Great comment received!!! More please...

Its amazing really - I have been doing this blog for a while now - since early 2007.


Since then I have not been adding as frequently as i would like.....experimenting a little....

discovering what the possibilities were and thinking how exactly to best utilise the Industrial Strength London website and club. How it could benefit the most amount of people and promote the best use of physical training for fitness, performance, health, wellness and well-being!


I know a few people who read this blog when they get a moment but few people leave comments which I used to think was fine. I put that down to either me not saying anything of note or there not being anything more to add.

I have never posted a comment in response to a blog, but i am going to start now because when someone comments its a great feeling!!!

I had a very weird comment on the posting of 5th Feb 2008 so i wanted to share it here publicly. the politically correct would say it was xenophobic, maybe it is. But seeing as its supposedly a national characteristic of the English, and i am in some parts English, to laugh at ourselves i thought i would publish it.

"England sucks, the people and the country"

I would guess that "Anonymous" comes from the North America as thats were " x sucks" comes from! other than that how bizarre!

so i welcome all comments - although i am not necessarily inviting abuse. But it brightens up the day and it would be good to start some kind of dialogue amongst all those who are interested.

Anyway thanks for listening!!!

Next Industrial Strength session is this coming Sunday - 9.30am - 12 midday. The club for strength, fitness, athleticism. Will be using kettlebells and bodyweight with quality our major aim. We will be at Balance Performance Physiotherapy, London, UK

Arsene Wenger - an impressive attitude

I was impressed when i read these words of Arsene Wenger prior to the match against Manchester United (which Arsenal lost).

It is another fine example of an attributes required to achieve success, and then sustain it, in any field - whether professional or personal.

"I realise you need a kind of animal force. To motivate people you need the hunters animal instinct. You must want to win. When you're a young manager your animal instinct is strong but your knowledge is small.

With age the balance changes - the animal instinct shrinks and the wisdom becomes dominant.

Then you get to the stage when you have only wisdom. That's when you have to say goodbye.....

Life is only interesting if you have targets. You must be destroyed when you lose and happy when you win.

I personally believe winning and losing matters to you until the last day of your life."

I believe that this kind of attitude can become re-awakened in everyone: it is an instinct that many allow to be conditioned out of their being from childhood onwards. Getting in touch with yourself physically through movement and physical training is a powerful way of getting back to the instincts that drive us to success and satisfaction.

Whatever the situation you find yourself in, whatever the life you lead, Industrial Strength hopes to inspire this attitude of success.

Picture originally from www.lastkick.com/?m=20070119

The Best Kettlebell Exercise for Groundfighters - from Scott Sonnon

A nice variation on a Turkish Get up -



We will be trying these out for sure on March 9th at Industrial Strength - Londons only "not for profit" kettlebell, bodyweight, fitness and conditioning club. Learning effective training techniques and drills from one another.

Unlock your fitness with kettlebells - http://news.uk.msn.com/rss_todaystopstoriesonmsn.aspx

Steve Aish of London Kettlebells was featured commenting on the world's number two fitness tool on the world's 5th most popular website - MSN.

Unlock your fitness with kettlebells by Izzie Knowles

They may look like a cannonball with a handle, but kettlebells are a traditional Russian exercise tool which are great at improving strength, endurance and balance. No wonder kettlebell fitness programmes are becoming increasingly popular, says Izzie Knolles.

When I look at or think of kettlebells, I automatically associate them with men and muscle building, and shy away from them out of fear of looking like Tessa Sanderson. Recently, however, I discovered that kettlebell training is a mode of working out that is effective for anyone wanting to burn fat, calories and increase metabolic rate.

Read the rest of the article here..:

Unlock your fitness with kettlebells - http://news.uk.msn.com/rss_todaystopstoriesonmsn.aspx


At Balance Performance Physiotherapy we now act as a retail outlet for kettlebells produced by London kettlebells. If you want to try before you buy and get a 15 minute session then come to Balance in Clapham North, London SW4. If you'd rather get your kettlebells online just visit London Kettlebells direct

Old article -

Just experimenting and seeing what comes up on google when you search for kettlebells in the uk. This old article still comes up on the first page of google....

Rise of the kettlebell | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited: "Rise of the kettlebell


They used to be the preserve of musclebound strongmen, but now they're the latest celebrity fitness fad. Kate Carter gets swinging

Tuesday August 21, 2007
The Guardian

In an ever-changing world, there are some things you can count on: seasons will change, rich people will complain about taxes and Geri Halliwell will change shape. Unlike her last transformation, though - when she shrunk to near-emaciation - Halliwell is now looking healthy and strong and has been parading her six-pack around the south of France in a selection of fetching bikinis. And, if you believe the hype, her new look is all down to the latest fitness craze: kettlebells.

