What’s up no0bs? How are you? I’m great! Just had an amazing MMA session at the gym. We’ve got a new striking coach Dan Hudson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg4bI4cJ2bU, yeah he’s a world class Thai boxer, stud beast freak etc. He ran us through an incredibly well structured 2 hour crash course in the basics of Maui Thai and I learnt a lot! We went over the technique of the jab, cross, two leg kicks, leg kick check and counter, cross parry and clinch and trip. Badass.

No news about the fight on the 28th, and I don’t have a good feeling about this. Not sure if it’s actually happening. I’m enjoying the hell out of training anyways.

Check out the best MMA forum on the internet: http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/

Merry Christmas everybody!! Just finished work for the year, very happy, I worked most nights over the last couple of weeks to get everything finished, to which my body replied: “how about I throw up on Tuesday morning for no reason?”. I’m done it feels good, and I’m not throwing up any more, which is excellent. Jitz on Monday was a kind of last session of the year battle royale roll-fest, which was the same as competing in a tournament; 99% sparring with short breaks in between bouts. Really really good fun. MMA on Tuesday was the same, but with a lot less people, so it was basically lightish sparring for two hours. It was nice to go up against less experienced guys and try out technique, rather than the usual fighting for my life. These sessions have got me really excited about the fight in the new year, I’m even working out at home now! Ladder drills, which are running on the spot like you’re climbing a ladder then quick fire body weight exercises in sets of 10. Great for cardio.

So, as it’s Christmas, as a present from me to you here are some of my favourite videos of the past couple of months:

Excellent execution of the Stockton salute:

http://uk.ufc.com/media/sub-of-the-week-Diaz-Pellegrino-UFN13

Fight of the year (the link is broken, but you should torrent it):

http://www.pancrase.org/dan-henderson-vs-mauricio-rua-ufc-139/11-20-2011/

Chael Sonnen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SeCrk6xlTk

Vitor Belfort highlight (it’s epic but stick with it, it’s worth it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-6ed1bxJ8c

Work hard and follow your heart, that’s what i do. For real though, thanks for reading this year, here’s to an amazing 2012.

Andy ‘Trigger Happy’ Tregoning

ps. what do you think of trigger happy? pretty cool huh?

Ow, is becoming my trademark sign-in for this blog. A day later and my left thigh is still very sore. I’ve been hobbling round the office and walking like a gangster to the shops. Leg kicks during striking sparring are the main culprits. Yesterday we worked knees for two solid hours followed by an hour of sparring stand up and grappling. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, knees are devastating! I’ve got to get these up to a decent standard if I want to finish an amateur fight with strikes. Get hit with a clean knee to the body and it’s good night Irene, that’s all she wrote! And that’s all I wrote, I’m tired. Speak soon, love ya.

Wow NOH is over (incredible btw) and I jumped straight back in with Jitz on Monday and MMA on Tuesday. Well I thought it was going to be MMA, usually starts with an hour of karate right? Wrong. So the prof gets a hold of Jordan and says, “we’ll start with re-capping from last time” and proceeds to low blow the poor guy and palm strike him under the jaw.. To which I say “is that legal in freestyle karate?”. Turns out we were doing self-defence now, which in turn turns out to be more a stress relief session for the prof. rather than an educational session for us poor students. Although after withstanding an hour of that punishment, I’m pretty confident I can hold my own in most street beatings, muggings or stabbings just through sheer advanced pain threshold. I’m well hard. Front headlock me? I’ll put one hand on your choking wrist to relieve the pressure then horse bite your inner thigh to put all your weight on one leg which I’ll sweep you with, straight into a Von Flu choke. Choke me against a wall? I’ll slap your choking arm on the bicep and then head and arm choke you to ground. You idiot. Use both hands? I’ll knee your inner thigh and head-butt your face. You mary queen.

These two first sessions back after a long while, were awesome fun, I also just rolled and sparred with beginners (confidence builder) and even when I rolled with advanced guys at Jitz I actually did loads better than I usually do. I think taking a bit of time off to heal and absorb youtube instructionals is a pretty decent idea!

I obs didn’t fight on the 4th, Noh, but I will be fighting the last sat of Jan. Hopes.

Hey ho, it’s good to be back people, stay true to your heart, that’s what I do. Download this for your iphones: http://www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/

follow me at @andrewtregoning

read my friend’s blog http://www.fightpilgrim.com/

Stuff! I’ve begged skrimped (?) and saved over the past 13 weeks and finally managed to get together all the stuff I need for mma! Yeah! Little gloves for mma fights, big gloves for sparring and working on the boxing, awesome bad boy shorts, shin and foot guards for sparring and amateur fights, groin guard (xs) gum shield, hand wraps and a small vegetable knife.

I’ve maybe maybe got a fight on December the 4th, it’s at an inter club competition. John will let me know if I’m ready as I’ve hardly practised for ages.

War Andy, Andy.

MMA No0b gear!

Well well, no fighting for two weeks makes Andrew a frustrated MMA No0b. A combination of illness and NOH rehearsals has kept me out of the gym for two whole weeks. It’s left me feeling tired, frustrated and a bit demotivated tbh. I feel like I’m letting down the prof and the guys at the forge. My priorities are church over hobbies but still feels …mggurrhh. 

I’ve been keeping my eye in by watching a lot of internet; the UFC which was in our back yard, Birmingham last saturday, and also chaining a ton of boxing videos starting with Joe Frazier highlights. I love that guy’s left hook, what a beast. Also James Toney, his counter punching a crisp tight left hooks…man o man.

I went to decathlon to look at a bag to practise said hooks against; too expensive so i bought a cocquille slippee instead. Cue awkward moment with the young lady at the til.

It was great to see the UK guys do well at UFC 138, also the event broke the record gate for the venue, LG arena in Brum. MMA is only going to grow. As DFW so brilliantly puts it; put a crowd of people in the middle of a field, have a football match in one corner, a basketball game in another corner, a running race in another and a fight in another. See which pulls the biggest crowd.

Recommended youtube watching:

The god of grappling Marcello Garcia rolling with and Amazing wrestler (esp from 6:20; epic ‘leg-full-nelson-mata leon-choke’):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ujz5sCS3k

Smokin’ Joe tribute (esp from 1:15 tooling ali):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ujz5sCS3k

James Toney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDrFQtbM2rc

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3yRHAJmtlk

Finally our boy Terry Etim at last weekend’s ufc:

http://www.pancrase.org/terry-etim-vs-edward-faaloloto-ufc-138/11-06-2011/

Keep it real warriors, until next week, Andy.

Forge MMA 3. horrible iphone3 footage, but you get the general idea of what the place looks like

Forge MMA 2

We’ve got a heavy bag on an industrial crane lift. No biggie.