Wednesday, 26 March 2008
aaaaaaaand we all take a deep breath out.
Deadlines are always pretty hectic. Add to that a four day weekend right before you go to print and all manner of (usual) last minute changes, scrambling for content, proofing, amending and all sorts, and you've got a bucket of stress right there.
The days after the mag goes to bed are always a bit weird. I find myself full of energy but don't quite know what to do with it. I started working on the next issue well before we finished this one, and there is always
something to do, but I get this anxious feeling, like things aren't moving
fast enough.
I guess it's because I don't get to train that much over the final week of production, and it's my training that keeps me sane. Well, I'll be hitting the gym tonight to choke some suckers out, so that'll be good.
Anyway, here's a
uber-sneak peek as to what the next issue will contain. It goes out on sale in the UK April 3rd.
posted by Fighters Only Mag Editor at
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Thursday, 20 March 2008
I've just spent the last five days doing one of my Osteopathy residential weeks. It's been damn good in parts, and dull in others. Even a healthy dose of PhD's wired was hard pressed to keep me awake through six hours of clinical medicine on one day.
One of our lectures about spinal mechanics, though, got me thinking again about MMA and the problems that fighters tend to pick up.
How often do you hear someone say something like "I can train five times a week and don't get injured, and then I wrecked my back just getting out of bed the other morning"? Or "I don't know how it happened, I didn't do anything to it in training, I just woke up one day and it had started hurting"? If you've been around the sport a while, you probably know someone this has happened to, and there's a good chance you've said something similar yourself at some point.
The thing is, as I keep telling the fighters I work with, injuries don't "just happen". Most have been building up for months or years, and then something insignificant just pushes them over the edge and suddenly you're in agony. Not wanting to be too gloomy about it, but there are a hell of a lot of MMA fighters out there walking around with ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. Often the very training that is supposed to be "conditioning" the body and making it stronger has the effect of storing up chronic long term problems that might appear years later, perhaps just as the fighter is hitting the peak of his career. At MMA shows, I see these fighters walking around. Just by looking at them, I know that if they don't already have an injury in a particular place (often the neck or shoulders) then they soon will have. So what could they do differently?
Wear and tear on the body is sometimes seen as an inevitable result of being a fighter. We know we're going to end up shredding the cartilage in our knees, or giving ourselves arthritis when we're older... but we try not to think about it because, well, it's depressing.
It IS worth giving some thought to, though, because there are plenty of ways of minimising the damage. An intelligent, balanced approach to training, and catching potential problems early on before they develop into bigger ones can make a huge difference to the length of a fighter's career, and his long term health. It's with this in mind that I've been writing a series of articles for Fighters Only Magazine about the common postural imbalances that fighters tend to pick up as a result of training, and a few simple exercises and stretches to help combat each one.
Of course, this isn't a substitute for getting individual advice from a professional, but my main aim is to raise awareness that MMA "conditioning" should be about more than having great cardio and being able to lift large weights. Having a body that is balanced with the right amounts of mobility and stability at each joint will not only keep you in the game longer, but will also improve your performance.
(Originally posted on my blog at http://rosisexton.wordpress.com/)
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Spotted at the recent Chuck Liddell autograph signing in London.
posted by Fighters Only Mag Editor at
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Friday, 14 March 2008
We met with Chuck here in London on Thursday. Look out for an upcoming feature on The Iceman himself very soon. Though suffering from a horrendous cold, he was on fine form and in a good mood.
The picture above was taken just a few minutes after Chuck had spent five minutes on the subject of how to hit on girls in clubs. We'll be trying out our Iceman-tested techniques as soon as we can!
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008
One of my favourite things about Cage Rage!Well it was an interesting night, all told.
Shamrock goes down
Shamrock went down, and internet fans screamed "dive!" I was twelve inches from where Shamrock lay, and he was pretty fucked up. Either he deserves an Oscar, or he has the world's weakest chin. I'm going with the latter.
Imanari checks out Silva's leg
Masakazu Imanari shredded Jean Silva's knee with a vicious inverted heel hook, but the highlight for me was his sick omoplata sweep from rubber guard. Eddie Bravo would be proud.
There were some cool matches, some dire matches, which is usual Cage Rage fare. They can blow you away one moment and leave you totally indifferent the next, but it was a successful show - their production is way better, and they did well on ticket sales, but I don't believe for a moment they sold the place out. I could see plenty of empty seats, although I'd guess it was around 90% full.
Cahoon with the UK light heavyweight title belt
Their next show is in May, and will feature UK light heavweight Paul Cahoon defend his title against our long-time friend, Ian Freeman. This promises to be an eventful fight, so I'll definitely be ringside, camera in hand, ready to capture whatever happens. It
will be brutal.
Keep checking the main news site and www.cagerage.tv for updates.
posted by Fighters Only Mag Editor at
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Tuesday, 4 March 2008
I'll be making the regular three-monthly train journey down to old London town this weekend for a feast of fistic action.
Cage Rage have lined up another card featuring a mix of new and emerging talent, old school names and your occasional oddity, and I'll be cage side to report on it for the magazine.
Cage Rage are a Marmite-like product. You tend to either love them or hate them. Some people don't like the presentation, while some question their unique aproach to match making. I don't really pay too much mid to this, instead looking beyond it to focus on what matters, namely the fights.
I've been lucky enough to have been ringside for the majority of Cage Rage's live events over the last few years, and I can honestly say I've seen some of the best fights of my life take place there. I've seen fighters there that have gone on to rule the world in other promotions (Anderson Silva, JZ Calvancanti). In the past they've brought in some of the world's biggest names to sell their shows and this weekend is no different. We'll see Ken Shamrock take on Buzz Berry in a heavyweight fight. Sure it's not exactly a mouth watering prospect, but you know what? I don't care. I'm going to meet a guy who is a true legend in the sport, and I'm going to get to watch him fight. Sweet.
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