Quote of yesterday: Courtesy of Charles Staley - strength and conditioning author

thanks to cj for forwarding this to me:

"Performance (or progress) improves only when weak links are identified and fortified" - Charles Staley.

So get plugging the weak links:

Come and see one of the strength and conditioning coaches at Balance Performance Physiotherapy, Clapham SW4. Someone like Cj, he found the quote after all.

Quote of the day, courtesy of Clapham North tube

"Its better to fail in something than to succeed at nothing."

Every day at Clapham North tube station on a wipe board at the top of the escalators a "quote of the day" is written.

As the main business, Balance Performance Physiotherapy, is based in Clapham I have ended up copying a whole bunch down when I have the time and inclination.

I thought I'd start sharing some of the best. Whether they are motivating or just a bit clever.

I ran past this too quickly this morning, leaving Balance to get to a client, to notice who said it. In fact I ran with such speed (or maybe my eye-brain co-ordination is too slow) that I only got the first half of it and had to finish the sentence myself....but I like it even if I am misquoting.

Jonathan Lewis
www.balancephysio.com
www.islondon.com

mobile:+447960861267
tel:+442076272308

London strength and conditioning session - more conditioning than strength

Industrial Strength London - session 19th January 2008.

This one was for a select crew.....the cover models to the right.

The idea was to do a total conditioning session, a drop of strength work, moderate rep kettlebell sets of the essential Russian kettlebell drills of snatch, clean and jerk, and swing.

A large helping of bodyweight drills, trunk strength (core stability for readers in the fitness industry), some density training (a la Charles Staley), and despite the unsavoury nature of it I put 1k on the treadmill mto the circuit.

There were minimal rest periods, a maximum in quality movement, and optimal use of time.

How it shaped up:

• Joint mobility warm up - Glenn Cumiskey led us through a completely floor based and thoroughly effective routine that targeted the hips, pelvis, spine and shoulder girdle.

• The duration of each of the circuits 12 sections was approximately 4 minutes. As soon as each of the exercises listed was completed you start again
  

• the rest between each piece lasted only long enough to qualify what the next section entailed for each of us.

1. 4 min (or 1km) treadmill run
2. dynamic flexibility style "straight leg swing", "high side reach"
3. kettlebell clean and jerk
4. drop squat 10, mountain climber 20, step back lunge 10, press up 10
5. hand to hand kettlebell swing 20, jingo (step back stay low) 20, high speed sit up 10
6. penetration lunge 10, rolling press up 10, squat jump 10
7. kettlebell snatch 10, burpee 5, snatch 10, rest count 10
8. Barbell back squat - density style (i.e max reps in available time)
9. TRX suspension abdominal rollout 10, TRX tuck from prone support 10, high tension knee in from plank or prone support posn 10
10. weighted side flexion with reach to sky of unweighted hand 10
11. handstand hold 20 count, atlas jumps 20 (thanks Phill Ireland for making me do the atlasjumps last weekend at his thai boxing pad work course)
    
12. 1 arm rows 5, grasshoppers 20

All in all it was a satisfying way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Next session will also be at Balance Performance Physiotherapy on

Sunday March 9th - 9.30am - 12pm

Plans for 2008 - Londons only Strength and Conditioning training club run "not for profit"

The focus of Industrial Strength London in 2008 is in continuing to be the only strength, fitness training and conditioning club in London that is run "not for profit"/virtually free.

Every 6 weeks we want to meet either at Balance Performance Physiotherapy in SW4 or outdoors - either Battersea Park or Wandsworth Common.

The idea is not to impress anyone or work like a maniac but to learn, improve and develop our knowledge of how to gain athleticism.

Thats not to say at the sessions you cant have a good training session, develop your work capacity, strength and psycological endurance if you like, its a bit like Cross Fit with more understanding and less vomit (we can do that in our own time).

We hope to share ideas: stimulate our brains into considering how we put our physical training programs together.

Improve technique in:

• Kettlebell lifting
• Bodyweight exercises
• Flow drills
• Bodybuilding - ok we don't do "get MASSIVE!" mass and sculpting

The next session is Saturday - January 19th - 4-6pm @ Balance. Maybe see you then.

Jonathan Lewis
Industrial Strength
mobile:+447960861267
tel:+442076272308

Pick a card, any card!

INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH – December 16th

Location: Balance (London Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic)

Thanks to all who came along and contributed to a satisfying morning session of training - a deck of cards bodyweight circuit and 30 minutes introducing kettlebell juggling to those that havent and trying a few new things for those that have juggled before.

There are many examples on the internet of workouts based around a deck of cards. You turn the top card and the card that shows tells you what exercise and how many reps you do.

Some people have actually made packs of cards with specific exercises and reps on them.

Yesterday we went a bit more freestyle and allowed a random bodyweight session to unfold. We took it in turns to turn the card and select the exercise based on the menu below.

