Sep 272018
 

Precision Boxing and MMA fighter Garret Volpe earned a hard fought victory on Saturday, but it wasn’t long ago that he was in a hospital bed, not fighting for fame, but his survival. Garret fell victim to a heart complications that occured after being infected with an otherwise harmless virus. The situation became so dire that he was one step away from being on a donor list. See the video below to learn more about Volpe’s journey and recovery.

While this news would terrify most people, Garret faced his illness with steadfast determination and optimism, confident that he would not only survive, but thrive.

Once he was back on his feet he did not waste any time and refocused himself on his martial arts goals. First he stepped into the ring for his first boxing match, a grappling superfight followed, then a muay thai bout. All matches had one constant, a notch in the win column for Volpe.

MMA competition remained Volpe’s ultimate goal though. At Cage Wars he would have his opportunity. Standing in his way was a fierce competitor from Team Renzo Gracie, a camp that has numerous past and current world champions to their credit. Volpe knew a hard battle was ahead of him, but he welcomed the challenge with open arms.

The first round began and Volpe began putting his trademark combinations together. Using his whole body as a weapon and his opponent’s whole body as a target Volpe unleashed lightning quick punches, knees and kicks to the head, legs and body.

In the second round Volpe showed his grappling and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu skills taking the fight to the ground and progressing to a near fight ending choke hold. Saved by the bell his opponent came out in the final round determined to win and late in the bout landed several hard punches opening a cut around Volpe’s eye. Volpe wethered the storm though and showed that his heart and determination matched his technique en route to a decision victory.

Poughkeepsie MMA fighter Garret Volpe wins

Poughkeepsie MMA fighter Garret Volpe wins

If you live in the Poughkeepsie are and would like to make your MMA dreams come true check out Precision Boxing & MMA at 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.precisionmixedmartialarts.com

Apr 262016
 

No one ever called Muay Thai the gentle way. The world is not perfect and at some point we all get hurt. When you train with an injury it is important to train intelligently. Many students exacerbate the injury repeatedly by doing the same technique that caused the injury in the first place.

Muay Thai is awesome and everyone wants to get back to training as soon as possible. However while injured you need to modify your training so that you are able to recover to 100%. This is especially difficult for people to adhere to when they have been training for an upcoming fight. Instead of letting the injury heal people will make it worse and potentially have to pull out of the fight.

 

Always alert your coach to any injuries you may have. It’s important that you both be on the same page. This will allow your coach to help modify your training so you don’t aggravate your injury. Your coach can also make sure you are working with the more controlled and experienced students to help keep you safe.

 

Stop!

Do not spar if you have sustained a concussion. Take time off and see your doctor right away. Don’t try to be a tough guy and fight through the pain. Head trauma is serious and additional damage at this point will be much worse.

Do not spar with rib or jaw injuries. Let them heal. Rib injuries can be pretty limiting and you may need to stick with just footwork and shadowboxing until you heal up.

Do no spar if you have cuts on your face. Lacerations stop fights. You see it all the time, guys with lots of scar tissue in their face cut more easily. Excessive scarring around the eyes can develop into a weakness for fighters. Get the cuts cleaned out and properly covered to allow healing with minimal scarring.

 

Hand injuries

For minor hand injuries often times you can adjust your wrapping style. I recommend having long hand wraps. 190 inches and up. With long wraps you can reinforce the knuckles, the wrist or the thumb depending on what is bothering you. another option is to double up and use two hand wraps on the same hand. Some people will put a pad or a sponge over their knuckles before putting on the hand wrap to provide additional protection.

For more serious hand injuries you need to stop punching things! This simple concept is difficult for many people to accept. For pad work you can replace all punches on that side with elbows. For sparing try sparing with only kicks or work from within the clinch.

 

Leg injuries

If you get a bone bruise on your lower shin stop kicking with that leg until you heal up. With a bone bruise on the upper shin you may still be able to kick pads and bags. Listen to your body! When working combinations replace kicks from the injured side with knees or teeps. You could injure your leg in a fight and be unable to throw kicks, so training this way will give you alternative game plans your can fall back on.

One of my favorite sparring games is to use punching and round knees. This drill helps you develop new and better knee strike set ups. You can focus on your punch technique and develop a dirty boxing game. If your legs are up to it work on your clinch fighting.

 

Do not spar with a weapon until you can throw it full power on a bag or pad. Many times I have seen fighters test out a hurt hand or shin by tapping a heavy bag with it. They hit at half power (or less) and decide they are now fit to spar. Even though you are only sparring things will be chaotic. People almost always end up re-injuring themselves because they didn’t want to wait an extra week to heal up.

 

Being injured is also a great time to work on the opposite stance. Practice all the techniques you can from your home stance, and then switch it up and learn to attack from the other side. This is a good way to follow along with a class if the combinations/techniques you’re working on are on your injured side. It will help keep things from getting to boring.

 

So if you get hurt be smart and let your body heal. However most of the time you will be able to continue training in some capacity. Take this time to work on your weaknesses and you will be a better overall martial artist when you’re feeling one hundred percent again.

live near Poughkeepsie, NY and  want to be a fighter, or just train like one check out Precision Boxing & MMA FREE for 30 Days call 845-392-8495 or visit http://poughkeepsiemuaythai.com/

Mar 142013
 

MMA in the Hudson Valley has been exploding over the past few years.  Unfortunately, many of the Hudson Valley MMA Gyms are simply single style martial art schools re-branding themselves in order to profit from the UFC boom.

Hudson Valley MMA

Hudson Valley MMA

Here’s a few things to look out for when selecting an MMA gym in the Hudson Valley.

#1 – The school only competes in 1 discipline

A true mixed martial arts gym will have golden gloves boxers, muay thai kickboxers, grapplers and mixed martial artists all stepping onto the mat, ring or cage to compete.  If you are at a school which only produces kickboxing competitors or grapplers then that is a big red flag.

 

#2 – All the same coaches for each discipline

MMA encompasses so many unique styles that its nearly impossible for one coach to be a true expert in each discipline.  A well rounded Hudson Valley MMA gym will have a variety of instructors for wrestling, Judo, boxing, muay thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  If there is only a single instructor then they are likely severely lacking in one or more areas.

 

#3 – An uneven schedule

If 75% of the classes are devoted to one style then you probably are NOT at a true Hudson Valley MMA gym.  Many Jiu-jitsu gyms will have a “boxing night”.  While that may be a nice change of pace, it certainly does not do enough to qualify the school as a Mixed Martial Arts Gym.  Authentic MMA gyms teach in depth in all ranges of combat, not topical highlights.

 

#4 – Limited Facility

An MMA gym will have a striking area as well as a grappling space.  If your gym only has a boxing ring and heavy bags with no grappling mats or crash pads then you can bet they aren’t devoting enough time to ground fighting.  Conversely many BJJ gyms posing as MMA schools have nice mats and wall padding but no striking bags or boxing ring.  The facility is a reflection of the training.  If you want mixed martial arts then you need variety in the facility.

Hudson Valley MMA

Hudson Valley MMA

 So if you’re looking for an authentic Hudson Valley MMA gym, check out Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY.  With classes 7 days a week in boxing, muay thai, BJJ, Judo, Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts Precision has the best schedule in the Hudson Valley with experts teaching each discipline.  We also are the largest MMA school in all of Dutchess County at 5,000 square feet.

Check out our 30 Day FREE Trial – call 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com