Your Coach Can’t Fight Their Way Out Of A Paper Bag

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[@andrewrex9041]

my coach didn’t have a lot of pro fights but the fact Is that he always train us good enough to win almost every single fight. Even the least skilled guy in the gym won his first fight thanks to the coach

[@WritingandFighting]

I'm fortunate to have a really good instructor. He spars every chance he gets and even though I've improved a lot, I still haven't been able to land a jab on his head after almost two years.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

If you want to compete find a LEGIT instructor. If you're training for fun and fitness is doesn't matter as much

[@bajanprince_mma]

🙏🏽💯

[@fochiqui]

I’m using you’re stuff as a coach to help me learn

[@bajanprince_mma]

@fochiqui be worth it💯 I've been doing that with this channel since I started out in COVID and I've landed in sparring with quite a few techniques I learned here 🙏🏽🥊

[@MONOEDITZ75]

My coach literally fights and wins at current and i'm happy for it

[@andreicheran3629]

Mike Passenier is one of the best coaches in the world and he never competed at pro level

[@Mimir3710]

Might not be the exact same as combat sports but also john Danaher

[@altermellion6984]

Constantine D'Amato is another brilliant example.

[@dababy4182]

the big mike!

[@cage7777]

Might need to rethink your criteria for what makes a “legit” coach. Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran and Muhammed Ali all had coaches that did nothing more than at most one amateur bout. Just because someone loves teaching and the science of the sport doesn’t mean they need to be a fighter themselves

[@altermellion6984]

@@cage7777, you are absolutely right. And to give an insight of that, one can read Jack Dempsey's book "Championship fighting", where he explain just that. Being a great boxer doesn't make you a great coach right of the bat, as doing and teaching are very different skill sets.

[@alexmccullough1961]

Insane title lmao dude, but glad you're talking about this issue. I really lucked out with my gym

[@dirtpoorchris]

I remember the Tai Chi/Wing Chung instructor I had watched me punch a wooden target on a rope and it hit the roof and he immediately told me "I think your fist is probably better than mine" and I instantly respected him for telling the truth. He had way more skill than me though when it came to other stuff, he could hold both your wrists and kick you in the face at the same time.

[@CaldoDeCaracol]

I remember the only time my kung fu instructor "spar" with me he told that i couldn't do anything but defend, so he would punch, kick and sweep, he didn't hurt me of course but I didn't saw the point of that "training" and he would talk to me abouth the times he would spar with other students but the only times I watched him spar other students where either little kids or people that where very afraid of sparring so he knew they wouldn't punch back a lot, he never hurt somebody but I do guess he was afraid of his level being exposed to the class, he probably wasn't that bad, but in this type of tma sometimes people see the instructors like some type of demi gods so he didn't wanted to the students to think less of him. Thanks for the video Gabriel!

[@Chapo33333]

I’m thankful my coach is a retired professional fighter, legit black belt, and has such extensive knowledge, he’s not afraid to get the gloves on and spar with me for mma. One of the best coaches in Wisconsin

[@seansnipes8334]

What's his name ?

[@Jormmg]

Thankful for Fabio Novaes down in Lakeland, Florida. Huge heart, the patience of a saint, excellent instructor, excellent competitor and a very warm and welcoming gym culture.

[@elserpientethechamp2122]

Recently, a month ago, my old coach told me the same thing you tolf that parent Gabriel, that he has taught me everything he knew and to continue with learning from other coaches in town and now found a new and better club and coach to continue my journey to compete, having my first fight, etc. Really a topic that is a must talk in this sport because there are coaches who cannot teach you as much. 🥊🥊

[@I_Might_B_Wrong]

I had a coach that had an insanely good eye for detail but wasn't the best fighter. I made insanely fast progress under him despite him not being the greatest athlete himself. He was riddled with health problems and very frail, but consistently trained winning fighters. I currently have a coach that was a great competitor, who competed in Sanda but is now too old to compete and constantly complains that he wishes he still could. He hops in and spars with students regularly. Nice thing about coach 1 was that he could help me break down and conceptualize every technique we went over, and touch up finer details I wasn't noticing. Nice thing about coach 2 is that, since he works with me so directly, I can feel how things are supposed to feel and learn more from experience, filling in the blanks and connecting the dots that I see in doing so myself based on my prior experience. Really both are great in different ways, though I am glad that I learned from each coach in this order as I believe working with a fighter that isn't the best at conveying everything in words is better when you have a foundation and can connect the dots yourself thanks to prior experience as mentioned.

