Call it on the fly

The Era of Honor begins again.

 

 

The era of Honor began when I was 15 years old. Pro-wrestling was still a distant dream waiting to be conquered. I had no idea that one cold February night something special had just been created and witnessed, inspiring a new generation of wrestlers to change the dynamics and perceptions of an industry.  It would be a couple years later when I would stumble upon a DVD that I still own to this day. “ROH: The Era of Honor Begins.” A DVD that would change me and inspire me, opening my mind to what was possible in professional wrestling. I truly believe pro-wrestling to be a sport, an athletic struggle between passionate and gifted athletes. Ring of Honor emphasized this and would continue to grow with this ideal and objective of providing their fans with “an entertaining sport, not sports entertainment.” I believed in the product, that is to say, I still believe. I had always known I wanted to become a professional wrestler. It’s what I was born to do. Now I knew where I wanted to be when this dream would become reality. The seed had been planted and now it had a source of sustenance to maintain its steady growth to become the fruit of my labor.

 

The lactic acid is overwhelming and my lungs burn for more oxygen than they can possibly ingest.  The smell of leathery heavy bags and sanitized mats fills the air, it’s humid and my shirt and shorts are soaked with sweat. I fade into a momentary daydream, a reflection of where I came from. It had been 5 years since I laced up my boots for my first match. I trained and wrestled at every possible opportunity with the sole purpose of improving and advancing. I had outgrown my comfort zone, no longer would I be a big fish in a small pond. I remember getting in my car and beginning the solo trek from the Pacific west coast to St. Louis, Missouri. 33 hours to reflect and remind myself that I was in this for the long haul. If I truly wanted this, I had to go out and grab it.

“C’mon Kyle!” Davey Richards’ persistent, demanding voice brings me back to reality.   “10 more!”

I unleash another devastating Thai kick to the unforgiving solid leather. My shins are screaming, I know it’s the nerve endings dying.  Nine more thunderous cracks echo throughout the gym at 6:37 am.

I am gaining self-satisfaction though this never-ending labyrinth of a training regimen. I know every black eye, bloody nose and aching joint is just another exclamation point in my quest. I must truly believe I’m earning my spot to call myself a member of the Ring of Honor roster. I owe everything I’ve gained in the last 2 years since moving my life to St. Louis to Davey Richards.

“You’re an athlete Kyle, this sport needs more guys like you.”

Davey’s words are embedded in my mind as I tap out to another one of his devastating arm bars in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class.

“I still have a ways to go” I reply.

Flash forward to Glory by Honor X in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. My back is searing with pain and my chest resembles a slab of mutilated ground beef.  I had just been at war with Eddie Edwards. It’s no secret that Eddie and I haven’t been on the same page since day one of my ROH tenure. It’s also no secret that I respect the hell out of Eddie Edwards. Here I am sitting in a pool of sweat, wasted in bitter defeat. Eddie took me to the absolute limit, as I did to him. There shouldn’t be any shame in tapping out,. “Live to fight another day, avoid permanent damage.” Is one of the familiar phrases commentators and fighters alike often quote.  I can’t help but feel a sense of shame and disappointment despite the fact that Eddie just gave me the best match of my career. Here I am a week away from what now is the biggest match of my career, with another crack at Eddie Edwards. I feel a sense of intervening destiny. I must beat him, alongside my friend and mentor Davey Richards. I have to beat Eddie Edwards and Adam Cole.

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how I’m going to look at Adam Cole differently this Sunday. Adam Cole has always had my back, and stood next to me proudly in victory and defeat. I have to accept the fact that this Sunday he will not have my back, I have to accept that things have forever been changed. I must walk into the ring with the full intention of destroying him. That will be me showing him every ounce of respect that he deserves. I know how dangerous Adam Cole is and what he’s capable of. If I don’t exhaust every last bit of my energy into pounding his face into the mat, then I am doing him an injustice. I’d be disrespecting the warrior and athlete I know him to be, setting myself up for him to do the same thing to me. Code of Honor before and after the match, but in between those two bells, Adam Cole will be the worst enemy I’ve ever had. Here we are Adam, we both stand, backs against the wall, facing each other in a narrow corridor. Nose to nose, eye to eye, fist to jaw, foot to chest, elbow to neck, back to mat, 1 to 3.

