How to protect yourself and your training partners from skin infections

Elvis Sinosic became the UFC’s first Aussie fighter, back when the sport was still considered a freak show. Once a world title contender, Sinosic was barely known back home, writes BRENDAN BRADFORD.

Muay Thai and Muay Boran are National Martial Arts of Thailand. Have you ever wondered what the difference is?

What is the best age to start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)? Is it when you're younger or older? Read on to find out!

What can you expect if your child commences Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training? What are some of the benefits they can achieve with consistent training? Read on to learn more...

What are the values of Martial Arts we adhere to at Kings Academy? Whether you do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) we expect our members to follow these tenets.

When you put your child into a Muay Thai program, how will it benefit them?

Why should you learn about leg locks and add them to your grappling arsenal if you're doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)? Learn everything you need to know to get started with Leg Locks.

What benefits will your Child gain if they participate in Boxing training?

Muay Thai is by far the most effective and comprehensive striking art in the world and has a long history. Muay Thai has been tested in competition as well as real-life situations for hundreds of years, refining the art to be as fast, efficient, and powerful as possible. Does this make it the Perfect Martial Art?

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Learn all about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), where the sport came from, what's involved, what are the benefits, and who are those that moulded the art into what it is today.

Muay Thai is a combat striking art that originated from Thailand. Muay Thai is widely considered to be the most effective striking martial art in the world.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (or HBOT) utilizes concentrated oxygen to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood. The concentrated oxygen is absorbed through the skin and from breathing and goes directly into the blood

Benefits of Sweating It Out with Hot Yoga - Hot yoga has become a popular exercise in recent years. It offers many of the same benefits as traditional yoga practice, such as stress reduction, improved strength, and flexibility

Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds.

Learn why Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters value Shadow Boxing and why you should be using it as part of your regular training routine.

A comprehensive look at Boxing, looking at the history, training, and competition of one the oldest sports still around today. Boxing, also known as the art of self-defence, the sweet science or pugilism (fist fight), is one of the most popular sports today.

We all know coming to the academy and training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts is healthy. But what about sauna benefits? We know that the fighters who need to make weight use the Sauna to shed weight before their matches. We know fighters hop into the Sauna after training as part of their recovery. But do you know why it’s beneficial? Do you know what benefits you could get by getting your sweat on in the Sauna?

Some great reasons to compete in BJJ. See the benefits you can gain by putting yourself in the hotseat and stepping up for competition!

