Train hard, harder, hardest and enjoy it
Yoram Bemer on his participation in Fight Fans Experience 2018
Yoram Bemer, member of Het Gymlokaal and recently also a trainer with us, fought his first kickboxing match during the Fight Fans Experience in 2018. And successfully! For the next edition on October 27th we spoke to Yoram about what it’s like to step into the ring and how he prepared.
Why did you want to take part in a kickboxing match?
‘I started kickboxing at a fairly late age, but I had been training very fanatically for several years by then. I had long wanted to fight; as a challenge for myself, but also especially to experience a competition for once. It seemed to me the ultimate way to experience this beautiful sport.’
How did you prepare?
‘The preparation started as early as the end of February last year, because I actually wanted to fight that summer. It just wasn’t possible to find an opponent then. I trained seven times a week, spread over five days. The weekend was for rest, but genuinely real rest. I skipped birthdays and parties. I also stopped drinking alcohol. Full focus on the fight. Ultimately it wasn’t until October that I could fight. In the last two months, absolutely everything was geared towards that fight: going to bed early, resting a lot, working little and eating extra healthily.’
How did it feel to step into the ring?
‘Overwhelming. Together with my coach Malic Groenberg from Het Gymlokaal, who had guided and trained me throughout the whole journey, we stood outside the hall waiting. When my name was called and we walked through the hall towards the ring, there was a deafening roar. Friends, family, acquaintances, training partners, everyone was there. Really something very special to experience. But there was also little time to let it sink in. It all happened in a blur, because a minute later we were in the ring and saw the opponent for the first time.’
Who was standing next to Malic in your corner?
‘Marvin Wolff (kickboxing trainer at Het Gymlokaal) and Francois Lubbers from Vos Gym where I also trained a lot. Just before the first bell rang, they gave me a few good tips (“your opponent is a bit shorter, stocky and will want to brawl, fight your own game”) and provided calm and confidence. During the fight I heard their instructions and that helped enormously. You feel like you’re not standing in that ring alone, but fighting as a team.’
Did you have a specific tactic or match plan?
‘Not very specific: it was my first official fight and also my opponent’s, so there was a good chance it would become a grinding match. I definitely didn’t want to go down on a silly punch or kick and thereby fail to show what we had trained so hard for. And of course, try to enjoy it along the way.’
When did you think, this one is mine, I’m going to win!
‘The first roughly twenty seconds flew by and I was mainly in my guard. The beginning was his. He had caught me well a few times with body shots and I even broke a rib, but after that I got more and more into my game. When he went down after a minute from an uppercut and received an eight count, I thought I was well on my way. Ultimately he went down once more in the second round and the fight was over.’
And then you won — what went through your mind?
‘I was extremely happy! And at the same time it also felt unreal, it all happened so incredibly fast. Super great to celebrate it afterwards with my trainers and everyone who came to watch!’
Would you want to step into the ring again?
‘Yes! It leaves you wanting more. Hopefully at the next Fight Fans!’
Do you have any tips for our members who are also brave enough to step into the ring on October 27th?
‘Train hard, harder, hardest, rest a lot and listen to your coach. You might only do a match like this once, so try to enjoy the preparation, during and after the fight. Even if you lose, you had the guts to step into that ring, trained incredibly hard for it and gave everything. Remember that.’
At the Fight Fans Expo on October 27th you can experience as a recreational (kick-)boxer what it’s like to enter the ring for a real match! Exclusively for recreational fighters the match rules have been adapted into three fun and relatively safe challenges. Sign up now at our front desk for the Fight Fans Experience, and our kickboxing trainer Noach will get in touch with you!
Teksteditor: Dennis ter Borg
© photograpy: Alex Boyce