What this Sunday represents goes above and beyond “my quest”. What this Sunday is about is bigger than Kyle O’Reilly. It’s bigger than Adam Cole, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. This Sunday is about Ring of Honor’s tenth anniversary. For ten years a wrestling company has strived to bring the absolute best wrestling into the limelight. This Sunday is about the fans after ten years, have continued an undying support for a company and a product they believed in. This Sunday is for all of the legends and future legends that have ever stepped foot inside that beautiful red and black ring. For the last ten years anyone that ever sweat, bled and fought tooth and nail for the sport they loved and cared about, and the company that let them do it. The ROH tenth anniversary event in New York City Sunday, March 4^th, 2012, represents wrestling freedom. I plan on paying tribute to a company that made such a great impression on me that I strived to pursue my dream at all costs. Davey Richards, Adam Cole, Eddie Edwards and myself will all pay homage to Ring of Honor this Sunday, and we will all do it by completely destroying and dismantling each other, proudly and with honor.

 

 

 

 

 

Revolution

I had slightly bruised my arm at the WxW/CZW best of the best weekend. Zack Sabre Jr. and Marty Skrull once again proved to be among the best teams that Adam and I have wrestled. Stiff kicks and arm bars left my right bicep in shambles.

I participated in NAGA the North American Grappling Association’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament. Upping my MMA and Jitz training to such frequency I felt confident going in. Keith advised me to make the 179 lb. weight class and walking around at 186 I felt it would be pretty easy to cut weight within the week. I weighed in on the Saturday at 175 lbs. So I had cut an extra 4 lbs than needed. Upped Cardio, Sauna sessions, MMA classes and low carb intake had me make the weight easily. Unfortunately I lost in the First round via points losing 6-5. It was so much fun! A good first attempt and motivational factor for moving forward with my training. Next time I don’t think I’ll cut that much weight that fast though, it left me feeling weak and after working a match, an all night drive and lack of sleep I got gassed quick. Excuses are like assholes though, or so I’m told. Gained 12 lbs back again the next day via whole wheat pancakes and cereal attacks.

Matt Classic Jr. debuted for Lucha VaVoom in Chicago on Cinco de Mayo 2011, alongside his dad Matt Classic Sr. VaVoom was wicked, we arrived to the building in pimped out 1920′s gangster cars with flames shooting out the rear. Speaking of rear, MC Jr. would fall fatal to the Dirty Sanchez (Chocolate cake) shitty underwear in the face slam.

The following evening in Detroit ROH: Revolution USA, Adam Cole and I continued to grow and unite as a tag team in an all out war with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass. A great learning experience of a match, although Cole and I lost we have become wiser and more confident going into future battles.

On Saturday May 7th I returned to Toronto for ROH: Revolution Canada to face Claudio Castagnoli. I really enjoyed this match despite getting my ass choke-slammed and powerbombed. The Toronto crowd treated me well and I feel I’m improving leaps and bounds as a performer with every match.

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Circuit du soleil.

This is a hardcore gasser of a circuit that involves 10 compound exercise movements that will be done consistently for a 30 second burst. The rest period is walking to the next station, everything needs to be prepared and set up beforehand. This simulates an all out burst of exertion of every muscle group with a short recovery period to prepare for another sprint. Each “round” will take 5 minutes to mimic a full round of an MMA fight. The circuit is done 4 times with 1-2 minutes rest max between sets.

1. Bosu Ball jump lunges.
2. Barbell bench press (bands/plates).
3. Renegade rows.
4. Bicep curl to shoulder press.
5. Dips with leg raise.
6. Barbell lateral twisters.
7. Laying down swiss ball hamstring curls.
8. Squat to shoulder shrug.
9. Drop down to jumping pull up.

