Firas just put your picture on the jacket of a blank book and people will buy it. Just include a free gi belt with every purchase, so people get encouraged to go to gyms ; )
I record all your AMAs on my phone and my wisdom skyrocketed. I use a lot of your principles to get through my sluggish workouts. Keep em coming man, you're a great man.
I Agree on that Firas, a lot of fighters especially young fighters spar too hard and are forced to fight rather then having the time to work on a specific area of their game. Sparring lighter will improve any fighter as it gives them a chance to always work on their flaws and get better instead of entering fight or flight mode. The more hours you put into it the better you become
I think as a beginner most of your spars should be light but just like maybe one semi-hard spar a month to understand and get accustomed to getting hit which also takes some time to get used to. Even a 50 % punch to the head or stomach hurts like hell if youve never felt it before and part of becoming a great fighter will be inevitably understanding and being able to eat shots without fighting like a reckless brawler on autopilot mode. I do agree with your overall point though in that I think most new guys actually try to go too hard right away instead of honestly just getting used to slipping rolling basic punches in a sparring like scenerio without feeling panicked. Even getting used to a barrage of punches and learning how to stay better composed for example can be practiced better with light sparring as opposed to intense sparring. I think the other issue with intense sparring that isn't talked about enough is retention. Maybe you have a talented fighter who never shows up much because each spar is physically and mentally draining. Having exercise sessions which are physically too intense actually causes most people to quit. Always start easy until your skills and conditioning are better.
@@loverofhumanity Yes sometimes it's necessary to spar hard especially if it's a fighter getting ready for a fight But only when they're ready for it, the usual mentality you have in boxing gyms, especially in America are you either get burned or survive there's no in-between of letting a beginner grow so they're more prepared for harder sparring later on.
Firas, I have read the book "The Secret" and really think it has had an impact on my life, but I think you're taking the idea of the law of attraction too literally. At least for me, that book gave me a mindset that I still use today. I never started living my life and reaching goals by trying to will it into happening, like how the book describes the law of attraction. Instead, the book and its ideas opened my eyes to being more persistent, working hard, and believing that you will reach whatever goal/thing you're trying to reach. For me it gave me a mindset of not letting your foot off the accelerator when trying to achieve whatever you're trying to achieve. Ultimately, it just helped me realize that I can achieve whatever goals I set through hard work and self belief.
Firas is the man to listen to...Einstein level knowledge, but above all, Zahabi teaches us his unique insights on sports (and life) that is very rare in this world. Please make many more great videos in 2018 and much obliged for the book tips in your last video, from a Belgian fan forever. Love your work!
Hussein Bolt, the strictest, most rigid authoritarian 100 meter dash runner you will ever meet, a very polarizing figure indeed. Loved by many, feared by many as well.
I played and later competed in tabletennis for 15 years and did swimming and karate at a younger age. A year of wingchun some few years ago helped with the bodycontact awareness for grappling and such. Started mma last year and man it's been such a ride. Being kind of a gymrat before but martial arts taught me it requires me to train my biologically optimal muscles for it to work. Rehabing myself to push it all in mma has gotten all my staleness and small injuries in hips shoulder etc to heal in way i didn't think possible. I'm also really thankfull for such special coaches like you to give us hope. When you said being older but athletic makes the ride easier i instantly agreed cause i'm not supposed to be this annoying to the people competing in my club. Progress is great but i've got to be patient still cause i can smell the potential for wronglearn and injuries passing me by every day and i try to stay away from it. Btw Pingpong i think gives you not only great reactiontime in tune with bodymovements but also i've noticed that it even more importantly makes it easier to stay calm when someone for example is throwing fast strikes or tries to fake you and thus have more time to think about how to counter. It's truly an interesting question how much outside activities helps martial arts. Btw you said your wife tried a cycle of CBD and if so did you already update us with your take on it? I'll look around in the meantime haha. Thanks coach!
The biggest tip I can give to people who want to train mma is that they shouldn’t wait. Some people wait until they can bench press a lot, do 50 pushups etc. This is not necessary. Mma is condition specific training mostly through wrestling. This will be taught throughout the classes and you will get a hell of a core workout. I tell people to start 2x a week and gradually improve to 4x a week. Especially if you are between 30-50 then you might need more time to get used to our workouts.
Coach Zahabi, the first half of this video was the best answer to this question. This was my favorite AMA of yours. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Im applying your advice to anything and everything in life , as i am pushing myself week by week ! So whether its in the gym or generally speaking or if its philosphy with Mr. Hijab. Appreciate it and keep ☝ the great work... Not everyone shares this kinda information for free ... May God almighty bless you and your family!
Awesome AMA! That “slow” boxer should also do a lot of footwork drills with his slipping drilling. Managing distance and knowing when to engage are key when dealing with people who are more athletically gifted.
The difference between sprinting and MMA is that the rules are very rigid with sprinting whereas in MMA the fighter defines the rules to the game more. Whichever fighter can impose his set of “rules” (wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, etc) will win. Each discipline has its own set of rules. Thus, MMA is a game within a game. We can use any set of rules and combine them in whatever way want. This leaves large areas of deficiencies for each fighter because you only have so much time to learn the rules of each game. Any talent and/or genetic superiority you may have can be negated by changing the “rules” of the game to suit you. For example, the 250 lb boxer getting submitted by a 150 lb jiu jitsu player. The boxer could use his size and strength to pound him so the jiu jitsu player changes the rules by pulling guard. The MMA game is filled with fighters that exploit the lack of knowledge of their sports rules. Gracie’s started it but Lyota Machida and Stephen Thompson are more modern examples.
