We have fully re-stocked the highly popular and sought after Hayabusa Kanpeki Elite Series 2.0 equipment line.
We have also topped up our stocks to meet the demands for the Hayabusa Tokushu and Ikusa Series equipment lines too.
These ranges from Hayabusa are amongst our most in demand products so if you have been waiting for any of this to come back in to stock, grab yours while you can!
Our focus will be on Muay Boran, the collective name given to the unarmed martial arts of Thailand, prior to modernisation in the 1930’s.Ai??Each of the arts under the umbrella term of Muay Boran, had their own style guards, striking techniques and stances.
The distinctive regions of the Siam (Thailand) empire each had their own fighting styles and during the mid to late 19th century, fighters from each region would be sent by their Lords to Bangkok to compete in tournaments to establish who the best fighter was. Over time, such gatherings saw the different regional styles merge during the Rattanakosin Era and became generically referred to as Muay (meaning Boxing or pugilism). Despite this, regional styles still existed and were practised in various parts of the country.
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Buddhist monks carried on the teaching of Muay as a fighting technique for unarmed warfare and it also became a popular combat spectator sport for all levels of society. As well has having a broad appeal to people across the strata of society, Muay also had it’s royal connections too. The most skilful and respected of fighters were often employed by royalty of the day to train soldiers and other notable courtesans in the art of Muay.
During the mid 19th Century, a time of peace for Thailand, the popularity of Muay had greatly increased and was a regular form of exercise and recreation as well as serving it’s original functions. Despite the blending of styles that we’ve already mentioned, four distinct regional styles were still in existence various parts of the country. These four styles were;
ai???Ai??Muay Thasao (North)
ai??? Muay Khorat (East / North East)
ai???Ai??Muay Lopburi (Central)
ai??? Muay Chaiya (South)
Moving in to the 20th century saw the introduction of the boxing ring and codified rules, including the necessity for fighters to wear western style gloves and to move away from the heavily wrapped hemp rope style shown below. During this time the old regional styles mentioned above began to die out due to a combination of being banned and being unsuitable for the more modern matches.
It was common for Muay Boran fighters to tie knots in to the hemp rope used to wrap their hands, for added protection and to make their punches more abrasive and harmful to their opponents.
As a result of the new rules and the introduction of more protective equipment, the new style that began to emerge during the 20th century started to become known as Muay Thai, with the older style being labelled as Muay Boran (or ancient boxing).
Today, Muay Boran is rarely taught due to the techniques not being able to be used in modern competition. As a style, Muay Boran required fighters to be extremely agile, fast and flexible. The stance was different to that of Muay Thai, with it being wider and lower and more akin to the traditional Chinese and Indian Martial Arts.
The simple rule base excluded eye gouging, grappling, hitting a grounded opponent, hitting the groin and hair pulling. There were no weight categories or formal rings that we are familiar with today. With regards to the timing fights, and something that can still be seen today, a coconut shell with a hole in was placed in water and the fight lasted until the shell thoroughly sank and became immersed in water. This was followed by the beating of a drum to signal the end of the round.
The profile of Muay Boran was raised again fairly recently due to the 2003 film, Ong Bak, featuring Tony Jaa (see header image). The Muay Boran fighting styles heavily featured in this movie and was probably the first time it had been seen by the majority of its western audience.
Not only is our fighter a Mixed Martial Arts specialist, he’s also made up of a fair few nationalities. Taking in to account the nationalities of the fighters we’re drawing his skills from, he isAi??56.25% American, 25% BrazilianAi??andAi??6.25% Russian, CroatianAi??andAi??CanadianAi??to boot!
Starting off, we’ve blessed our guy with theAi??Strategy and BrainAi??ofAi??Georges St. PierreAi??due to his flawless ability to calmly adapt and change his game mid fight, not to mention is unrivalled desire to win mentality.Ai??
There’s nothing like a bit ofAi??Trash TalkingAi??to build up a fight and get beneath your opponents skin before you’ve even gone toe to toe. There were a few candidates for this, but there are few others who like the sound of their own voice than the opinion dividingAi??Chael Sonnen.
The best form of defence in any combat sport is to avoid being hit, but in the unlikely event that our superhuman will take a few hits, then a cast ironAi??ChinAi??will also come in pretty handy.Ai??Dan HendersonAi??boasts never being knocked to date after sixteen years, need we say more?
When the heat of the battle rises and things get tough, the desire to keep on going and fight until you’re running on empty requires courage and a bigAi??Heart, something thatAi??Frankie “The Answer” EdgarAi??is famous for.