10. Upright row.

30 seconds each exercise.

Okay so to clarify..

1. Bosu Ball jump lunges, set up 2 bosu balls with a decent enough split to stand in lunging position on both of them and lunge jumping into alternating legs.
2. For the bench, set up resistance bands with a 35 lb plate on a barbell, incline bench. Hammer out reps for the time period.
3. Renegade rows with 35 lb dumbells, in pushup position alternate a single armed row keeping back strait.
4. Curl to press, 25-35 lbs dumbells.
5. On a dip rack, do a tricep/pec dip with a knees to chest leg raise at the top position.
6. 10 lb plate on a barbell wedged into a corner. Hold one end strait in front of you and alternate twisting side to side.
7. Laying on your back with a swiss ball under your heals, explode of your ass and curl the ball into your butt.
8. 40 lb dumbells, deep squat and shrug at top position.
9. Sprawl at the base of a chin-up bar and jump to a wide gripped pullup.
10. 10.  45 lb curl bar, wide grip upright row.

Getting through the first 2 sets is the initial blowup. Usually you reach a steady state by the third set, but don’t use it to slow down. Try and keep track of how many reps you’re hitting at each station and either match it every time or try and hit 1 or 2 more.

Whole wheat Tilapia veggie pasta. Pan sautéed Tilapie with garlic roasted veggies and basil tomato pasta sauce.

Sexual low carb flax protein peanut butter cookies.

These are a must for everyone and anyone. Such a sexual delight of flavor and protein/fat goodness.

2 scoops vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder.

¼ cup of ground flax meal.

¼ cup of skim milk.

1 teaspoon vanilla.

1 18oz. jar of peanut butter.

1 teaspoon baking powder.

1 egg white.

Mix ingredients together and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

2011

This is the first blog I’ve written in a long time. The first time that I’ve written anything really, since Movembs. So this is more of just me finally sitting down at a Starbucks in St. Louis reflecting on the year of our lord, sweet Christ 2010 and what 2011 brings. I will write for as long as 2 venti green teas last me, this is like “Speed 4”.

 

Statistics and various facts of 2010.

I traveled over 80, 000 km as the crow flies, that’s about twice around the Earth. Unfortunately my odometer clicked away most of them. 2010 was a year about proving myself and making necessary sacrifices to properly advance in the pro-wrestling world. It seems that more wrestlers get signed walking out of a gym these days than after years of hard work on the indies, earning their right to make the main stage. I knew and know what I want to accomplish through wrestling, and the 20 hour solo drives for a ten minute match solidify the fact that I’m earning my place in this sport.

On September 10^th 2010 I signed a contract with Ring of Honor, my dream had been realized. ROH is a place where the sport and fire of pro-wrestling is still alive and well. Everything that I believe about in wrestling and the reason I’m proud to say I’m a pro-wrestler is backed by what ROH represents.

I made my United Kingdom debut in 2010 for Fight Club: Pro, in Wolverhampton, England. A true class group of people run FCP and I’d like to thank Martin, Ben, Adam and Laura for treating me like family while I nervously ventured into my first overseas wrestling tour.

What else happened in 2010? Looking back on a year when 2011 is almost a quarter past will surely cause me to neglect some facts and stories. OH! Canada once again proved hockey dominance in the 2010 Winter Olympic games from my hometown of Vancouver, BC! Just had to throw that out there.

Top 5 matches of 2010:

5. Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole (Chikara Young Lions cup. Reading, PA August 25 2010)

Working with Adam again was a true pleasure and we again had instant chemistry. Little did I know how close we would actually become..

4. Kyle O’Reilly vs Ricochet (IPW Super Junior Heavyweight tournament. Indianapolis, IN November ????)

A step above our “Evolve 5” match, the finals of the IPW SJHT, sooo much fun!