Either way it was going to be challenging but the randomness and collective input made for a great session.

Here's how we put it together.....

Repetitions:

• Joker = 50 reps any exercise
• Aces = 20 reps
• Picture cards (jack, queen, king) = 10 reps
• Numbered cards = numbers on cards (!)

PICTURE CARDS = pick a total body drill, and decide whether reps are per side or total

• Burpee (any variation)
• Get up (any variation)
• Bridges (gymnastic/ju jitsu)
• Bear crawls (and variations)

RED = upper body

• Hindu PUP
• Handstand
• Plyo PUP (including catch press from crouch)
• Dips · Pull ups

BLACK = lower body

• Squat
• Step back stay low (jingos)
• Jump squats
• Drop squats
• Lateral hop jumps
  

Apart from the jokers doing the session we had 3 jokers in the pack - the joker cards were used for 50 burpees, 50 brazilian ju jitsu style get ups, 50 situps (V- situps for the stupid ones).

It was a demanding session involving over 600 reps. If any of this doesnt make sense call or email me and i shall explain what we did in more detail.

We recovered a short while then went through some kettlebell juggling. Some good style was developed and some was already on show. This was particularly noticeable in the footwork which enabled us to avoid broken toes and ankles!

Then the usual suspects went for chicken.

Next session January 19th, 4-6pm

Hatton vs Mayweather - an Industrial Strength event?

The pieces below were written by Simon Lewis who covered the fight from pre-fight hype, face off, weigh in, the fight and the aftermath.

I have posted them below, starting with the pre fight features and ending with the after fight analysis, each feature in separate posts.

To read chronologically start at the top of the page and work your way down.

If you're wondering why these articles are on the Industrial Strengths blog you need to read the main website and blog description again.

I am lucky to have access to some of the features that Simon has written on some awesome athletes, I will continue to post his work when possible and when he unearths Industrial Strength athletes to inspire us and aspire too.

Mayweather is undoubtedly an Industrial Strength guy.

Shame about Ricky's love of pie, chips and going lardy in between fights but never the less i reckon he qualifies!

London Free-runner and parkour raising money for Landmine charity

Lewis Byrne set himself a Parkour challenge of negotiating 50,000sq metre of London's South Bank without putting a foot down on the ground. The 50,000sq metres being the same size as the minefield in Cambodia that the money Lewis is raising will go towards clearing.

He succeeded...

http://meview.metro.co.uk/?id=25489

For more info on free run/parkour go to Urban Freeflow

For more info on the project and to donate to this cause go to http://www.dangerousground.org/

On the site be sure to go to the "Exhibition" page for some great photography.

Ricky Hatton and Floyed Mayweather - pre fight feature -the Face Off!

Courtesy of Simon Lewis in Las Vegas

Ricky Hatton may have won the pre-fight battle of minds with his ready wit and cheeky chappy persona but he insisted the laughing has now stopped as he prepares to go toe-to-toe with Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Garden Arena in the early hours of Sunday morning.

After months of hype surrounding this WBC welterweight title clash, which will pit two undefeated owners of coveted Ring Magazine belts – Hatton's at light-welterweight and Mayweather's welterweight version, which is on the line here - the talking finally came to an end on the Vegas strip after a tense face-off at the end of the final pre-fight press conference.

Going nose-to-nose for the obligatory final photo-call Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs) stared unflinchingly up and into Mayweather's eyes for two minutes before the American (38-0, 24 KOs) spiced things up further as he took one half-step forward and leaned into the Mancunian.

Having been rocked back a step, Hatton came back with a forceful lean with his chest into Mayweather before the rival camps stepped in along with promoter Oscar de La Hoya to restore order.

And as the two were pulled away from the confrontation, with Mayweather cursing at the British fighter, Hatton's mouth broke into a narrow smile as he winked and then drew his finger across his throat, the silent gesture speaking volumes for the contempt he has for the brash American outside the ring.

"I would have stood there till the bell rang," Hatton said shortly afterwards. "But when he starts leaning on me I leaned back on him and he spat his dummy out.

"The time for me to laugh and joke is done now but the fight is two days away now and I have done my laughing and joking.

"It's not rocket science, don't lean on me or I'll lean on you back."

"When I leaned back on him, he said 'Don't touch me, don't touch me' so I just gave him a smile and a bit of a 'you're dead' gesture and that was it really. Then I smiled at him again, like I always do.

"If he's annoyed at that then wait until the bell rings."

Mayweather played down his own reaction to the incident by describing it as "just a normal day for me" but Hatton, 29, believes he has managed to rattle a rival 20 months his senior who thrives on self-belief and having the upper hand in pre-fight psychological warfare.