Kings Academy bringing Wimp 2 Warrior (Alta) to Liverpool, Sydney

Why Muay Thai is great for Self Defence Learn why you should train in Muay Thai to protect yourself If you're interest in trying our Muay Thai Program please check out our Muay Thai Page Muay Thai is known by many names across the world, including Thai boxing, Thai Kickboxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Muay Boran. Most significantly, it is sometimes called The Art of Eight Limbs. Muay Thai utilises the whole body for a holistic fighting style that combines hands, shins, elbows, and knees. This complete martial art approach characterises the art. Muay Thai is now one of the most well-known and practiced martial arts in the world. It has proven to be effective, which is why it is most common striking base in the vastly popular, fast-growing sport of mixed martial arts and the practical application makes it perfect for self-defence. 1) It’s one of the most recognised striking styles Muay Thai is by far the most effective and comprehensive striking art in the world and has a long history. Muay Thai has been tested in competition and real-life situations for hundreds of years, refining the art to be as fast, efficient, and powerful as it can be. On top of that, its consistent testing in combat between highly skilled practitioners has developed every aspect of the art to an extremely high level. Muay Thai is constantly being tested in the Thaiboxing ring as well as the MMA arena against many other arts. It is the staple striking style of many MMA athletes because of it’s effectiveness. So if you’re looking for a martial art that has practical uses in the real world, then Muay Thai is your answer. 2) It is effective in all ranges of stand-up fighting Muay Thai is a unique martial art and combat sport developed on the fields of combat. The art incorporates the use of all the limbs with knees, elbows, shins, and hands. This allows the practitioner to use all the weapons available to the human body in kicking range, punching range, and the clinch, making it effective in all ranges of stand-up fighting unlike most other striking based martial arts. So it doesn’t matter where the confrontation starts, Muay Thai has the tools to provide an effective solution! 3) It is simple and easy to learn While there are hundreds of different techniques in Muay Thai, it is also a martial art known for its raw simplicity. That’s why Muay Thai is for everyone: men, women and children alike. In Thailand, it is actually more common for practitioners to start as young as five or six years old. So no matter your age or fitness level, there’s a Muay Thai class that will work for you. It is important that a Martial Art for self-defence isn’t difficult to perform when under pressure. The violent simplicity of Muay Thai makes it perfect for protecting yourself and your family. 4) Through combat testing it’s effective for self defence Muay Thai is also one of the few martial arts in the world that has been undeniably battle-tested and street certified for real-life encounters. Although widely regarded as a striking based martial art, Muay Thai also contains throwing techniques, locks, the using of an opponent’s own momentum, and even submissions. The conditioning of mind, body, and spirit involved in Muay Thai also gives practitioners the confidence needed for real-life self-defence situations. Traditional Muay Thai for Self Defence is known as Muay Boran. Muay Boran is the Traditional Art that Muay Thai was before it developed into a Sport. Muay Thai was made for self-defence and evolved into a sport! 5) It toughens your mind, body, and spirit The art of Muay Thai toughens your mind, body, and spirit. As the late great Muay Thai Grandmaster Kru Yodtong Senanan once said, “Muay Thai is good for your confidence and inner strength.” On top of enhancing your physical conditioning, Muay Thai builds confidence and promotes discipline of the mind through the control of emotions and feelings. Through the tough training sessions, physical conditioning, sparring and ring competition Muay Thai pushes you both mentally and physically. Muay Thai pushes you past your limits allowing you to realise you can achieve more than you thought possible. This mental preparation helps prepare the practitioner for any confrontation on the street. To sum it all up, Muay Thai is beneficial for just about anyone and it’s practical effectiveness for self-defence is undeniable. But remember, it is also up to the practitioner to make learning this perfect martial art even more enjoyable and enriching. Even though it is one of the most effective arts for self-defence it is also more than that. It is has many benefits for the student beyond protecting yourself and your family (we’ll look at all the other benefits in another Blog post). So if you’re looking for an effective Martial Art for self-defence why not try out Muay Thai? If you're interest in trying our Muay Thai Program please check out our Muay Thai Page So if you’re looking to reap the benefits Muay Thai classes provide, sign up for a Free trial today ! Kings Academy is the home of Muay Thai in the Liverpool, Sydney area. Kings Academy is the Premier Martial Arts Academy servicing Liverpool and South Western Sydney with classes in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

Ten really good reasons Women should do BJJ!