[@QuickStrikes84]

Lots of great boxing coaches never competed.

[@JasonBounathMMA]

Yeah my coach has 50 pro mma fights so I’m definitely good on that front, and my boxing coach is the current bbbofc English champion at welterweight. Always thankful for such high level coaches

[@PHIplaytesting]

Humility is a great quality for an instructor to have. They don't have to be able to beat everyone, or anyone, but if they can't, hopefully they can be honest about it. There's nothing wrong with teaching your students to be better than you. Especially considering fighting is about physical traits as much as it's about knowledge. Your coach could be smaller, weaker, slower, and older than you are, but that doesn't prevent them from having a lot to teach you. However they may compare to others overall hopefully they embrace it.

[@Morphious117]

In the last 15 years I would totally agree. My old instructor used to do security at a biker bar and a few times even the local cops asked him for help breaking up fights on the street outside the bar. These days it’s all about teaching katas and overly complicated techniques that would never work

[@vortex3013]

My former thai coach was a legit fighter, but frequently went too hard in demos (dropped me once) and frequently gives terrible advice. You've been a far more valuable asset to me

[@juhel5531]

I have gaping personality flaws that prevented me from ever trying to fight. A friend wanted to train for an 8 round elimination boxing tournament. He wanted a hard spar that was basically a full on fight. Whooped him from afar for 1.5 minutes and then thought it was taking too long so I went inside and he almost KOed me with a single liver shot and then he proceeded to mollywhop me through my guard as I shelled up and coaches called it. He was mad because he thought I threw the hard spar on purpose to get his confidence up. He then laughed at my face when I explained I just thought I was "him" and wanted to box an infighter on the inside as an olympic style outboxer. The sheer level of delusional overconfidence that I have is too much. When I'm not this delusionally overconfident, I'm too scared to even try.

[@Maodifi]

I went to start training BJJ a few years ago, and tried out the gym in town ran by the 10x world champ, and thought it was pretty lousy for a number of reasons. I ended up at a hole in the wall place with a coach that is always down in the dirt with the rest of us, and who I found out later on has had some notable accomplishments that he just doesn't speak about, but are verifiable.

[@TyB-keepsitmoving]

I feel like having a bouncing background is as important to a self defense instructor as a competitive fighting background is to an instructor from a gym geared more toward kickboxing/BJJ. Some instructors have both, and theyre great to learn from. My wild youth on the streets and several years of bouncing def gave me a unique perspective when it comes to teaching self defense. Cheers to both, you can never learn too much.

[@judereyes2528]

Great advice. Train at a place where YOU are HAPPY. Cant learn from the best teacher if youre not in alignment to learn from them.

[@andrewlaw8121]

Very true. I can also see in the type of training and combos selected. Do the exercises or combos make sense? Are they functional? Do they recognise what is pragmatic vs traditional? Do they recreate realistic scenarios? A line of successful fighters attracting other successful fighters are also clues.

[@raccoonmyroom6861]

I had a Martial Arts coach say this exact thing to me once, but was too young and inexperianced to know it was weird. Now I'm a public school teacher and with the the pressure of high stakes testing and teaching a curriculum I can't imagine not teaching my students as much as possible to prepare them for the future. Ever since I've been lucky to train at gyms where the coaches were still competing and winning in some capacity. It makes everybody better.