Throughout the build-up to this fight, Mayweather and his camp, led by his trainer and uncle Roger Mayweather, have been demeaning Hatton's record, his boxing ability and his preference for drinking beer and playing darts between fights which causes his weight to balloon when he is out of training. And every time Hatton has come back with a smile on his face and a joke.

During the final pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand, Hatton followed a lengthy, rambling and disjointed monologue from Roger Mayweather which even had the trainer's nephew staring blankly into mid-distance in apparent embarrassment. Rising to speak at the podium, the Englishman opened his remarks by looking at his watch and saying "I'd just like to thank Roger for making the winter shorter," which only seemed to bemuse the Mayweather camp further.

No matter what the disrespect Hatton is shown by his rival's entourage, he is not easily thrown off kilter.

"He's looking down and smiling at me," he said of the face-off, "and 12 weeks ago when we were in Los Angeles, Michigan, New York, it was 'Ricky Fatton', but I haven't come to Las Vegas to joke.

"My demeanour hasn't changed, I've been my usual, witty, sarcastic self but I'm not coming to mess about.

"He pushed into me to try and gain an edge but it wasn't going to happen.

"It's water off a duck's back to me but I think for someone who plays on his confidence so much and with his mind games I think that will have hurt him more than me. I'll go away and forget about that where he might be seething.

"You can lie to everybody but you can't lie to yourself and when he has a quiet moment to himself he might think 'well, I'm in for a fight here'. And he should think that but it's very hard when he's got a team round him who… you've got Roger saying 'I'm the greatest trainer in the world' and you've got his father (Floyd Snr) saying 'I'm the greatest trainer the world's ever seen' and then you've got Floyd Jr saying 'I'm the greatest fighter the world's ever seen'.

"So everyone around him is telling him how wonderful he is but when you get in there and it doesn't go to plan and you're back's against the wall it's a shock to your system, especially when somebody plays so much on their confidence.

"I won't lose a moment's sleep over that but I don't think Floyd can say the same because that's his game isn't it? Intimidation, mind games and all that.

"I'll just go away, have my cup of coffee and get on with it."

Bio: Simon Lewis is a British sportswriter based in New York. He writes for a variety of newspapers, magazines and wire services in the UK, Ireland and US.

View his profile at: Linkedin.com

---

Hatton vs Mayweather - Prefight feature from Las Vegas - Bernard Hopkins views

Courtesy of Simon Lewis in Las Vegas

They may have spent the last three months winding each other up, pouring scorn on their rival's talents and rubbishing each other's prospects for success in tonight's WBC welterweight title fight but if there is one thing that both the Mayweather and Hatton camps agree on it is that boxing is once again back in the big time.

After years in the doldrums amid fight-fixing scandals, in-fighting between promoters, an unwarranted number of title-sanctioning bodies and declining television exposure allied to the rise of mixed martial arts formats such as the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the sweet science has regained its composure, picked itself up off the canvas and come out fighting for another round.

Tonight's showdown at Las Vegas's MGM Garden Arena between Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Ricky Hatton brings to an end a year of success for the sport not experienced since the 1980s and 1990s when virtually every weight division could conjure up a superfight to whet the appetite and then deliver the goods for massive television audience. Month after month back in that golden era brought genuine superstars onto our screens, from Ireland's own featherweight livewire Barry McGuigan to the great middleweight quartet of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, and from the epic super-middleweight battles between Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Steve Collins to the heavyweight prowess of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

This year has seen fight after fight deliver the goods in similar fashion, in terms of spectacle and excitement, of great match-ups between high-class fighters not ducking a challenge and going toe-to-toe with each other while also possessing the personalities to capture the imagination of a doubting public.

Mayweather himself got the ball rolling in the ring he will grace tonight when he withstood the challenge of ring legend Oscar De La Hoya last May for a split-decision victory, while Hatton took out Jose Luis Castillo a few weeks later across town. There have also been epics between Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah, Cotto and 'Sugar' Shane Mosley, super-featherweight star Marco Antonio Barrera bowed out of boxing with classics against Marquez and a rematch with Manny Pacquiao while Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright got it on at light-heavyweight.

Wales's Joe Calzaghe became undisputed super-middleweight champion by twice selling in excess of 50,000 tickets at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium while Kelly Pavlik became the middleweight king with a shock victory over Jermain Taylor in Atlantic City.

In America, the majority of those fights were delivered to the armchair fan by the HBO network, which broadcast 29 big fight nights in 2007 and logged 37 million pay per view buys ahead of tonight's fight.

"I think 2007 will go down as the single biggest year in HBO boxing history," said Mark Taffet, senior vice president at HBO PPV and HBO Sports. "We took in 1.7 billion dollars in pay per view revenue and so no single year has been as important as 2007.

