Posts Tagged ‘Pakistan Muay Thai’

Shaheen Smoker F.A.Q

Posted on: October 9th, 2011 by admin 3 Comments

What is a ”smoker” event?

When you’re training in MMA you eventually want to test your skills. Often fighters enter amateur events to get a better understanding of where they stand. But what if you’re not ready for an amateur event, and you have already sparred with everyone in your gym. Then what you want is a “Smoker” – an event in which different schools and gyms pair up and have their students test themselves. This is the perfect solution to test your skills and see what competition is out there.

What are ”Shaheen Smokers”?

Shaheen smokers serve the same purpose, they are designed to introduce new fighters to a professional environment without the pressure and hype of one. Inviting players from other gyms, schools or clubs to test their skills in not just MMA but almost all form of combat sports, be it boxing, submission grappling, muay thai/kick boxing. Shaheen smokers have even introduced mixed rules, catered to the specific needs of different fighters which include but are not limited to, MMA rules with the exception of strikes on the ground, Kickboxing with standing submissions etc.

The first Shaheen Smoker took place on April 17th 2010 at Shaheen MMA Academy, the event saw fighters from different styles of martial arts competing against each other in a ring with a small number of spectators. The event gives fighters the experience and confidence necessary to participate in professional events without the possibility of  performance anxiety.

Who can participate in a Shaheen Smoker event?

Shaheen smokers are not just  for poeple who train in MMA or martial arts, they are for anybody and by anybody, it means literally anyone. Are you a street fighter who likes to brawl in clubs?,do you watch the WWE and think you can take on other guys?, are you a body builder and think no one can beat you?,then come on down to a Shaheen Smoker and test out your skills in a safe and professional environment where at the end of the day its all about the fighters and the audience having a  good time. In order to make sure you get a fight just pre-register yourself after the date of  the event is announced on facebook, twitter and on www.pak-mma.com

Where do Shaheen Smokers take place?

Shaheen Smokers originally took place at Shaheen MMA Academy and Elite Fitness but with Shaheen MMA Academy merging with Synergy Fitness, the smokers now take place at Synergy Fitness, which is just 1KM from the Shaheen Academy location. For complete address and contact information visit www.club-synergy.com .

What happens on the day of the Shaheen Smoker?

A typical Shaheen Smoker day starts of with the participants(fighters) getting weighed so as to ensure complete fairness if the fight has been agreed to happen in a particular weight category. Match ups are announced and the rules of the fights are explained depending upon the proposed match ups by the fighters, after which the fights take place.

Can I get injured if I fight in the Shaheen Smoker?

As this is a combat sport, minor injuries like cuts and bruises occurring in a fight are common, although strict measures are taken to ensure fighter safety from any long term and life threatening injuries by the organizers.

Can I come just to watch the fights?

Yes you can, the aim of MMA Pakistan is to promote the sport of MMA throughout each corner of Pakistan, your presence will resemble the success we have made so far, to show your support also bring your friends and everyone who is interested in MMA.

Which is the best place to train if I want to train for a Smoker?

Depending where you are situated, for Lahore, the best place to train for a smoker or any MMA event is Synergy Fitness.

I have some more questions, who do I contact?

For further information please call 0334-4137706.

To watch fights from previous smokers click here.

PTV Seminar (with video)

Posted on: January 23rd, 2010 by admin No Comments

Apologies for the late delivery of this article. The website was down for almost a week and just got back online.

On January 17th, at Sukh Chan Wellness club in Gulberg, Lahore Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan partnered with Fite Selektor to hold an MMA seminar for Pakistan Television. The purpose of the seminar was to educate the Pakistani audience on what Mixed Martial Arts is as well as let everyone know that there is a reality show taking place and that we are looking for as many applicants as possible.

The exercise studio at Sukh Chan had about 40-50 people during the shooting. People from all walks of life attended the seminar ranging from domestic workers to those working for international firms. Children just starting their martial training were in the crowd alongside some of the top Martial Artists in the country.

