Paisley Panorama

Pretty sweet session at Muay Thai tonight. Every other time I’ve gone to Muay Thai,...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:44:53 -0400

Pretty sweet session at Muay Thai tonight. Every other time I’ve gone to Muay Thai, it’s been sorta like I just show up, pound on the bags for awhile, and maybe do a round or two of pads with the coach. This time though, he had me paired up with a dude named Jerry and gave us stuff to do. Some of this was, 30 right leg roundhouses, 30 left leg roundhouses, 100 straight punches, then 50 straight punches, kick blocking, and some clinch work. Then they were going to start working on some boxing combinations, but I had to leave to catch the train. It sucks, because that’s exactly the kind of stuff I should probably be working on. Felt like a pretty productive class. Next time I go, the coach said he wanted to work on pads with me, so I’m hoping next time is gonna be just as good. I’ll probably go Friday.

My left leg roundhouses were sooo bad. I really need to work on those. Not that my right leg roundhouses are anything special either. It’s okay, I got 10 days left in Chaozhou and I intend to go to Muay Thai a few more times. I’m really excited to see how the setup is at American Top Team and how I’ll fit into things there. I’m starting to think that I might even just like get picked up from the airport, go straight home and shower and get ready, and then go to the mall and sign up at ATT. I don’t know though, we’ll see. It all depends on whether or not I get jetlag. I wasn’t jetlagged at all when I got to Taiwan, but heading back might be a different story. Anyway though, I got 13 DAYS! AND THEN I CAN GO HOME!

Microsoft is gonna lose so much money on the Xbox One lol

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:32:00 -0400

Microsoft is gonna lose so much money on the Xbox One lol

Fang Shen Do Blog: A Few Benefits of Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo and Muay Thai Training

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:41:46 -0400

Fang Shen Do Blog: A Few Benefits of Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo and Muay Thai Training:

fangshendoblog:

Training in martial arts is known to impart several benefits to practitioners. Aside from fitness and wellness benefits, martial arts exercises contribute mental soundness, boosts self-confidence, spiritual and emotional well-being. Various martial arts schools then focus on therapeutic…

A little info for those of you that have no clue what Muay Thai and BJJ are.

joellevan: SENTE Muay Thai class in West Chester, PA. Training...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:36:08 -0400

joellevan:

SENTE Muay Thai class in West Chester, PA. Training sparring drills. Stop in and take a class.

Looks like a fun time! I can’t wait to get into Muay Thai back in Vero. I’ve got two more weeks to be in Taiwan and train at my Muay Thai gym, so maybe I’ll go to a few extra classes to try and improve my game before I hit up American Top Team.

Be a Man.

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:45:16 -0400

I’ve had a lot of male influence while growing up. My dad is obviously the greatest portion of that. My dad is a real “manly” man. Do you know what I mean? For instance, when someone talks about being a “real man”, the first person I think of is my dad. Why? I’ve never met a guy tougher than my dad is. I’ve seen the guy push through all sorts of pain and still work like an ox. Stuff like getting his pinky finger bitten off by a pig and then walking around the next day or two with it duct taped back on until he could go to a doctor. Stuff like getting stabbed in the eye with a screwdriver, pulling it out and keep working. Stuff like getting run over by an angry bull, breaking three ribs in the process, and then getting up and finishing the job. I’ve never met anyone stronger than my dad. I’ve seen the guy lift up telephone poles. Like legit, humongous telephone poles that weigh a ton. No matter how good of a fighter I become, I will never be able to beat my dad. He will always be able to knock me into next week. He’s the smartest guy I know. He may not be the most booksmart guy, but my dad knows so much about so many things. When people ask me what he does for a living, I just tell them he does everything. Because he pretty much does. He does construction work, electrical work, plumbing, roofing, nursery work (as in stuff with trees and plants and shrubs and stuff, he doesn’t take care of babies), woodworking, metalworking, farm animal raising, landscaping, and tons of more stuff that would take me forever to write down.