Men: For striking Stephen Thompson is great, for grappling I love Charles oleveira. Women: Rhonda rousey used to be a good grappler, not anymore. Amanda Nunez is very good at striking.
I disagree a lot with what you said about intelligence and talent, but at the same time I have to show respect for the level you've reached in martial arts, so thank you for this episode.
First of all: Great and interesting video, Firas! I think regarding an athletes talent/potential there are mainly the following factors: - Physique - Athleticism - Motorics - Visual-information-processing (speed & accuracy) - Intelligence - Mentality ..and since each of them plays a potentially significant role in mma (in comparison to other sports, like running, as you've said as an example), it makes mma so unpredictable and exciting and gives it (like you said) so much room to improve through working on it.
Notes: - talent is correlated to complexity of the sport. - Firas trained vs Usain Bolt minimal training in running -- Firas would lose, as Bolt has more natural talent/genes. - Firas trained vs Bolt untrained in MMA, Firas would win. - trained can't 'make you fast, they can make you faster'. Now I gtg ... Good video...if anyone wants to continue, feel free
I think your take on reaction training is spot on. People find these new things and think it’s going to make their skills jump exponentially. But more likely than not, these things are merely the “salt” in the “recipe” of training. Just the amount will enhance flavors, but too much will make it too salty and unenjoyable. PS. Let’s see a 400m race between you and 7 of your best athletes! I’m pretty sure you’re faster than 1:15 (5:00ish mile pace) with some practice !
I actually fight in MMA. I just prefer boxing when it comes to stand up. I'll slip some kicks in there, but I mainly box when it comes to striking in MMA. But your advice works either way.
This is a response to the boxing question. I want to add on to what coach Zahabi already talked about. You should start first by improving your boxing stance as compromised boxing stance minimizes your reaction time. Your stance in most combat sports or the ones that I know is your first line of defense. Next, you need to start working on defense starting with the simplest and finishing with the most complex. Head movement is the most complex movement in boxing and the hardest to master. Therefore, it should be left for last. So once you have learned a good stance you can start practicing your footwork like lateral movement, pendulum steps, pivots, etc. A jump step backwards is a defense against any type of punch in boxing. This is just one example and it is the easiest to master. Next you work on parrying and blocking. Once you become more comfortable with your stance and being able to parry and block punches you can start working on head movement. And once you have learned head movement you can combine it with the other defenses. You can work on your defenses without a partner, practicing technique even for parries and blocks by shadow boxing. When you work with partner, drill one defense at a time and later combine them. If you don't have a partner, you can practice you parries, blocks and head movement using a double end bag that is looser, meaning it swings more back and forth. If you can't drill with a partner and you have to go straight into sparring. Ask your coach for conditional sparring, for instance just using the jab or the lead hand. That way you learn only how to block, parry jabs and block hooks. There are other punches with the lead head but most people at your level with be throwing these two. This is your time to practice your stance, footwork, parrying and blocking. Once you get a better feel for it, you can ask to do conditional sparring using only straight punches, now there is another punch and more variations to defend. I can go on but I think this is quite long already and not sure if anybody will read it. Hope this helps.
The law of attraction. From what I understand, it is not something supernaturel or some power you can use toward others. My perception of it goes hand in hand with the concept of emptiness. In the sence that what you focus on, is what you will see in your life. Eg. You can see opposition or opportunity to triumph, or you can see randomness or the fault of yourself or someone else (in the case of cancer). It's more about what you choose to perceive, consciously or unconsciously. Im a big fan of yours Faris, love your work, love your thoughtprocess, your way of grasping our surroundings. Please let me know what think, much appreciated 🙏
4 days ago I broked my feet and I am supposed to take everyday an injection against Thrombose. I tooked it 3 times and will not take it anymore. I am want to stay moving and do everyday some exercises and eat the right way and do even fasting plus vitamins and fish oil. I hope there is an natural way to make sure that the bone will grow faster and recover faster than the doctors say (6 weeks). Please make a video or recommend a book on broken bones.
Love the channel Firas! As far as the law of attraction.. I also don’t know that there’s scientific proof of it’s validity, but you might be interested in Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work and the Conversations With God trilogy (which you probably already read lol). I begin my jiu jitsu journey tomorrow at the ripe age of 34 haha, you’ll definitely be one of my primary resources. Thanks Firas!
Just a thought on "reaction time" like everything else, it's always more complicated than we think. People who think pure reaction time is the end all and be all of slipping punches are certainly way off. And my observation will only add a little I'm sure. Anticipation, cues that are subconsciously sent and often subconsciously received, that help a fighter anticipate a strike. Know what fighters often do in a given position/scenario, from thousands of hours of practice. And maybe, like torque, there is a skill aspect to this. The offense version might be the "touch of death" that way some fighters have of finding the tip of someone's chin hanging out, at just the right time and angle. It's as much anticipation as anything else imo.
I have to say, it`s true about ping pong, I don`t play it personally but the people I`ve met who do, their reflexes are amazing. It`s like everything is slow motion for them.
