Gabriel, I've trained for about 6 years, my coaches didnt care for my and my skills, so I switched gyms a lot, finally a year ago I was able to find a place to call home, and I'm finally able to compete! Your channel has helped me a lot, I've watched your fights a lot an studied a lot of my favourite fighters, thanks for everything Gabriel Varga!!!!
Im pretty short at like 5'7", so i would always look at Volk, Yan, and Zambidis to learn from and blend everything together. I never really see my height as a disadvantage anymore whenever I spar. Unless they're like 6'5" or something, lol.
If you are in the pocket or wrestling being shorter is an advantage. You just have to get there, that is the hardest part, espacialy against someone who is good at keeping you away. Either way shooting a counter takedown under their punches is even more effictive of you are shorter than your opponent
@como se dice ESoo ? Oh, im not really competing at the moment (I primarily go for self defense), so I pretty much spar/roll with anyone that needs a partner. Man, woman, whoever. It really helps me get used to different body types
I’m gonna start fighting like poatan. Long, not particularly fast, but strong. I love how much he loads up his shots, and times them perfectly. Thank you Gabriel from a fellow Canuck🍁🇨🇦
This was fantastic. Please do more videos like this, but focusing on specific body types. An in-depth series on this would be great (for both understanding our own bodies, as well as those who we spar with/fight)
Tall skinny ectomorph (6'4" and 185 lbs) with long spider like legs here. Naturally I have always been drawn to using kicks a lot to take advantage of my leg reach but lately I have been working more on my boxing cause I felt like I had been neglecting the hands. Balance is the key IMO, work on your natural strengths but do not neglect the other aspects of your style, you don't wanna end up being one trick pony. ;)
Have you ever watched Dieselnoi fight? If not check out his 1982 fight against Samart. His step in knees (all his knees lol) are terrifying, but he kicks well, punches well, and uses his guard brilliantly to control range and transition into the clinch.
Totally a agree! I’m 5’8 with kind of short reach of 68” …have tried many styles in sparring. However, I have to say that it really depends on what opponent is in front of you, so I switch style accordingly, and sometimes I’m like karate/Taekwondo stance McGregor, sometimes more of a square Muay Thai guy that just matches forward, absorbs shots to close the distance and then fights from the inside. Or, sometimes I’m very evasive, countering opponents shots. Great video!!
Great video, as always. Really quality stuff that we probably don't hear enough. More for us tall, thin guys please. I find there's a lot less of that than tips for shorter guys.
I'm built like Kelvin Gastelum and I have very odd timing and role with strikes really well...And I always thought I was a counter fighter because it's comfortable. But I recently decided to push myself to try some rounds as a Pressure Fighter, and I did way better than usual and it actually did help my counters because I forced the strikes easier and intercepted more with my odd timing. Anyway, this is just my way of saying your opening advice is super solid and a great reminder to keep us growing!
Hey, I love your channel and all your fight with your physique videos. Can you do one for flexible/ agile fighters? I am starting my amateur career and feel like I'm very gifted with my dexterity and flexibility but I am still working on crafting my style to utilise it. You've already helped me build my fight iq so much, I'd love to hear your ideas on this.
All the big name gyms i went to pushed me into a style of theirs and it took me a few years to figure out, that was not the best way. While i took the things which worked best & put them all together. Great video sure to help many ppl 👍
A lot of these also comes down to the fighter's personality and who they fighting with. The ability to adapt to what's in front of you, It is best to know how to implement techniques of a technical fighter, the brawler/slugger, the evasive one or just combination of all of them depending on occasions.
I'd love to see one for people with "slow"/average reaction speed. We all know there are those genetically gifted freaks of nature who can just the matrix at will, but most people don't have that. I've sort of accepted that I'm probably not going to be able to react to most things in time, and often just try to build defense patterns into movements. I much prefer to clinch up or get in tight where I can rely more on "feel". I pretty much just accept that I'm going to eat shots and try to just go about my business, continuing to throw in order to keep them more defensive, hoping my "built in defense" will at least stop something on my way in.
