So the fight story goes….

Yesterday’s West Coast Can-Ams at BCIT was my second opportunity to compete in Muay Thai.

A week out and my trainer Wilf Betz (in the pic) had me drop down to 119lbs just in case there was a low female turnout. If only a handful of girls registered on the day it was entirely possible that the organizers would reshuffle the weight divisions and he didn’t want to risk me being placed with heavier girls.

The plan was to weigh in on Sunday morning as early as possible and then eat for a few hours before competing. I was almost as nervous hopping on the scales as I was stepping up to fight but the outcome was perfect: 119lbs on the nose.

First test over; so far so good. Time to eat. I wasn’t the only one with that idea either. Despite the early 8:30am start there was already a small queue forming by the weighing machine, protein bars at hand ready to gobble.

Only five girls registered for the Modified Muay Thai competition so I was relieved to have cut the weight because the divisions were definitely going to be overhauled. Until they announced that we’d have to weigh in again right before fighting….arggghh, all that food. How much of a difference was it going to make?

Turns out, not a lot. I weighed in just over 120lbs. Phew.

Three of the girls weighed in over 135lbs and only two of us came under. She was at least ten pounds heavier than me though and wore several tattoos. Nervous? Me? And it showed. It took me at least half of the first 1.5 minute round to settle down and start to engage. But it wasn’t really enough to make it my round. During the 30 second break Wilf told me it was too close to call. But I wasn’t here to lose.

The bell for the second round went and that was it…time to unleash the pain! I’d been practicing being mean all week and suddenly the trigger flipped. I came back on the mats ready to physically hurt her and make her regret taking me on. And for a moment I really did hate her, which felt so alien because I generally don’t dislike people and I’m she’s a lovely girl in real life. But in that moment, on those mats, I truly wanted to hurt her.

Then she did an illegal move and threw me to the floor. Fine in MMA but not at this level. When I got up I was seriously pissed. I’d been about to throw some knees but she prevented me doing so by tripping me, throwing us both to the floor and landing on top of me. I stood back up enraged. She was not about to have this her way. I got in to close range, grabbed the back of her head in a clinch and kneed her over and over again in the chest, then took a step back and kicked her a couple of times in the thigh until the fight was stopped. Sounds a bit brutal but there was no way I was taking second place.

(I giggled at myself while doing this though because the ‘mean’ really did come out. I actually heard myself let out a grrrrr while launching a knee in to her chest!)

I’ve a black eye to show for my efforts but I’m pretty sure her ribs are hurting quite a bit more.

Not sure when the next competition is but I’m so ready to fight again. I was the moment I walked off the mats.

Huge, HUGE thanks to everyone who came out to watch yesterday: Dyl, Emma, Tiffanie, all the Universal team and, of course, my trainer Wilf (having you in my corner rocks!)

Cut it out

The countdown begins…

On Sunday May 31st (in just five days) I’ll be entering the female Muay Thai division at the West Coast Can-Ams—my second local competition.

But aside from the usual preparation of training, this time there’s a slight weight issue to consider. Don’t get me wrong, my weight isn’t actually an issue. Or it isn’t normally. I don’t look like a walking, talking donut but when every pound counts it’s time to start getting picky.

My weight division is 120-130lbs and I’m aiming to come in at as close to 120lbs as possible. The reason being that if not many girls register this weekend I don’t want to risk ending up in the heavier division if mine gets split in two.

Last Friday (eight days before the competition) I weighed in at 124lbs. This morning, when I woke up, I was down to 120lbs. But I’m really walking around at 122lbs. The first 2lbs shifted without any issues but the final 2lbs are proving a little more difficult.

I’ve not gone down the dehydration / sweat-it-out-in-the-sauna route just yet. Instead I’m just trying to (rigidly) control my eating, which basically boils down to no carbs except at breakfast time and in a post-workout shake.

Yikes. For a girl who loves her porridge this is really tough going. Herbal teas and chewing gum have now become fast friends in the fight to stave off hunger. But I keep telling myself that cutting weight is all part of the journey and a test of my determination….and for those who know me, any mention of the word ‘test’ or ‘competition’ and I’m all in!

So we’ll see what happens when I step on the scale. I’ve five more days to drop 2lbs. Fingers crossed!

Kicking Techniques by Rob McCullough

As a self-confessed devil for detail I’m always searching for sites that breakdown Muay Thai moves. I’ve found a couple of good ones so far but this instructional video on head kicking techniques by Rob McCullough definitely gets the thumbs up.

Let me know what you think.

Female fighters Modafferi vs LaRosa (video)

If you’re in any doubt as to whether women can fight, take a look at this recent video.

At 130lbs these two girls are some of the best out there. It was a rematch that earned them fight of the night.

Mastering my mean

I’ve never really gone in for being mean but it’s something I’m definitely working on it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to suddenly start kicking cats or scowling at small children, it’s more about harnessing my inner mean during the pressure of a fight.

My trainer today pointed out that at any time during a round something happens that triggers my mean switch. I get angry in a focused kind of way and deliver good stuff. I feel it too and am aware of when it happens but I’ve to learn how to control it and flip the switch myself without having to rely on taking a punch or making a mistake for it to trip.

I’m not entirely sure if I know how to do this because I’m naturally quite laid-back and far removed from mean but I’m going to give visualisation a go. A sports psychologist I work alongside swears by the success of this method. But apparently for it to really work it’s not enough just got to imagine it, you’ve also got to feel it.

So if you see me walking around looking angry it’s not because I’m having a bad day, I’m just trying to visualize being mean.

The next competition is in two weeks so I’ve 14 days in which to master my mean.

What do you think of visualisation? Has it worked for you?

Seven things to do in Thailand besides fight

In between four and a half hours of training each day (excluding the morning jog around a lake and the frequent one-on-one training sessions) I’m hoping there will be enough down-time to squeeze in a few Phuket sights and sounds.

Here are the seven I’m most looking forward to but if you have any recommendations I’d love to hear from you:

1. Hiring a scooter – could there possibly be a better way to see this gorgeous area?

2. Daily massage – at only $8 a session, it would be rude not to

3. Searching for elephants – apparently I won’t have to search too far. Elephants on the roadside? I can’t even being to imagine what that must look like. Best practice my obstacle avoidance scooter skills!

4. Shopping – hmm, maybe not for girlie goodies though. I understand the quality of gloves and hand wraps out there are second to none

5. Sitting in the crowds, cheering on the local fighters – just a small evening sample of what I might be up against at the end of our training. Eeek!

6. Eating – not only do we get a breakfast to die for at our hotel, but I hear the local food is beyond amazing. After all that training I think we’ll need it

7. Sunday (our one day off) – sleep? Sight see? Snorkel? Sunbathe? Surf? How’s a girl to choose?!?