The seminar dealt with the history of modern MMA, what MMA is (a form of competition), the sports rules and the latest news regarding Fite Selektor Reality Show. This was the first part of the seminar, the second part of the seminar had players from various Martial Arts put on demos ranging from Kata’s to light sparring. With each demonstration Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan gave commentary and analysis about what was going on as well as how each style contributes to MMA.

After the demo’s there was a wrap up where Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan summarized the days events and ended with the conclusion that there was a lot of talent in Pakistan that just needed a platform and outlet to be recognized. Fite Selektor is helping make that happen. Then came the issue of wether or not pakistan is ready for such a new sporting event in light of the current situation. MMA Pakistan is of the opinion that Pakistani’s just want to go on with their lives as they normally do, and this sport has such potential in the country that the current security situation will not pose an obstacle in it’s path to supreme popularity.

A special thanks goes out to all those who attended particularly those instructors who came with their students. Thanks, Shahbaz Ali Khan, Shafiq Awan and Aamir Butt for attending and to all your students. Thanks to all those who performed at the seminar helping make it the success it was.

Next up on the MMA Pakistan agenda is continuing to look for fighters from all around Pakistan to compete in Fite Selektor and to begin organizing an amateur MMA event in Model Town Lahore on the 14th of February. Details regarding this will be announced in the coming weeks. Those who want to fight please contact info@pak-mma.com or call 0334 413 7706.

Those who wish to take part in Fite Selektor please send the following information to info@pak-mma.com

Name -

Age -

Location-

Weight -

Experience -

Phone Number -

PICTURE in fighting stance -

Please keep yourself updated and take some time to look around the website and watch how MMA has developed in Pakistan! MMA Pakistan the original origin and destination of all things Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan!

Enjoy the video.

How to Get the Best Mixed Martial Arts Equipment For Beginners

Posted on: November 25th, 2009 by admin No Comments

When selecting MMA equipment it is always recommended to research the brands that are available for that MMA equipment before you buy. This is true whether the MMA equipment you are buying is boxing gloves, MMA sparring gloves, MMA boardshorts, kick shields, rash guards and so on. The fightwear brands you may be most familiar with from other sports – and this is especially true if you are new to the sport – may not offer the best MMA equipment for you to buy.

General sports brands such a Fairtex, Addidas and Twins offer a good range of mixed martial arts equipment and fightwear which is of a high standard and quality. However specialist brands for MMA include Tapout who you may have seen advertised on the UFC. MMA fighters often wear MMA boardshorts and MMA clothing advertising this brand.

Granite and Affliction are also excellent manufacturers of MMA equipment and fight clothing, if not yet as high profile It should be possible for you to find all the different types of mixed martial arts equipment and fightwear on one website, for example, specialist stores.

If you are just starting out in the sport of MMA, maybe you got your interest peeked by watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), or have just starting taking lessons and have already decided to start purchasing your mixed martial arts equipment. You have probably decided to start buying your MMA clothing and MMA equipment with either a pair of boxing gloves or a pair of MMA sparring gloves.

When you start out in a sport like mixed martial arts it is important to purchase a gumguard, although you are probably more interested in buying your MMA sparring gloves or boxing gloves. Once you have bought this you can then examine the many different suppliers of MMA gloves and boxing gloves such as Fairtex, Twins and Granite.

Most good mixed martial arts instructors will have already advised you that the most important article of mixed martial arts equipment is your gumguard. Your boxing gloves, your MMA sparring gloves, your kneepads, your thai pads and your groinguard although useful are nowhere near as important an article of mixed martial arts equipment as this. If your instructor has not advised you of this you may want to consider how safety conscious your club really is.

Granite make good quality MMA gloves so this would be a good range of MMA fightwear for you to consider. These MMA gloves are 4oz as is standard and are made of black leather.

Alternatively, if you fancy buying from a brand featured on the Ultimate Fighting Championship you could try Tapout MMA gloves.

You will often see these on the hands of UFC fighters because they have a sponsorship deal with the UFC. Although this is good marketing and some people prefer to wear endorsed fightwear, these articles of mixed martial arts equipment are of just as good quality when bought from brands such as Granite and Affliction as when bought from the Tapout brand.