Prolly do nothing but blocking drills for a while and learn all the different defenses (Philly-shell, cross- block where your wrist is on one elbow, and double elbow horns, and standard guard with parry palms) and then after that dodge foam strikers for your reaction speed to nullify your weakness.
Hey gabriel! I had my first PKB muay thai fight, and I won! Watching your videos definitely helped, and I'm still learning and trying to develop my style. Are you still taking other people's films and breaking it down like you did previously?
This is super useful for me. I'm also tall for my weight, but have major rotational power. I'm wanting to develop my skills at range better, just to lure people into trying to close distance. . . Hah! In my dreams. I'm working on it though. Thanks
How do you feel about teams that preach only their fighting style and if you try something diferent they will try change you? I feel most gyms are like this and never want really make the athletes work on where they re more comfortable in
It really shows a limited coach imo. A top coach will teach their style, then teach you how to make it your own and incorporate your own ideas and style.
I am 160 5’7” very fit and fast and training in karate. It’s a small town and all I have to choose from except taekwondo. I feel my size definitely makes it hard for me to close the gap. Do you have any tips for someone my size training in karate? Thanks!!
I'm pretty short (5' 7") but I'm pretty skinny and lanky so I'd like to fight like Lerdsila or maybe Petr Yan since I'm mostly a boxer but overall I want to be a defensive fighter that utilizes footwork and head movement( maybe like Pernell Whittaker)
I'm relatively tall and heavy, but I have very small hands, and thin wrists and forearms. I've always thought that I should prioritise elbows and clinch over punches, but I do have a relatively good jab and hook... I'm divided about where to focus my efforts :)
Been a hobbyist for decades and now that im older dont really like the MT gyms that force you to stand and bang. Sometimes i dont mind that but other times i like to use boxing evasiveness yet thats got me yelled at by coaches. So thats forced me to just self train past few years - any recommendations in Toronto area for more free thinking striking gym?
Im 260 lbs. 20% bodyfat. Can do 100 situps. 60 pushups. And have extremely fast reaction time and punch speed from speed training. A 10 gallon head that is hard to KO. And a balance stance that can move in any direction. My favorite condition is when im "hanging" from an opponents neck almost and can easy shove them cuz my weight is under theirs or I get on top of them on the ground and put my weight down and really digging in with elbows. Because of my gut im really good at controlling people from muay thai clinch or belly to belly standing grappling. I did a lot of fist and wrist hardening punching phonebooks wrapped in twine and hanging wood and heavy bag with no wraps or gloves. I did speed training by punching out candle flames with fist wind and ripping papers in half that are taped floating in the air to a piece of string and also training the speed bag with my hands down at my sides. I also practiced deflecting and kicking swinging heavy wooden blocks hanging from rope at head level with my feet so I can counter you with my kicks, the woodblock hurts and teaches you how to land your foot in different positions to deal with power from different angles and faces. My favorite strike to land is when I side-fade dodge an enemies straight punch and then lean into it and gorilla hook them with 90% of my weight and REALLY sling the punch at full speed so its like a whip with a cinder block at the end, almost no man can survive this punch and stay awake. But im also 38 and kinda gas out easy now days and have a bad habit of letting my enemies get back up when they get knocked down. I guess my style is Iron Monkey-Bear.
@@eduardoperi9897 Well if you have basic common sense, I am describing my physic and training for my physique. Which aligns with the title of the video.
I keep wanting to learn new techniques and strategies to improve my sparring but I know ultimately there is no point to learning new techniques if my physical self is not where it needs to be. That's the hardest part! I want to learn new moves but first I need to work out harder, get more flexible, lose that weight and improve my cardio lol there's no new technique and strategy that can make up for a lack of physicality! Hard pills to swallow.
Gabriel, could you answer this question some time? I've been training in kickboxing for about 1.5 years now. Lately i feel less motivated. I do not know exactly why, but i feel like it has to do with progress slowing down & having completed (and lost) my first fight a couple of months ago. Do you have any tips for me?
