The Mad Dog Bites Back

Liles Eyes Big Stage Not looking past Craven

October 2nd 2012 Pueblo Colorado-War will be waged October 27th in Colorado Springs Colorado as the "Mad Dog" Donnie Liles takes on  veteran Bryant Craven at Evolution Combat Sports fight night produced in association Lashley Management.
(http://www.evolutioncombatsports.com/liles.html)  Liles, 14-6 175 lbs will seek retribution after a rare formally contested and controversial decision loss against Joey Villasenor on June 2nd at the Hard Rock Cafe in Albuquerque that aimed to derail Liles 5 fight win streak. Both Craven and Donnie Liles see the upcoming bout as a pivotal point in their careers that will largely assess the direction they move next.

Gabe Charboneau, Liles longtime mentor and striking trainer maintains that the marquee value is still there provided the right opportunity. "Donnie has everything it takes to remain a valuable asset to any organization who picks him up whether Bellator, UFC,  or any number of the other up and coming savvy promotions." He is marketable, skilled and never loses sight of the discipline and work ethic it takes to compete at that level whether it be in training here with us at Ultimate Performance/Pacific Warrior or cross training with Drew Lawrence and our friends at ATT/Pariah in Colorado Springs. I don't have to push him, he's a professional who knows what needs to be done and just does it".  This relentless pursuit of perfection is evidenced further by Liles continued string of victories over reputable up and comers, veterans and undefeated prospects who have recently made it on the latest season of TUF. One thing is for sure, Donnie Liles is here to stay.

The October 27th Evolution card will feature a slew of other talent including Donnie Liles UP/PWIA stablemate pro Bruce "The Moose" Reis who makes his return to the cage after almost a year of inactivity. Reis will have his hands full when he squares off with Jose Louis Murillo who enters the cage with almost 25 fights to his credit  Southern Colorado fight fans get ready there's a steam train a-comin.

The Foot-load Series

How to Combine Elite Striking with Wrestling for MMA Mechanics and alignment part 1.

Mechanics and alignment, the foundation of the foot load. One of the major problems that I see boxers and mixed martial arts fighters alike suffer from today is a foundation of sound body mechanics. While minimal motion without foot rotation may seem to conserve energy and increase speed in the short term it is largely problematic when trying to teach the same individuals a good power base and also how to hit with power while staying on the balls of the feet as movements are predominately shoulder and arm only. Take the same individuals now attempting to cross train in Muay Thai for instance, and it is readily apparent that this lack of pivoting fundamentals is insufficient to turn the hip over and rotate the ball of the supporting leg. This has bred a nation of flashy arm punching point fighters who rely on the shoulders to bear the load that a simple foot turn could alleviate. They throw short almost choppy punches because the tend to stay flat and lack spring, and as it applies to this writing will always have a hard time erasing the lines that separate both ranges and styles. The foot-load series as we will call it is based around the principle that there is a common movement that binds each range together and for our purpose here it is the pivot motion of coil and recoil that can be used to do so. Is it not a rear foot pivot that makes a right cross and right round kick work? A torqued left hook and penetration step with the left foot pivoted work harmoniously to set the other up.

This is the foundation of what we are trying to achieve with this method. Patience, repetition in developing these attributes and sound fundamentals from the beginning will result in a better understanding of how the body works, where its pivot points and angles are, and overall make you well rounded polished fighter. In forthcoming issues, techniques, training and development will be discussed.