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The Four Directions
04 Feb 2009 9:52PM
Almost any fighter -myself included- will tell you their gym, camp, club, team, dojo, etc. is the best. And in a way each is correct. Whether it's the coaching, the sparring partners, facilities or even the location these factors will speak to each individual fighter and get them through the door. What keeps them there is a combination of support, encouragement and evidence of growth or improvement. My gym is not only where I trained, sparred and drilled endless sprawls, take downs and submissions. It also was a retreat of solace. I could arrive and shed my suit zombie uniform, leave behind the whiny minger on the tube, the messy kitchen, the fears, the doubts, the anger and aggravation of every day and become something else entirely. My mind can focus on my technique, my coach and sparring partner. For those 2 or 3 hours that is all I am responsible to and for.
I often get asked why I fight and as I write this I am struck that this ritual of punishment and renewal is exactly why I fight. It is the light at the end of a tunnel covered in black ice. Of all the disciplines I have practised MMA requires the most dedication, concentration and possibilities. For every sequence or move I mastered, a counter or variation evolves meaning I never stop learning or working. The bond I share with the guys I train with because of or despite the breaks, bruises and sprains are also what make a win all the more rewarding or a loss all the more bearable.
I'm not a particularly sentimental person but as my main fight gym is in the process of moving, I've really been struck by the huge part it plays in my life. I have two other places I train but the bulk of my blood, sweat and vomit has been shed at Pancrase London, my main fight gym. At the end of 2008 the doors closed on what could only be described as Spartan (read rough as fuck) training quarters. It was in a dark, piss stained alley two doors down from a
private S&M club under the train tracks in east London. The new gym boasts a ring, cage, lockers and nice bathrooms but the trade off has been the two month wait. After old gym shut I was struck by the Native American legend about the beginning of the world with the great spirits of the four directions; (this was the closest I could find to the story I read about 15 years ago). Although a lot of us have managed to train at other gyms or sharpen skills in boxing or wrestling or bjj we all seem to be keen for our gym to reopen. Every so often I meet fighters that don't have a particular gym and prefer to train transiently. I can certainly see the argument for mixing it up a bit since you never grow complacent and always learn new things but I am definitely feeling a bit lost without my gym. I have been able to attend and learn loads at a seminar run by Ian Freeman, am flying out to Sweden Friday to attend the Dynamix all women's fight camp at the Nacka Dojo in Stockholm and will get to train at Rosi Sexton's in Manchester next week but still really miss hearing my coach yelling at me as the sweat steams off us like dim sum in the arm pit of London.
In other exciting news my fight socks arrived in the post today!! I found them on eBay purely by chance thanks to having terrible sausage fingers looking for fight shorts. Apparently they are quite new and as of yet I only have seen them on eBay but they are supposed to protect your feet from scrapes, bumps and the fungus whilst on the mat without ever leaving you open game for heel hook enthusiasts (you buggers!!). I will try them out in Sweden and let you know if they live up to their promise.
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