Ten Reasons to Exercise Regularly Why you should exercise and what benefits you can achieve Support your overall health and wellness. Do something now that you'll thank yourself for later. Exercise is an investment that you make deposits now and collect the payout later! We all know that exercise is important. However, there is more for your health than many people realise. By exercising regularly you’ll support several areas of your health and wellness that your future self will thank you for. If you’re having trouble convincing yourself to get up and move, here are 10 significant benefits of regular exercise. After reading this I can't see how you don't run out and start exercising! 1. Support Cognitive Function Working out also supports your cognitive function. When performing physical activity, your heart rate increases which pumps more oxygen to your brain. By exercising regularly, you can support your brain health. Studies show that exercise is an effective way to combat depression, anxiety, and provide self-efficacy and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, it’s one of the greatest stress-busters around, with serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine flooding the body. 2. Improve Endurance Aerobic exercise or any form of cardio can help improve your endurance. If you go for a walk or run consistently, you may notice that the more frequent you go, the easier it gets. Your body becomes accustomed to the type of exercise because you’re improving your endurance. Engaging in regular physical activity can increase your energy levels. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those suffering from serious illnesses. Exercise is the most efficient, affordable, enjoyable way to boost Endurance and Energy levels. The more you do, the fitter you get, the better you feel! 3. Enhance Quality of Sleep If you have trouble sleeping, exercising regularly can help improve your quality of sleep. The more you work-out and tire out your body, the easier it will be for you to hit the hay. Exercisers generally find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, and therefore are better rested and able to take on life’s daily pressures. Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training, can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day. So if you’re looking for better sleep start with exercise! 4. Increase your Muscles and Strength Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones. Physical activity like resistance excercise can stimulate muscle building when paired with adequate protein intake (so make sure you also focus on good nutrition). This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote the ability of your muscles to absorb amino acids. This helps them grow and reduces their breakdown. Incorporating weight-lifting or other resistance exercise into your workout routine can help improve your strength, which can be beneficial for everyday activities. As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to injuries and disabilities. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age (so your age is a reason to exercise not an excuse not too). Whether you lift heavy objects at work, need to carry your kids or grandkids, you’re always Better off Healthy…and strong! Get out and exercise! 5. Reduce Stress/Tension Feeling stressed? Hit the gym! Many people use the gym as a form of therapy, for good reason. As you work out, your body releases endorphins, or “feel-good” hormones that improve your mood and reduce stress/tension. Certainly, you can exercise alone if you prefer. But exercise at a gym or club, in a class, in a running or walking group or with a sports team also presents great social opportunities, helping create a community. Socially active people are less stressed. Social exercise plans an important part in mental health and reducing stress. Exercise helps combat fatigue and gives you more energy, making everyday tasks easier, so you’ll feel better if you are fitter and healthier and that always makes life less stressful. Then if you jump into a Boxing, Kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu or MMA class you’ll really be able to let your stress go. You can take our days stress on the pads or heavy bag and you’ll feel it all just wash away. There isn’t a better way than a good combat class to really clear the head and wash the stress away! 6. Support Your Health Support your heart health by exercising consistently. Your heart is a muscle and just like the other muscles in your body, it should be worked out. The way to do it is by getting your heart pumping when you work out, especially as you perform cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming, wrestling, punching, biking or any other exercise that makes you move. Regular exercise can help stave off heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and other health issues, such as Alzheimer’s. Research has shown that exercise boosts your immune system, so that you’re less susceptible to common colds, flu, and other infections. It’s a terrific preventative measure and ensuring that with a nutritious diet you’re looking after your health and giving yourself every opportunity for a longer, healthier, happier life. 7. Supercharge Your Metabolism Exercising regularly has shown to boost your metabolism, which is responsible for chemical reactions that occur in your body. A slower metabolism will have trouble with weight-loss while a faster one can help you lose fat and burn more calories. Your body spends energy in three ways: digesting food, exercising, and maintaining body functions like your heartbeat and breathing. Additionally, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance, which is essential for keeping the weight off. Regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which will burn more calories and help you lose weight. Exercise is crucial to supporting a fast metabolism and burning more calories per day. It also helps you maintain your muscle mass and weight loss. 8. Transform Your Physique One of the most obvious reasons that people work out is to transform their body. Aside from looking and feeling better, weight loss is beneficial for your heart health and overall wellness. As you burn calories through exercise and eat a healthy diet, you’ll begin to see your physique transform. Exercise helps build bone density when you’re younger, in addition to helping prevent osteoporosis later in life. High-impact exercise, such as gymnastics, running, soccer, basketball, wrestling, punching, kicking, and sparring have been shown to promote a higher bone density than non-impact sports like swimming and cycling. In the same way, exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce skin cell adaptations that can help delay the appearance of skin aging. Exercise can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which can protect your skin and delay signs of aging. Add this together with muscle gain, weight loss and increased endurance and you’ll be amazed at what your body can achieve with regular exercise. 9. Boost Confidence As you exercise regularly and start to see results, you’ll also notice a boost in confidence levels. As you start to feel good about your progress, it will radiate outward. Whether you’re excited about your weight-loss, your increased strength or faster mile time, every small milestone is something to be proud of. Confidence is like motivation. Results produce greater motivation and in the same way results produce greater confidence. As success and motivation build so does your confidence. Watch your confidence soar as your results climb with regular exercise! 10. Make Your Future-Self Proud Exercise regularly today so you can be thankful years from now that you did. The more frequently you work out, the more accustomed your body will be to it. Whatever life throws your way, remember that you’re always Better off Healthy. What you invest in yourself today pays dividends tomorrow. If you want to live a longer, healthier, happier life then exercise is your companion that will help you get their and enjoy the journey. What are you waiting for, get out and exercise! If you'd like more information on any of our classes please go to our Contact Us Page and send us a message. If you're interested in getting started with some exercise and you'd like to give Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) a go then send us a message! Click here to book a free trial! Kings Academy of Martial Arts is located in the Liverpool, South Western Sydney district. Kings Academy is the Premier Martial Arts Academy servicing Liverpool and the Greater Western Sydney region with classes in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