"It's not just from HBO's point of view. I think 2007 will go down as one of the great years in the sport of boxing. The biggest fights happened regularly, the best fought the best and the sport was reinvigorated, revitalized and returned to its rightful place in the sports landscape.

"De La Hoya versus Mayweather was the biggest fight in sports history, it continued from there, and it ends with another megafight, so there's no better way to cap it off than with Hatton-Mayweather. This is what boxing's all about and it's a perfect ending to a phenomenal year."

Hatton-Mayweather is certainly one of the most highly anticipated fights in years set to eclipse May's meeting between Mayweather and De La Hoya which in turn outstripped the 1999 clash between 'DLH' and Felix 'Tito' Trinidad.

Seven months ago, the jury was still out on the state of boxing, even after the Mayweather-De La Hoya clash broke pay-per-view records, by generating 2.15 million pay-per-view buys and $120 million in PPV revenue.

According to David Carter, the executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, that megafight alone was not going to be enough for the sport to permanently retain a mainstream sporting audience.

"Boxing strikes me as being less on the ropes and more being part of a standing eight count at this point," Carter said following Mayweather's victory. "The sport did not find its way into its business dilemma overnight, so it can't possibly expect to be able to dig itself out with a single event - no matter how strong that event may be."

What boxing needed, Carter said then, was for the sport's leading promoters to deliver one blockbuster after another.

"Boxing's erosion in credibility, marked by fans believing some bouts are pre-determined, and corporate partners who view the sport with great cynicism, cannot be halted by one great fight. However, a series of compelling matches can serve as a tourniquet, provided promoters and the fighters they profess to support recognise that it is up to them return the sport to its once hallowed position."

Bernard Hopkins, who before Mayweather came on the scene was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, believes boxing's promoters have come good over the last few months and that his sport was starting to regain ground on UFC.

"This time last year all you heard was about how UFC was the big thing in sports but now you don't hear no UFC talk," said Hopkins, who is Golden Boys Promotions' east coast president.

"Boxing has got its act together and you're seeing great fights all year round that weren't happening even last year. Cotto-Mosley at Madison Square Garden, Top Rank promotes Cotto, we promote Shane, and you wouldn't see before top promoters putting one of their main fighters in against each other. But that's where boxing needed to go and that's what I think will happen next year and further down the line it will become more like the sport was in the 1980s and 90s."

Hopkins said a potential meeting with Calzaghe in the new year would also help to put boxing back on the map in a sporting landscape that has seen UFC overtake every sport but the NFL in the American market.

"I think it's the start of a comeback for boxing. You look at what this fight would mean to boxing, Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, what that will mean to boxing. In the last year I'm just happy to be a part of the Golden Boy situation, where we've put on, and other promoters too, a high value of fights that mean something.

"They mean something to fans but also to history and they're risky all the way around the board for everyone.

"So fights like this need to be made and should be made."

Should Hopkins-Calzaghe take place, and given the American's reputation as a notoriously tough negotiator that's a big 'if', it will have to go a long way to top tonight's Hatton-Mayweather showdown. Hopkins' boss at Golden Boy, its CEO Richard Schaefer had seen his event reach new milestones long before the first bell sounds, a result, he says of putting two big names together in the ring and giving the public what it wants to see.

"This fight is set to break records again with a $10 million gate selling out in less than half an hour and 14,000 seats sold for the closed-circuit broadcasts in Las Vegas and the phone calls nationwide indicate that closed-circuit sales are going through the roof.

"Worldwide the fight is being shown in over 180 countries, including China where I'm told there is an audience of over 50 million people expected.

"On the pay-per-view side, helped by the HBO series 24/7 we are trying to break records there as well.

"This is what happens with two undefeated athletes. In any sport, two undefeated teams is what people want to see and Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather are responsible for creating this event."

The signs are strong that the upward momentum and feelgood factor coursing through boxing in 2007 will, through Hatton-Mayweather, continue into 2008. The new year kicks off with a long-awaited fight at Madison Square Garden between Trinidad and fellow veteran Roy Jones Jnr on January 19. Early 2008 will also see the first move towards the equally long-awaited reunification of a terribly disjointed heavyweight division when Wladimir Klitschko meets Sultan Ibragimov, again at the Garden, on February 23 with the IBF, WBO and IBO belts on the line.

Throw in Hopkins-Calzaghe and a Pavlik-Taylor rematch with Ireland's own John Duddy waiting in the wings as a possible mandatory challenger, subject to his success continuing in Belfast tonight, and you have the makings of another stellar year in the ring.

Hell, there may even be room for another chapter in the Mayweather-Hatton saga.

According to Ricky's father Roy Hatton, however, boxing is already back in business with their first meeting.

"We've got Floyd who is undoubtedly is the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet. We've got Ricky Hatton who is possibly the most exciting in-fighter in the world today and really to make a good fight you need these contrasts," Hatton senior said this week. "We need to see the skill of Floyd and we need to see the tenacity of Ricky Hatton. If we get that on Saturday we will be privileged to witness a truly remarkable fight.