To your point about power. I have no formal boxing training but I can usually break the record on those punching arcade games. Also I was an offensive lineman in high school, one of the slowest, but I am faster than most guys that I out weigh by 75lbs on the mats. Slow sprinter but extremely fast in scrambles on the mats. It's just the way I all built. Wish i would have known this before the age of 45!
roll light, methodical, and technical for learning, roll hard for condition and execution. your training partners play a factor they will not always want to train your style. but telling them or just knowing how they train will help
yea thats a good general way to go about it. but there are times when it's really lopsided, so it may not be possible to roll effectively without going harder against a much strong guy or really light against a small girl for example.
First work on getting better than the "low level" training partners. Then, if you feel stagnated you can look elsewhere to increase you training level.
I've been saying the same thing. But now if you are in a cereberal sport you don't want to put 90% of your work into improving your torque. And, unfortunately, I think this is what so many athletes do. From my research experience on learning I can tell you that we are very ineffective when it comes to teaching complex environments.
I think ngannou vs miocic is great example of training in mma. Ngannou doesnt have the experience of stipe in combat sports. He doesn't have the same preparation. He would beat stipe in a sprint or Olympic lifting competition, but cant beat him in mma because stipe is too prepared.
Very interesting point about bjj taking off in mma in the future. At the moment it seems like the opposite is true - Maia and Werdum have recently been shut down and defeated by opponents who knew enough to defend and disengage. Plus the rules currently favour kickboxing over bjj, compared to when there were no rounds and no stand-ups by the ref.
I believe it will always be difficult for BJJ to take off in mma bc so much of the innovation in bjj is guard related. More focus on top game would be better when strikes are involved it's better to be on top
It is alwAys better to practice the actual tools of your trade- Beating tires lifting weights and a thousand other exercises that don't involve skill training hinders ones skill development
I love firas but his argument for no reaction time drills was “the greats didn’t do it so why would we” didn’t really make sense, we do a lot of stuff that they might not have known about
Firas, long time listener, first time commenter, would entertain this thought experiment on mixed martial arts and history? So the unified rules on MMA were penned in 2000 giving us 22ish years of growth, trial, error and development in the sport. Where as the Pankration fighters in Ancient Greece were doing everything in MMA for nearly a millennia starting BC and "ending' AD. The question(s) I have, :In our growth in 22 years, with adage of the internet and vast reaching knowledge and communication, have we potentially surpassed what they were able to do in their exponentially larger number of years spent? :If, yes, then is the "Best Fighter Ever" still to be born, OR (if no) has the "Best Fighter Ever" already come and gone a long, long time ago? (Subjective I Know lol) Very Interested to hear your thoughts on this!
i also don't believe that just 'thinking' attract things. but you are able to literally change circumstances and conditions of certain things without meaning the change of the perspective. for example, someone can heal from a "uncurable" disease such as cancer etc just by the 'placebo effect' where the doctor/fake medicines make the patient believe that he is being cured by the medicine though he just been given water. so the thoughts can make a objectiv and measurable change. how would argue about that coach? ps. sry for my english
Do you have any career advice for a 30 year old trying to find their natural strengths? I'm an INTJ in Myers Brigg and in the middle of a career change. I love philosophy, psychology, and watching MMA breakdowns BUT for career, I am somewhat lost and bummed out. I just want to ask for career growth and 70k+ but the Tech field it seems like programming is the way to go yet I have no passion and talent for that. I also don't plan on doing HelpDesk for 5 years making 30-40k and follow the herd. Thank you and it's worth a shot for a reply :)
a career in something that makes good money and something I don't hate. Been doing contracting work for low pay after failing Nursing school but now back in school doing IT.
Stebuh 2 www.16personalities.com/personality-types This website gives some career advice for certain personalities from the Myers Brigg test. I hope it helps!
It’s been five years since you made this video. It’s true Jiujitsu has in fact become way more complex wrestling is a lot more dominant and everyone knows Leglocks.
Hmm that statement or research where when you reach a certain amount of intelligence it is already fixed a + or a - 5%. Well theres always an exception to the rule eh dont you think?
I agree to an extent but I don’t believe MMA requires more skill than boxing. Yes there’s more skills needed in MMA but there’s a few people you hear about like Jimi manuwa,, Khalil Rowntree jr, who start MMA late from basically nothing and reach a decent level. You won’t hear that in boxing virtually anywhere. Maybe boxing is just more competitive
hey coach! im a filipino and soon may move to montreal to work and i will train in your gym. i dont have any martial art background but im physicaly strong
Agree with you, adding that in track & field you don't have weight category, so it's another factor. About complexity of (brazilian ?) jiu jutsu, how many techniques exist ?
about "the secret" stuff. fact is there is no actual proof that only thought and imagination make things happen. and fact is goal-oriented systematic action works. set yourself a goal and work toward it for 5-10 yrs and it's likely that you get it. very many people are lacking critical thinking when setting goals or chasing dreams. what is the probability of you getting the dream? 1 in 10, 1 in 1K, 1 in 1M? Conor almost did not make it, he had seriously considered quitting fighting prior to signing up with the UFC, and obviously he had all the qualities. How many people are there who end up injured and incapable or 40 yrs old and still fighting for a month's rent. That is why they say you need to choose a "path with a heart" because in case you don't make it you will still have enjoyed the process.
