We all had different starting points in the journey of martial arts, but there is no doubt we all have the same goals in mind; to be the very best at what we do, defining who we are, and making a difference to our lives. Without a question, most of us will lose sight of our goal and start to question ourselves: Why did I even pick this sport up in the first place. If you were someone like me, who was once extremely committed to training, turning up at the gym at least 5 times a week, up to the extent that the friendly coaches at Onyx start to holler at you: 'GO HOME! YOU NEED TO REST MAN!'

That daily ritual of packing your gear, getting to the gym, grind, and head home becomes a part of your life. You'll be telling yourself, Yeah, I can do this forever, I can juggle it with my work/studies/life commitments. The following week, you start your job/internship at a prestigious company, your baby steps towards the top of the corporate level.

Weeks go past and you start to realize, you haven't been to the gym in weeks or months. You try to kickstart that fiery momentum of a beast you've had while preparing for your fight. Then you'll realize, you start to give yourself an excuse to just save the training for another day. This is the one way ticket to exiting the sport and failing to achieve your goal, quitting the sport for good. Here's a blogpost on what you can do to prevent falling into the slippery slope of failure.

  1.) Set realistic training schedules

 As you grow older or have more and more commitments, it's not easy to juggle work/success/sports. To do this, you have to start managing your expectations, you either have to be super disciplined to train everyday after work (We all know that's tough given Singapore's hectic work culture), or start to taper down your training sessions, instead of planning to come 5 times a week like you used to while you were a single, hormone-raging teenager, a 5 day training schedule is probably going to intimidate you and you're probably going to start skipping sessions. Instead, Plan a more realistic schedule just like how a responsible contributing good citizen of our motherland would. 1-2 days a week. Make the training count, make it matter, train as hard as you can. It's not the number of days, it's the quality of training that matters.

2.) Have supportive friends

Personally, I feel that this is an important aspect. One of the motivating factors for me during school days was because I had a clique of kick-ass 'Avengers' like friends who would be hyped up before trainings. We fed off each others' positive energy. As time passes. Some of your friends might have found other interest, some might be like you, having internal struggles of their own. Don't rely and hope that your friend suddenly finds the fire again and motivate you to start again. Instead, be the positive influence. Take the initiative, drop him a text: " Hey F**ker, we've been away from the gym for too long! It's time to go back for some kick-ass glory days!" Don't wait for the change, be the change. Be that spark that kick starts everything again.

3.) Go overseas and experience training there

If you haven't been to Thailand to train, you should. It's definitely an eye-opener and a potential resuscitator to your dead martial arts career. After witnessing how committed and intense these thais are with their training. Hopefully it will wake you up and motivated you after you witnessed being a good martial artist looks like. Giving you a concrete visible and tangible goal to work towards might be that secret recipe.

4.) Look or try to recall your  past experiences

This takes a little mental work and nostalgia right here. Recall the time when you first learnt how to throw the perfect kick, remember the feeling when you won your last fight. All this positive thoughts and memories will make you feel good mentally and physically. As you start to feel good, your body craves for that sensation again. How do you get that feeling again? That's right, TRAIN.

With all that being said, there are much more ways to get it starting again. As I'm writing this post, the fire is slowly starting to build up, and hell, i have time to make it for the 3PM class. Time to get my ass moving again, Signing off.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. In the world of martial arts, like any other hobbies or passion you might have. That fire is bound to burn out at certain points in life. Work catches up to you, endless project deadlines and meetings. You find that 24 hours a day isn't enough at all.

Here, we provide some videos that have reignited our passion in the time of darkness. It worked for us, we couldn't wait to step back into the once dreaded gym after watching these videos. So if you feel sluggish today, just watch these videos, get fired up, and kick some ass.





The previous UFC welterweight champ, Johny Hendricks, is known to balloon outta proportions during off-season. So if you're like him. Take a look at how hard he trains during competition season.





Who says strength and conditioning sessions are boring. in this video, it's anything but boring. Watch this and it might just get you fired up enough to attend Arab's S&C session (which is no joke.)