Isometric Exercises For Mixed-Martial Arts

Posted on: November 24th, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

Isometrics are not often used in sports specific strength and conditioning. Because most sports are dynamic in nature, isometrics aren’t obvious to they eye and thus aren’t trained.

In MMA, isometrics can add another element to your game that can help you submit your opponent, escape a submission, or achieve a dominant position whether standing or on the ground.

For example, if you get caught in an armbar and your opponent doesn’t immediately lock you in, you’ve got some time to escape. How long you have depends on your ability to keep your arm flexed using your biceps while trying to move your body around so that your arm is in a safe position.

Another example is when you’ve got a triangle locked in. Submitting an opponent with a triangle is no easy task, so you’ve got to have the ability to keep your knees squeezed tightly together for an extended period to tire your opponent out to make him tap.

A final example is in the clinch. When you’re pummeling back and forth with an opponent or you have a single-leg, you’ve got to hold your arms in a certain position against his bodyweight – this is isometrics in action.

So how do you train isometrics in the gym?

My favorite way to do it is to throw isometrics into the middle of a set. That would mean if you’re doing 12 reps of an exercise, after rep 6, you do an isometric hold at the middle of the range of motion, then finish the set off.

Or, you can break it up into thirds, so you can do an isometric hold of 5 seconds after the 4th rep, 8th rep, and at the end of the set.

But let me warn you – this method is difficult and burns, making it a great method for training mental toughness at the same time.

Here are 3 of my favorite exercises to use isometrics with:

1) Inverted Row

  • Hang under a barbell with your feet on a swiss ball so your body is parallel with the floor
  • Hold when your elbows are at 90 degrees

2) Push-up

  • Do your standard push-up, or put your feet on a ball for an added challenge
  • Hold at 90 degrees of elbow flexion

3) Leg curl on Swiss ball with knee squeeze

  • For this one, you need a squishy child’s ball
  • Put it between your knees and for the entire set of leg curls, squeeze the ball together as hard as you can

So now you have 3 exercises and a new method for developing your MMA strength and conditioning. Put these into your workout routine and you’ll be tapping people out when you would’ve given up before, and you’ll take your MMA game to the next level.

Isometrics are a component of a good strength and conditioning program. But there are a few things that many MMA fighters do wrong in their MMA workouts. Don’t make the same mistakes, check out the Top 5 MMA Workout Mistakes

Schedule for the next 2 months!

Posted on: November 13th, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan is about to get very busy! We a lot of stuff planned over the next 8 weeks. Make sure to try and show up at any event you can and bring friends and family. If we don’t cover a city please let us know and we will try and include it on our tour. Please remember these are tentative dates. Nothing is finalized until we get feedback from fans on the ground. Remember Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan is YOU. You are going to make this happen. The fans and supporters of all Martial Arts are going to lead the way to a new stage in Pakistani sport. So, here are the tentative dates.

November 21st

Grappling session in Karachi – time and location to be announced

For those who want to get the most out of the seminars in Karachi it is highly recommended you attend these sessions!

December 1st

On Site Interview With Shah “No Pain” Hussain in London!

December 6th – 9th

Seminars in Lahore

Dec 9th – 12th

Seminars in Karachi

December 12th – Jan 3rd

Full time training in Lahore

Jan 3rd – 8th

Seminars in Islamabad

So that’s the basic idea of what will be going on for the next couple months

FiteSelektor tried coming to Pakistan for MMA show

Posted on: November 11th, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

This has been out for a while but decided it was worth sharing with the readers to give you some idea how big MMA is getting around the world and that there are already promotions looking to bring it to Pakistan and recruit Pakistani fighters.

Here is a press release from a Dubai based MMA promotion called “Fiteselektor.”