I agree that jiu jitsu has such an exponential margin for growth because the number of weapons is infinite, but I do not consider it a good thing. When complexity becomes too extreme, fun starts to diminish. Right now, very very few people can understand what is going on in a high level jiu jitsu/submission grappling match. To give an example: Joe Rogan is a black belt in "no gi jiu jitsu" and a life long martial artist, but he was barely able to follow, let alone figure out for himself, the intricacies of the Gordon Ryan / Cyborg fight, when John Danaher was explaining them to him. On the other hand, Joe Rogan is able to get a reasonably decent understanding of the dynamics of an MMA or boxing fight, and many spectators can do the same as well. Now, I'm not saying that BJJ has to "dumb down" or die, but I don't think that the route it's taken is good either. Judo and wrestling have been "figured out", to a certain extent, because the rules severely limit what the athletes are able to do in a competition. In modern jiu jitsu, and especially if the rules are sub-only, you are not penalized nor incentivized to take any specific route: you don't even have to start on your feet anymore! That's what you call, in videogames terms, a "sandbox game". Which is great for the pure fun of it, but has a very limited potential as an engaging form of competition Sorry for the long post
T I am not talking about outsiders, that's why I used Joe Rogan as an example. I am talking about the vast majority of actual Bjj practitioners, who may understand what's going on, let's say, with Tonon vs Palahares at Polaris 3, but are completely lost if they have to figure out Tonon vs Miyao 2. I don't think that a sport in which you have to be a black belt with amazing analytical skills just to follow a match is in a good place, but that's just my opinion
IQ is a physical trait just like the muscle fibers, a dense/heavy brain means an individual processes information faster, reaction speed, awareness, reading patterns faster
I've got low BJJ IQ... I'll just pressure for position... this explains why was good at Kickboxing and suck at MMA... weak people have more ways to outsmart you on this sport.
If you pray to a higher power it's a different story?? WTF It's crazy to just think it but if you direct it toward a "God" it works. Please explain Firaz/
The causal line is complete (Determinism). Thoughts as we know do not effect the physical world, however God is by definition not part of this causal chain. If you believe in God it makes sense to pray, however if you are trying to effect the causal chain via your thoughts this has yet to be demonstrated.
The notion that we have an IQ that could potentially improve/decrease by 5 points is a fixed mind state. The brain is a muscle that could be improved intellectually by deliberate practice and recent science has shown new neurons created in the hippocampus.
The All (creator/Allah, whatever name you wish to use) creates through mental imagery just as man creates through mental imagery. (Visualization) this and the term "like attracts like" is the basis for the law of attraction. In fact the secret is a twist (not to mention a disgrace) on the true ancient teachings touched upon in Hermeticism and the book "The Kybalion". If I were to recommend a good book on the law of attraction it would be "Thought Vibration"
Firas you are a beast, but you got that wrong, this is not what the law of attraction is. Crooks and lazy whinny people have transform it into some kind of wishful thinking bs but it's not. It's more how constantly having negative thoughts and mind set, complaining a lot, etc. can affect your environment, your relationships, your life, make you less successful, etc. On the other hand being a positive, super focused person can maximize your potential for happiness and success. But this is only at the individual scale, you can't really apply that to an entire country. But regarding your cancer example, I strongly believe (nothing scientific here) that being a very stressed person and being exposed to a poisoning environment, can develop bad shit in your body from backache to cancer.
Firas Sensei.. you need to write a book brother. so much knowledge... you need to pass it on
Saeed AG he's going to be recording an audiobook. Check out his last AMA
Firas just put your picture on the jacket of a blank book and people will buy it. Just include a free gi belt with every purchase, so people get encouraged to go to gyms ; )
You forgot to say "please sensei".
@@wade5761 done 😁
Agrees
I record all your AMAs on my phone and my wisdom skyrocketed. I use a lot of your principles to get through my sluggish workouts. Keep em coming man, you're a great man.
I Agree on that Firas, a lot of fighters especially young fighters spar too hard and are forced to fight rather then having the time to work on a specific area of their game.
Sparring lighter will improve any fighter as it gives them a chance to always work on their flaws and get better instead of entering fight or flight mode.
The more hours you put into it the better you become
I think as a beginner most of your spars should be light but just like maybe one semi-hard spar a month to understand and get accustomed to getting hit which also takes some time to get used to. Even a 50 % punch to the head or stomach hurts like hell if youve never felt it before and part of becoming a great fighter will be inevitably understanding and being able to eat shots without fighting like a reckless brawler on autopilot mode.
I do agree with your overall point though in that I think most new guys actually try to go too hard right away instead of honestly just getting used to slipping rolling basic punches in a sparring like scenerio without feeling panicked. Even getting used to a barrage of punches and learning how to stay better composed for example can be practiced better with light sparring as opposed to intense sparring. I think the other issue with intense sparring that isn't talked about enough is retention. Maybe you have a talented fighter who never shows up much because each spar is physically and mentally draining. Having exercise sessions which are physically too intense actually causes most people to quit. Always start easy until your skills and conditioning are better.
@@loverofhumanity Yes sometimes it's necessary to spar hard especially if it's a fighter getting ready for a fight
But only when they're ready for it, the usual mentality you have in boxing gyms, especially in America are you either get burned or survive there's no in-between of letting a beginner grow so they're more prepared for harder sparring later on.