[@leftvassis]

You touched upon this in a previous video about what to look for in a good gym/coach. You can tell someone is a good coach either by their fight credentials or their student credentials. Personally i would go with student credentials. If he's training a gym where you see that newbies get very good very fast and the people competing are winning fights, thats a good instructor. Whereas a good fighter isnt necessarily a good coach

[@justinAclark2075]

I learned martial arts as a way to tip the scales because I was weaker and weighed less than the average. My knowledge and intuition with martial arts is much, much higher than my actual success rate in fair fights. I make an excellent coach, but I only use my own skills for self defense. I imagine there are a lot of people who have a similar story, and they can coach just as effectively as the former champions.

[@HeartlessKnave]

The best quote to summarize this whole video: "The best coaches aren't always the best athletes, and the best athletes don't always make the best coaches." Define your terms first, what do _you_ mean by coach? Because the terms coach, instructor, and teacher are thrown around interchangeably; Personally I like Jesse Enkamp's take on the differences between them. If you are *not* planning to compete you likely don't need a _coach_ just an _instructor/teacher._ If you *are* planning to complete, you might need different instructors and coaches for different things, like grappling and/or striking instructor(s), and a fight/competition, nutrition, and strengthening & conditioning coaches.

[@BlakeAndrewz]

The issue with martial arts coaches is the lack of analytical thinking and sophistication in their approach. I believe scientists would excel if they transitioned into martial arts because they bring an analytical mindset. The problem is that too much emphasis is placed on competitive experience when choosing a coach. While competitive experience can be valuable, I've met plenty of coaches with extensive experience who are terrible at teaching. The ability to coach well doesn’t come from just competing ( barry robinson, mike passenier) it comes from knowing how to break things down, how to study effectively and what to focus on when studying. That’s where the real skill in coaching lies. regardless of competitive aspirations if your serious about learning anything, go to the fruit

[@TheFlowState_]

Yeah this is a solid take on this, For sure experience and skill matter, But if you are really good at learning studying and explaining then that's something also. Some great fighters cant string a sentence together. I spent 6 months training with (and getting my arse handed to me by) A full time coach in Thailand who is not an active fighter and might not have ever been, But he grew up in the gym, Is a sparring partner for his cousin who is a pro fighter in the Bangkok circuit. he taught well, he sparred well, and he developed with me an awesome flow on pads that taught me how to chain my attacks together. I don't know if he would have been marginally better if he had competed to a high level, but when I asked him when he will fight, He simply said, "when kru say to fight I will fight, Right now Kru say to teach and run gym, Don't have time" I think the argument is fair, How can you put it all into being a coach or put any real effort into being a fighter if you have to conduct morning and evening sessions at 3 hours a piece and then hold pads for privates in between for 6 days a week. No one is getting in the ring with you, I think you need a mindset coach more than an experienced fighter to really help you.

[@BlakeAndrewz]

@TheFlowState_ great insight and wow it must of been cool to spend time around that person, thanks sharing buddy

[@TheFlowState_]

@@BlakeAndrewz was indeed, Petchrungrang Muay Thai gym Pattaya, Thailand if anyone’s interested to know, An absolute Gem of a gym, the beginnings of Tawanchai and many other champions, incredible family who just love Muay Thai.

[@BlakeAndrewz]

@TheFlowState_ thanks buddy im adding it to my bookmarks , if you are ever in amsterdam id reccomend FFC Bijlmer to train with Lucien Carbin. He changed everything for me

[@mr.bomzalo9563]

And there's one thing all coaches must obey same as how the students obey it. Humility. Humble to admit your limits and different angles and techniques, and humble to admit other people know better and there are other ways. Especially in this field of mma, with infinite amounts of arts and different styles and techniques.

[@zanejackson8532]

Thats one thing i can appreciate about my kickboxing coaches. They actually fought and are legit af, and have multiple UFC fighters under them. On the flip side the gym does spar ALOT which i like but i could imagine as a parent maybe not being excited about.

