https://www.coachbenphilly.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-05-10 https://www.coachbenphilly.com/blog/gearrecs monthly 0.5 2025-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/e4e415ec-eca8-4b7e-96e6-7d8ffd0437b2/Screenshot+2025-02-18+at+5.09.47%E2%80%AFPM.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs - I’m less picky with mouthguards than I am with cups. I do always recommend wearing a mouthpiece while you train. It helps you get accustomed to wearing it during a fight! I mentioned that my favorite mouthpiece is Yokkao’s. But honestly if you’re just starting out, just get the cheapest one you can find. On Title Boxing’s website, you can get a mouthpiece for $1.19 and a case for it for $3.99. And walmart sells a pretty decent mouthpiece with a case for like $5. Most cheap mouthpieces are ‘boil-and-bite’ and that is just fine, but if you want to upgrade to a custom molded mouthpiece, check out Impact Mouthguards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/7068df40-db2f-41a8-a5d1-f671853f0041/combatcornerHMITgloves.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs If you’ve been training for awhile and want to invest in some pro quality gear, I recommend the brand Combat Corner - specifically their HMIT (“Hand Made in Thailand”) line. Combat Corner’s stuff is pricy, but it just feels sooo good to train in. Their gloves are one of the few brands I’ve found that fit larger hands (even their 10 and 12 oz gloves), and their shin guards are amazing. My only gripe is that my training partners and I have had some issues with their gloves’ stitching, but honestly even with that issue I’d still buy another pair. I recommend Combat Corner’s gloves, shin guards, headgear, and their fightwear as well. Basically anything they sell is going to be great quality and last you a good amount of time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/b6841515-90b6-496d-a5f1-2a208ccd73c3/yokkao.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs - Yokkao is very expensive but very high quality. Sometimes you can find their stuff for a steal on eBay. I bought a pair of their shin guards used in great condition, and I’ve been using them for about a year and a half. I love them. They run a little big though, so I recommend sizing down on their shin guards. I also love their gloves. Unfortunately the thumb compartment on Yokkao gloves is a little small and I have giant hands so I don’t use them. I’ve tried on (and own, for decorative purposes now) multiple pairs, and my thumb just gets jammed up too often. If you are looking for a super high quality piece of equipment with some of the coolest designs out there, go with Yokkao. Bonus: Yokkao sells my favorite mouthpiece! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/2ba744c3-54a1-4ea7-ab27-0159e9c30778/diamondcup.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs - There is only one answer when it comes to the best cup/jock system: Diamond MMA. The Diamond MMA cup is like the industry standard for MMA (and most other contact sports). It’s not cheap, but it will last you a long time if you take care of it (i.e. clean your cup after use). I like that they offer different jock systems too. Sometimes I use the compression shorts with built-in cup pocket, and sometimes I use the diamond jock strap and I’ll wear some regular compression shorts over that. Both are great options and will protect you while sparring/competing. Note: Students frequently ask me if they “need” a cup and the answer is YES. Not just from an injury standpoint, but if you’re subconsciously afraid to get kicked in the groin while sparring, you’ll hesistate during exchanges and you won’t be able to flow freely. And getting kicked in the nuts without a cup on sucks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/0284ae9b-a7c8-4934-b757-97c634634c8c/sanabulessential.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs - Sanabul’s “Essential” series is my go-to choice when I recommend gloves and shin guards to new students. Sanabul describes the Essential line on their site as a “no-fuss, no-frills, high value product.” I think that pretty much nails it. It’s not the coolest looking and it’s not the highest quality stuff, but it’s a great choice for people wanting their own gear without spending a ton of money early in their training. Furthermore, it’s much higher quality than some of the cheapo stuff that you can find on Amazon. less than $100 for boxing gloves AND shin guards that are actually comfortable to train in, you can’t really beat that. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/94eb2313-40a9-4df3-ad1a-b17b56dedd3e/Screenshot+2025-02-18+at+11.01.50%E2%80%AFPM.png Coach Ben's Blog - Coach Ben’s Gear Recs - Headgear is a contentious topic. I’ll give a quick overview of some of the main talking points that I hear, and I’ll summarize my lil 2 cents at the end when I give you my recommendations. First off - some people are against training in headgear because, since the headgear makes it harder to slip punches, it can cause the fighter to develop bad head movement habits. On the other hand - most concussions happen in the gym. Avoiding concussions is obviously a good thing. I’ll just say this - if you have a fight coming up where there is a chance they’ll make you wear head gear (like the WKA Tournament), you might as well do some of your training sessions with headgear on. And if you are in a gym where people are constantly concussing each other during sparring, then you should probably find a new gym (or yea put on some headgear…). Ok with that said - I’ve had good experiences with Fairtex’s competition head guard. I also was able to get an older Combat Corner competition head guard off eBay for like $10 and I really love that one. Lastly, I’ve seen really good things said about Hit N Move’s new Precision Headgear, although you wouldn’t be permitted to wear that in a competition because of the cheek pads. Looks great for sparring though, super sleek. https://www.coachbenphilly.com/blog/whencanifight monthly 0.5 2025-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/0eef4fa6-e335-4a5d-9287-8996fc57e20c/jerryairbike.jpg Coach Ben's Blog - When Can I Fight? - Question: How do I get in shape for a fight? Think of the absolute hardest workout you’ve ever done. How did you feel during/after? Ok cool that’s what 30 seconds into Round 1 feels like. Oh and there’s a guy trying to punch you in your liver also. Being in fight shape is different than being in regular shape. You need to learn how to breathe a certain way so that if you do take a hit while you’re punching, you don’t get the wind knocked out of you. You need to be able to control the pace of the fight and put pressure on your opponent when they tire. And you need a certain level of mental toughness to keep going even when your arms and legs feel like they’re filled with cement. When these new students ask me about fighting, I ask them what their training looks like outside of the gym. And I often get an answer along the lines of “well I’m here at classes 5x a week.” That is the bare minimum. Outside of training kickboxing (for example), you need strength training, you need to run, you need to work on an Air Bike. You need to get your diet right, your sleep right, your recovery right. *Note: I’m not going to cover weight-cutting here, but that is a whole other element of this process that may exclude a lot of wannabe fighters. All in all what I’m saying is, fighting is really hard. I am not trying to steer anyone away from pursuing a sanctioned fight. However, there is a common saying in this world, “you don’t play fighting.” You can get badly hurt in this sport if you are not prepared. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6765dd2f72535a39d281506e/51681b77-63b2-497f-8070-229f444c9012/bensmoker.jpg Coach Ben's Blog - When Can I Fight? - Question: How do I get a fight? Let’s say you are doing all the right things to get yourself in proper fight shape. The following is the route that I would recommend to getting your first sanctioned fight. *This all assumes that you do not just self-train in your garage - rather that you currently train at a gym with a head coach who has fight experience and can corner you in a fight. Start with sparring events and developmental leagues. If you live in a decently sized city, it’s likely that there are gyms in your area that invite other gyms out to spar in a safe and controlled manner (i.e. no head kicks, refs will intervene if someone starts to dominate, etc). These are a great place to hone your skills and make some friends. Events like the Muay Thai Development League (“MDL”) are another good way to get some real “ring” experience, but in a safe and controlled manner. They intervene if the intensity gets out of hand, and they make you wear headgear and a chest protector, but the vibe is still different when you’re fighting a stranger with bad intentions vs one of your usual sparring partners. Smokers! A smoker is like a scrimmage game. It’s full intensity, with referees, simulating the real thing - there are just no official winners or losers. Smokers are the real test to see if you’re ready for a sanctioned fight. I recommend doing as many smokers as you can before you pick up your first sanctioned fight. Sanctioned Amateur Bouts Once you’ve proven yourself to your coaches and to yourself with your performance in Smokers, you’re ready for a sanctioned fight. Your coach will be in charge of getting that set up for you. Don’t just sign up for a sanctioned fight and expect your coach to corner you. Your coach will ask the promoter the important questions about your potential opponents’ backgrounds. For example, let’s say you are trying to make your amateur MMA debut. You don’t want your first fight to be against a former state champion high school wrestler while you’re a fresh blue belt in BJJ. Sure you might both technically be 0-0, but there are levels to it. On the other hand, you also don’t want a fight against some random self-taught scrub who reached out directly to the promoter. 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