Firas, I have read the book "The Secret" and really think it has had an impact on my life, but I think you're taking the idea of the law of attraction too literally. At least for me, that book gave me a mindset that I still use today. I never started living my life and reaching goals by trying to will it into happening, like how the book describes the law of attraction. Instead, the book and its ideas opened my eyes to being more persistent, working hard, and believing that you will reach whatever goal/thing you're trying to reach. For me it gave me a mindset of not letting your foot off the accelerator when trying to achieve whatever you're trying to achieve. Ultimately, it just helped me realize that I can achieve whatever goals I set through hard work and self belief.
Firas is the man to listen to...Einstein level knowledge, but above all, Zahabi teaches us his unique insights on sports (and life) that is very rare in this world. Please make many more great videos in 2018 and much obliged for the book tips in your last video, from a Belgian fan forever. Love your work!
Hussein Bolt, the strictest, most rigid authoritarian 100 meter dash runner you will ever meet, a very polarizing figure indeed. Loved by many, feared by many as well.
Thank you coach. I am applying your precious teachings for my studies in university.
I played and later competed in tabletennis for 15 years and did swimming and karate at a younger age. A year of wingchun some few years ago helped with the bodycontact awareness for grappling and such. Started mma last year and man it's been such a ride. Being kind of a gymrat before but martial arts taught me it requires me to train my biologically optimal muscles for it to work. Rehabing myself to push it all in mma has gotten all my staleness and small injuries in hips shoulder etc to heal in way i didn't think possible. I'm also really thankfull for such special coaches like you to give us hope. When you said being older but athletic makes the ride easier i instantly agreed cause i'm not supposed to be this annoying to the people competing in my club. Progress is great but i've got to be patient still cause i can smell the potential for wronglearn and injuries passing me by every day and i try to stay away from it. Btw Pingpong i think gives you not only great reactiontime in tune with bodymovements but also i've noticed that it even more importantly makes it easier to stay calm when someone for example is throwing fast strikes or tries to fake you and thus have more time to think about how to counter. It's truly an interesting question how much outside activities helps martial arts. Btw you said your wife tried a cycle of CBD and if so did you already update us with your take on it? I'll look around in the meantime haha. Thanks coach!
The biggest tip I can give to people who want to train mma is that they shouldn’t wait.
Some people wait until they can bench press a lot, do 50 pushups etc.
This is not necessary.
Mma is condition specific training mostly through wrestling.
This will be taught throughout the classes and you will get a hell of a core workout.
I tell people to start 2x a week and gradually improve to 4x a week.
Especially if you are between 30-50 then you might need more time to get used to our workouts.
Coach Zahabi, the first half of this video was the best answer to this question. This was my favorite AMA of yours. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Im applying your advice to anything and everything in life , as i am pushing myself week by week ! So whether its in the gym or generally speaking or if its philosphy with Mr. Hijab. Appreciate it and keep ☝ the great work... Not everyone shares this kinda information for free ... May God almighty bless you and your family!
Awesome AMA! That “slow” boxer should also do a lot of footwork drills with his slipping drilling. Managing distance and knowing when to engage are key when dealing with people who are more athletically gifted.
A new upload from the best! Thanks, coach Zahabi!!
The absolute very best explanation of genetics vs brains linkage that I have ever heard. Mind blowing to say the least.
The best is combining both. A talented young athlete who works hard and doesnt take his talent for granted is the recipe.
your bits of knowing add up good over time and I thank you again
The difference between sprinting and MMA is that the rules are very rigid with sprinting whereas in MMA the fighter defines the rules to the game more. Whichever fighter can impose his set of “rules” (wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, etc) will win. Each discipline has its own set of rules. Thus, MMA is a game within a game. We can use any set of rules and combine them in whatever way want. This leaves large areas of deficiencies for each fighter because you only have so much time to learn the rules of each game. Any talent and/or genetic superiority you may have can be negated by changing the “rules” of the game to suit you. For example, the 250 lb boxer getting submitted by a 150 lb jiu jitsu player. The boxer could use his size and strength to pound him so the jiu jitsu player changes the rules by pulling guard. The MMA game is filled with fighters that exploit the lack of knowledge of their sports rules. Gracie’s started it but Lyota Machida and Stephen Thompson are more modern examples.
Very well said
Men:
For striking Stephen Thompson is great, for grappling I love Charles oleveira.
Women:
Rhonda rousey used to be a good grappler, not anymore.
Amanda Nunez is very good at striking.
I disagree a lot with what you said about intelligence and talent, but at the same time I have to show respect for the level you've reached in martial arts, so thank you for this episode.
Please do never stop mal
king those videos those give me more knowledge than school ever did
I can't wait for your audiobook!
Geoffrey Meakin me too
First of all: Great and interesting video, Firas!
I think regarding an athletes talent/potential there are mainly the following factors:
- Physique
- Athleticism
- Motorics
- Visual-information-processing (speed & accuracy)
- Intelligence
- Mentality
..and since each of them plays a potentially significant role in mma (in comparison to other sports, like running, as you've said as an example), it makes mma so unpredictable and exciting and gives it (like you said) so much room to improve through working on it.
Notes:
- talent is correlated to complexity of the sport.
- Firas trained vs Usain Bolt minimal training in running -- Firas would lose, as Bolt has more natural talent/genes.
- Firas trained vs Bolt untrained in MMA, Firas would win.
- trained can't 'make you fast, they can make you faster'.
Now I gtg ... Good video...if anyone wants to continue, feel free
I think your take on reaction training is spot on. People find these new things and think it’s going to make their skills jump
exponentially. But more likely than not, these things are merely the “salt” in the “recipe” of training. Just the amount will enhance flavors, but too much will make it too salty and unenjoyable.