[@gamemak0r]

My coach used to be a national champ, competed in the IFMA world champs, and is frequently requested as a sparring partner for a couple ufc fighters 🥊

[@sshy153]

I kinda disagree. Sometimes a good boxer/fighter can be a bad coach and vice versa.

[@rnaD86]

I can barely stand the guy but Mark Rippetoe nailed it this time: "Mediocre athletes who tried like hell to get good make the best coaches." If somebody never struggled with learning something they will not be able to help someone who does. They simply don't have a frame of reference for that.

[@tchaliz4925]

That s what Gqbriel just said

[@ujjalkumdhukar8085]

Gabriel hoping soon you well be karate combat champion 🤞

[@angel-no5sy]

Thank you

[@wesnorton8155]

A lot of people are gonna get upset by this but it's very true!!!! Great video

[@juelz713]

So true

[@timm285]

I don’t think fight instructors have to be Mike Tyson. Ray Longo, as far as I can tell though I might hr wrong, never had a fight in his life.

[@TheMisterGuy]

"I don’t think fight instructors have to be Mike Tyson." Cus D'Amato had a short and unsuccessful amateur boxing career, but coached three different champions. Torres, Tyson, and Patterson. It's just not the same skill set.

[@herethere5637]

​@@TheMisterGuythe difference is simple: To be a good coach, you have to be a spiritual psychologist who knows how to read the room and read a person in just a few hours of interacting with him. I feel like something like that can hardly be taught, it has to be within you.

[@TheMisterGuy]

@ "I feel like something like that can hardly be taught, it has to be within you." I disagree with this part. Being a teacher, like most skills, is not something you are either born with or can never have. You can definitely learn how to teach.

[@herethere5637]

@@TheMisterGuy it has nothing to do with being born with it, you missed my point. The thing about "being a good coach" is that it is not as much about you as it is about what fighter you have. For example, it doesnt matter what coach Jon Jones is under, because his character is jon jones. You as a coach just have to redirect that energy properly. This would be better to talk about a coach that is trying to teach a very amateur fighter. The coach is just a teacher, the student is the fire. The student brings the energy to the coach and the coach is an engine that has to filter his energy properly. This is assuming he is focusing on one fighter. It is harder when he is teaching a lot more kids

[@TheMisterGuy]

@@herethere5637 "For example, it doesnt matter what coach Jon Jones is under, because his character is jon jones." I think that's wrong, but what's weird is that you've explained it yourself. "You as a coach just have to redirect that energy properly. " Yeah...that's a big deal! That requires a lot of knowledge, understanding, and investment of time and effort. I feel like I'm not understanding you, because the way I hear it, you're refuting your own arguments. Maybe I'm just not getting what you mean.

[@drachimera]

All good topics! Another related issue is does the coach have time for you? If it’s a school of over 200 students, probably not…. How about the assistant coaches? IMHO a training group of 3 or so is optimal with group changes every 3-4 months. You also won’t stick with it if your goal is out of sync with the gym culture….. if the gym builds world champions and you get smashed every session and don’t want to be a world champion because ya know jobs and family and stuff, that’s not the right gym. The BJJ, kickboxing and soft skills that are important in a street fight can be learned quite quickly…. So why keep going if all you really want is a good workout most weeks and to keep learning? Why go to a world champion if it’s adding more stress to an already stressful life?

[@JamesJohnson-pz8pu]

A fighter is only as good as the level of competition they face. And a coach is only as good as the level they can build someone up to from scratch, given enough time. It takes years to develop a champion. So if you walk into a gym and the highest level fighter there is a professional national champion, that tells you the coaches are at a professional championship level. Same thing if the best fighter there is an amateur champion-that shows the coach is a solid amateur level coach. That’s how you gauge the level of both fighters and coaches. When you’re just starting out, everyone is going to be better than you and know more than you, and I’ve heard ‘world-class training’ thrown around at plenty of gyms that don’t even train pros, let alone world-class fighters. But from my experience, that’s how you actually know

[@stocktonhippie6573]

Can you make a video showing and telling about all those belts behind you please ❓

[@MichaelVictory-y7e]

Gabe, the most decorated, accomplished instructor alive today, still fighting professionally...