3. Kyle O’Reilly vs TJP (ROH Tag title classic II. Plymouth, MA December 18, 2010)

I feel I grow as a wrestler so much every time I wrestle TJ, the guy is an absolute workhorse. Not sure if it was as good as our “Evolve 3” match, but I give it the edge because I felt like I had improved since our previous bout.

2. Kyle O’Reilly vs Bobby Fish (Evolve 6. Union City, NJ November 20, 2010)

What a war. Can’t wait to see this one on tape, a true fight in every sense of the word. Our first match meant so much because it was the first match on the first evolve show, but this was a battle at a whole new level. I was bruised, beat, broken and scarred after this.

1. Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole vs The All Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus. (ROH Final Battle 2010. New York City, NY December 19, 2010)

This such an important moment in my career. My New York City debut. Across the street from Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan. Live on Pay-per-view I was ungodly nervous for weeks building up to this match. Once it was go time, the butterflies had fled. I reflected on what I had done to get to this point and realized I was just going to do what I had always done up to this point. Needless to say, the four of us tore it up and opened the show with a bang. Very proud of this match, and a huge moment for Adam and myself.

My Venti green teas are long since finished and I once again put this blog to the side for far too long. I sit now on a plane to St. Louis from Atlanta. I came to Atlanta via Paris, France. Paris, via Dusseldorf, Germany. Dusseldorf via London, England. Wrestling is starting to take me all over the world and I am extremely thankful for that opportunity.

My second wrestling related tour of England was an eventful one. Adam Cole had been there for several weeks already working all over the country. Martin Zaki from Fight club: Pro and Adam picked me up from Manchester, International and 11 days in Europe began. Our first match was for FCP at “The Planet” nightclub in Wolverhampton. Adam and myself teamed up to fight Lee and Jim Hunter in what fans who attended are calling the UK match of the year. In all honesty it was a glorified “spot fest” in every sense of the term, but the Hunters worked extremely hard, we all did, and I’m proud of the match. Sami Callihan would later face Trent Seven on the show. Sami is a wicked dude with an extremely explosive and hard-hitting offense. The three of us would join El Generico and venture south to Kent for IPW:UK. Adam and myself took on Zack Sabre Jr. and Marty Scurll in a battle for tag-team supremacy. Zack and Marty are both phenomenal workers and I think we were all really proud of the match.

With a couple days off aside from a bar show on Tuesday, the four of us would venture into London for some sightseeing. The British Bulldog’s theme music constantly humming from my mouth. The complete chronicles of Bagpuss. A cursed British children’s show character would cause us more harm than good. Visiting Abbey Road was an experience in it’s own right. The ordeal of getting a successful recreation of the famous Abbey Road Beatle’s album cover would prove exhausting. After several failed attempts from various locals and other tourists it would be the Ghost of John Lennon who would finally show up to provide our photographic needs. We didn’t even ask him is the weird thing. He just kind of showed up and told us he would take the picture. It was only after he vanished that we realized that his resemblance to John Lennon was uncanny. Bizarre.

RyanAir is shite. What a shitty airline is all I can say. Just gash. Ghastly service and quality. But I guess you get what you pay for, which in this case was nothing. The seats don’t even recline!

Germany is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. For it’s historical significance alone was worth the trip, but to wrestle in this country was truly something special. Getting off the plane I had a strange realization that this was once the most hostile country on the planet. It’s funny how things change over time, because everyone in Germany was extremely nice and helpful despite the language barrier. I had always seen the WXW videos of the crazy fans in huge numbers crowded against the ring pounding the mat. No chairs, just hundreds of rowdy, drunk German wrestling fans singing and shouting and loving every moment of us loving every moment of what we do. Wrestling in Germany reminded me of why I became a wrestler.