PS. Let’s see a 400m race between you and 7 of your best athletes! I’m pretty sure you’re faster than 1:15 (5:00ish mile pace) with some practice !
Very enlightening video. Thank you Coach for sharing !
Thanks for answering my question coach. I really appreciate it.
I actually fight in MMA. I just prefer boxing when it comes to stand up. I'll slip some kicks in there, but I mainly box when it comes to striking in MMA. But your advice works either way.
One of the best channels on UA-cam. Keep up the great work.
This is a response to the boxing question. I want to add on to what coach Zahabi already talked about. You should start first by improving your boxing stance as compromised boxing stance minimizes your reaction time. Your stance in most combat sports or the ones that I know is your first line of defense. Next, you need to start working on defense starting with the simplest and finishing with the most complex. Head movement is the most complex movement in boxing and the hardest to master. Therefore, it should be left for last. So once you have learned a good stance you can start practicing your footwork like lateral movement, pendulum steps, pivots, etc. A jump step backwards is a defense against any type of punch in boxing. This is just one example and it is the easiest to master. Next you work on parrying and blocking. Once you become more comfortable with your stance and being able to parry and block punches you can start working on head movement. And once you have learned head movement you can combine it with the other defenses. You can work on your defenses without a partner, practicing technique even for parries and blocks by shadow boxing. When you work with partner, drill one defense at a time and later combine them. If you don't have a partner, you can practice you parries, blocks and head movement using a double end bag that is looser, meaning it swings more back and forth. If you can't drill with a partner and you have to go straight into sparring. Ask your coach for conditional sparring, for instance just using the jab or the lead hand. That way you learn only how to block, parry jabs and block hooks. There are other punches with the lead head but most people at your level with be throwing these two. This is your time to practice your stance, footwork, parrying and blocking. Once you get a better feel for it, you can ask to do conditional sparring using only straight punches, now there is another punch and more variations to defend. I can go on but I think this is quite long already and not sure if anybody will read it. Hope this helps.
Love you videos and your gym! I sent a question from unbandit, hope it can be in your next video.
The law of attraction. From what I understand, it is not something supernaturel or some power you can use toward others. My perception of it goes hand in hand with the concept of emptiness. In the sence that what you focus on, is what you will see in your life. Eg. You can see opposition or opportunity to triumph, or you can see randomness or the fault of yourself or someone else (in the case of cancer). It's more about what you choose to perceive, consciously or unconsciously.
Im a big fan of yours Faris, love your work, love your thoughtprocess, your way of grasping our surroundings. Please let me know what think, much appreciated 🙏
Best video so far Mr. Zahabi.
Please, take some more questions for a Khabib vs Ferguson breakdown "part 2", coach.
Thank you for picking topics that most coaches will shy away from 💪❤️😎
4 days ago I broked my feet and I am supposed to take everyday an injection against Thrombose.
I tooked it 3 times and will not take it anymore.
I am want to stay moving and do everyday some exercises and eat the right way and do even fasting plus vitamins and fish oil.
I hope there is an natural way to make sure that the bone will grow faster and recover faster than the doctors say (6 weeks).
Please make a video or recommend a book on broken bones.
Thank you for share such a good knowledge with people that appreciate kombat sports like me , new suscriber 👍
You should do podcasts so interessting to listen thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge much love and respect from france
I love these, powerful!
Love the channel Firas!
As far as the law of attraction.. I also don’t know that there’s scientific proof of it’s validity, but you might be interested in Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work and the Conversations With God trilogy (which you probably already read lol). I begin my jiu jitsu journey tomorrow at the ripe age of 34 haha, you’ll definitely be one of my primary resources. Thanks Firas!
Just a thought on "reaction time" like everything else, it's always more complicated than we think. People who think pure reaction time is the end all and be all of slipping punches are certainly way off. And my observation will only add a little I'm sure.
Anticipation, cues that are subconsciously sent and often subconsciously received, that help a fighter anticipate a strike. Know what fighters often do in a given position/scenario, from thousands of hours of practice. And maybe, like torque, there is a skill aspect to this. The offense version might be the "touch of death" that way some fighters have of finding the tip of someone's chin hanging out, at just the right time and angle. It's as much anticipation as anything else imo.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.
hussein bolt :D
hahahahahah
I have to say, it`s true about ping pong, I don`t play it personally but the people I`ve met who do, their reflexes are amazing. It`s like everything is slow motion for them.
To your point about power. I have no formal boxing training but I can usually break the record on those punching arcade games. Also I was an offensive lineman in high school, one of the slowest, but I am faster than most guys that I out weigh by 75lbs on the mats. Slow sprinter but extremely fast in scrambles on the mats. It's just the way I all built. Wish i would have known this before the age of 45!
Thank you Faras!
The analogy of the crane (I liked).
Everyones potential is infinite we all are infinite
Firas, you`re the best !
How do you know how hard to go when your rolling?
always match the intensity of my opponents is my motto when it comes to rolling
roll light, methodical, and technical for learning, roll hard for condition and execution. your training partners play a factor they will not always want to train your style. but telling them or just knowing how they train will help
yea thats a good general way to go about it. but there are times when it's really lopsided, so it may not be possible to roll effectively without going harder against a much strong guy or really light against a small girl for example.
Saad ouali alami I like to set/dictate the pace as much as I can. Nice and easy.