I'm no gabriel varga but everyone loses man,gabriel has lost multiple times and he's still an amazing fighter,remind yourself of the progress you've made and how much you've improved if you love the sport you'll keep doing it
Well I am no Gabriel Varga either - but I am his dad. We all want to win - that is a given, but when you compete in sports where there are two teams or two people there is a 50% - 50% chance you will win or lose. The first fight is hard as we take it and then it can become a daunting experience. The fact you were brave enough to take the fight and actually show up and see it through is very impressive as I have seen many fighters say "I sprained my finger" the day of the fight and cannot compete or something like that because their nerves got the best of them and they shrank and quit on themselves and did not try. The expression "A coward never gets in the ring twice" is a great one as since you lost it takes even more courage to do it again. You now know what to expect and you will be better prepared for the fight. If someone has not done it - an "armchair athlete" thinking they could be a good UFC fighter or someone who criticizes a fighter on TV is laughable if they have never been in the ring. I have told Gabriel and all our children over the years - that 20 to 30 years down the road we never regret the things we tried and gave our best at if they do not work out for us. What still bothers me in life is when I did not have the courage to try and quit before doing something or did not see it through to the end because of the risk or fear of failure. That stays with you forever. For me it was business stuff and the fear of losing money - weird that being punched in the face did not scare me - but the money stuff did. Congratulations on have the courage to do a fight and I believe that if you do a few more you will find it goes better for you. One time Gabriel defended one of his World Amateur titles against a guy who had 20 wins and 7 losses. When we were trying to put the fight together the sanctioning organization asked me why I felt the guy was good enough to fight for a world title with that record and I showed them that in fact he lost his first 7 fights then found his groove and was undefeated in his last 20 fights - that is true courage. He was an excellent fighter and tough as heck. Keep training and give it another shot. You are one of the few brave enough to even do a first fight! Keith Varga
@@kvarga9164 Thank you for your advice, sir. I really appreciate you taking time to answer the question is this detail. I like the saying 'a coward never gets in the ring twice', have not heard it before but its sure to motivate me to get in the ring a second time.
Hey I a question from a person trying to train for kickboxing to get into competing. Do you have a workout routine for kickboxing I can use to get better at kickboxing? Like from Monday to Saturday I can do every week
@@xzanderboehm4689 My Routine revolves a lot around the heavy bag due to having a very busy work schedule, otherwise I would go kickboxing classes more in the week. Monday-Rest Tuesday: -4:30am Heavy Bag 30minutes -6:30pm Strength training Wednesday: -4:30am Heavy Bag 30minutes Thursday: -4:30am Treadmill Sprints -7:00pm Kickboxing Friday: -4:30am 20min run -7:00pm kickboxing Saturday: -6:00am Heavy Bag 30 minutes, Abs, HIIT on assault bike Sunday: -6:00am Treadmill Interval Runs -7:00pm Kickboxing
If you need more info on the ideal style for your body type check out this playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLLWl9hn06quctJ2bFLNhpnJY9KGaCMDEx.html
Thank you Coach Varga!
Gabriel, I've trained for about 6 years, my coaches didnt care for my and my skills, so I switched gyms a lot, finally a year ago I was able to find a place to call home, and I'm finally able to compete!
Your channel has helped me a lot, I've watched your fights a lot an studied a lot of my favourite fighters, thanks for everything Gabriel Varga!!!!
Have you considered taking private classes on the side ? It helps level up because you get all the attention
Best fight science channel ever !
🙏🙏🙏
Im pretty short at like 5'7", so i would always look at Volk, Yan, and Zambidis to learn from and blend everything together. I never really see my height as a disadvantage anymore whenever I spar. Unless they're like 6'5" or something, lol.
If you are in the pocket or wrestling being shorter is an advantage. You just have to get there, that is the hardest part, espacialy against someone who is good at keeping you away. Either way shooting a counter takedown under their punches is even more effictive of you are shorter than your opponent
there are weight classes ya now it's unlikely you'll encounter an opponent who's 6'5 and weighs the same as you
@como se dice ESoo ? Oh, im not really competing at the moment (I primarily go for self defense), so I pretty much spar/roll with anyone that needs a partner. Man, woman, whoever. It really helps me get used to different body types
@Benjamin Horowitz Absolutely. I tested this strategy out a couple of times. Im more of a striker, but it definitely helps
@@ZolPsyko oh I get it if you're not competing it's pretty much any able bodied individual.