I would wrestle in a random 4 way on night 1 that was nothing special. A botched tornado DDT was probably the highlight of the match, “I meant to do that!” I exclaimed. Night 2 would see me and Adam wrestle Eli Sitochi and El Generico in a tag. I was nervous and excited to wrestle El Generico, he is a guy I have huge amounts of respect for. A true ROH legend in my eyes, and wrestling him ended up being so much fun! Night 3 would pit a rematch of the Leaders (Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr.) versus Adam Cole and myself in the semi main event. I gotta give credit to the German fans for this one, they made it a truly special atmosphere. Every stiff strike, body twisting submission and devastating bump was greeted with an “OOHHH HEEEYYYY YAAAAA” from the 500 plus faithful. Fans pounding the ring in excitement helped provide that big fight aura that reminded me how capturing people’s emotions is what the sport of pro-wrestling is all about. The match was wicked and getting to tangle with Marty and Zack one more time in Europe before the trips end was the perfect way to cap off an amazing 11 days.

Almost back to St. Louis, three days of hard training await and then I’ll return to Boston and New York for ROH. No rest for the weary. Looking forward to keeping the blog updated more often now. Back by popular demand. Training tips and meals will be my next update.

Czech Interview

Hey everybody, I know it’s been a while since my last blog update so I thought I’d start off again getting the ball rolling by posting an interview I did for a wrestling website in the Czech Republic. I’m working on getting some new blogs up soon, with my return to England and my debut in Germany!!

 

Kyle O’Reilly interview for Art of Wrestling.cz

Od David Pávek 23.2.2011, English, Exkluzivní rozhovory, Ostatní

Kyle O’Reilly is young talent, that enrolled in the minds of fans by using his MMA-like style of wrestling, adapted from his mentor and friend Davey Richards. This native of Vancouver took a break from making people tap out and answered our questions.

What do you remember about your first match in pro-wrestling?
My first match in pro-wrestling was a Battle Royal in October 2005 involving myself and the group of wrestling students that I had/was training with from our local wrestling school. My first actual match was oddly enough a 6 man tag in a cage. It was an all cage match show and again it involved the group of guys I trained with.

Who are your idols in pro-wrestling?
My Idols in wrestling range from Dynamite Kid, Toshiaki Kawada, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Kenta Kobashi.

What can you say about your mentor Davey Richards?
Davey, in my opinion, is the hardest working guy in professional wrestling. He is constantly pushing the threshold, setting the standard for work rate, and he trains constantly always looking to improve himself. He demonstrates a dedication to the sport and everything he pursues unmatched by anyone.

What do you consider the best matches in your career to date?
As far as best matches go, it’s hard to pinpoint any. I feel like I’m constantly trying to improve myself so a match that I loved a few years or even months ago, I could look back at the footage and despise. I’m very critical and analytical of my work, but my favorite opponents include Billy Suede, TJ Perkins, Adam Cole and Bobby Fish among many others.

You’re sort of a „MMA Crossover“ type of wrestler, using big variety of lethal kicks and submissions. Did you ever think about possible MMA career after you retire from pro-wrestling? And if not MMA, what would your career look like outside of wrestling ring?
Well Davey and I currently train 5 days a week at a reputable MMA gym, so we definitely are prepared for the crossover of sports. I’m not oppose to fighting in MMA, but my main passion and goal is pro-wrestling. I never would have got into MMA if not for pro-wrestling so I’ve made wrestling my top priority for now. As far as other careers are concerned I’ve taken an interest in environmental design and landscape architecture.

In your opinion, which hold of your submission arsenal is the most painful or hardest to escape from?
I have a really strong triangle choke that is pretty difficult to get out of, especially when I start to elbow your head. A lot of the submissions I use are legitimate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Catch Wrestling holds so they are designed to end a fight, making a simple arm bar extremely effective.

You and Adam Cole became great tag team in ROH in last few months. What are your thoughts on pairing of you and Adam, do you see you and Adam becoming tag team champions in ROH this year?
Tagging with Adam Cole has been awesome. He is such an insanely talented guy and our styles and concept of pro-wrestling mesh really well together. As far as the titles go, I’m more excited of the potential matches still within ROH that we could have. The Briscoes, Kings of Wrestling and American Wolves are all possible matches that would help us grow so well as a team.

