'Fail to prepare – prepare to fail'

I’m always trying to introduce new and fresh approaches to fight preparation to make sure the athletes that I train are at the optimum when they go into battle in the ring.
To get fight fit, there is a package to consider. This includes diet, sleep patterns, general fitness levels and crucially, the recovery time between rounds during bouts. There is information out there that allows me to gauge the first three, but nothing is available for the fourth of these – certainly nothing in kickboxing.
Last week, I brought in a new testing regime to read different fighters at different levels of experience and readiness to help gauge recovery time necessary to get others fight ready.
I've teamed up with Dr Gwyn Beattie who is working with me on this.Dr Beattie is one of the top doctors at the A&E's Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and also happens to be our main ringside doctor at all our events. We tested the blood pressure and pulse of three fighters before and after each round of sparring for four rounds. These three fighters were at three general levels - one who has not trained in two years and is unfit, one of average fitness and one of athletic style fitness who is ready for the ring. When we get the results back, we will be able to use them as a guide to new fighters who come into the gym claiming to be fit. I can test their pulse and BP after a couple of rounds of sparring and immediately plot where they are – whether they are ready to go into the ring or how long it should take on average to get them ready.
The difference between a good fighter and great fighter is minimal. By using this system we can make minimal, but crucial, differences to training. We have a great stable of young fighters in ProKick. This is going to help make them all even better.

Billy Murray
Head Coach ProKick

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