Why you should train in BJJ!

Ten simple steps you can follow to be a better training partner in Martial Arts!

Elvis' Ten Rules to a Happier and Healthier LIfe Simple steps you can take every day to improve your Life It's not just about living longer but being happier and healthier Chief Instructor Elvis Sinosic has spent years training, competing, learning, and being involved with the Martial Arts in the Health and Fitness industry. Over those years Elvis has developed a set of hacks or rules that he follows to live a healthier and happier life. People want to increase life span but forget it’s also about health span. If you want to live a longer, happier and healthier life then you need to improve all the different aspects. Here are those hacks, hopefully they can help you live a better life! 1. Move more Walk, exercise, lift, run, wrestle, kick, punch, be active. Movement is key to a long and healthy life. Movement and exercise are key to strong muscles and strong bones. Find something you enjoy doing and try and do it regularly. Be consistent. Whether it’s taking your dog for a daily walk or turning up to your BJJ class, make sure it’s habit you make a routine in your life. When something stops moving it stagnates, don’t let your life stagnate, keep moving! The more challenging it is, the more fun it will be, and the more likely you'll be to turn up. Whether it's doing BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, Basketball, Soccer, or a myriad of other sports, make sure you get involved. It that's too much for you, then start with a daily walk. If you have a dog, grab your leash, if you have a baby, grab the stroller. Remember the old proverb "A rolling stone gathers no moss". Keep moving, don't gather moss! 2. Breathe Take deep breaths, do Yoga, practice Wim Hof, do Oxygen Therapy, learn to sing. Oxygen is life. Breathing is life. Learn how to breath in more oxygen. Take the time each day to focus on your breathing as it’s something we take for granted. If we stop breathing, we die, yet knowing this many of us don’t try and improve our breathing. Learn to breathe through your nose. Learn to take deep breaths. Practice holding your breath. There are many ways to get more Oxygen in your life, find what works for you and focus on your breathing! 3. Grounding Get in contact with nature, walk on grass, stand in the dirt, lean on a tree, appreciate the world around you and stay in touch. Make sure you take your shoes off, feel the dirt, grass, and rocks on your feet and between your toes. Get in touch with the earth. Get out and do your gardening! Take your dog for a Walk. Go out and sit in the park. 4. Hot/Cold Exposure Cold Exposure... Cold showers, Ice Baths, feel the cold. Don’t be afraid of the cold. Start with a warm shower and finish with 15 seconds of cold. Do this for a week and increase the cold by 15secs each week until you can sustain 5 minutes. Heat exposure... Hot Showers, Sauna, Hot Yoga, exercise... feel the heat, feel your skin tingle. Doing regular Sauna sessions has been shown to reduce All Cause Mortality. Try and get to the Sauna 2 – 3 times a week, if you have access jump into the Sauna after training. If you don’t have access to a Sauna a good Hot Yoga class will produce the same results with added benefit of exercise. 5. Light exposure Sunlight, red light, Infrared, UV... we need light make sure you get it. Light up your life. Try and get outside every day for at least 15 minutes. The Best time is the early morning or late afternoon where you’ll get good sun exposure without being overwhelmed. Try and expose as much of your skin to the sun to get the most benefit. If you have access to a Red Light Therapy device (replicates the red light seen at sunset/sunrise) try and do it once or twice a day for about 15-30 minutes either in the early morning or evening (or both) get the most benefit. There are numerous benefits to sun exposure with improved mood, well being and most importantly vitamin D production. 6. Eat whole foods Eat what mother nature provided. Stay away from or minimise processed foods. If it has a label it's not the best choice. Eat mostly animal foods, garnish with plants. (Also drink more water). Even though many of us eat for pleasure our bodies want food for nutrition. The most nutritious foods are meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. They have high nutritional content as well as high bioavailability. The main part of your meal should be these foods and then add your squashes, tubers, and cruciferous vegetables to complete your plate and nutrition. 