What future do you predict for ROH, after it ends it’s TV run on HDNet?
I think ROH will continue to grow and continue to put on a quality product. I’m extremely thankful to be a part of this organization and I’m excited for it’s future.

What are your thoughts on EVOLVE, where it’s less about the storylines and way more about hard hitting wrestling and win-loss records?
There is a ton of hardworking, talented guys in EVOLVE. I think it’s something different in pro-wrestling, I just hope they get to do a lot more shows in 2011.

Who was the pro-biggest wrestling legend you’ve met, in the ring or outside of it?
I met Terry Funk backstage at Glory By Honor IX and he is by far the biggest legend I’ve met. An absolutely genuine, class act of a guy that was super nice. A true honor to have met him.

While not being in the ring, what do you enjoy the most? What are your „hobbies“?
I live a very training orientated lifestyle, Kick boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and weight lifting are all activities that I participate in regularly. Listening to music and reading helps me relax and I love to cook and eat!

Have you ever been to Czech Republic? If not, have you ever heard about our country, do you want to visit it someday?
Of course! Dominik Hasek was one of my favorite goalies growing up! The Czech Republic and Canada are big hockey nations so there was always a rivalry there in the Olympics, especially in 98′ when you guys kicked our butts! I have a lot of Czech friends and I would love to one day visit and see Prague.

What does the phrase „Art of Wrestling“ associate you?
Wrestling is an art form. Anything that can capture somebodies attention and emotions and make them invest their senses into something should be considered art. I love being a pro-wrestler and creating a collection of art that I can one day look back on and be proud of.

In what position do you see yourself after one year from this day?
One year from now I hope to still be healthy and rising the ranks within ROH. Increasing international experience and getting to perform quality matches to the best of my ability. Lots more traveling I hope!

Shameless plug

Hello interweb. I’ve been kind of lazy lately on the blog front so I figure I’ll let someone else do the work for me. Gabe Sapolsky wrote a great blog about the life, mind and times of a promoter/booker on the day of an important show. Gabe (EVOLVE and DGUSA) truly has a mind and passion for the professional wrestling business unmatched by anyone I have ever met, please check out his blog and give it the support it deserves. The best part about it, it mentions me!

http://heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/107377-gabe-sapolsky-blog

Young Lions Cup

YLC

There is a name that is synonymous with American independent wrestling.

The Young Lions Cup tournament is an annual competition pitting the top 24 independent athletes (all aged 25 and younger) against one another to see who the next top prospect in all of pro-wrestling truly is.  Promotions from all over the world have sent representatives for the past eight years to bring home the coveted prize and receive recognition as being the best “young lion.” When it comes to the best young athlete reigning supreme over the toughest competition the world will offer on August 27,28,29, standing broken, bruised and victorious will be Kyle O’Reilly.

That name is Chikara.

Vancouver, British Columbia is a long ways away from Reading, Pennsylvania. I feel entering this tournament as a dark horse plays to my advantage. Some of these competitors I am unfamiliar with, others I have battled in the past. Google searches and Youtube clips can only take one so far in scouting possible opponents and knowing what to expect. The most fail-safe form of preparation I’ve come to realize is to wake up earlier and train harder than everybody else. Upon returning to my home city for the past 2 months of summer my training regimen has differed significantly. From training under the “Best wrestler in the world” to training in a state of solitude has thrown me off my game in a sense. I am outdoors more. Mind, body and soul push one beyond the pain threshold when you’re sprinting up 3km of nature-made stairs to the top of a mountain’s temperate rainforest. I’m like Balboa in Rocky IV, training in Siberia, out running the KGB and splicing to shots of Ivan Drago juicing and knocking out jobbers.

I remember when I first saw Chikara pro-wrestling. I was relatively new to the business (2 years in) and I would see a revolutionary style of Japanese and American influenced, Mexican style Lucha-libre. It was an ultimate smorgasbord blend of pro-wrestling diversity. Some of the sports best athletes have honed their craft in this world-renowned organization. The names of past Young Lions cup winners alone, is enough to create a dream team of competitors. I thought I knew a thing or two about arm-drags… until I watched a few Chikara matches… I don’t know shit.