I’m gonna start fighting like poatan. Long, not particularly fast, but strong. I love how much he loads up his shots, and times them perfectly.
Thank you Gabriel from a fellow Canuck🍁🇨🇦
Amazing video! Martial Arts and being a Martial Artist is all about what works for YOU!
You may not always fight long but when you want to I feel like you are very good at controlling the distance in your fights.
This was fantastic. Please do more videos like this, but focusing on specific body types. An in-depth series on this would be great (for both understanding our own bodies, as well as those who we spar with/fight)
He did it. Check the play list he mentioned (link in the description
Tall skinny ectomorph (6'4" and 185 lbs) with long spider like legs here.
Naturally I have always been drawn to using kicks a lot to take advantage of my leg reach but lately I have been working more on my boxing cause I felt like I had been neglecting the hands.
Balance is the key IMO, work on your natural strengths but do not neglect the other aspects of your style, you don't wanna end up being one trick pony. ;)
Spam the jab haha
Have you ever watched Dieselnoi fight? If not check out his 1982 fight against Samart. His step in knees (all his knees lol) are terrifying, but he kicks well, punches well, and uses his guard brilliantly to control range and transition into the clinch.
Totally a agree! I’m 5’8 with kind of short reach of 68” …have tried many styles in sparring.
However, I have to say that it really depends on what opponent is in front of you, so I switch style accordingly, and sometimes I’m like karate/Taekwondo stance McGregor, sometimes more of a square Muay Thai guy that just matches forward, absorbs shots to close the distance and then fights from the inside. Or, sometimes I’m very evasive, countering opponents shots. Great video!!
All that championship experience really shows as you explain things
Great video, as always.
Really quality stuff that we probably don't hear enough.
More for us tall, thin guys please.
I find there's a lot less of that than tips for shorter guys.
I'm built like Kelvin Gastelum and I have very odd timing and role with strikes really well...And I always thought I was a counter fighter because it's comfortable.
But I recently decided to push myself to try some rounds as a Pressure Fighter, and I did way better than usual and it actually did help my counters because I forced the strikes easier and intercepted more with my odd timing.
Anyway, this is just my way of saying your opening advice is super solid and a great reminder to keep us growing!
Varga is correct! Learn all you can to have a good foundation, then spar a lot to develop your own style. Do a SWAT analysis!
Thank for the spiel, helped me out
Glad to hear it
Hey, I love your channel and all your fight with your physique videos. Can you do one for flexible/ agile fighters? I am starting my amateur career and feel like I'm very gifted with my dexterity and flexibility but I am still working on crafting my style to utilise it. You've already helped me build my fight iq so much, I'd love to hear your ideas on this.
All the big name gyms i went to pushed me into a style of theirs and it took me a few years to figure out, that was not the best way. While i took the things which worked best & put them all together. Great video sure to help many ppl 👍
Varga's unique in that he's a power striker on the inside even though he's tall! Like SAGAT is Street Fighter!
Thank for all this videos Gabriel! Can you do a video on sugar ray leonard style and footwork?
Simple and straight to the point advice in a short video, thank you, now let's get out there and train 🥊🤔
I just got back from training now I want to go out again lol
You’re the GOAT Gabriel. My favorite kickboxer ever! 🫶
Thanks 🙏
Do what you like
And
You'll get what you want
At the 4:20 mark
"Staying high is advantageous"
This could not have been an accident
Always very informative...keep it up
A lot of these also comes down to the fighter's personality and who they fighting with. The ability to adapt to what's in front of you, It is best to know how to implement techniques of a technical fighter, the brawler/slugger, the evasive one or just combination of all of them depending on occasions.
I'd love to see one for people with "slow"/average reaction speed.
We all know there are those genetically gifted freaks of nature who can just the matrix at will, but most people don't have that. I've sort of accepted that I'm probably not going to be able to react to most things in time, and often just try to build defense patterns into movements. I much prefer to clinch up or get in tight where I can rely more on "feel". I pretty much just accept that I'm going to eat shots and try to just go about my business, continuing to throw in order to keep them more defensive, hoping my "built in defense" will at least stop something on my way in.