A compilation of all the beasts in MMA, coupled with a kickass music, This is one of our favorite videos as it perfectly encapsulates how a daily grinding session in the gym is like. We just cant get enough of videos like these








ARE YOU MOTIVATED AND PUMPED UP NOW? ITS TIME TO HIT THE GYM, go destroy some bags and padwork.

We've all been there, and done that. Our virgin sparring experience, just like how we took our first baby steps when we were learning to walk. Everything is a brand new experience, a sensory overload, So many things happening at once. You're trying to get a grasp of reality, trying to figure out what's going on, Punches coming from the left from the right, And this being your first sparring session. The only skill you'll master here is the Iron Head Technique. That is, to do nothing but absorb punches.

In your journey towards being a better fighter or just the quest for perfection. You'll meet numerous sparring partners everyday. They'll help you vastly in improving, sharing and imparting of knowledge, or they'll just downright annoy the crap outta you. With that, we proudly present..

GONG XI FAI CAI HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are guilty of it ourselves...

Yeap, For all you chinese friends out there (Or anyone who plans on doing visitings this year). It's CNY again! Meet ups with relatives and friends, collecting red packets, making merry, and best of all, snacking on all those Oh-So-good CNY delicacies. Little do people know, these seemingly harmless and bite size treats, actually contain a crap load of calories and carb, fats, sugar, you name it, it's in it.

It's easy to derail from your fitness and weight-loss goals if you do not mindfully watch what you eat during the festive season. Soon we'll be seeing lotsa emo-chubby members at our gym who have to see their progress disappear and start from square one.

Here's a calorific table of the common type of delicacies on CNY ( Beware.....)

Source:www.herworldplus.com Just take a look at the pineapple tarts and ask yourself, How many of those are you gonna eat, and mind you those exercise times are based on a 60kg woman, If you're lighter, you are going to have to do much more work than that. For guys, yea we have higher metabolic rates, but we sure have a larger stomach volume too! So before you put that piece of Bak Kwa into your mouth, every Bak Kwa makes your abs more obscure, you can still indulge, but just remember not to overeat or work off the calories at the end of each day :)

 Ever since UFC 183: SILVA VS DIAZ was announced, we've been stoked about it, it's one hell of an intriguing match up. Even though both of them are coming off losses,  Sean Shelby and Joe Silva are prodigies and this has proved to be one of the most exciting match-ups ever announced. We take a close look on fightcard in its' entirety.


1. The opening match up is a guaranteed barnburner 


In an exciting welterweight matchup that pits a "young gun" against a season veteran plagued by injuries. Both have proofed to be seasoned strikers. Thiago Alves has a more muay thai centric strikes. 2 punch combos and chopping legkicks, he has consistently proven to be an exciting fighter after winning several "Fight of the Night" awards. you can check out some of his striking montage here.




Now that you're in awe from his striking prowess, let's not forget Jordan "young gun" Mein. At 25, this guy has beaten the who's who in the MMA scene and brought the fight to Matt Brown who has proved to be a handful to deal with.  he is a proven finisher, most recently knocking out veteran Mike Pyle in the first round with a beautiful hook. This has all the makings of an awesome fight. Having this fight to open the card, are you excited? We know we are.


2. Another Welterweight matchup, will Kelvin Gastelum earn a title shot in 2015?


Remember watching Kelvin on TUF 17: Team Jones vs Team Sonnen? You might have remember him as the pudgy undersized middleweight that no one believed in, he was the overall last pick in the season. Little did people expect him to win the TUF title. Well, that isn't the case anymore as he is on the cusp of a title shot. Currently at 11-0 and only 23 years old. Kelvin has shown tremendous improvements to his game, the most impressive being his footwork. He has recently defeated Jake Ellenberger, who at one time was considered to be one of the best Welterweights in the world. Choking out Jake Ellenberger is no easy feat. And he has certainly caught UFC's matchmakers' attention. We got a feeling Tyron is being placed here to help Kelvin boost his resume and to secure his title shot. If Kelvin can get pass the ever dangerous Tyron Woodley, we might have a new welterweight contender in 2015.


