good luck, bro.

#20

bro unlucky , in my opinion jump back on the horse asap.

I tore my cartilage in my knee during my fight in december , although i won , i restarted training after 3 months and i feel like im a step off and out of whack.

I suggest fighting again , dont let this loss beat you man, you now know the thrill of being in the ring , all the best in your next bout.