“Fiteselektor, the Dubai based Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event will start it’s FITESELEKTOR GLOBAL TALENT TOUR in January 2009 in Pakistan.
MMA is a spectacular combination of wrestling and full contact kickboxing techniques.
Fiteselektor is the only MMA concept in the world where the audience decides, by means of SMS voting, who is fighting whom.
Fiteselektor’s first port of call will be Pakistan, where over the course of January 2009 fighters will be recruited all over the country.
These fighters will be selected in a reality tv program where they will undergo gruelling MMA training while competing with each other. The Fiteselektor jury decides who will make it to the next round. The ultimate winner will be awarded a professional MMA contract as well as a considerable amount of money.
More details will be provided in the press conference, scheduled for mid December 2008 in Karachi, Pakistan.”

Based on very reliable sources close to MMA Pakistan, FiteSelektor was not able to find anyone in Pakistan to aid them in their search for fighters. MMA Pakistan’s website came online just three months after this press release. However, that is ok. Next time they come, and it will be sooner than later, we’ll be ready and waiting with fighters from Pakistan

Greco Roman Wrestling

Posted on: November 3rd, 2009 by admin 5 Comments

Greco-Roman wrestling is a combat sport which focuses on grappling. This form of wrestling does not permit holds below the waist and emphasizes upper body throws and slams such as the suplex etc. Unlike freestyle wrestling, a wrestler is not allowed to trip an opponent nor hook the opponent’s legs for blocking/avoiding throws.

Greco-Roman wrestling is a combination of arm drags, bear hugs, headlocks etc; all of these techniques have great importance in Greco-Roman wrestling. Similar to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Greco-Roman wrestling also focuses on controlling the opponent on the ground, thus rendering him ineffective on his back.

Greco-Roman wrestling is said to be developed mainly on lands east of the Mediterranean Sea, mostly considered to be lands where the Ancient Greeks resided. In ancient Greece wrestling was not considered as a martial art but a regular exercise for men and boys and was made compulsory in school’s physical education curriculum. Initially Greco-Roman wrestling made its way through Europe and became very popular over there. However due to its many restrictions it lost its popularity in Britain and the United States to free-style wrestling.

In Greco-Roman wrestling one can win by:

  1. Fall: When one wrestler is successful in pinning the shoulders of his opponent to the ground/mat and maintaining the position for 1-2 seconds.
  2. Technical fall: When one wrestler leads by 6 points from his/her opponent, the judges declare the wrestler ahead in points the winner.
  3. Decision: At the end of the match if neither wrestler gets pinned the judges base their decision on points and the one with the most points win.
  4. Forfeit/Disqualification: One may also win if the other wrestler forfeits due to injury or withdrawal and by disqualification due to getting multiple warnings or by carrying out un-sportsman like conduct etc.
    The training regimen in Greco-Roman wrestling mostly focuses on conditioning and flexibility. One should be at the peak of his condition due to the quickness and the strength which is involved in wrestling, having to keep your opponent on his back, slamming/suplexing him etc. Flexibility is also a key factor in wrestling due to the high level of arches, turns, twists one must make to slam an opponent.
    Also quickness and agility are main components which make a wrestler what he is.
    Wrestling is a very demanding sport that requires the best from each athlete that steps onto the mat. The expectations and techniques remain relatively unchanged even though almost 3000 years have passed. Greco Roman wrestling is a true link makes it possible to connect the past history of this sport with its modern day incarnation.
    Greco-Roman wrestling has played a prominent role in MMA. Since UFC 4 there have been many wrestlers that have entered the octagon/ring and dominated their opponents by taking them or slamming them to the ground. Notable Greco-Roman wrestlers in MMA include:
    • Dan Severn
    • Randy Couture
    • Dan Henderson
    • Chael Sonnen
    • Matt Hamil

Grappling Fundamentals Part One

Posted on: November 3rd, 2009 by admin No Comments

This is not about BJJ, its not about wrestling, it’s not about judo. It’s about grappling or ground fighting. As an instructor once told me, “grappling at the highest levels is all the same”. What this means is that the fundamental concepts of grappling are the same no matter if your a judo black belt or a kushti wrestler. Of course the rules of your particular game may differ but the physical concepts of leverage, momentum, weight distribution etc don’t change.

In grappling there are two main facets to consider. One is positional dominance and control and the other is submissions.