Thanks coach, i train in the spain and the MMA level in here is pretty low, is there a chance to be good pro fighter with a weak sparring partners?
First work on getting better than the "low level" training partners. Then, if you feel stagnated you can look elsewhere to increase you training level.
I've been saying the same thing. But now if you are in a cereberal sport you don't want to put 90% of your work into improving your torque. And, unfortunately, I think this is what so many athletes do. From my research experience on learning I can tell you that we are very ineffective when it comes to teaching complex environments.
I think ngannou vs miocic is great example of training in mma. Ngannou doesnt have the experience of stipe in combat sports. He doesn't have the same preparation. He would beat stipe in a sprint or Olympic lifting competition, but cant beat him in mma because stipe is too prepared.
Coach how do I find my talent?
by trying many things
Brains over brawn but its best to have both
Not BEST to have both, you MUST have both :)
Who's Hussain Bolt?
5:12 You could kill Usain Bolt in the Octagon.
Couldn't catch him, he'd literally Run out the clock. Out-run the clock too.
Can I meet you if I come to Canada
Very interesting point about bjj taking off in mma in the future. At the moment it seems like the opposite is true - Maia and Werdum have recently been shut down and defeated by opponents who knew enough to defend and disengage. Plus the rules currently favour kickboxing over bjj, compared to when there were no rounds and no stand-ups by the ref.
I believe it will always be difficult for BJJ to take off in mma bc so much of the innovation in bjj is guard related. More focus on top game would be better when strikes are involved it's better to be on top
Great episode as always coach! On a side note, where did you get that jacket from?
The Zen master of MMA
Practice does not make perfect one could be practicing wrong. Correct practice will help develop sharper skills
It is alwAys better to practice the actual tools of your trade- Beating tires lifting weights and a thousand other exercises that don't involve skill training hinders ones skill development
We want Khabib Ferguson part 2
we do :D
The ball thing, that was Anderson Silva, right?
How you think will create synchronicities, the chain reaction will come
I love firas but his argument for no reaction time drills was “the greats didn’t do it so why would we” didn’t really make sense, we do a lot of stuff that they might not have known about
Firas, hardwork, intelligent training/techniques and strategy can always beat talent.. But vice versa as well..
Firas, long time listener, first time commenter, would entertain this thought experiment on mixed martial arts and history? So the unified rules on MMA were penned in 2000 giving us 22ish years of growth, trial, error and development in the sport. Where as the Pankration fighters in Ancient Greece were doing everything in MMA for nearly a millennia starting BC and "ending' AD. The question(s) I have,
:In our growth in 22 years, with adage of the internet and vast reaching knowledge and communication, have we potentially surpassed what they were able to do in their exponentially larger number of years spent?
:If, yes, then is the "Best Fighter Ever" still to be born, OR (if no) has the "Best Fighter Ever" already come and gone a long, long time ago? (Subjective I Know lol)
Very Interested to hear your thoughts on this!
We have a good a example of this from football, messi and cristiano Ronaldo. Talent vs hard work.
i hate how ppl say hard work is everything... they dont get it.
8:30 - 10:00 - 10:40 - 12:50 - 16:34 - 19:18 - 25:35 - 26:33 - 30:55
i also don't believe that just 'thinking' attract things. but you are able to literally change circumstances and conditions of certain things without meaning the change of the perspective. for example, someone can heal from a "uncurable" disease such as cancer etc just by the 'placebo effect' where the doctor/fake medicines make the patient believe that he is being cured by the medicine though he just been given water. so the thoughts can make a objectiv and measurable change. how would argue about that coach?
ps. sry for my english
Another example of a good striker with no power is Joanna Jerdeczek as well even though she lost to rose twice
Do you have any career advice for a 30 year old trying to find their natural strengths? I'm an INTJ in Myers Brigg and in the middle of a career change. I love philosophy, psychology, and watching MMA breakdowns BUT for career, I am somewhat lost and bummed out.
I just want to ask for career growth and 70k+ but the Tech field it seems like programming is the way to go yet I have no passion and talent for that. I also don't plan on doing HelpDesk for 5 years making 30-40k and follow the herd. Thank you and it's worth a shot for a reply :)
a career in something that makes good money and something I don't hate. Been doing contracting work for low pay after failing Nursing school but now back in school doing IT.
Stebuh 2 www.16personalities.com/personality-types This website gives some career advice for certain personalities from the Myers Brigg test. I hope it helps!
When is GSP fighting McGregor?
Great
It’s been five years since you made this video. It’s true Jiujitsu has in fact become way more complex wrestling is a lot more dominant and everyone knows Leglocks.
The wise Firas
Hmm that statement or research where when you reach a certain amount of intelligence it is already fixed a + or a - 5%. Well theres always an exception to the rule eh dont you think?
I agree to an extent but I don’t believe MMA requires more skill than boxing. Yes there’s more skills needed in MMA but there’s a few people you hear about like Jimi manuwa,, Khalil Rowntree jr, who start MMA late from basically nothing and reach a decent level. You won’t hear that in boxing virtually anywhere. Maybe boxing is just more competitive
Apart from heavyweight champ wilder you mean 😂
hey coach! im a filipino and soon may move to montreal to work and i will train in your gym. i dont have any martial art background but im physicaly strong
Agree with you, adding that in track & field you don't have weight category, so it's another factor. About complexity of (brazilian ?) jiu jutsu, how many techniques exist ?
