Here’s a long interview with muay Thai and kickboxing legend Rob Kaman that just came out:
In this interview, you see him talking with his former sparring partner and the current Mejiro Gym trainer, André Mannaert. They reminisce on days gone by and on what’s going on in the muay Thai and kickboxing world right now.
What strikes me the most is how calm and relaxed they both are. Neither man has anything left to prove and it shows in their demeanor. I always liked that in true champions, they don’t feel the need to rub into your face how special they are. Which is a far cry from some of the attention seekers and diva’s you see in todays combat sports.
Rob Kaman had a huge impact on my development as a competitor but also as a martial artist. His fighting style was pretty basic at heart. He didn’t do too fancy techniques, he stuck to the essentials. But he had superb timing with these basics and used a bunch of variations so you never know exactly what he would do. I took those lessons to heart as a young fighter and tried to do the same thing: work on basics but find all the variations and see how they interact.
if I have any skill in the ring right now, it’s in no small measure thanks to Mr. Kaman and his fighting style. So credit where it’s due.
If you’re a bit younger than me, you might have missed his fights. A pity, but thanks to Youtube, you can still watch some of them today. Here’s a highlight to get you started. Enjoy.
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