3. How will the main event affect the title picture in the Welterweight and Middleweight division?

A little more than a year back, Silva vs Diaz would only be a possible matchup in your UFC game, after a few pivotal shifts in the divisions with Silva losing his title,  and Diaz renewing his contract, what do you do with 2 proven needle movers of their divisions? You match em up to get more PPV buys of course. Silva has been promised a title shot with a win over Diaz, honestly, we are not very keen on witnessing Weidman vs Silva 3 after he got destroyed for the first 2 fights, fluke or not.

What if Diaz wins ( highly unlikely but we're hoping so)?  It could open the floodgates of trashtalk and possible matchups, Diaz calling out the middleweight champ? Or a match with the current welterweight champ, Lawler, whom Diaz has beaten quite sometime back. Just imagining the possible matchups after  Jan 31st has got us excited at this PPV, with so many interesting fights including the prelim cards, you have gotta tune in for sure.


Full fight card:

Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Middleweight	Anderson Silva	vs.	Nick Diaz
Welterweight	Tyron Woodley	vs.	Kelvin Gastelum
Lightweight	Joe Lauzon	vs.	Al Iaquinta
Middleweight	Thales Leites	vs.	Tim Boetsch
Welterweight	Jordan Mein	vs.	Thiago Alves
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Women's Bantamweight	Miesha Tate	vs.	Sara McMann
Middleweight	Ed Herman	vs.	Derek Brunson
Flyweight	Ian McCall	vs.	John Lineker
Middleweight	Rafael Natal	vs.	Tom Watson
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Featherweight	Diego Brandão	vs.	Jimy Hettes
Middleweight	Richardson Moreira	vs.	Ildemar Alcântara
Middleweight	Thiago Santos	vs.	Andy Enz

The card is filled with known names right from the Fight Pass section, Be sure to catch it live, Sunday 1st feb 10AM Singapore time.

#Thetimeisnow
#UFC

It's easy to overlook the countless benefits that Martial Arts can bring to you life due to the general misconception. We are sure you've heard, "Oh my, it's barbaric, it's violent, it's a senseless bloodsport. " You name it, we've heard it. While it is not unusual to have such misconceptions due to the portrayal of Martial Arts in films and movies ( We know, more violence equals more viewers). So if you're having second thoughts about taking up Martial Arts due to such pre-conceived notions and fear. We're here to debunk it for you! So, here up the few and most salient benefits we can think of to share with you. :)

1.Fitness and a sexy looking body

At Onyx, you have heard us saying this countless time, to the extent that it's starting to get old and stale. Remember #zoukoutbody? (Sorry, we know it's old but we can't help but to draw this reference time and again because one of our trainers loves #zoukout). The reality is, everybody wants to look good and have a #fitspo body. You and I know how tough it is. Compared to proven exercises that promotes fat loss (HIIT, running, dieting). We both know that such exercises and regime are painful and hard to follow. We are here to provide you with a solution. Martial Arts, it's fun, it's intense and at the same time, around 700-1000 (roughly) calories burnt per session. (That's a double cheeseburger). Endure through the grueling yet fruitful session, and you're guaranteed the reap benefits.

2.Grit

Picture from bruceleeactionmuseum.org

We are all bound to encounter tough obstacles and roadblocks at certain stages of our lives, relationship, financial hurdles, academics, friendship. We need that extra effort and tenacity to push forward. Grit, is a very valuable characteristic that not all of us are born with, but it certainly can be nurtured. At Onyx, when the tough gets going, the going gets tough. You will push the extra mile ( in a safe manner of course) to help you get to the next level through loads of Onyx motivation. When you're able to do 20 consecutive kicks, we will make you to 30, when you can 30, we will make you do 50. It's a never ending challenge here at the gym. Rest assured. The mentality you develop here will proof beneficial in the real world.