"On Saturday there will be two winners in that ring, one will be either Floyd Mayweather or Ricky Hatton, but the biggest winner will be the sport of boxing that we all love. They can go out there and prove to everybody that boxing is still the premier sport for excitement."

Bio: Simon Lewis is a British sportswriter based in New York. He writes for a variety of newspapers, magazines and wire services in the UK, Ireland and US.

View his profile at: Linkedin.com

---

Ricky Hatton vs Floyd Mayweather - Pre fight feature - Mick "The Rub" Williamson

Simon Lewis in Las Vegas

Such is the growing belief in the Ricky Hatton camp that it is not Floyd Mayweather that concerns them most about tonight's greatly anticipated welterweight showdown but their man's susceptibility to cuts.

Mick "The Rub" Williamson was a late arrival in Las Vegas from Manchester this week but his considerable skills as Hatton's cuts man could make him the most important member of the 29-year-old Mancunian's corner at the MGM Garden Arena.

With Golden Boy Promotions billing this WBC title fight "Undefeated" there is much to savour. The protagonists have 81 victories between them with no losses, 43 wins to Hatton, 38 to Mayweather and the clash of styles between Mayweather, considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today, and Hatton, one of the most exciting makes it one of the most eagerly awaited fights in years.

Yet Hatton's trainer Billy Graham admitted that the spectre of blood pouring from above his boxer's eyes is something that has kept him awake at night in the nerve-wracking countdown to the bout.

Mayweather alluded to that vulnerability on Wednesday as spoke to journalists following the final pre-fight press conference, taking time along the way to point out what he believes is a tactical naivety and a lack of the necessary skills to remove the zero from his loss column.

"I'll never overlook an opponent and I know this kid is going to come out and fight his heart out but he makes a lot of mistakes," Mayweather said.

"He must realise with a fighter like Floyd Mayweather you can't come straight at me without a jab, especially when you've had plastic surgery, with your face out there and throwing a hook this wide," he said as he threw his right arm out to its full extension.

"Against a sharp-shooter? A counter-puncher? A smart guy? If you dare go there a sharp upper cut is going to come. If you throw the left hook, a sharp hook is going to come. I can sit in the pocket if I want and if he comes hard he'll burn himself.

"Zab Judah did the same thing, they come out and they want to kill me. They play to the crowd and they listen to the cheers. But I buckled Zab Judah late in one round and I kept the pressure on, breaking him down."

Mayweather is gravely underestimating Hatton's staying power and tenacity if he believes the Englishman will punch himself out in the same manner Judah or Oscar De La Hoya did in two of his last three fights. Yet Mayweather's super-fast punching style could easily prevent Hatton from calling on his stamina by drawing blood early on.

"I actually think cuts are the only way Floyd can beat him, unless he gets foolish and walks onto a big shot," Graham said. "That truly is the only way I believe Mayweather is going to win this fight."

"Every time Ricky fights, I think about cuts. He's had some really bad cuts in the past but Mick is a great cuts man and Ricky is always very calm when he gets cut.
"I hope the referee will be as calm as we are. Obviously, if the cut is bad enough and is going to injure his eye permanently, I'd want it stopped.

"But this is a super-fight so they should give him every chance."

Verbally, Mayweather has been all over Hatton since their match was made, fuelling the usually mild mannered Hatton to reveal a genuine dislike for his rival albeit disguised by a disarming wit. The Mancunian made sure Mayweather knew he was not a bit concerned by his barbs, turning his pre-fight address into something akin to a best man's speech at a boozy wedding.

"I was shocked to hear how close the odds were," Hatton said,

"because listening to Floyd all these weeks he's going to be fighting this little, fat, beer-drinking Englishman who has fought no-one, been over-protected, fought a load of has-beens.

"Personally, I think you've got nothing to worry about Floyd. I think you'll be all right."

Despite Mayweather's behaviour outside the ring, Hatton is happy to speak of his appreciation of the American's boxing skills although he feels he brings something to the fight no previous Mayweather opponent has managed.

"He's crept over the finishing line, mainly when he's been put under pressure. He says he's coped with it but he's not coped with it that well. With Oscar he just squeezed over the finish line and although Oscar is bigger I don't think he's as quick, as explosive in his movements or with the angles and ferocity that I have.

“I’m quicker, stronger faster, better footwork, better boxer, bigger puncher, bigger body puncher than (Jose Luis) Castillo was when he fought him.

"I think he knows he's getting there with as fighter in his prime and of his last five opponents I think there's only been one under 30. I'm not knocking him, they were still great wins, all of them. But he's just not going to intimidate me. That's my game, I'm fearless, it's my strongest attribute."