There are so many attributes that we could have taken fromAi??Jon Jones, but if you askAi??Stephan Bonnar, he’s likely to mention that devastatingly fast spinning ElbowAi??he ate during Jone’s 2nd fight in the UFC. It’s not only the speed you have to look out for, Jones’s elbows are like blades and seem to open up cuts like a machete!
Cain Velasquez’sAi??domination of AntonioAi??“Big Foot” Silva backAi??at UFC 160 was a prime example of Velasquez’s brutally effectiveAi??Ground and PoundAi??game. When used effectively, raining down a flurry of blows using this technique can often be a fight finisher.
For overallAi??Submission GrapplingAi??prowess, there are few MMA fighters more highly thought of than the Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Jacare is one of the most feared fighters in MMA when the fight goes to the ground and often tops the list of the best BJJ practitioners within the sport too.
As with all of the different traits and attributes we’ve listed, there are going to be many choices for each, but our decision to includeAi??Johny HendricksAi??forAi??Knockout Power is based on this guy’s ridiculous striking power and the fact the he seems to get more powerful with each fight.
As well as knockout merchant credentials, we though that we would give our fighter some additional Striking Power from Fedor Emelianenko.Ai??Renowned as one of the all time greats, “The Last Emperor” possessed bear like strength with unmatched power behind his heavy hands. It has been said that Fedor actually punched too hard, and posed a risk to the health of his own hand bones and joints!
UFC stat boffins will know of the incredibleAi??Striking AccuracyAi??possessed by one of, if the not, the greatest fighter in MMA history. There’s so much that we could take from Anderson Silva when creating our Perfect MMA Fighter, but his striking accuracy keeps him firmly at the top of the FightMetric ‘Significant Strike Accuracy’ stats list with an impressive 62.7% record.
Few can match the Hand Speed ofAi??Demetrious Johnson, one of those who was recently frustrated and outfoxed by “Mighty Mouse” wasAi??Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174. In this fight it was Johnson’s overall speed and manoeuvrability that helped him to overwhelm BagautinovAi??secure the victory.
We might be being a bit excessive here as we’ve already got the submission grappling skills of Jacare in the bag. But, as one of our favourite BJJ maestro’s, we thought we’d throw in a dose of Kimura specialist, Fabricio Werdum for good measure too.
If there’s one place that you do not want to find yourself in the midst of a fight, it’s being held in the Clinch of Anderson Silva. It’s no secret that Silva can come at you and do you damage in many ways, but feeling the full force of repetitive knee and elbow strikes from this position is certainly one of the most devastating.
Melvin GuillardAi??is a genuine athlete that possessAi??ExplosivenessAi??of movement as well as punching power. Guillard’s aggressive, dynamic style made him exciting to watch, despite being released earlier this year by the UFC after nine years with the organisation.Ai??
Not only renowned for his Iron Chin,Ai??Dan Henderson is also highly regarded for hisAi??Wrestling & TakedownAi??skills. These attributes are sure to give our fighter another option to effortlessly control the fight if it goes to the ground, or purposefully take the fight to the ground to show off his skills!
Not only do we have a well rounded, probably unbeatable fighter in the making, we also want him to be a crowd pleaser.Ai??Lyoto Machida’s Front Leg Kick that he originally used to flaw Randy Couture back in 2013 certainly got people on their feet and is still talked about today as one of the most famous knockouts in the UFC.
Blink or take your eye off the ball and our fighter will hit you for six withAi??Left High Kick that will take your head off your shoulders. Widely feared as being a generally scary individual not mention one of the greatest MMA heavyweights in MMA history,Ai??Mirko Cro Cop’sAi??LHK was lightning quick equally as powerful.
It’s highly likely that you are going to be hit by our fighter, given the lethal cocktail of skills we’ve plied him with. It’s also very possible that you are unlikely to get near him as well, as we finish him off with the unique and incredibly quick FootworkAi??ofAi??Dominick Cruz.
Before you get started, there are a couple of things to note that you will want to keep in mind when wrapping up your hands.
ai??? Get the tension right
You need to make sure that you wrap tightly enough so the wraps are not loose but not too tight to risk reducing circulation of blood flow. It may take you a few attempts before you get the right balance between comfort, fit and support.
ai??? Keep the wraps as smooth as possible
When wrapping, try to prevent them bunching up and keep the surfaces as smooth as possible. If you allow the hand wraps to wrinkle, this will not only be uncomfortable, but it will also make them less protective for your hands and wrists.
1 – Keep your hands and fingers outstretched
Before you begin to wrap your hands up, make sure that your fingers are fully stretched out. This helps with making sure that you do not wrap your hands too tightly and ensures that you are properly protected. If you wrap your hands with your fingers close together, you may find that your movements are restricted once your hands are fully wrapped up.
