A Coaches Perspective

[Lao]

I wish they would just call his name already, it's easily been 5 minutes by now. i try to turn my mind to something that will distract me from the wait, but my world seems to have shrunk to these few moments since the official popped his head in the changing room door and gave my fighter his 5 minute pre fight call.

 

(I hate the waiting)

 

I look around the changing rooms hoping for a distraction. i glance at the other fighters who are sharing with us, most have already fought, some have won their match, others have lost. their coaches are going over the fight with them, some fighters are commiserating or congratulating each other.

 

(More waiting)

 

Our changing room, "the blue corner" changing rooms according to the door. all fighters are separated by which corner they are fighting out of, so they dont have to see their opponent until fight time. Some of the guys in this room have fought each other in the past, one of my fighters has fought one of these guys before, beat him for the british amateur heavyweight title in fact. but now they are chatting like old friends, sharing strategy and discussing their upcoming opponents to see if the other knows anything about him.

 

(time passes agonisingly slowly)

 

It wasnt like this to start with, when we first arrived each group kept to itself, but as time grinds slowly by a bit of camaraderie starts to build between the different groups in the room, we share our pads and some fighters warm up together. when the first fighter is called he is met with good lucks and pats on the back, and some of the fighters who are not on until later will go out and watch his performance.

 

(Dali's melting clocks are now haunting my mind)

 

Finally the call. the official comes in an asks for my fighter and his cornermen to move into the corridor and to then procede to the ring when the announcer calls his name. As before all the fighters wish us luck as we did for them, someone calls out "another win for the blue corner coming up", another shouts "blue corner rules!" i smile and nod. my fighter has nothing to say, as of this moment he is all business.

 

(The waiting is over....now come the doubts)

 

Each fighter is supposed to have two official cornermen, one is usually a cutman the other a coach/advisor to the fighter, but most teams cant afford a dedicated cutman and mine is no exception, today i am both coach and cutman, so one of our other fighters makes up the numbers that have to be cageside.

 

(What has he got to prove?)

 

The three of us are standing in the corridor, the opponent enters the ring first, we wait impatiently as his music plays and he makes his way to the cage. Finally the announcer calls my fighter, i feel a swell of pride as my team name is called out and then we are making our way to the cage.

 

(Why am i making him do this?)

 

My fighter's music starts and he walks out to the cheers of the crowd, we follow close behind carrying the essentials, ice, drinks, a towel and most importantly an encyclopedic knowledge of the different styles, strategies and techniques that he likely to face.

 

(Is he ready?)

 

Each step towards the cage these doubts are slipping into my thoughts, but i no longer let them plague me i already know the answers, i am not making him do it, he want it. It is not what he has to prove to others but what he will learn about himself that is of value. and of course he is ready, every match before this proved it, every training session has proved it.

 

(Time to clear my mind for the task ahead)

 

Finally we are in the cage, i apply some vaseline to his brow and nose to help the small 8oz MMA gloves slide of his face without cutting him, give a few last words of encouragement and then leave. The referee come over to watch me lock the cage door, two large steel bolts that noisily slide into place. there is a finality to that act, and so i take my place.

 

(Remember when not shouting advice and instructions, shout simple encouragement.)

 

The fight Starts.

the above is an amalgamation of my experiences cornering and coaching for my mixed martial arts team Blackdogmma, it is not any particular event nor for a particular fighter. my hope in sharing these experiences is that it will have a cathartic and theraputic effect on my sleeping patterns in the build up to the next event. the story covers the bit i hate most about my job, from the 5 min pre fight call to the walk to the ring. but it only covers those parts as the warm ups/gameplan before hand and the fight itself are both highlights of my job

[Chinahand]

Thanks for that Lao - not a world I know, but interesting reading your insights to it - try one about what its like when its all adrenalin in the next few minutes after the fight starts. Erm I suppose it would have to be two - one where your guy wins will give one set of emotions - and then there will be another one, which I imagine will be tougher to write. Am I right in that guess?

[Lao]

i thought i might do a little series of stories, and as such your suggestions are noted.

 

you are of course correct, writing about wins are easier, but in our game there are two types of losses, good performance and bad performance losses.

 

a good performance loss is a memorable performance against a better opponent, a close decision loss that is too close to call or a last minute ko or submisson victory for your opponent that has fighters and fans alike on the edge of their seat.

 

a bad performance loss is being so clearly out matched that you are being toyed with, or get beaten in the opening minute of the first round.

 

thankfully so far i have been careful enough in my selections and matchups to never have a fighter have a bad performance loss, and i can honestly say it is an experience i am going to try my hardest to avoid.