I wake up every day at exactly 5 a.m. Then I go running from 5:30 to 6:30. After that, I have punching bag training from 6:30 to 8. I've been doing this for 3 years now, and it's a choice I still stand by.
It not only has physical benefits like better endurance and an athletic body. It also gives you a stronger mind and perseverance.
Furthermore, it has given me a better awareness of how much you can do in a day and how wasteful it is not to use the full 24 hours. After my morning training, my day continues like a regular student.
So, like everyone else, I have school from 8:30 to about 5 p.m. After that, I have MMA training from 6 to 8 and BJJ training from 8:30 to 11 p.m.
The morning training and punching bag routine
Before I go running in the morning, I drink at least a liter of water. Then I start with a small warm-up. Think of butt kicks, high knees, jumping, and touching the ground.
Nothing special yet!
After this, I run in the forest and then run straight to my gym. That's about 10 km further. I run this in an hour. When I arrive at the gym, the punching bag training begins.
This is mainly focused on endurance training and technique. We always start with shadowboxing and then shadowboxing with weights in our hands. After that, we do relay rounds at the punching bags and poles.
We do this for about 20 minutes. After that, I always hit and kick pads with my trainer for 40 minutes.
The MMA training
A day in the life of an MMA fighter naturally also involves training. The MMA training from 6 to 8 consists of three parts. The first part is only grappling and ground fighting, the second is stand-up fighting, and the third part is both.
In the first part, we mainly practice technique, and strength does not yet play a role. Here we practice various takedowns, sweeps, clinches, strikes, and chokes. We also learn how to escape every hold and choke we learn. So you practice both offensively and defensively.
In the second part, technique and strength matter. Here we only do stand-up sparring. We do rounds of 5 minutes per person. We spar against everyone present at the training in a relay format.
Then part 3 begins, the all-round fighting. Here we are allowed to fight both standing and on the ground. We spar for 20 minutes until the end of training at 8 p.m.
The Brazilian JiuJitsu training
At 8:30, the Brazilian JiuJitsu training starts, where we train ground fighting at a higher level. Because in BJJ you are not allowed to punch or kick, you don’t have to adjust and can focus 100% on grappling.
You also have a very different fighting stance than in MMA. This BJJ class consists of 2 parts. The first part consists of various techniques to make someone choke or break bones.
Think of chokes, armbars, leglocks, and many other holds. In this part, we are only practicing and trying to use the right techniques at the right moment. In the second and final part, we spar for 3 tapouts.
For each tapout, as a penalty, you have to hang upside down on the punching bag for a minute, and the trainer is allowed to use your stomach as a punching ball.
What kind of martial arts gear do you need?
I use different martial arts gear for each training; for example, for punching bag training, I use the Rival bag gloves because they feel very comfortable and are top quality.
They also have thick padding that offers me good protection in the long term. With these gloves, I don’t need inner gloves or handwraps, and I really like that.
For MMA training, I use different gloves. For sparring, I use 7 oz MMA gloves, because these have very thick thumb and knuckle protection, which is very important to me. Moreover, 7 oz MMA gloves reduce the chance of injuries due to the thicker padding.
Furthermore, I also use the XPRT Boxing gloves. These are made of genuine cowhide leather and have a one-mold foam filling. Underneath, I also wear the Bandages XPRT for extra protection. I also use the matching XPRT Pro Shin guard. The shin guards are exactly the same quality as the gloves.
But the most important of all are good mouthguards. And of course, mouthguards that are CE approved. Mouthguards provide maximum protection for my teeth but also protect against brain damage, and many people don’t know that.