2 – Start with the thumb loop
Begin the process by placing your thumb through loop, making sure that the underside of the wrap is against your skin. You will know which side is the right way up as most wraps have a branded logo at one end where the Velcro fastening is, this is the side that should be visible.
3 – Wrapping the wrist
Depending on the size of your wrists and the length of the wrap itself, you should aim to wrap around the circumference of your wrist 3 to 4 times, finishing off so that the wrap is facing inwards (in the same direction as your outstretched thumb).
4 – Wrapping your hand
Bringing the wrap around the back of your hand just above your thumb and pull it across your palm to the other side. Repeat this action 2 – 3 times finishing off so the wrap is facing inwards.
5 – Wrapping your thumb
In an upward motion, wrap from the base and around your thumb and follow on by wrapping your wrist once.
6 – Wrapping your fingers
It is worth noting that variations on how to wrap hand wraps can vary and some guides tell you to close your fist when wrapping your fingers (as bring the wrap over and in between your fingers), so you may also want to give this a try when repeating steps 6 & 7.
Starting off near the base of your thumb on the inside of your wrist, bring the wrap up, over and in between pinky and ring finger.
Wrap over the top of the hand, and from the inside of your wrist again, proceed to bring the wrap over and between your ring finger and middle finger.
Repeat this action and bring the wrap over and between your middle finder and index finger, finishing off again on the inside of your wrist.
7 – Wrap your wrist again
Begin by wrapping your wrist as normal, then from the inside of the wrist, bring the wrap over the front of your hand in a diagonal direction to the outside edge of your hand.
Check out our range of traditional cotton and bamboo Hand Wraps on our site, from top brands like; Hayabusa, Venum & PRO MMA.
Bring the wrap across the palm of your hand just above your thumb, then repeat the action. finishing off by wrapping a full circumference around your wrist.
8 – Strap the wrap in place
Finally, to secure the wrap in place, simply close the Velcro panels together.
Repeat this with your other hand and you should be good to go.
The new limited edition HayabusaAi??Ikusa 16oz Gloves make their mark and stand out from the crowd with their exciting, vibrant new colour combination designs.
Available in three different styles, the new Ikusa Gloves have all of the same great technical features of the existing line but offer something a little different for those in the market for something that looks a little different.
Next up are the equally vibrant new HayabusaAi??Flex Factor Training Shorts. As with the new Ikusa range, these shorts are an addition to an existing line, but just offer up an alternative design for those of you who don’t mind standing out from the rest.
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The Flex Factor Training Shorts provide all of the minimal, sleek and functional design features of the original Flex Fight Shorts line, but are a available in a vibrant new colour way.
What to Look For
The main aims of this garment is to provide support for your muscles, helping to prevent injury and improve blood flow and reduce lactic acid. In simple terms, they achieve this by being tight fitting and helping to ‘compress’ the muscle tissue in your gluteus, hamstrings and quads.
Moisture Wicking Fabric
We’ve covered the properties of moisture wicking fabric in previous posts for other kinds of MMA apparel, but basically moisture wicking fabric is really beneficial especially in close fitting garments like Compression Shorts.
By wicking away the sweat from the surface of your skin to the outer layer of the fabric, the aim is to keep you as cool and dry as possible.
Moisture wicking fabric works by exploiting the natural capillary action of that occurs when liquids flow through narrow spaces (the minute gaps in the fabric) without the aid of any external forces such as gravity.
Integrated Cup Pockets
Not all Compression Shorts feature a built in cup pocket, but if you are planning to wear a cup it’s always worth looking out for this feature as it will provide extra comfort, convenience as well as protection.
Wide Waistbands
This is a personal preference, but with Compression Shorts being purposefully tight fitting, a wide waistband can help evenly distribute the pressure and reduce the cutting feeling you can get with compression wear with smaller waistbands.
Dye Sublimated Graphics
Whilst this may not be so important in terms of performance, dye sublimated graphics (where designs are fused in to fabric of the shorts) as opposed to printed or stitched on, will help to keep the shorts sleek, light and rule out any fading or chaffing caused by stitching.
A Note About Sizing
It is important to note that we’ve highlighted some of the main points, but one thing to be aware of that we can’t really generalise about is Sizing.
It is important that you refer to each individual brand’s Size Guide before deciding on which size is most suitable for you as there can be variations between brands.
If you found this Buying Guide useful, you may also want to check out our MMA Rashguards Buying Guide, as there are similar features and functions that are common to both kinds of apparel.
1 – Short Sleeves or Long Sleeves
This is down to preference, but it is worth noting that long sleeve Rashguards will better protect you against infections that can be caught from coming in to contact with the gym mat like Staph and Ringworm.