Is my dad perfect? No. Not even close. He may have made some mistakes while raising me and my sister. But that’s okay, because being a parent must be a harder job than I can even imagine. There were a lot of times when I thought my dad was being too harsh or narrowminded. There were times that we didn’t get along. But you know what I realize now? He’s always done his best. He has always worked his hardest to make sure that my sister and I had the opportunities in life that he didn’t. And I value the times he was tough on me now. If he wasn’t, then I’d be a much weaker and pathetic person than I am now.

I turned 18 this year, and for the first time in my life I’m living on my own. And on the other side of the planet. The night I turned 18, I went on a walk in Chaouzhou, a city that I’d been living in for only a month. I prayed and thanked God for the men that have influenced my life. I thanked God for my dad and for everything he has taught me. He’s taught me the importance of working hard, as well as teaching me how to do all different kinds of work. He’s taught me the importance of knowing what you believe in and standing strong in it. He’s taught me even more just from his own actions and the way he lives his life.

Me and my dad are very different in many ways. For years, that’s exactly the way I wanted it. Living life on my own though, I’ve come to realize how much alike he and I actually are. And I’m proud to be like him in at least some ways. Because my dad is a great man. He’s a real man. Thanks you for everything you’ve done for me, Dad, I love you.

…Oh, and for those of you reading this, my dad could beat up your dad.

Dang, guess my predictions were wrong. It’s too bad Roy Nelson lost that one. He was on a...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:28:24 -0400

Dang, guess my predictions were wrong. It’s too bad Roy Nelson lost that one. He was on a roll. Hendo losing by split decision was something I saw coming but was hoping wouldn’t actually happen. Oh well.

organicsoymilk: Me and Adam(photo by Ethan) Swing dancing...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:57:50 -0400

organicsoymilk:

Me and Adam
(photo by Ethan)

Swing dancing professionals! Tonight was pretty fun. I’m so happy everything came together tonight. We definitely gotta go to that place in Vero when we go back home!

After a month and a half of planning, the fundraiser is on!

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 07:17:43 -0400

After a month and a half of planning, the fundraiser is on!

Also really looking forward to going to Muay Thai on Sunday. I didn’t get to go on Wednesday...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:50:21 -0400

Also really looking forward to going to Muay Thai on Sunday. I didn’t get to go on Wednesday so I’ll have to work double hard I guess.

organicsoymilk: So excited for the Swing Dance Fundraiser tomorrow! I’m going to wear red lipstick....

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:45:54 -0400

organicsoymilk:

So excited for the Swing Dance Fundraiser tomorrow!
I’m going to wear red lipstick. ;)

Me too! I was more thinking pink lipstick for myself though. Can’t wait to see you guys! Ethan is gonna be so dapper.

Well that was a pretty killer nap.

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:42:01 -0400

Well that was a pretty killer nap.

UFC 161 starts soon. I say Nelson and Hendo will best their opponents by KO. Pat Barry will win...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:35:59 -0400

UFC 161 starts soon. I say Nelson and Hendo will best their opponents by KO. Pat Barry will win his fight too I think.

Hey guys, I was thinking about changing my url to haymakercarnival.tumblr.com. Thoughts?

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 00:53:51 -0400

Hey guys, I was thinking about changing my url to haymakercarnival.tumblr.com. Thoughts?

You know what might be cool? Spending a week in Thailand after my school’s graduation. I...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:09:57 -0400

You know what might be cool? Spending a week in Thailand after my school’s graduation. I won’t have to teach anymore and I won’t be heading back to America until two weeks later. It would be really cool to do some Muay Thai training in Thailand. Can anybody offer me some advice on traveling to Thailand?

The ankle that I sprained when I was in Hualien was almost back to normal until Muay Thai on...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:37:29 -0400

The ankle that I sprained when I was in Hualien was almost back to normal until Muay Thai on Wednesday. I hurt it again after some bad footwork. My right ankle got messed up on Sunday while sparring with Johnny. So tonight I figured I should look around at ankle braces to help avoid hurting my ankles in the future. Found some decent ones in an Adidas store. Didn’t find out until I got home that in only came with one in the pack, so I’ll probably go back soon and buy another one. Hope to try them out on Sunday when I go to Muay Thai again. I really can’t wait to start up training at American Top Team back in Vero, but at the same time I’m gonna miss my Muay Thai gym here in Taiwan.

thekawaiiangel: awkwardsituationist: “world of averages” -...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:33:37 -0400

thekawaiiangel:

awkwardsituationist:

“world of averages” - composite images culled from thousands of individual portraits resulting in symmetrical average faces.

this was too cool not to reblog

Megan, I feel like this is something you would appreciate.