Prolly do nothing but blocking drills for a while and learn all the different defenses (Philly-shell, cross- block where your wrist is on one elbow, and double elbow horns, and standard guard with parry palms) and then after that dodge foam strikers for your reaction speed to nullify your weakness.
You can train your reaction time dawg. Theres videos on it om this very channel
Hey gabriel! I had my first PKB muay thai fight, and I won! Watching your videos definitely helped, and I'm still learning and trying to develop my style. Are you still taking other people's films and breaking it down like you did previously?
I would Love to see a Be lIke the best Demetrius johnson video
Very Nice 👌
This is super useful for me. I'm also tall for my weight, but have major rotational power. I'm wanting to develop my skills at range better, just to lure people into trying to close distance. . . Hah! In my dreams. I'm working on it though. Thanks
How do you feel about teams that preach only their fighting style and if you try something diferent they will try change you? I feel most gyms are like this and never want really make the athletes work on where they re more comfortable in
Chute Boxe did this to Anderson Silva and he didn't do very well until he trained at Brazillian top team
It really shows a limited coach imo. A top coach will teach their style, then teach you how to make it your own and incorporate your own ideas and style.
Nice
adesanya is very good at long game however his stance is very low usually, hes just so tall
I am 160 5’7” very fit and fast and training in karate. It’s a small town and all I have to choose from except taekwondo. I feel my size definitely makes it hard for me to close the gap. Do you have any tips for someone my size training in karate? Thanks!!
If someone is a complete beginner how long should they focus on learning the basics before testing out new things
I'm pretty short (5' 7") but I'm pretty skinny and lanky so I'd like to fight like Lerdsila or maybe Petr Yan since I'm mostly a boxer but overall I want to be a defensive fighter that utilizes footwork and head movement( maybe like Pernell Whittaker)
Pog🎉❤
My style is Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, Mayweather, Lomachenko, Mike Tyson and Bass Rutten.
I'm relatively tall and heavy, but I have very small hands, and thin wrists and forearms.
I've always thought that I should prioritise elbows and clinch over punches, but I do have a relatively good jab and hook... I'm divided about where to focus my efforts :)
It's hard to say without seeing you actually move.
I'd suggest testing out what feels best as you actually spar.
Hook into a collar tie works well
Do you have any tips for unflexibile fighter?
Been a hobbyist for decades and now that im older dont really like the MT gyms that force you to stand and bang. Sometimes i dont mind that but other times i like to use boxing evasiveness yet thats got me yelled at by coaches. So thats forced me to just self train past few years - any recommendations in Toronto area for more free thinking striking gym?
Im 260 lbs. 20% bodyfat. Can do 100 situps. 60 pushups. And have extremely fast reaction time and punch speed from speed training. A 10 gallon head that is hard to KO. And a balance stance that can move in any direction. My favorite condition is when im "hanging" from an opponents neck almost and can easy shove them cuz my weight is under theirs or I get on top of them on the ground and put my weight down and really digging in with elbows. Because of my gut im really good at controlling people from muay thai clinch or belly to belly standing grappling.
I did a lot of fist and wrist hardening punching phonebooks wrapped in twine and hanging wood and heavy bag with no wraps or gloves.
I did speed training by punching out candle flames with fist wind and ripping papers in half that are taped floating in the air to a piece of string and also training the speed bag with my hands down at my sides.
I also practiced deflecting and kicking swinging heavy wooden blocks hanging from rope at head level with my feet so I can counter you with my kicks, the woodblock hurts and teaches you how to land your foot in different positions to deal with power from different angles and faces.
My favorite strike to land is when I side-fade dodge an enemies straight punch and then lean into it and gorilla hook them with 90% of my weight and REALLY sling the punch at full speed so its like a whip with a cinder block at the end, almost no man can survive this punch and stay awake.
But im also 38 and kinda gas out easy now days and have a bad habit of letting my enemies get back up when they get knocked down.
I guess my style is Iron Monkey-Bear.
Brother what the fuck are you talking about
@@eduardoperi9897 Well if you have basic common sense, I am describing my physic and training for my physique. Which aligns with the title of the video.