That confidence has been boosted by the more than 15,000 fight fans who have flown across the Atlantic to roar their man on, making local resident Mayweather seem like the gatecrasher at the party, even though only 4,000 Hatton followers have tickets to actually see the fight live.

Despite the massive show of support their man is still the underdog with the majority of boxing opinion and the casino sportsbooks here. Maybe they have been listening a little too much to Floyd Mayweather Jr. The trash-talking American is in danger of underestimating his opponent in the early hours of tomorrow morning and that could mean he is ill-prepared for Hatton's aggression, power and superlative body shots that could be enough to deliver a decision at the end of 12 gruelling rounds.

It promises to be a barnburner and a victory for Hatton and his army of fans would show the world there is more than one way to bring the house down in Vegas.

Bio: Simon Lewis is a British sportswriter based in New York. He writes for a variety of newspapers, magazines and wire services in the UK, Ireland and US.

View his profile at: Linkedin.com

The Aftermath - initial fight analysis following the defeat of Ricky Hatton on December 8th 2007

Simon Lewis Las Vegas

When the end came, his undefeated status removed, Ricky Hatton met his fate with the same wit that had carried him through 14 weeks gruelling weeks of preparation, trash talking and media exposure.

Not only beaten for the first time in his career but knocked out with a series of stunning left hooks from a brilliant Floyd Mayweather in the 10^th round of their scheduled 12-round WBC welterweight title fight, Hatton's first words over the public address system at the MGM Grand Garden Arena were: "What a fluke that were".

Only a man who knew he was comprehensively beaten by a better boxer and, against expectation, puncher, could have said that, especially with an adoring band of followers that would have allowed him to have lost with very little dignity at all. But such has Hatton conducted himself, not just over the build-up to this showdown but throughout a 44-fight career.

A ready charm and sincere modesty has made the 29-year-old Mancunian a folk hero among his fans, some 20,000 of whom were believed to have descended on Vegas this weekend. Only 4,000 were allocated tickets for the fight but the numbers that made it into the 18,000-capacity arena by the time the first bell sounded appeared to be closer to six figures.

You knew something big had been in the offing. After all, it's not every day you bump into a legend like Emanuel Steward as he's buying your morning paper, take a stroll around the corner and see Marco Antonio Barrera posing with fans for pictures and then walk into a press centre and see Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe throwing insults at each other while Lennox Lewis looks on.

If you still weren't sure a major event was in the works there was no mistaking it as that extraordinary morning was played out against a background wall of noise from hundreds of Ricky Hatton fans singing their hearts out in a nearby casino bar at the MGM Grand hotel having partied through the night.

And that was just Friday, before even the weigh-in, which turned out to be an event in itself.

They restricted capacity to 6,000 for the occasion, which took place at one end of the MGM Garden Arena, and all but around 50 children bussed in by the Mayweather camp were Hatton fans.

Those poor children. With no fan base to draw on, Mayweather had clearly resorted to desperate measures to give him just an ounce of credibility that he was a likeable character. The kids seemed more than happy to help out but every time they tried to sing they were drowned out by Hatton songs and even at one point a "You're supposed to be at school!" chant. And this was just to see the two protagonists step on the scales.

Some more pantomime argy-bargy between Calzaghe and Hopkins added to the electric atmosphere, and the noise had been amplified further when a pumped up Hatton emerged, stripping down to a pair of shorts and exposing a ripped torso that laid to rest Mayweather's taunts of 'Vicky Fatton'.

"Fatty's Gonna Get Ya!" sang the fans between boos as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world stepped onto the stage and, ironically, weighed in two pounds heavier than the Englishman.

It was that kind of weekend. Ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced Tom Jones to sing 'God Save The Queen' although it had already been sung countless times during the week. But the Hatton army let their hero down shortly afterwards by drowning out the singing of the 'Star Spangled Banner' with boos and whistles, an insult to patriotic Americans in their own backyard which lost many of the friends they had gained during a boozy but good natured week on the Vegas Strip.

By the time Hatton entered the ring to the strains of 'Blue Moon' the good vibes were all positive again and Mayweather added to the intensity by dispensing with his usual ring-walk theatrics and marching straight to his corner without pageantry.

It all contributed to a furious start to the contest, Hatton bursting out of his corner as expected but carelessly being the first to get caught as he walked onto a left hook from Mayweather. It proved to be ominous.

Hatton continued to unsettle the American but you don't get to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet without thinking on your feet and Mayweather quickly adjusted and adapted to the Englishman's rough and ready come-forward style, denying him the opportunity to deploy his stock-in-trade bodyshots and meeting fire with fire as he played Hatton at his own game.