[@shivablaster4825]

It's really an interesting phenomenon in all sports, not just fighting. The greatest coaching minds haven't achieved anything close to the athletes they coach have achieved. It's like whatever physical prowess they would have had was transferred to their brains

[@collinavery9918]

What are your thoughts on imposter syndrome in the martial arts? Have you ever felt it and what did you do to overcome it?

[@user-he4ef9br7z]

What about coaches that actively spar with students years younger and often larger than them?

[@Roamingronald]

Where u teaching gabe.. ill come take lessons from u .. im in Victoria

[@bajanprince_mma]

I liked my last club but they have no interest in helping me achieve my goals . Training alone again for a while 🙏🏽💯🥊🥋

[@beelzebootthecanadiandevil9600]

Gabriel taking the gloves off on this one

[@AndreasMSchroeder]

Great video, but why did you clip that mic to your sweater when you didn‘t want to use it? 😉

[@mh7968-e6l]

I largely agree with this philosophy but, there are exceptions that prove the rule aren't there? Didn't Cus Damato only have a handful of fights, at a mixed rate of success? and then brings up Mike Tyson? How do you feel about those folks or those exceptions? What quality or attributes allows a person to be a better coach than they are a competitor?

[@SUF-py4ix]

I agree Gabriel. I’ve been doing Wing Chun for about 6 years and within the Wc community people talk about Wong Shun Leung being the best ever fighter from WC. He may have been I don’t care I care about whether he was the best teacher which I don’t think he was. His Sifu Yip Man seems to have been a far better teacher. Hopefully you are a great teacher. Your belts and world ranking is phenomenal but can you convey your message well enough to your students to enable them to be great fighters if needed and able to bring their skills out when under pressure. I hope so mate. 👍

[@Jenjak]

Fighting, coaching and teaching are three very different skills.

[@See_Neo]

And that's okay

[@DaBinChe]

Gab is talking about Mc Dojos.

[@KYLE_FROM_THE_FUTURE]

Wait!! Rex the founder of Rex Kwon Do isn’t the best place!! “You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I’m wearing these bad boys?” 😂 Agreed! Find a coach who either still fights or has legitimate fighters who currently hold belts. Anything less and you’re just getting expensive exercise.

[@gabry3022]

I think that everybody that trains in martial arts wants to be good, i mean, becoming skilled is the thing you should go to a martial art gim for... if you're in for the fitness, a regular gim is probably better

[@WatchMysh]

Hey, you're audio is totally off since a few videos. Just to let you know. Otherwise great stuff.

[@DerWutendeMetzger]

Master Toddy

[@ponternal]

This made me think of the fat UFC coach who was eating a bag of family size cheetos in the locker room

[@stephenhicks4811]

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach! 😄🤷‍♂️ Seriously tho, like everything I guess. All kinds out there, from very bad to very good.

[@ulhasanzk2249]

My trainer has trained Niclas Larsen so i think he knows a thing or two

[@JohnnyLynnLee]

Cus D'Amato will always be a better teacher than Mike Tyson, his student, but Mike Tyson was obviously a better fighter.

[@Baza123b]

N1 is find online videos from people whos result backs them up. Tony jeffries is legit for boxing. Gabriel is grear for kickboxing and boxing aswell, especially for fight iq and gameplans. Legit fighter giving advice. Modern mix martial artist's breakdowns. Only thins wont get you far but it will give you enough information to tell that. Oh this begginer is making these mistakes and cosch isnt telling him or oh he is making guys hardspar Next thing N2. Use logic and rational thinking. N3. Film yourself and track progress. N4. Ask local proffesional fighters for their opinion. Especially ones who were successful at high level. N5. Best test for your skill is to go in the ring snd fight. P.S. I really liked gabriels teaching because. 1. We are abkut same weigh, 2. Cardio is my strong point. 3. He puts so much emphasis on defense and good sparring etiquette. Meaning i wont end up with unnecessary brain damage.

