GLORY tournaments are among the toughest sporting contests in the world. They are to the martial arts what the Tour de France is to cycling, gruelling tests of mental strength and physical fortitude which see a starting grid of the sport’s elite whittled down until just one champion remains.
It takes a very special fighter to win such a tournament. His skills, fitness, tactics and confidence must all be at peak levels on the day if he is to achieve greatness.
Each tournament entrant has years of training behind him. He is supported by experienced coaches and skilled sparring partners. Often he will have the services of a nutritionist and sports psychologist at hand during his training camp.
Even with all this, only a very few fighters ever manage to climb the pinnacle and achieve tournament triumph. What is it that makes it so difficult, and what are the secrets to success? We asked three recent GLORY tournament winners to give us their insights into this most difficult of challenges.
Semmy Schilt (43-6-1, 20 KOs) is the current GLORY Heavyweight Champion and won the 16-man Grand Slam on New Year’s Eve 2012. Giorgio Petrosyan (78-1-1, 35 KO's) is the best lightweight in the world and won the GLORY Lightweight Slam on November 3. Japan’s Yuta Kubo (40-4-1, 18 KOs) won the recent GLORY Featherweight Slam in his homeland.
Here in part one of this article, Petrosyan and Kubo give their opinions on the elements which make up a championship performance. Schilt addresses the same issues in Part Two.
Tournaments are very hard on the body and they are very demanding in terms of physical fitness and conditioning. What adjustments to your training are required when you are entering a tournament? Do you do anything different in terms of cardio training or weight-cutting?
GP: When I fight in a tournament I try to develop a lot of stamina, through specific training, and I utilize integrators between a match and the other. Regarding the cardio and weight-cutting aspects, these are part of my normal workout.
In fact I train the cardio aspect in my daily preparations as standard and I always keep the same weight without problems. That means I don’t have to make my weight-cutting too aggressive and means I have the energy to work hard on my conditioning.
YK: I jog every day and I work out every day at the gym. But for tournaments, I do some extra training to simulate the endurance part. I finish one set of field training, then I take a thirty-minute interval then I do a second set of field training, to replicate the next match of the tournament.
I do this to build my cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) functions and my slow muscle. My weight cuts are the same as normal, there is no difference.
We need stamina in a tournament so I take OxyUp by Glico, a famous food company in Japan. It contains iron and other things designed to improve the uptake of oxygen in the blood.
Tactically speaking, in order to win a tournament is it more advisable to concentrate on damage-avoidance or to try and get the opponent finished and out of there as quickly as possible?
GP: To win a major a tournament first of all you need a good dose of luck. Of course I always try to win the first match by knockout but after that my tactic is to fight smart and keep something in the tank for the final where I give everything I have got.
YK: I don’t rush myself in tournament matches. I don’t try to get a fast knockout but I do make sure not to take too many low kicks.
The damage you get in tournaments is different - there is more of it. After each fight we need to prepare for the next one so my team help me recover by cooling me and my injuries with ice.
If I know that I am ahead on the scorecards in a fight then I will not try and push for the knockout in the last round of the fight. But if it is a single fight I always try to knock my opponent out.
How important are your corner-men and support staff during a tournament? What kind of things do they do in there intervals between stages of the tournament and what kind of useful advice have you been offered?
GP: Between one fight and the next I keep my concentration. I remain always focused. I speak with my staff, I'm never isolated thinking about something.
I do not talk to other fighters about the fight to come What works best for me is to spend my interval time with the people I trust the most, my coach and my brother, in whom I have complete confidence.
YK: During intervals I listen to my corner man and understand my opponent’s weak points and my strategy for the next round. I only think about how to break my opponent’s guard.
Before the tournament, I collect all the data and video I can of my opponent and then decide my strategy with my chief coach.
In a tournament the most important thing is your mental strength, so my coach always said ‘You’re the best fighter in the world!’ to me. That advice helped me the most. (laughs)
Of all the matches in a tournament, which is the most important?
GP: In a World Championship tournament there are no easy fights, it always depends on who you are facing at that time. Get that job done first, don’t focus on anything else.
YK: The final is always the toughest!
What advice would you give to young fighters who hope to replicate your success as a tournament champion?
GP: First of all, you need exceptionally good physical preparation in view of the nine rounds that you may need to fight.
Therefore I try not to start the competition with my head down, swinging hard - I don’t let the fury and anger take control of me.
I always think one step ahead and keep a clear mind. I continuously assess the risk, evaluating the correct time at which I must turn the switch to full power and give everything.
YK: Do your weight-cutting in a natural way and have reliable teammates. And most important, never give up hope of winning.
With a line-up including Tyrone Spong, Danyo Ilunga and Filip Verlinden, who do you think will win the eight-man tournament at GLORY 9 NEW YORK and why?
GP: I looked at the list of participants in the Glory tournament and I am sure Tyrone Spong will win it. He has grown a lot in these recent times and I see him more and more determined and sure of his skills, which are considerable. He is a true champion.
YK: Tyrone Spong. For me, 95kg is his best weight. But there will be some very hard fights in this tournament, it’s going to be very interesting. We can expect a lot of knockouts I think.