Guerrilla Journalsim: A bonding, yet painful, experience
BY RON COUNTS
’ve seen enough of the UFC events to know Mixed Martial Arts fighters are some of the best conditioned athletes in the world, and I’ve watched plenty episodes of Spike TV’s “Ultimate Fighter” that clearly depict how demanding the training is.
Even so, the only way I can really describe my first day in an MMA gym is a rude awakening.
On Tuesday, I experienced my first two-a-day since the beginning of football practice my freshman year in high school. I’m barely 5-feet-8-inches tall and weigh in at somewhere around 225-pounds, so there’s not much chance of anyone mistaking me for an athlete.
I’ve lifted some weights in my days, but at the same time I’ve always had a tendency to stray away from cardio. And, of course, what did my trainers Eric Zamora and William Newberry stress on Day 1? You guessed it, cardio.
It makes sense; anyone who has wrestled knows how tiring grappling can be. But I simply wasn’t prepared for what these masterminds of torture had in store for me. That was never more apparent than when I filled the designated “Puke bucket” with breakfast at the end of my morning session.
I ran, did sets of pushups with one hand on a medicine ball, jumped rope, did agonizing abs exercises and grappled with an ex-Army Ranger, but that was nothing compared to what they had in store for me during the evening session.
After grabbing a bite to eat and trying to sleep away some of the pain, I trudged back to the gym to workout with Zamora’s MMA fight team, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
There were more pushups, shrimp drills — which work are designed to create space when an opponent is in your guard — across the gym floor and more sprawls (AKA Belly Busters for anyone who has played football) than I care to count right now.
It’s safe to say that I’m sorer today that I have been in my entire life. My hips feel like those of an 80-year-old and my shoulders hurt so much I can barely lift my arms above my head, but none of that matters because I survived, first of all, and I learned some cool techniques along the way.
I may not be exactly proficient at them yet, but I’ve at least been shown how to apply an arm bar from bottom position and side control and how to secure a rear naked choke when you’re able to take someone’s back. I also learned how to properly throw a Muy Thai leg kick, which is much more complicated than it looks on TV.
In many ways, my first day of MMA training was the most excruciating thing I’ve ever done, but what I most took from the experience — aside from learning not to ask for water — was the bond it builds between those that are willing to go through it.
There wasn’t anyone laughing at the new kid puking in a bucket or chastising me when I couldn’t perfect a technique, and that’s a big part of what’s going to keep me going back for more. So pray for me because I’ll be diving back into the fray as soon as possible.
Posted by Maggie Ramsay at 03:54 PM. Filed under:
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