Red Hawk Essentials #55
Plan On Things Taking Longer, Injury Prevention, Everyone Loves Ya The Same
Plan On Things Taking Longer
Anything that’s worth a shit will take longer than expected.
Otherwise, everyone and their mother would be doing it. So expect the journey to be hard.
Be thankful that it is that way. If you’re consistent and disciplined, your chances of success are that much higher.
So just enjoy the process. Be present. Get 1% better each day.
If you’re training, I know it gets boring throwing the same combo over and over. I know you’ve thrown thousands of jabs and right hands.
But there are hundreds of small details you can focus on. If you’re willing to get out of your head and be where your feet are at, you’ll see.
You can focus on pushing off your back foot, turning over your hip, and breathing out when you punch. There are a lot of details that go into a technique.
The basics win. Most of the knockouts in the UFC are from simple things like a right hand or left hook.
You can tell when someone’s an expert at these fundamentals. In intense situations, that person is still throwing their shots with clean technique.
When someone comes into my gym, I can tell if they have good fundamentals.
Someone who spends more time learning advanced or fancy techniques is gonna get exposed when they’re in a bad position.
When they’re under mount, side control, or on their back - they get stuck. They gas out. Their excuse is usually about getting into better shape.
No. You need to get better at the fucking sport. And that comes with mastering the fundamentals.
I know the basics are boring. Sometimes in jiu-jitsu, it’s weird too. A move you learned 3 years ago can click all of a sudden.
But just continue enjoying practice. Bring good energy and focus on the process.
You’ll break through eventually. Don’t think about when or how.
Injury Prevention
This is ironic because I just tore my Achilles while playing basketball. But we’re getting that fixed up this week.
A lot of jiu-jitsu gyms I go to don’t do warm-ups. If they do warm up, it’s like a random 5 minutes of stretching and moving.
I’m personally proud of the warm-ups we have at our gym. These are routines I learned from other teams and stitched together.
I think it’s important to get your body ready to move in different ways and to be explosive.
Another thing is diet. When you’re young, you can get away with eating like shit. In high school, I’d eat Taco Bell, crush a Mountain Dew, then go straight into the wrestling room.
When you get older, that shit takes a toll on ya. Trust me, I tore my achilles off a jump shot.
Another thing I recommend to younger guys is to not cut too much weight. I’m naturally 190 lbs and I’m a big, bulky kid.
When I cut to 155, I felt like all my power and explosiveness got zapped from me. And there wasn’t much muscle to protect my joints which led to a bunch of injuries.
Everyone’s bodies are different though. Genes are different. People shed weight differently. So it’s hard to say how much weight you should cut.
But to prevent injuries, just doing simple stuff like warming up, staying hydrated, and eating well will go a long way.
Ordering a large pizza after practice and lying down for a few hours probably won’t help you for the next day.
Do some yoga, some foam rolling, and eat some clean stuff before bed. That way, you’re good to go tomorrow.
Again, it’s the boring stuff we talked about earlier that pays off in the long run.
Thorne
Speaking of injuries, some good supplements can go a long way.
A bunch of UFC fighters use Thorne as part of their daily health routine.
Thorne is third-party tested for the best quality ingredients so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
I personally use magnesium before sleep, fish oils, amino acids when I’m training hard, and their VeganPro complex protein.
If you’re in the market for some good supplements, Thorne is the brand I trust. You can feel safe and good about what you’re putting into your body with Thorne.
Use the link below and Throne will hook you up with a 15% discount on your order.
Everyone Loves Ya The Same
Losing is the darkest moment for a fighter.
You put in a ton of work during training camp. You may have had to travel away from your family for a couple months.
You fully believed in your mind that you were ready. All your teammates, friends, and family showed up. All the sponsors who believed in you and gave you money showed up.
But you failed on that night.
It’s so fucking sad. There’s a lot that goes through your head. You feel like you let everyone down.
The first thing I remind my guys after they lose is that everyone still loves them.
If they’re actually on your side, they will love you the same.
I love you the same. Your teammates love you the same. Your family loves you the same. No one is gonna lose love for you, so it’s okay.