Could tell me what way should i fight because I'm short 5,6 but have 72inch reach?
i’m 5’11, but i’m lanky asf weighing only 130
I keep wanting to learn new techniques and strategies to improve my sparring but I know ultimately there is no point to learning new techniques if my physical self is not where it needs to be.
That's the hardest part! I want to learn new moves but first I need to work out harder, get more flexible, lose that weight and improve my cardio lol there's no new technique and strategy that can make up for a lack of physicality!
Hard pills to swallow.
Gabriel, could you answer this question some time? I've been training in kickboxing for about 1.5 years now. Lately i feel less motivated. I do not know exactly why, but i feel like it has to do with progress slowing down & having completed (and lost) my first fight a couple of months ago. Do you have any tips for me?
I'm no gabriel varga but everyone loses man,gabriel has lost multiple times and he's still an amazing fighter,remind yourself of the progress you've made and how much you've improved if you love the sport you'll keep doing it
Well I am no Gabriel Varga either - but I am his dad.
We all want to win - that is a given, but when you compete in sports where there are two teams or two people there is a 50% - 50% chance you will win or lose.
The first fight is hard as we take it and then it can become a daunting experience. The fact you were brave enough to take the fight and actually show up and see it through is very impressive as I have seen many fighters say "I sprained my finger" the day of the fight and cannot compete or something like that because their nerves got the best of them and they shrank and quit on themselves and did not try.
The expression "A coward never gets in the ring twice" is a great one as since you lost it takes even more courage to do it again.
You now know what to expect and you will be better prepared for the fight. If someone has not done it - an "armchair athlete" thinking they could be a good UFC fighter or someone who criticizes a fighter on TV is laughable if they have never been in the ring.
I have told Gabriel and all our children over the years - that 20 to 30 years down the road we never regret the things we tried and gave our best at if they do not work out for us. What still bothers me in life is when I did not have the courage to try and quit before doing something or did not see it through to the end because of the risk or fear of failure. That stays with you forever. For me it was business stuff and the fear of losing money - weird that being punched in the face did not scare me - but the money stuff did.
Congratulations on have the courage to do a fight and I believe that if you do a few more you will find it goes better for you.
One time Gabriel defended one of his World Amateur titles against a guy who had 20 wins and 7 losses. When we were trying to put the fight together the sanctioning organization asked me why I felt the guy was good enough to fight for a world title with that record and I showed them that in fact he lost his first 7 fights then found his groove and was undefeated in his last 20 fights - that is true courage. He was an excellent fighter and tough as heck.
Keep training and give it another shot. You are one of the few brave enough to even do a first fight!
Keith Varga
@@kvarga9164 Thank you for your advice, sir. I really appreciate you taking time to answer the question is this detail. I like the saying 'a coward never gets in the ring twice', have not heard it before but its sure to motivate me to get in the ring a second time.
@@camerondanchuk5558 Thanks for your kind words
@@nothydropump845 for sure
What do you do if you're just a proportional/average height and reach for your class? Don't have any long reach
Gabriel, I have a k1 fight on 12th March, when should I start winding down from doing sprints?
Hey I a question from a person trying to train for kickboxing to get into competing.
Do you have a workout routine for kickboxing I can use to get better at kickboxing? Like from Monday to Saturday I can do every week
@@xzanderboehm4689
My Routine revolves a lot around the heavy bag due to having a very busy work schedule, otherwise I would go kickboxing classes more in the week.
Monday-Rest
Tuesday:
-4:30am Heavy Bag 30minutes
-6:30pm Strength training
Wednesday:
-4:30am Heavy Bag 30minutes
Thursday:
-4:30am Treadmill Sprints
-7:00pm Kickboxing
Friday:
-4:30am 20min run
-7:00pm kickboxing
Saturday:
-6:00am Heavy Bag 30 minutes, Abs, HIIT on assault bike
Sunday:
-6:00am Treadmill Interval Runs
-7:00pm Kickboxing
My physique type is out of shape, what's the best fight style for me? lol
Fighting the urge to pick up a burger first of all
I’m 5’8 with long arms will my hooks and uppercuts be weaker because of that?