That’s exactly why I fit. Exactly why I’m here. I am an ever-evolving wrestler, always looking to improve, always pushing myself beyond, to the heights I know I will accomplish. As sweat beads on my face and my lungs inflate at an alarming rate, I will fight the pain of mercy and refuse to bestow it upon myself.  Dropdown, pushup, squat, jump, jab, cross, hook, cross, left kick, right kick and again. I fight the need to rest knowing this exact pain and questioning of my stamina will surely be tested in the finals of the tournament.

The finals of the tournament… Visualization is key. I would never have accomplished anything in the sport if I couldn’t visualize where I needed to be and what I needed to do. Whose ass I needed to kick. When it comes to the YLC VIII I will bring all I need and know. I will bring the fight to Reading, PA.

Evolve

This is a recent blog I wrote for the Evolve website and my myspace page. I jacked a few quotes and sayings from previous posts, but I thought I would post it here anyways seeing how it’s recent writing. Evolvewrestling.com

The smell of sweat and leather invades the air. A musty, muggy heat causes an instant perspiration, creating a slick layer of sweat on my brow. The beads gather together and commence to pour. Thick, dense heavy bags hang from chains with a taunting aura amongst them. I scan the walls, wondering if they could reminisce the pain and blood that had surely been shed in their glory. A post with thick rope wrapped around it for demolishing the nerve endings in your shins, lies in predatorial wait for prey to attempt kicking it. This is the place fighters are bred, warriors. The slight, satisfying taste of blood in my mouth brings me back to reality.

“Ten more!” yells Davey Richards, holding a pair of worn, stiff Thai pads.

Using all of my reserve, I blast out another 10 roundhouse kicks with my left leg, exerting more force than I thought I had each time. Making sure to rotate my hip as he corrected me, my shins are raw and beat/beet red, a satisfying pain that foreshadows sustainability. The three-minute timer goes off to my relief.

The timer rings again and Davey begins to punish the Thai pads that I am now holding. Each kick unleashes a thunderous crack and is more precise and deadly than the last. An overwhelming sense of pity for his opponents succumbs over me, which in turn makes me pity those who stand in my own way, preventing my chance at glory. THWAK. Each powerful kick sends a shockwave though my spine, my forearms and wrists enduring an explosive attack. I don’t dare show any sign of pain or weakness. I feel myself evolving…

My Biology professor once told me to picture a year of the earth as a grain of sand. One year, one grain. He told me the next time I walk along a beach to picture the entire beach as years of the earth, our planet. To grasp the concept of evolution and how long and painstaking of a process it is, the metaphor helped me to realize how insignificant a human lifetime is in the process of evolution. For the first time in human history we are subject to witness an evolutionary phase sped up, to behold in front of our eyes. The evolution of a sport, of athletes, of a dream and a passion.

The timer goes off and I am again at the helm to attack, to train. Jab, cross, hook, cross, uppercut, right knee, left kick, each combo further fuels my desire to get better.

“Sprawl, Knees, Sprawl” Davey directs my destruction. The benefit of training with the best wrestler in the world, he knows my limits and ability and to keep pushing me beyond that threshold, to the point of no return.

The road to evolving is about sacrifice. Doing what is necessary to stand out amongst the elite. Whether it is the way you train, the way one carries themselves, the way we perform. Evolving can be measured in many ways, but in no way is to evolve for the weak of heart.  To get to this phase of evolution, I have done many things that I will continue to do. January 16, 2010 in Rahway I will do what I have done to get me to this point. I will put on my wrestling shoes, left then right. I will tape my wrists, tightly, black. I will warm up and stretch and create a systematic environment for my approach on breathing. I will go out and prove that I belong amongst the very best in the greatest sport on earth. 01/16/10

K