Positional dominance is controlling your opponents body on the ground, an example of this is having someone in the full mount which is where you are sitting on top of your opponent. The person on top is in a dominant position because he can rain down strikes wit great effect on his opponent due to gravity while his opponent is pretty much helpless. Positional control comes into play regarding how effective you are in holding mount. You could get the mount position but then have huge problems staying on, constantly defending the chance of being bucked off. However, for someone with good positional control they can sit on top of their opponent and no matter how hard the other is struggling to buck them have total control with which to rain down effective strikes. Wrestlers are known for being very good with positional dominance and positional control.

Submissions are techniques applied on the ground (however they CAN be applied standing but are much harder to pull off, almost never see this in a pro fight) where a limb in manipulated beyond its normal range of motion causing pain and the potential for serious injury or when a choke is applied causing the opponent to lose consciousness. The most well known and utlized art form for this aspect of grappling in MMA is Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.

They are different animals but very closely related to each other with a few exceptions. The link between the two lies in the fact that generally speaking, a submission is much easier to obtain when you are in dominant position.

It’s all in the hips, is what my BJJ instructor always tells me. There is a lot of truth in that. To control an opponent, controlling their hips is very important. With the hips your opponent will try to get to guard, buck you off or scoot away to get to their knees. Controlling the hips is very important. This does not mean you should ignore the upper body, it just means that it requires more strength, attention, focus and technique to control a good opponents hips than it does his upper body.

A good drill to do for first time grapplers is to take turns with a partner trying to control each other in either side mount or mount. This will teach you to get used to being pinned underneath someone and remaining calm while looking for a way out. It will also teach the controlling partner how to remain on top of a resisting opponent without losing position. There are many techniques that are involved in this one aspect of ground fighting however this lays down the foundation of what is a long road of learning.

So they key point that one should learn from the article is that learn how to control position before submission. This is particularly true for MMA because from a dominant position you also have the added option of strikes making your top position all the more advantageous.

Controversy regarding Shah “No Pain” Hussains fight emerges

Posted on: October 29th, 2009 by admin No Comments

Recently it was posted that Pakistani fighter Shah “No Pain” Hussain lost a decision in his recent Oct. 24th bout in the UK. After getting a chance to discuss the details of the fight in turns out that on Oct.24th along with a controversial Machida-Rua decision Hussain also suffered a controversial loss although it was quite different in detail from the Machida-Rua situation.

Turns out that Hussain lost on a technicality. The fight was ended during round two when Hussain was poked in the eye requiring medics to make an examination whereupon they deemed him unfit to fight because he could not see anymore.

Oddly enough despite being not able to continue, the judges scored the bout based on only one round. Because his opponent was ahead on points during the one completed round the fight was awarded to Hussain’s opponent.

Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan got a chance to talk to Hussain and got a blow by blow summary of the fight.

Round 1- “I attacked first with some heavy and snappy inside low kicks, Hamdan was looking to attack by constantly making out he was going for the shoot, but I knew he was doing so, so I would drop the hands and he could catch me with strikes. both of us were sizing each other out, and Hamdan caught me with a good left hook which immediately made my nose bleed, ref stopped fight to get the cut on my nose checked out by the medics, medics cleaned it up and gave the ok to carry on. strikes are landed from both of us and Hamdan goes down to an inside low kick, he claims to have been caught in the groin area, but I know it wasn’t that far deep, he falls to the floor claiming I have caught him in the groin area and gets some breathing time. He looked like he was gassed at that stage.”

Round 2- “Both of us are again sizing each other up at the start and again I go in with a round house kick followed by a high kick to which Hamdan blocks, I go for the shoot and take Hamdan down, in side control I control him well and keep a good strong base and punish him with strikes and hammer fists from side control. He reverses me, and from top headbutts me twice, my corner goes crazy and I look for the ref to make a statement, but the ref hasn’t seen it. I reverse him back and again strike from above. We both manage to scramble back stood up from the floor and I shoot and take him down once again but land with him on top, Hamdan throws elbows from above, (Ultimate Challenge UK- bar elbows from being used on the floor, due to fights getting stopped too early from the damage they cause) again ref doesn’t see as he is at different angle and I’m back in side control. From beneath me he tries to strike, but to no avail, as there is no power in his punches. He threw a few strikes and one of the strikes he came thumb first and then clinch a fist, too late as it caught me straight in the eye. I pull away in pain holding my eye and ref calls medics in, I cant keep my eye open and fight is stopped.

