It has been almost 6 months since I joined Kombat Arts martial arts academy (Mississauga, Canada) and I’ve decided to share my thoughts and impressions.

[NOTE: The original version of this article was lost due to data corruption. This version is a re-composition that is hopefully more comprehensive.]

me on the far right, receiving tips from senior student Ivan

I have always wanted to train in a martial art. When I was much younger, I had short experiences at both karate and tae kwon do schools. In both cases, either schedules were too rigid, prices were too outrageous, locations were too far to be practical, or atmospheres were not inviting. I feel very fortunate that a school like Kombat exists, for if it didn’t, I would have probably given up on martial arts for good. The fact that they’re only 15 minutes away from my home makes it even sweeter. I will try my best to review the most important aspects of my experience thus far.

Facilities:

A few months ago, in October of 2007, the school expanded to a 10,000+ foot facility. There are now 3 very large matted areas, an official ring, almost a dozen heavy bags, a weight room complete with free weights, power rack, benches, dip machine, kettlebells, medicine balls, and seperate locker rooms for men and women. An octagon for MMA training is supposed to be coming soon also. There is also a pro shop on-site that sells equipment like gloves, mouthguards, handwraps, clothing, and more. For beginner students, the school has “community” gloves and pads, so buying equipment upfront is unnecessary. However, if you are seriously committed to training, I would highly recommend at least your own pair of gloves (for muay thai) for sanity sake. For beginners in jiu-jitsu, however, a gi is mandatory from the get-go.

Atmosphere:

From the instructors to the students, the general impression is one of positivity within the school. It’s clear that people come to train, and I have yet to witness any horseplay or goofing off while a class is in session. At the same time, it’s hard to accuse anyone of snobbery, elitism, or pretension. From my first class until now, mutual respect has been one thing that I’ve felt from the atmosphere among the students and instructors alike. It’s definitely one of the most admirable aspects of the school.

Class Selection:

Another appealing aspect about the school, and a clear sign of their seriousness towards mixed martial arts, is the extensive class selection. Aside from muay thai kickboxing, which seems to be the core strength of the school, scheduled classes are offered every week in the follow disciplines:

• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
• Savate
• Wrestling
• Boxing (Traditional Western)
• Conditioning
• MMA
• Kali
• Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do
• Mini Dragons (kids)
• and more…

One of the great things about Kombat is that they offer a free trial week. During that week you are free to attend as many classes as you want to test. During my first week, I think I tried almost every class except for wrestling. A friend of mine was actually brave (stupid?) enough to participate in a mini wresting tournament while I sat and watched. He was matched up with a guy whom he thought he could take. Not surprisingly, he was pinned pretty quickly, but nonetheless it was very entertaining to see him get man-handled. It was great to compare all the classes and get a sense of what they offer in terms of conditioning and skill. I chose to focus on muay thai because I felt the conditioning benefit was among the highest of the disciplines, in addition to the very practical combat skills included.

Another great aspect about membership is that there is no restriction to how often you can attend classes, or what classes you wish to participate in, so the only bottleneck is an individual’s will. With the weight room included, you have amazing value for your membership money, and having a separate gym membership is more or less redundant, unless you desperately need access to treadmills parked in front of television sets.

Instructors:

I have been very impressed by the slew of expert instructors available at the school. It’s not a one-instructor-fits-all place by any means, but rather a wide team of instructors that each contribute according to their specialty. Not once have I ever been spoken to in a condescending or patronizing manner by any instructor, and in virtually all cases they have been very helpful in answering my questions and concerns (especially for a southpaw like me). In addition, they often circulate and offer invaluable advice during practice drills.

Naturally, I found that some instructors can be more challenging than others in terms of conditioning and drill difficulty, which is great, because it adds variety and keeps the body from adapting to static routines. Another point to consider is that classes often cycle their focus, so that one day may focus on footwork, while another day may focus on conditioning, striking, defense, counter-attacks, or combinations thereof. All around, the instructors and the class structures lend themselves to a very dynamic environment in which to train.

For my first ever class, instructors took us newbies aside and gave us a primer on the fundamentals. During that introduction, we were basically taught how to execute a proper jab, cross, push kick, and thai kick, along with some guard advice. I think it was adequate preparation for the beginner classes.

Seminars/Events:

The fair share of famous names in the mixed martial arts world that visit Kombat Arts is one point that I found very appealing when I first began to research the school. I think it adds a lot of credibility to the school when they host seminars led by highly respected names. Some past guests include:

• Georges St. Pierre
• Matt Serra
• BJ Penn
• Randy Couture
• Rob Kaman
• and others…

In addition to the occasional seminars, the school is often host to local tournaments in which competitive students from Kombat face-off against other schools. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to attend any personally, but I look forward to catching some in the upcoming seasons and supporting our fighters.