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”

― Bruce Lee

3. Self Defense

Picture from Kravmaganovi.com

Self defense is an important skill set to have, knowing how to protect yourself is the very least you can do for yourself. It's true that the chances of getting into a physical altercation outside is highly unlikely. The same also applies for the chances of Singapore getting into a war. Low possibility doesn't mean you shouldn't be ready for it. It's always good to be well prepared. To add on to the importance of self-defense. Think about it when your loved ones are in danger. It's your basic duty to protect them. If we think deeper into the art of self defense, the empowerment is not in the skills or how you are going beat the sh*t out of that dude at the kopitiam if he attacks; but in knowing that you posses the confidence, and skills to protect yourself and others, when the need arises. 



5.Discipline
Do you remember the last time you set out to do something, Only to get lost and forgetting what your goals were? The major issue that most of us encounter is discipline. You might set out to have a flawless workout program, only to fall short by not following it. You might be working your way up the corporate ladder, only to fall short cause you slacked off or produced undesirable work. This all comes from a lack of discipline. not being able to stick with your plan to the end. By learning and training martial arts, the very basic fact of making it a routine by coming to a gym helps instill a sense of discipline into your life. Similar achievement also by drilling the same moves at the gym over and over again. This also helps with discipline and your personal goals of perfection in which you can bring forward to other aspects of your life, leading to success.



Next time when someone tells you martial arts is a waste of time and nothing but senseless violence, remember what you read here and how much more it can help you succeed in life. At the end of the day. you're welcomed if you become successful in life thanks to what martial arts have taught you. :)

It's the new year, 2015, new resolutions, new goals, you have a sudden surge of motivation and drive to set out and achieve higher goals. Zoukout 2014 has just ended and you didn't attend because you weren't confident of your body. Just like Zoukout 2010,2011,2012,2013, you tell yourself, I will be ready for next year's event with that beach-tested Kratos (God of War, for those of you who didn't catch the reference) body.

But we all know, it's easier said that done. If you could have done the right thing, you would have achieved your dream body years ago. There must be something wrong with your game plan. So, let's break it down on what you've done so far to move towards your goal.

No.1- You signed up for lessons at Onyx MMA

This is one of the best choice you have made in your life! All you have to do, is get your lazy bum out of the bed, make the trip down to the gym, and everything else is handled by the coaches over there. The training program here has been tested and proven effective for achieving healthy weight loss (More on that in our future post).

You're a month into training at Onyx religiously, healthy weight loss shown on the scale, but your body is nowhere near to the Channing Tatum poster that you have pinned in your room for motivation. So there must be something wrong with what you're doing. (No prizes for guessing the correct answer)

NO.2- DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET

There are many different school of thoughts as to achieving effective weight-loss. But there is nothing more paramount then following this rule.

To achieve effective weight loss, the following is the universal rule to stick by.

Weight loss is 30% EXERCISE 70% DIET

Yes it's that important. You can have a stellar workout programme but have a half-baked diet plan, it's not gonna take you anywhere. If you simply do not have the time, knowledge or discipline to follow a strict diet plan, look no further, salvation is here.

Introducing Food Aesthetics Singapore



One of the pioneer companies to come up with healthy meal plans for people on the go. You might have heard of such concepts from the States, UFC fighters having their  nutrition and meals planned out and delivered right to their doorstep.

For busy individuals, this is really a godsend. Just like Onyx managing your training programme, you have Food Aesthetics managing your diet for you, and that is not even the best part about Food Aesthetics; with FA, food can be extremely tasty and appetising yet healthy at the same time (Yes we are not kidding you, it's true). FA DELIVERS THE FOOD TO YOU TOO.


Food Aesthetics recently held an event at Onyx MMA where they prepared samples of their dishes, engineered by their nutritionist where all the macro-nutrients are carefully calculated and calibered to make sure you get your daily needs to lose weight and still be able to perform at the gym.

Couscous Tuna Rolls

Of the various sample dishes offered, we loved the grilled chicken breast, quinoa and tuna roll. It is a known fact that most of us hate eating chicken breast (though it is the healthiest), comparing it's texture and taste to that of cardboard. Surprisingly Food Aesthetics has managed to make an unpopular dish, tasty. The flavours were there, and we could taste the freshness of it. It definitely makes it easier for one to diet with the help of their dishes, because, Taste is king.

The flavour, the taste, with killer looks.