7. Fast. Intermittent fast, daily fast, extended fasts. Avoid food, let your body recover and heal. Autophagy and Apoptosis are a good thing. There are different ways to fast and all provide benefit. The normal “intermittent fasting” also known as “time restricted feeding” is where you set a window for your meals. An example is the 16/8 where you fast for 16 hours and then have an 8-hour window where you have your meals. Keep in mind this isn’t an excuse to binge or overeat. Eat healthy and until you fill satiated, don’t over do it as you counter the benefits of the 16 hour fast. If you can once a month try and a 24 hour fast. This is a great way to reset the body. Same as with intermittent fasting, when you break the fast, be sensible. Now if you’re doing great with that every 3-6 months is good to do an extended fast that lasts for 48-72 hours. It has many healing and health benefits. Once again, as with the other fasts, be sensible when you break the fast. The more you fast the easier you’ll find it gets. To make fasts easier try and drink just water. Add some sodium/potassium/magnesium to your water to make it easier. You can drink tea or coffee if you feel you need it but make sure nothing is added to make the most of your fast. 8. Socialise Interact with the people around you, friends, family, work mates, teammates. Be part of the community. This is one of the most overlooked health activities for improving life and health span. Socialising with family, friends, team-mates. Being part of a community is associated with people who live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Socialising helps improve your mood and that affects every part of your life. Don’t just hang around, get involved, tell stories, jokes and interact with those around you. Make sure you laugh, laugh at yourself, laugh at life, laugh at jokes (even if they’re not funny). Laughter is one of the best medicines and it’s always best done when socialising with those around you. Everyone knows that success is always greater when shared with those around you just like laughter. 9. Solitude Spend time with yourself to review, reflect, relax, recover. Being alone is as important as being part of the community. You need to be comfortable with yourself. As important as socialising is solitude. The ability to spend time with yourself, to reflect on what you’ve done, what you’re doing and what you’re going to do is an important part of growth. Before you can be happy with anyone else, you need to be happy with yourself. That doesn’t mean everything has to be perfect but it’s important to know where you are, where you’re going and what you’re doing to get there. The only person who decides what your life will be like is yourself, so spend some time with them and find out. 10. Set difficult goals To grow you need to struggle, you need to overcome obstacles. Failure isn't fatal and success isn't final. When you fail, pick up and start again. When you succeed change your goal. Goals keep us moving forward. Life is about falling down and getting up. It’s about learning new things. It’s about remembering old things. Change keeps us going, knowledge keeps us growing. Take up new activities, learn new skills, play different games, up the level of what you’re doing, make a commitment to improve at something. Get in there, get your hands dirty and your mind occupied. An easy life is a boring life, hardship builds character, you need to experience the bad to appreciate the good. Life is ups and downs, challenges, when this stops happening so do living. Go out and live your life to the fullest! As Bruce Lee said... take what is useful, discard what is not. Make it yours. It's not just about living longer but being happier and healthier Here are some related Blogs you may find interesting if you enjoyed this article. Mitochondria Health Why is Oxygen so important for wound healing Learn about Red Light Therapy Benefits of Sauna If you want to come down to Kings and clear some of these 10 steps by moving, breathing, challenging yourself and socialising then book yourself in for a free trial! Click here to book for a Free Trial at Kings  Kings Academy of Martial is the Premier Martial Arts Academy servicing the Liverpool and Greater Western Sydney Region with classes in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

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