Final Thoughts:

Physically, I have lost around 15 pounds since joining. Obviously, my diet has played an important role in the progress, but I also attribute it in part to the rigorous training at Kombat. I can now also do 50 consecutive push-ups, whereas I would struggle to pull off 30 in the past. I can say with certainty that it is a result of the training at Kombat (you will get to know push-ups well, dear friends). In terms of fighting skill, even though I am still a novice, I feel my ability to inflict damage and protect myself, compared to when I first began, has lent itself to greater confidence in day-to-day life, probably due to the profound affect on my self-image.

I think the community at Kombat Arts is really remarkable. The cooperation and respect between students can be observed constantly. The school also demonstrates it’s social value by embracing new media forms either through it’s Facebook group or official blog. Top-notch instructors, combined with flexible schedules, very fair fees, world-class equipment and facilities, and respectful atmosphere, are the main reasons I keep coming back to train at Kombat. In the past year of my life, it has undoubtedly been one of the wisest decisions I have made.

For more information, it’s probably best to check out their website.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

Many people have had problems with their shipments once they reach Canada Customs at the border. The majority of these incidents happen with USPS (United States Postal Service) as the shipping agent. Others and myself have had success by using FedEx as the chosen courier. I’ve never had one issue when ordering Biotest products via FedEx, especially since I’ve ordered some controversial (according to Canada Customs) stimulants like Hot Rox Extreme. The price is virtually the same, if not cheaper, when choosing the FedEx option (during the checkout on the Biotest site), and the duty charges are usually the same (or less) than USPS! In addition, the order usually arrives within 3-4 days, as opposed to 1-2 weeks as with USPS.

Anyways, just some advice if you plan to order any type of stimulants or fat burners from the US.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

I am a full believer in the theory that music absolutely helps with training intensity. Music evokes emotion. Emotion is the difference between a mediocre workout and a remarkable one. I personally sway towards powerful lyrics and powerful scores. That probably explains why rock and metal seem to always have a place on my iPod shuffle.

The only problem is that like any music, over-playing tracks inevitably lowers the appeal of the song. Eventually all tracks get played out.

With that being said, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 training songs… for the moment.

1. Crystal Method & Filter - Trip Like I Do (Remix)
2. Alkaline Trio - Burn (Underworld Soundtrack Mix)
3. Metallica - Blitzkrieg
4. “Gattaca” Movie Theme (Soundtrack)
5. Apocalyptica - Nothing Else Matters (Instrumental Cover)
6. A Perfect Circle - Passive
7. A Perfect Circle - Halo
8. Jay-Z - The Ruler’s Back
9. Eminem, Obie Trice, and DMX - Go To Sleep
10. Gary Jules - Mad World

Whenever I have a new rotation of songs, I’ll make sure to share them. If you have any recommendations, I’m always open to suggestions!

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

Just over two months ago, I purchased my set of 14 oz. Twins Special boxing gloves for muay thai training. I’ve had a great experience with them so far, so i decided to write a little review.

Choosing A Size

One of the choices, besides brand and color, when choosing gloves, is the size or weight. After asking speaking to some of the instructors at my academy and doing some research online, it appears that the lighter weights (12 oz) are for competition, while the heavier gloves (14 - 16 oz) are suited more for training and sparring. At 14 oz, it feels great, and suits my hands fine (I’m 6′1″ tall).

Finding the Best Deal

At first I went to the obvious source, eBay, for a deal on gloves. I saw many different designs, but the overall impression I got from eBay gloves was that the sellers seemed to be pushing stale/awkward inventory that probably has trouble selling. I did find some basic color/size gloves, and while the prices were good, the shipping seemed to kill the value of the deal. I ended up finding MuayThaiStuff, and their prices were excellent, with very fair shipping.

Experience with MuayThaiStuff.com

Overall it was a pleasant online buying experience with MuayThaiStuff. I received my order in under two weeks (and I’m in Canada), which I consider good timing, especially considering the package came from Thailand!! I purchased Twins ankle supports along with my gloves, but I’ll review those in a different review. The order came with a tracking number, and customer service replied to my e-mail in under 24 hours. Great sellers.

Experience with the Twins Boxing Gloves

They feel really comfortable on my hands, and I consider my palms pretty wide. The leather is quality, and the craftsmanship of the stitching and inside lining is equally as good. The velcro straps make it very easy to put them on and take them off, even when you have both gloves on! They do a really good job at keeping the hand and fingers in the right position for a punch, and they really protect the hand when doing bag drills or when blocking. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ventilation holes (pictured above) in the palms of the gloves. It really helps keep the gloves cool.

The inner lining is very smooth which makes it easy to wipe down and keep clean after training. One of the worst parts about using shared community gloves anywhere has got to be the funky smell that develops in them, and which usually ends up on your hands for a while. That was actually the biggest motivation for me to seek out my own personal gloves. So far it has been a great decision! If you’ve been debating whether on not buying your own gloves are worth it, I highly recommend the investment.

This review was brought to you by Project Phatko.