So do give Food Aesthetics a try. It's everything we have wished for, and now. Eating clean can be made tasty and less torturous for our soul. Imagine this, you're training, you slug yourself to come for the 1130 boxing class, and after sweating buckets, you're hungry as hell, and wished for some food. You go to the counter, and BOOM! FA's nicely packed lunch bentos are there, hot, smoking, and ready for you.

Give it a try, you won't regret it. For more info, please visit http://www.foodaesthetic.com/ or go to their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/FoodAesthetic

For all the curious Onyxsters, fret not, we'll work something out with them to get a good deal for you!

Based on the limited land space of Singapore, the number of martial arts gym set up here is considered pretty high. You'll be spoilt for choices when it comes to picking a gym to join. We all have different motivations and reason behind our decision to take up martial arts, fitness, self defence or competition aspirations.

It's not easy to find a gym to train at in the long stay, I've personally trained at other gyms and I did not start off at Onyx. So here's why you should seriously consider Onyx MMA; I first joined Onyx while they were still at located at Jurong Tradehub21 and have stayed here ever since.

Here's why Onyx MMA is totally awesome ( In my opinion and what kept me here)

1. Coaches here are absolutely patient and methodical with newbies



Many of us including myself get nervous for our first martial arts class, and that shouldn't be the case, you are paying for a class and yes you're supposed to learn something out of the class. While there might be other gyms that unintentionally throws you into the deep end of the pool. There's no such thing here. Our coaches will give you a specialised coaching class during your first lesson, teaching you the basics without the pressure of training with more experienced people there. So fret not, you'll be inducted to the actual class at a comfortable pace.

2. The trainers here can be more than just a trainer, They're family.



It has become a tradition to have some R&R after the last class of every friday. Steamboat, BBQ, Pizza, Spring chickens, you name it, we've done it. The gym places high emphasis on making students and their staff feel at home. These cohesions will allow you to make friends/nakmuays/rolling buddies, enjoy a cheat meal after a harsh training session, besides, there's more to a gym than just training, it's about feeling at home and making new friends.

3. Training that actually pushes you to the limit ( if that is what you're looking for)



There are gyms around that simply have too many members in one single session that it is impossible to have a fruitful workout session, at times you might end up holding pads for fellow members. Personally, i've seen many gyms that get their members to hold pads for one another. At Onyx, no member holds pad, it is all done by the trainers. No matter the class size, you can assure that there will be at least 3 rounds of pads per person, which is by no means easy ( guaranteed to give you a run for your money). If the padwork and bagwork doesn't tire you, rest assured that the strength and conditioning conducted by our grandmaster 'Kanditioner' will smoke you and leave you drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Remember! Sweat are your fats crying. Your #zoukoutbody might just finally come into fruition this year!

4. Our Muay Thai/BJJ/Boxing programmes are tested and proven

Our Muay Thai training sessions are modelled after traditional thai gym classes. That means, you actually learn proper and useful techniques ( Yes we pride ourselves in that, It wouldn't be nice if you tried to show off a half-baked roundhouse kick without proper technique to that pretty girl who in class who happens to be a martial arts fanatic that you've been trying to impress for the whole semester.) The 2 years I've spent at Onyx is a testament,  I dare say that I've improved at a steady rate under the tutelage of the seasoned muay thai coaches. The clarity in their instruction, patience and willingness to correct your problems are top notch and this is what martial arts is all about; perfecting and sharpening your skills through the minor details. The same can be said for our BJJ classes, with Jason from BJJ Singapore overlooking the classes,  Just come for classes religiously and you can see yourself improving exponentially.

5. The most important of all, training here is FUN.

There's no point in joining a gym if you don't enjoy it there. To put it simply, it can have the best of facilities, most qualified of coaches, but, if you are not enjoying yourself there, there is no point staying on. At Onyx we promote a healthy and fun environment, where there is no hierarchy, regardless of coach or members, fighters or newcomers. There's always room for new friends. There is no point in describing the friendship and warmth you'll feel here when you step foot into the gym. So come on down and experience it yourself. There are no obligations. Although we strongly believe that after you have your first class. You hit yourself in the head for not signing up earlier.