Knowledge is power, and one of the best ways to acquire knowledge is from reading books. Lots of them. Most of my success in fighting and in business can be largely attributed to the many books that I have read or audio books that I have listened to. Your training does not have to end at the gym. Grab a book and do your homework to increase the rate at which you progress. Here is a list of my personal 5 best fight books that will surely help you with your muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey:

A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting
By Sam Sheridan

A man travels around the world to learn and train with the highest level coaches and fighters in an attempt to understand why we fight and what it means to be a fighter. Many fight disciplines are covered in A Fighter’s Heart including muay thai, boxing, jiu-jitsu, MMA and many more.

Great for aspiring fighters looking for inspiration and to learn about the different types of combat systems and what they entail.
Difficulty: Easy to read. Easy to listen to as an audio book.
PREVIEW HERE

The Fighter’s Mind: Inside the Mental Game
By Sam Sheridan

Sheridan continues his adventures abroad interviewing, training, and fighting alongside the best in the hurt business. Here he explores the psychology behind mental toughness and what it takes to be a world class fighter in the many different fighting arts (muay thai, boxing, jiu-jitsu, MMA, wrestling and more).

For those who want to toughen up and get that mental edge.
Difficulty: Easy to read. Easy to listen to as an audio book.
PREVIEW HERE

The Art of War
By Sun Tzu

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise by military strategist Sun Tzu. There are 13 Chapters, each covering different military strategy and tactics. These teachings in The Art of War have been adopted by the leaders of today to better understand many areas of life including martial arts, sports, and business.

This book will help you strategize for sparring and competition as well as give you a different mindset when confronting battle.
Difficulty: Hard (requires deep thought to grasp concepts and teachings). Read instead of listen on audio book to better absorb complex topics.
PREVIEW HERE

The Book of Martial Power
By Steven J. Pearlman

The Book of Martial Power explores fundamental principles and philosophies of combat that is translatable in all the varied martial arts including muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It covers key concepts such as timing, footwork, angles, relaxation, distance management, economy of scale, the list goes on.

Another book that will aid with your sparring and competition.
Difficulty: Average to Hard (depends on how much analyzing you want to do)
READ SUMMARY HERE

Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee
By Shannon Lee

Lee’s daughter summarizes her father’s work including martial art concepts, principles, and philosophies in Be Water, My Friend. Shannon shows how one can overcome life challenges and self-actualize through the practice and understanding of Bruce Lee’s teachings.

A great book for all combat practitioners who appreciates the art and philosophy behind life and martial arts.
Difficulty: Average to Hard (does require some critical thought)
PREVIEW HERE
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These books all have a special place it my heart as they are greatly aided me in my fight training back in the days. 

NOTE: Keep in mind that the more complex the subject matter, the more difficult it is to follow along on audio as you may need extra time to absorb the information thoroughly. I find reading as opposed to listening better for more in-depth, complex, and philosophical topics.

Being accountable to just yourself can be difficult.  A little trick that works for me is finding a friend or group to hold you accountable for showing up and putting in that work.  Nothing like a bit of peer pressure!  Don’t feel like working out this evening? Text a friend and ask him or her to join you.  This will increase your chances of following through because you wouldn't want to cancel on your buddy now do you?  No one likes a flopper.  

I found a neat little website called Stickk (https://www.stickk.com/) that may help you “stickk” to your goals.

HOW STICKK WORKS:

1. Create your goal(s) and set the parameters.

2. Sign a “Commitment Contract” which is a binding agreement you make with yourself and the organizer of the site.  This will increase the chances of you following through because it utilizes the psychological power of accountability and loss aversion.

3. To further ensure that you will accomplish your goal(s), you have the options of:

i. Putting money on the line and if you fail to meet that goal you lose the money.

ii. Inviting friends to cheer you on along the way.

iii. Choosing a referee (friend or family member) who will hold you accountable by verifying that you are adhering to the reports and Commitment Contract that you have signed.  

There are 53 million dollars on the line, 534 000 commitments created,  and 1 million workouts created.

Let me know how it works out for you if you end up using Stickk.  I would also love to hear about all the different methods and tricks you guys have implemented to stay motivated.

When the pandemic first hit last year, the closure of Legacy caught me by surprise.  Competition was what drove and motivated me to train, but with the lack of events, I lost motivation and gained 15 lbs last spring as I had a hard time adjusting. Since then, I did some serious reflecting and now I do not solely depend on competition to stay motivated.  Combat sports is what I love doing and it represents a means to develop my character and grow as a person.  As a result of the lockdown,  I adapted by finding different ways to remain in shape;  Calisthenics, outdoor jogging, a healthy eating plan, and Zoom muay thai classes are helping me stay fit until reopening. I have since lost the extra weight and found renewed motivation to stay on path.  