Can you test/measure how your tissue is attached to bone?
Hussein Bolt the new posterchild for TimTam tech
I don't think we are at the cutting edge of striking.. It s as limited as it was grappling wrestling compared to ju jitsu grappling
Great great morning listen
It's always a plasure to listen to Firas ,much more than only a fighting coach
You know what sucks about sprints- you shouldn't do them a hurt back (supple cheetah). It really sucks not being able to do sprints.. :(
about "the secret" stuff. fact is there is no actual proof that only thought and imagination make things happen. and fact is goal-oriented systematic action works. set yourself a goal and work toward it for 5-10 yrs and it's likely that you get it. very many people are lacking critical thinking when setting goals or chasing dreams. what is the probability of you getting the dream? 1 in 10, 1 in 1K, 1 in 1M? Conor almost did not make it, he had seriously considered quitting fighting prior to signing up with the UFC, and obviously he had all the qualities. How many people are there who end up injured and incapable or 40 yrs old and still fighting for a month's rent. That is why they say you need to choose a "path with a heart" because in case you don't make it you will still have enjoyed the process.
Read the book "THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING" By Claude Bristol
I agree that jiu jitsu has such an exponential margin for growth because the number of weapons is infinite, but I do not consider it a good thing.
When complexity becomes too extreme, fun starts to diminish. Right now, very very few people can understand what is going on in a high level jiu jitsu/submission grappling match. To give an example: Joe Rogan is a black belt in "no gi jiu jitsu" and a life long martial artist, but he was barely able to follow, let alone figure out for himself, the intricacies of the Gordon Ryan / Cyborg fight, when John Danaher was explaining them to him.
On the other hand, Joe Rogan is able to get a reasonably decent understanding of the dynamics of an MMA or boxing fight, and many spectators can do the same as well.
Now, I'm not saying that BJJ has to "dumb down" or die, but I don't think that the route it's taken is good either. Judo and wrestling have been "figured out", to a certain extent, because the rules severely limit what the athletes are able to do in a competition. In modern jiu jitsu, and especially if the rules are sub-only, you are not penalized nor incentivized to take any specific route: you don't even have to start on your feet anymore! That's what you call, in videogames terms, a "sandbox game". Which is great for the pure fun of it, but has a very limited potential as an engaging form of competition
Sorry for the long post
What's wrong with the outsiders not understanding what's going on?
T I am not talking about outsiders, that's why I used Joe Rogan as an example.
I am talking about the vast majority of actual Bjj practitioners, who may understand what's going on, let's say, with Tonon vs Palahares at Polaris 3, but are completely lost if they have to figure out Tonon vs Miyao 2.
I don't think that a sport in which you have to be a black belt with amazing analytical skills just to follow a match is in a good place, but that's just my opinion
Rippiripper it's interesting what you're saying and I think you're onto something with complexity vs competitiveness juxtaposing.
Haha rogan seems confused more or less always.
I think the development of bjj has som future but hardly exponential.
Rippiripper YOUR thoughts were so interesting. Thank you for sharing.
IQ is a physical trait just like the muscle fibers, a dense/heavy brain means an individual processes information faster, reaction speed, awareness, reading patterns faster
agreed. I am a firm determinist so no argument here on that subject.
YELLA HABIBI..
Most people are not successful by accident They had a plan and worked their plan
I've got low BJJ IQ... I'll just pressure for position... this explains why was good at Kickboxing and suck at MMA... weak people have more ways to outsmart you on this sport.
The only one who made money by using the secret is the guy that wrote the book
If you pray to a higher power it's a different story?? WTF It's crazy to just think it but if you direct it toward a "God" it works. Please explain Firaz/
The causal line is complete (Determinism). Thoughts as we know do not effect the physical world, however God is by definition not part of this causal chain. If you believe in God it makes sense to pray, however if you are trying to effect the causal chain via your thoughts this has yet to be demonstrated.
Tristar Gym interesting, thank you for the response. So why does one pray then? For inner strength?
The notion that we have an IQ that could potentially improve/decrease by 5 points is a fixed mind state. The brain is a muscle that could be improved intellectually by deliberate practice and recent science has shown new neurons created in the hippocampus.
The All (creator/Allah, whatever name you wish to use) creates through mental imagery just as man creates through mental imagery. (Visualization) this and the term "like attracts like" is the basis for the law of attraction. In fact the secret is a twist (not to mention a disgrace) on the true ancient teachings touched upon in Hermeticism and the book "The Kybalion". If I were to recommend a good book on the law of attraction it would be "Thought Vibration"
Truth
Firas vs usain make it happen Dana
Firas you are a beast, but you got that wrong, this is not what the law of attraction is. Crooks and lazy whinny people have transform it into some kind of wishful thinking bs but it's not. It's more how constantly having negative thoughts and mind set, complaining a lot, etc. can affect your environment, your relationships, your life, make you less successful, etc. On the other hand being a positive, super focused person can maximize your potential for happiness and success. But this is only at the individual scale, you can't really apply that to an entire country. But regarding your cancer example, I strongly believe (nothing scientific here) that being a very stressed person and being exposed to a poisoning environment, can develop bad shit in your body from backache to cancer.
That would make more sense.
30:50
Is there any proof that praying to a higher power or "god" is proven to have a real world benefit?
There are actually studies done that show religious people on average are healthier and live longer
i'm pretty sure there is to some extent