[@alexm2760]

Coaching and competing are different set of skills. Many of the best coaches are NOT the best athletes

[@bretthuffine]

Sadly, that is very true. I am fortunate that my coach is great at fighting and also teaching.

[@devinnorsworthy9154]

What's his name.... Cus Demato lol. Against another 80 year old man, yeah, he'd kick butt, but he himself wouldn't make it passed Amateur level with his old body. However, he trained and developed the science in making Mike Tyson from scratch... 💪🏼😆💯

[@Roamingronald]

Wow someone said this to u...lol

[@ArtistDaynz90]

Uh oh, all your youtube coach friends are not gonna like this lol.

[@ZahLockhart]

i’m my own coach 😂

[@moneymike7982]

Thanks Gabriel Varga. I am an instructor in Krav Maga. I have never been a professional fighter. I have been a street fighter. I work to become great at our curriculum, focus on the important elements, learn from instructors like yourself, apply what I learn and spar with my students.

[@kvarga9164]

That is what makes a great instructor. Someone who is willing to continue to learn from others. I have been teaching for over 50 years now and I have found I never really had to look too far, or too hard to find someone better than me to learn from. I am pretty well rounded and don't stink at this stuff - but - there are always the exceptional out there.... and a lot of them by the way. When Gabriel, his brothers, and sister were young - I taught them to the point where I realized it was time to find someone better than me so they could continue to grow and improve. I feel a good coaches job is to continue to train and learn themselves so they do not become outdated, or their skill level slides the wrong way. Krav Maga is a great example of this as the style has evolved continually, and when they discover a better way to do something they change and adapt - that is the proper way to go about it in my mind. Gabriel's dad - Keith Varga

[@moneymike7982]

@@kvarga9164 Thank you Keith I very much appreciate your feedback and encouragement.

[@kingjames1239]

hall of famer coaches are not that great in fighting, they can fight and they had experience nonetheless but what they are very good at is in breaking down the technique

[@timothychang4166]

I'm confused by the motivation behind this video. Coaching and fighting are two completely different skill sets. Some great fighters suck at Coaching and some great coaches suck at fighting. Although you do make some disclaimers it seems you inevitably conflate good coaching skills with good fighting skills...🤷‍♂️

[@Kickboxing1601]

Bazooka kickboxing MMA Toronto Canada “Joseph Valtellini” I’d say he’s pretty legit

[@kylepostman]

100

[@NestingSpider]

I AM FIRST!!!

[@Drone-h2i]

to the castle!

[@Roamingronald]

Nice.. you competed and won.. u should teach people..

[@justinAclark2075]

Mike Tyson is a pretty lame coach. You can learn more from watching his old shadow boxing videos.

[@WadeSmith-oe5xd]

My Coach was 245 lbs solid muscle and could beat YOU one-fucking handed. True Story.

[@Echo-oy6hj]

i dont think so... Gabriel is a machine...

[@untill1289]

Ur coach will get slept worse than Mighty Mo against Kaoklai

[@WadeSmith-oe5xd]

@@untill1289 You don't know anything about me or my coach. I've seen both Gabriel Varga and my coach fight, and my coach would piss on him.

[@Echo-oy6hj]

@ why are you talking about your coach? you can't fight for yourself?

[@WadeSmith-oe5xd]

@@Echo-oy6hj Actually I'm a very, very good fighter, with over 1000 hours full-contact sparring under my belt. Unfortunately, I've suffered two strokes relatively early in life, so It would not be wise to actually pick a fight with a champion, even though he's 90 pounds lower weight class than me. Point 2, he's the one making blanket statements that people's coach can't fight. Gabriel Varga cannot even move a heavy bag with a kick. When I kick the thing, or my old Sensei kicks a heavy bag, it goes flying airborne across the room.