2 – Loose Fitting or Skin Tight Fit
Again, this is also a personal preference, but some Rashguards will be purposefully made to be loose fitting. Some find this style more comfortable, however others prefer the tighter fitting style, especially if it is being worn beneath other clothing like a Jiu Jitsu Gi.
3 – Sublimated Printed Logos and Designs
One of the major deciding factors that will influence your decision on which Rashguard to get will be it’s design.
Look out for sublimated graphics, where the designs are permanently fused in to the fabric. This is desirable for two reasons, the first being comfort and the second being durability.
With most Rashguards being close fitting, the last thing you want is to be scratched by itchy stitching from an embroidered logo or pattern.
Also, this garment will come in to contact with the mat and your training partner on regular occasions, this is were vinyl printed or embroidered graphics will rub, fade and come off over time. This doesn’t happen with sublimated printing techniques.
4 – Moisture Wicking Fabric
Traditionally Rashguards were designed for those taking part in outdoor sports like surfing where the idea is to keep heat in, this is not the case with the MMA variety.
Ideally you want to keep yourself as cool and dry as possible and this were moisture wicking fabric comes in.
Moisture wicking fabric works by drawing the sweat away from your skin to the outside surface of the fabric, helping you to stay dry and cool.
5 – Flatlock Stitching
Flatlock stitching creates a smoother surface by layering one piece of fabric over the other at the seam and then stitching through the layers to secure the fabric panel areas in to place. This stitching method also increases the strength and durability of the garment.
So depending on your preference of short or long sleeve, loose or tight fitting, keep a look at for good quality Rashguards that have Sublimated Printed Logos and Designs, Moisture Wicking Fabric and Flatlock Stitching.
Different brands will have additional features and will use fabrics of varying thicknesses and stretchiness, but the points we’ve listed above are the basics of what to look out for.
How do yo motivate yourself on those days when you’re making excuses and just don’t feel like it!?
Do you tell yourself certain things, or maybe there’s some particular music you play to get you energised?
For a quick burst of inspiration check out these funny, short and snappy quotes below as well as a well know quote from Muhammad Ali.
Share your own quotes and tips for getting motivated on our Facebook page and you might even pick up some new ideas for yourself!
Of course, there is another way to get you motivated… there’s nothing like getting yourself some new gear to give you that little extra boost! Check out our latest offers for some low price deals to get your own motivational retail fix 😉
MMA Shorts are designed to make sure that the wearer has as much freedom of movement as possible, whilst staying securely in place and not shifting around during a fight.
There are a number of common features that different brands use to ensure that their shorts are fit for purpose. We’ve outlined some of the most popular features of MMA Shorts that you will find so you know what to look out for.
Lightweight & Quick Drying
MMA Shorts are often made from a Polyester / Spandex composite material, making them lightweight and flexible.
The composite materials used often have moisture wicking properties that helps to draw the sweat from your skin to the outside of the fabric of the shorts, enabling you to remain cool and dry.
Some brands will also feature material that is both sweat and blood repellant too.
Short Length
Traditionally, MMA Shorts have been of a fairly standard ‘board short’ style length, but recently we have seen increasing number of shorter styles and even some Vale Tudo / MMA hybrid cross over styles.
The length of the short is really down to your personal preference and how comfortable you feel when training or competing.
Stretch Panels
MMA can involve quick movements in different directions and it’s important that the garments you wear move with you and allow you to do this.
The inclusion of spandex stretch panels in the crotch area of the shorts is a common feature that allows the shorts to stretch and move without the risk of any embarrassing tears or splits occurring.
Split Seams
Similar to the stretch panels, spilt seams down either leg allow the wearer to freely move about when grappling and execute high leg kicks without being restricted or risking tearing the shorts.
Combined Velcro and Drawstring Fastening
Keeping the shorts firmly in place without relying solely on tightening a drawstring regularly is a problem that has been overcome with the use of a combined velcro and drawstring enclosure system.
Whilst the enclosure systems on certain brands may be a little more elaborate than on others, the principles are the same.
Often two velcro panels, one across the waist and one on the front of the shorts are used to reinforce the traditional drawstring system to make sure your shorts don’t move and shift about when being worn.
Rubberised Waistbands
Another popular feature that is used to further reduce unwanted movement, is the rubberised waistband.
Rubberised waistbands provide additional grip and combined with the above mentioned enclosure systems, they do a good job of keeping your shorts in place.
With the basics covered above, all that is left for you to decide on the style and price range that suits you best.
Check out our full range of MMA Shorts and be sure to check the sizing the guides for each brand as some slight variations are possible.
Check out our SALE page to see the full ranges on offer or click on the individual banners below to check availability.