My salesman buddy messaged me again like ten seconds ago. He’s gonna throw the sale pitch at...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:39:48 -0400

My salesman buddy messaged me again like ten seconds ago. He’s gonna throw the sale pitch at me again. Just watch.

cagewall: (via Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone co-main...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:54:02 -0400

cagewall:

(via Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone co-main added to UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 in Indianapolis, Indiana Aug. 28 | CageWall)

This is gonna be a great fight. I just watched the Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons fight and that was just an awesome match. Cerrone has some great striking, I’ve got to watch some more fights by him.

How does Adam “Bulldog” Boike sound to you? HEY MOM, I BOUGHT A...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:05:00 -0400

How does Adam “Bulldog” Boike sound to you?

HEY MOM, I BOUGHT A PAIR OF THOSE FIGHTING SHORTS THAT YOU SAID LOOKED SILLY.

I’ve never really been an aggressive or competitive guy, and ever since I started entertaining...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:53:00 -0400

I’ve never really been an aggressive or competitive guy, and ever since I started entertaining the idea of a career in MMA, I said I didn’t really care if I ever got into a big fighting promotion or if I became a big deal guy. Never really had that kind of drive Lately though, that’s starting to happen. I’m starting to get that desire. Maybe it’s just pride, idk.

I was working a lot harder while training too. Pushing myself to keep going. I started out in Shotokan Karate last October, and that’s when I learned how to kick. As so, my roundhouses are karate style kicks. Karate roundhouses are much more of a snap with the instep of your foot, while Muay Thai kicks are more with the shin and use more hip rotation. Muay Thai kicks are kinda like swinging a baseball bat. They hit like it too. So I spent the last half hour or so of class last night relearning how to do a roundhouse kick. Me and this other guy (he’s pretty brutal btw) were standing on opposite sides of the bag and would just trade kicks on the heavy bag back and forth. I was already tired, but this just wore me out. Muay Thai kicks take more work. Plus my cardio is still really bad. I was winded after only like 3 minutes of pad work with my coach and couldn’t work too long on the heavy bags either without getting tired. So I’m kicking this bag and pretty much dying. I usually stop and take a break at that point. Then I started thinking about real fighting. About competing. About fighters. I was thinking about Cain Valasquez. He’s my second favorite fighter in all of MMA because the dude is just brutal. He’s got some of the best cardio in the whole UFC, and definitely the best cardio in the Heavyweight division. HIs knockout power is incredible. His speed is even more impressive. Did you guys see his rematch against JDS? That was crazy! He went so violent and at such an incredible pace for all 25 minutes! That’s crazy! Ever watched any of his training videos? I’ve seen clips of him at AKA. I feel sorry for the guys that have to hold the pads for him. The guy is arguably the most brutal fighter in the sport right now. But it’s obvious that he has to work super hard to get to that point and to maintain it. And that’s why he’s the champion right now. And I decided I at least had to try a fraction as hard as him. And then something awesome happened. A surge of electricity went up my body. I felt like I’d just jumped into a tub of ice. Suddenly I was fresh again. And then I hit that bag with probably the smoothest and hardest kick I’ve ever put out in my 10 months of martial arts training. I felt good. Kicked it a good 20 more times and then called it quits. It was almost euphoric. I’ll definitely be doing the same training method from now on. Gotta keep that picture in my head about the kind of fighter I want to be. I want to be as brutal as Cain.

Got some nice purple souveneirs on my elbows again from practicing on the gravel bag. Oh, and I picked up a pair of Thai shorts. Pictures to follow. Sorry for fangirling.