Obviously upset with the outcome Hussain summed up his feelings regarding the match

“I can deal with a loss no problem, but to have a loss like that, I just cant get over. As soon as I was back in my corner room, I demanded a re-match. I wont rest until I have that re-match. But for now i’m taking a week off as my left foot is swollen and I have swelling around the nose and eye area. Its back to training from next week onwards, and I cant wait for the next one…..
Just want to thank you all (Pakistani fans) and best wishes messages to Pak MMA – you guys are doing a great job!”

Capoeira

Posted on: October 29th, 2009 by admin 16 Comments

Capoeira is a striking art with origins as an Afro-Brazilian art form which combines elements of martial arts, music and dance. In the martial arts aspect of Capoeira, it focuses on striking particularly kicks accompanied by acrobatic movement. Similar to Muay-Thai and Indonesian Silat, Capoeira is accompanied by its traditional Afro-Brazilian music and is demonstrated in coordinance with the tempo of the music. Although almost non-existent in MMA, Capoeira has made its way in becoming a fully fledged sport.

There have been many theories about the styles that make up Capoeira, however one theory has been considered by many Capoeiristas that Capoeira may have been influenced by a ritual fight-dance called N’golo (the zebra dance) from Southern Angola, which was performed by people of southern Angola. Since the 1960s, the N’golo theory has become popular amongst some practitioners of Capoeira Angola, although it is not universally accepted.

Created by slaves brought to Brazil from Africa, during the colonial period, Capoeira is a martial art that grew from survival. People were brought from Angola, Congo and Mozambique, and with them, they brought their cultural traditions. They hid their martial art and traditions into a form of dance. The African people developed Capoeira not only to resist oppression, but also for the survival of their culture and the lifting of their spirits. After slavery, they continued to play Capoeira.

Capoeira was against the law for 20 years until 1918. The first Capoeira School ever to exist was that of Mestre Bimba. He was given permission to do so in 1937, after he demonstrated the art in front of President Getúlio Varga. Capoeira was finally recognized as a national sport.

The Jogo (game/match) in Capoeira is played in a Roda (the circle of people around the Capoeiristas), its circular shape is maintained to keep focus on the players and musicians and retain the energy created by the Capoeira game.

Capoeira does not focus on injuring the opponent. Rather, it emphasizes skill. Capoeiristas often prefer to show the movement without completing it, enforcing their superiority in the roda. If an opponent cannot dodge a slow attack, there is no reason to use a faster one. Each attack that comes in gives players a chance to practice an evasive technique.

There are two main styles of Capoeira that are clearly distinct. One is called Angola, which is characterized by slow, low play with particular attention to the rituals and tradition of Capoeira. The other style is Regional, known for its fluid acrobatic play, where technique and strategy are the key points. Both styles are marked by the use of feints and subterfuge, and use groundwork extensively, as well as sweeps, kicks, and head butts

The actual object of the game is different according to what style of Capoeira you are playing.

In Capoeira Regional the object is to try and floor your opponent. But still you do not actually floor him or her. You just show how you might be able to the moment you find an opening.

For Capoeira Angola the object is to try and hit your opponent in the face. That is why in general the arms are held up higher in Capoeira Angola to protect the face. Again, the object is not to actually hit your opponent but to show where you might be able to. Angola is played mostly close to the ground.

Yet having very little to do with MMA, Capoeiristas have managed to involve Capoeira in MMA competitions yet some have succeeded and some have not but still it proved that Capoeira is not useless in MMA and one can benefit from it with the right combination of styles.

Notable Capoeira practitioners in MMA:

* Elvis Sinosic
* Marcus Aurélio
* Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons
* André Machado Gusmão