ghting at the Moscow Sity and what they get from it.
Fitness-gym is so crowded that spectators have to stay in circle surrounding the ring. On coach’s signal, three guys in sweat suits rush into the room and attack the pale faced man in the middle. For the next minute they are punching and kicking him saying “You’ll know how to shut the f*ck up next time motherf*cker”. Man goes on defense, runs, tries to fight back but in the end falls down and covers his head with his arms. Coach stops the fight immediately, saying “Atta boy, survived in there whole 52 seconds”.
Russian Muay Thai League President and coach Sergey Zayashnikov organizes street brawl not so often – all in all, it’s a big risk. “I can’t predict all the details, but there is only 50% chance that no injury will be done. When you fight as you are on the street, anything can happen”. His students – business owners, company CEOs, top managers – ask for this “test with blood” themselves after year or two in the training.
Why do they put themselves at such a risk?
“RING IS THE LONELIEST PLACE ON EARTH”.
Sergey Zayashnikov. Russian Muay Thai League president, thai boxing trainer:
Whom do I train? They are typical nerds – in a good way. My student was not the one who smoked since the age of 9 or was fighting in the backstreet. No-no, he went to private school, graduated from top university, then – job offer at a top tier company, MBA. At the age of 40 all goals are achieved: career, status, family – he has it all. Deferred fears, unrealized desires disclose themselves. Money can't protect you from everything. Your bodyguard is sitting in the next room, you are one to one with a bad guy, and while waiting for help you get hit once or twice. It’s not about never getting into a bad situation, it’s about being ready for any situation.
Trainers who work with VIP clients have this slang expression – “to give the body”, which means you give the person opportunity “to taste the blood” by letting yourself be hit. When you train with pads you don’t get that. There is only one way you can feel the coordination and speed of the punch – and it is on the trainer’s body.
The most difficult thing about organizing close-to-street ultimate fighting is not to cross the line. It should be tough – but not dangerous. And at the same time you know that all your actions are basically just 50% of success, another 50% comes from above. After every fight I swear to myself that it was the last time I've done that.
I forbid any viewers at the first fight. To the second fight (when person is more experienced and conscious) I ask to bring friends – and this is a very serious challenge. You don’t want to screw up in front of your girlfriend, so you lose all your skills in one second. And this is an experience too.
Guys who I bring from lets say Elektrostal (small city in Russia) use only certain types of blows – only the ones I tell them to, however blow in a full force. I haven’t invented anything new, closed fights are being organized abroad too.
Street-like fight is a journey to another reality. You won’t be protected by your money or a person who will stop the fight. The man recalls those times when he had to attack and defend. To feel this feeling, to get away from our civilization bonds and to relax, they go for this. Everyone is fighting not for the winning – they fight for their own Self. Ring is the loneliest place on Earth. No one will help you – neither friends nor judges. While saying just 3 words “Stop the fight”, you can get decently hurt.
They call the way from the locker room to the ring “the green mile”. The one who made it and walked out on a ring is already a man. I know those who couldn't make it out of the locker room.
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED"
Victor Lesnoy, Stone Hedge investment fund partner, owner of the wine boutique chain “T…”, ex vice-president of M… Group
At first it seemed to me that street fight is such a dirty stuff comparing to the intelligent boxing with all the judges, rounds and strikes counting. But it has completely different energy, and I got hooked up with it.
Imagine you’re going to the gym. What you do while training there: you think about your work, things to do, you’re answering your cell phone. Energy of the street fight is very special and it is way more interesting than elite gym fitness. Yes you can make body in a gym. But will it save you in a real life where you can get knocked out with one punch? While training you swirl into another reality, another world. You’re wearing your suit and getting stabbed with a knife and you have to duck out and deal with the attacker. Like it or not you have to forget about everything. Suddenly you realize that you can get some from the trainer too and it will hurt as in real life. So you really don’t have time to think whether or not you paid for your parking.
After these classes you become more calm and self-confident – you are now ready to get some and you are chilled about it. You know that you will react automatically and defend yourself. This is what they call ability to take the heat. I think it helped me a lot in business too. I started to take inevitable losses and fails easily. For instance I took it quite well when I had to leave Mirax Group and started to make my own projects. During this process I of course had some stress, but I continued to go to the training and it helped me a lot.
Valery Duzhin, owner of the clothing store
I started to take street fight classes quite late when I was already 42 and hadn’t had any physical activity for 10 years prior. I had a specific goal – to get my punching right. While some fights happened I simply didn’t know what to do.
It was quite dangerous to own a shop in crowded places during 1990s – people were completely off limits. It became safer in 2000s; however, various situations still occured.
When you get older your health doesn’t get better, nor as your energy level or coordination. So I decided to get some skills to feel cool in any situation.
To get your punching right and learn to deal with the situation are two different things. Punch is your weapon. Knowledge how you use it – it’s all about psychology. You can fight with the punch-bag for 10 years and lose it all on a dark street. That’s what the trainer taught me: don’t panic, assess the situation, look around and act accordingly.
And then it all started and I got carried into it. I had a training once a week, never missed one and was always looking forward to a next one. I guess I got some talent in this.
Once professional boxers came to our place and I was training with the pads at that time. Zayashnikov asked them: “So you see this guy over there? For how long you think he’s been training?”. They said: “Well at least 7-8 years by now,
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