Here are 4 steps that helped me stay motivated during the pandemic:

1. WHY DO YOU TRAIN?

This is the most important step of them all.  Getting clear on why you train is the first step to finding motivation to push through during the lows.  Most will just glance over this point...but without a clear reason as to why you train, you will not have enough conviction to battle through those periods where you just don’t feel like doing anything.  Grab a pen and start jotting down all the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons why you got into training in the first place.  A good place to start is at the very beginning of your journey.  Try to recall this memory and the feeling you felt when you first fell in love with your sport. What made you start?  Why do you train?  Let's bring our awareness to some of these questions.

2. PLAY THE LONG GAME

Once you have finished step one it’s time to start viewing your training endeavors as a long term pursuit. TRAINING IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT.  You already know on a deeper level why you train, and now you know that these setbacks are just a small blip in your overall journey. 

3. CREATE NEW GOALS AND MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS 

Stop dwelling on the glory days of your training because times have changed.  It is not your fault that you are not performing or training the same as you previously were.  We are in a pandemic after all.  Create new training goals and expectations for yourself.   An example of a new goal can simply be to maintain your fitness level with modified workouts until the time is right to return to your old training regimen.  DON’T FORCE MOTIVATION. We do what we do because we love it, not because we are forced to.

4. CHANGE YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM

It is time to accept that we may have a little longer before returning to our old training routine and exercises.  I suggest you modify your training program to better suit the times.  For the martial artist, you can still improve your game in alternative ways.  Consider doing various solo drills, shadowbox, heavy bag work, study professional fights, watch instructionals and fight analysis on YouTube,  listen to fight podcasts,  and/or cross train with other sports and activities.  Examples of sports that can be done alone and can help supplement your martial arts training include yoga, meditation, track and field, CrossFit, powerlifting, weightlifting, calisthenics, and gymnastics.  

No more excuses. Let's get back to work.

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Don't hesitate to comment below or contact me directly for additional advice and suggestions!

This pandemic just doesn’t want to end!  At times like this I know it’s hard to remain positive, let alone motivated.  Our gym in Barrie has been locked down 4 times in the last year and it has been extremely difficult to pull through each time.  The hardest part is the "yo-yoing' back and forth and not being able to establish a set routine.  Just yesterday, Ontario’s Premiere announced that Fitness and Recreational Facilities won’t be opening for another 2 months.  I tried not to blame and point fingers after receiving this bad news.  Well, I’m not perfect! I ran to my wife and cursed at the world for a good 30 minutes. But all in all I thought I dealt with this a little better than in the past :).  

Guys, I know it’s cliche but when one door closes, another one opens.  I truly believe that.  We must find and embrace the hidden opportunities that come with every setback in life.  This may require you to temporarily change your mindset, goals, and priorities, but I promise that you will be better for it in the long run. 

Ryan Holiday said it best;  “The obstacle is the way.”  

Find your way!

I graduated from the University of Waterloo 15 years ago.  Yes, you guys may think "what a great accomplishment!"  In a way I guess it was, but I barely passed my last year, and it took me 5 years to receive a 3 year degree that I don't give a crap about.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against school or formal education!  It just wasn't for ME.  Growing up in a traditional Asian family, I never had the choice not to go to University.  So I did it anyways just to please my parents.

Shortly after graduation, between sitting on my ass playing World of Warcraft and watching TV, my long lost childhood passion for Martial Arts was reignited once I began watching PRIDE FC, a MMA organization based out of Japan.  Inspired by fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Kid Yamamoto, and Fedor, I decided to search online for fight gyms in Kitchener.  There were few selections but I remember stumbling onto a muay thai gym called TKO Fighting Arts.  The website was pretty simple, but what caught my eye was how “raw” the fighters and gym looked in the photos.  There was no glitz and glamour, just toughness...I needed toughness.  

When I told my friends about this, one of them (let's call him John) did not sugar coat how he felt about my new found interest. “Dude, there’s no way you're gonna hang with these guys.  You’re just some university kid, you know how tough you gotta be to fight? You won’t be able to do it.”  These words of his still linger with me today.

I don’t know where I found the courage to even consider such a sport. Maybe it was because I was fed up feeling like a nobody and desperately hoped that muay thai was going to be something that could give me direction and purpose. I decided to go try my luck with a trial class…After the session, I was hooked.  I never could have imagined that my simple decision to start muay thai would eventually send me down a path of unbelievable adventures and self-discovery.  

So to everyone reading this; go out there and try something new!  It might be scary, it might be hard, at times you may even want to quit...but do it anyways.  See you in the next post.

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On a side note, many years later I did end up cutting John out of my life.  We don’t need friends like John in our lives.