It’s just part of the sport.
After everything is settled down, and the fighter is calm and thinking clearly, then you can be honest.
Tell them what you think they should improve on. Focus on the little things that will help them in the next one.
If you’ve never fought before, you might’ve never experienced this. But there’s some crazy shit that runs through your head after a loss.
You start imagining things that didn’t happen. Your brain makes up shit and you can drive yourself wild over it.
Again, losing a fight sucks really bad.
If you’re coming off a loss, focus on specific areas to get better at. I know the first day back is gonna feel weird.
You still feel like you let everyone down. But remember, everyone is there for you. They love you exactly the same.
I’ve been there. I’ve had fights where I was so fucking mad afterward that I didn’t wanna go back to practice.
But I forced myself to and it was always better for me than not going.
So just do it. It’s therapeutic even if it feels painful in the beginning. After 1-2 days, you’ll get back into the groove like nothing changed.
It’s also good to have a coach who isn’t afraid to be honest with you. Someone who will tell you if you’re not coming to practice enough or slacking in areas.
Someone who’s not afraid to find the root of the problem and what caused you to lose.
Was it mental? Was it something technical? Was there shit going on in your personal life?
And don’t forget to put things into perspective.
Fighting is crazy. Everyone is gonna get their ass whooped at some point if they play the game long enough.
Khabib would’ve taken an L sooner or later if he didn’t retire. It happens to the best.
Most importantly, there are worse things that could have happened. If you didn’t really get injured, that’s a blessing. That means you can get right back on the horse and get better.
If the worst thing that happens to you in life is losing a fight… I’d say that’s a pretty fucking good life.
Don’t get demoralized by a loss and start defining yourself by it. You’re worth a lot more than that experience.
Quick Hits From This Week
Red Hawk Recap Ep. 115
Special episode of the pod this past week. My mom is in town and it’s been almost 7 years since she’s been here in Arizona.
Importance of Morning Routine
I’ve talked about this so much in the past that I don’t talk about it much anymore. But the reason I think I have such good energy and feel like my life is headed in the right direction is because of my morning routine. I know it sounds stupid to give all the credit to a routine. But my life is a lot better with it than without it. You don’t even need all the stuff I have. Get some movement, get some sunlight, and take a cold shower.
My Grandpa
My grandpa was a crazy good artist. And my mom says that I remind her a lot of him. Apparently, he trained the family business while growing up in the carnival.
I Was Supposed To Be A Girl
After my mom had my brother, they planned to have me. Except, I was supposed to be a girl and they planned it too. But she popped me out instead.
Learn To Let Go
There’s an endless list of desires, worries, fears, and expectations that are keeping you from being at peace. No matter how successful you are, you’ll never really be at peace until you let all of that go.
Mom’s View On My Success
My mom says a lot of people want to run their own ship. Now she says I’m an inspiration. When I first started, there were no successful fighters from Montana. They all ended up brain-dead and bagging groceries. So I really had no real picture of what success looks like.
TimboSugarShow Ep. 260
We had a special guest on this episode of the TimboSugarShow. The man himself, Ariel Helwani, joins us to shoot the shit.
Ariel Says What He REALLY Thinks about Chael
Ariel and Chael have been friends forever. They squashed the beef even though things got a little heated.
Ariel In Suga's Corner for UFC 299
One of Ariel’s dreams is to be in a corner of a fight. Imagine if he shows up in Sug’s corner at 299.
Timbo's Injury Playing Basketball
I was schooling Schmitty in B-ball and I ruptured my Achilles. Thank goodness we know people who will take care of me. I had to put it in perspective though. At first, I was like fuck why. But everything could be worse. No need to be depressed and angry.
Life's a Video Game Here's The Cheat Codes
NoFap
Semen retention
The gym
Books
Prayer
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That ends it for this week’s Red Hawk Essentials.
Hope you enjoyed this one. Give me a like/comment/subscribe below.
If you’re new here, welcome to the fam! We’re dropping gems like this each week.
Luv ya, talk next week.
Tim
knowledge week after week, 🐐 talk