TUFFguy of the month: March 2011

Who: Kim Khan Zaki “Zig Zach” Professional Middleweight Muay Thai Fighter from Singapore. 

http://www.zigzach.com/

 

Claim to fame:
• WMC Muaythai Against Drugs Singapore Winner 2006
• Contender Asia Season 1 Fighter
• Contender Asia Finals Viewers Choice

Why him: He came a long way from being a chubby kid to where he is today.

Zach started training Muaythai at the age of 17. Initially picking up the sport only as a form of weightloss, as he weighed a hefty 90kgs as a kid. Coming from a notorious neighborhood and school, where fights broke out often, he decided that Muaythai would be the perfect sport for him.

Not only would he learn how to defend himself but because of the intensity of the training it would help him to lose weight at the same time. As he improved and progressed over the months, the only way he believed that he could really test the skills and knowledge he acquired from training, is by getting in the ring and fighting!

After a year of training, he represented Singapore at the IFMA World Championships, even though he lost his first fight due to a dislocated shoulder, the injury never set him back nor did it end his dream. Zach came back a stronger, better, smarter fighter by perfecting and making use of all his other weapons.

12 years down the road. Zach has now fought and won numerous fights around the world. Zach was also selected to be one of the 16 fighters on Mark Burnett's international hit reality TV Show, The Contender Asia, making him Singapore's most experienced and top professional middleweight fighter!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAI42PS0ppw 

Our favourite Martial Arts Quotes, what's YOURS?

Below are some of our favorite martial arts quotes...

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. ~ Bruce Lee

Champions are made from something.
They have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision,
They have to have last minute stamina; have to be a little bit faster,
They have to have the skill and the will.
But the will must be stronger than the skill. ~ Mohammed Ali

Courage first; power second; technique third. ~ Author unknown

It's not the style that wins the fight, without the fighter, the style is nothing. It is the good fighter that makes any particular style a good style for him. The style has no power within itself, only the power in which we give it when we apply what we learn. ~ Phillip Session (aka BlackDragon)

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog~ Author unknown

A black belt is just a white belt that never gave up. ~ Author unknown

The belt only covers 2 inches of your butt, the rest you have to back up on your own. ~ Royce Gracie

Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice. ~ Samurai Maxim

Like a blacksmith pounding a piece of red-hot metal, hard training shapes and changes your body and mind. It is not by rubbing or patting it, but only through continuous hard work that an ordinary object can become a sword ~ Helwig

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even. ~ Muhammad Ali

What are your favorite martial arts quotations?

What's the most important thing in a fight?

In short, mentality or YOUR MIND.

Have the ferocity to know the other person is going to eat dirt, but remain calm so that you don't start acting blindly.

There are a few basic ground rules...
1) Accept that you're going to get hit. Be ready both mentally and physically to take it.

2) Don't waste energy. Don't make punches you know aren't going to land, wait for an opening and get it.

3) Control your territory, then your opponent's. Footing is extremely important; being able to shift your balance freely makes you intensely more effective.

4) Don't try to be flashy. Flashy moves look cool, but are often times wasteful and ineffective.

5) Protect yourself. Defense yourself carefully and use your guards.

Fighting is not pretty, fighting is not kind. Anytime you fight you need to keep in mind that one of you could die. If you're going to fight, take it serious and treat it like the other person is going to kill you because that could very well be the case.

Source: | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1664398#ixzz1FtWtKWFz