Shir Cohen Comes Out Of The Shadows
Becoming a star is not easy. Shir Cohen's rise to the top was not like a rocket ship. She came to Fairtex 2 years ago.
Hailing from Israel, Cohen’s background was in kickboxing. She moved fast bouncing this way and that. Her combinations were fast. And they took her to Birmingham where she won the Kickboxing talent in her weight class. But Muay Thai is a different game. She started all over. She fought at Fairtex Fight. Then she took on Nanghong in the Road To ONE Tournament. She was cut badly. But Nanghong was beaten worse. While blood streamed down her face, the judges gave her the decision.
Then it was her ONE Championship debut. She battled Teodora Kirilova at Lumpinee. Cohen took out her opponent. Her next fight was against the fearsome Francisca Vera. She won again.
This time she used her Muay Thai weapons. She punched and then ended her combinations with her elbows.
Her next bout is coming soon. She’ll take on Amy Pirnie from the UK. The atomweight battle is a tester. The winner is rumored to take on the champion.
And Cohen’s rise to the top just won’t stop.
Trading Leather
(In This Photo: Fairtex BGV1- Gloves, Fairtex HG13- Head Gear )
The boxers wear big gloves. The purpose is so they can hit hard. At Fairtex, the athletes don’t spar much, but when they do box spar, they go 80%. The gloves are 20 ounces. Enough to feel the shot, but not small enough to do threatening damage.
Kendu is wearing the classic BGV1 gloves. They are used for padwork, bagwork, and when larger for sparring as well.
Why Do Trainers Eat Boiled Eggs
Everyone needs protein and boiled eggs are delicious, nutritious bombs of protein. One egg provides 6.3 grams of protein. Most adults should have about 50-175 grams of protein per day. The necessary macronutrient helps with building and repairing muscle.
Trainers like Rwin are constantly working hard in the gym. The Filipino boxing coach holds pads for literally dozens of high level athletes every day. His shoulders will hurt. He will get damaged. The protein is a necessity.
Boiled eggs are also a classic part of Filipino food. Often they are marinated overnight in an adobo sauce. This gives it a ton of flavor and is usually eaten with rice.
An adobo marinade is made of soy sauce, white vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, black pepper, bay leaf, and water.
So for Rwin the boiled egg is a great source of protein and a reminder of food back home.
How To Jump Kick
(In This Photo: Fairtex BGV1- Red, Fairtex SP5- Yellow, I)
Czech athlete Andy Cehovsky always delivers spectacular moves. The former IFMA medalist wows the crowd at Fairtex Fight with spinning elbows, jump knees, and other eye catching moves. He does it all by practicing in the gym.
Here he’s captured jump kicking. To jump kick the fighter launches off the kicking leg. This creates height. The other leg is brought up as high as possible. This maximizes the height. Then the launching leg is extended into a kick. If the athlete is explosive they can hit the neck and upper body.
Kru Tai is catching Andy’s powerful body kick with the Fairtex Kick Pads. The standard kick pads are made of microfiber leather. It is lightweight but durable. The stitching is strong enough to withstand powerful kicks, punches, and knees. The straps are belt and velcro making them snug fits onto Kru Tai’s arms.
Lifting For Muay Thai
Muay Thai athletes are beginning to understand more and more about sports science, particularly about weight lifting. Weight lifting is a great supplement to the cardio intensive training of Muay Thai. It rebuilds the muscles worn from repeated Muay Thai movements.
One method that works for athletes is the French Contrast. It combines heavy exercises with explosive movements. The goal is to create more power. Boxers can generate more force in short bursts. So if a boxer wants to hit harder the French Contrast method is the way to go. It also improves agility. Moving faster is essential for dodging attacks.
There are also Conjugate programs. These join together several types of training. So there will be a max effort exercise. Heavy training is used. The athlete will want to do a single rep of a heavy weight. Then the boxer moves into dynamic work. They perform plyometrics or speed and agility. The last is to do repetitive effort exercises. The athlete works to their capacity. They are aiming for fatigue and building tolerance to lactic acid.
The Long Guard Explained
(In this Photo: Fairtex KPLC5, Fairtex BS0639 Fortune Black, Fairtex BGV1- Black, Fairtex TP3- Blue)
In classic Muay Thai there are several basic guards. The most common is hands high, above the brows. This guard prevents cuts and shields the boxer from punches.
A variation is the long guard. The athlete extends their lead hand and grabs the bicep of the extended hand. The extended hand works as a probe or as a pike against the opponent. The rear hand is used to absorb punches. The elbow is used to block potential hooks and uppercuts.
Kru Noon is testing Matthew Daalman’s long guard. The Dutch athlete is transitioning into Muay Thai.
Author: Matt Lucas
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