It resulted in Hatton's frustration getting the better of him in the sixth round. Referee Joe Cortez had done little to let the boxers get on with it, frequently breaking them up when others may have been less officious, docked Hatton a point for hitting Mayweather on the back of the head as he bundled the American between the ropes. While there was no disputing the punishment, Cortez was being inconsistent having only warned Mayweather for the same infringement in the second round.

But that was Hatton's only true complaint and as he trailed on the scorecard and chased a knockout he left himself wide open to Mayweather's left hook, which brought sent Manchester's finest crashing to the canvas for only the second time in his career. A third visit moments later saw Cortez call it off and when it was all over there was nothing left for Hatton to give but respect, something he got back from Mayweather for the first time in 14 weeks.

"Ricky is one hell of a fighter," Mayweather said later. "I've got nothing but the utmost respect for him. I told you it would be a toe-to-toe battle and it was.

"I knew this kid was going to bring his 'A' game because he is tough as nails. I knew I would have to show versatility because he was rough and tough."

Hatton said: "He used the right tactics and wasn't scared when we got in close to give me a bit of the rough stuff back. That's what a good champion is all about. I said it before the fight and it's still true, he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today."

Bio: Simon Lewis is a British sportswriter based in New York. He writes for a variety of newspapers, magazines and wire services in the UK, Ireland and US.

View his profile at: Linkedin.com

the Aftermath - what next for Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather

Simon Lewis in Las Vegas

Someone's '0' had to go when the undefeated Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton went toe-to-toe but both victor and vanquished now face tough decisions about their futures, career choices that will have a knock-on effect for some of boxing's biggest names.

Manchester's Hatton suffered his first defeat in 44 professional fights when he succumbed to a 10^th round knockout by WBC welterweight champion Mayweather at the MGM Garden Arena in the early hours of yesterday morning. The thousands of Hatton fans that turned the 18,000-seat Las Vegas venue into a corner of England for the night were stunned as their man was caught with a crashing left hook from the American, only to beat the count and then take two more before a straight right sent him to the canvas again as referee Joe Cortez waved the fight off a minute and 35 seconds into 10^th.

Hatton, who had been cut at the corner of his right eye during the third round and docked a point in the sixth for hitting Mayweather on the back of his head, afterwards said he had not been hurt but having been behind on the three judges' scorecards – they each only gave the Mancunian one round of the first nine – he had gone chasing a knockout and paid the price.

"I feel like more a mug for leaving myself open," Hatton said.

Now he must decide whether to continue to fight above his natural weight at 147 pounds and take on Oscar De La Hoya next May, return to the 140-pound junior welterweight division he still dominates or quit boxing altogether, safe in the knowledge his reputation remains intact with an army of devoted followers.

Mayweather, meanwhile, his status cemented as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer with his victory over Hatton, must choose between the retirement he claims to crave or to continue with the series of megafights against top-drawer opponents he embarked on in 2007.

Both fighters have rivals lining up to challenge them, some of whom were at ringside along with a plethora of celebrities including David Beckham and Tiger Woods, to see Mayweather break out of his usual, cagey counter-punching ring persona and take the fight to Hatton with maximum effect.

Though coy when questioned after the fight, promoter De La Hoya, who was defeated by Mayweather in May in a split decision at the same arena, wants to be the next to face Hatton, his Golden Boy company having promoted Saturday night's blockbuster. One of De La Hoya's Golden Boy associates, 'Sugar' Shane Mosley, made an immediate appeal to be the next person to take on Mayweather, although Miguel Cotto, the man who defeated Mosley last time out a month ago in New York for the WBA welterweight title, was also ringside in Vegas and would be the dream match-up as far as fans are concerned.

Both Hatton's camp and Mayweather said they would not rush to make any decisions and with the new year already promising some tantalising contests, boxing looks set to continue the resurgence that gained momentum in 2007. Yet with Hatton one of the biggest draws in the sport and Mayweather the king of the ring, their presence on the boxing calendar in 2008 alongside Felix Trinidad versus Roy Jones Jr in January, a possible clash between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe and the potential reunification of the heavyweight division it would be hard to keep the sport out of the spotlight.

Hatton initially promised a speedy return to the ring when he issued an "I'll be back" pledge at the post-fight press conference.

"I'll go away and have a few months off to have a proper think about it, but don't forget I moved up to welterweight to fight the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

"It wasn't my night but I feel like I'm still improving. The knockout didn't feel as bad as I thought it would and I feel like I've been in a lot more gruelling fights which I've won.

"Without a doubt it hurts because I thought I had the style to do it. I had a great chance and I had all the tools. But there was a time to be more subtle and I didn't, I just went for it and set myself up like a mug."

Billy Graham, Hatton's trainer throughout his professional career, would not be sorry to see his man walk away from the ring and if his fellow Mancunian did decide to carry on it should be "only if he really wanted to.

"If he still wants to fight I'll be there with him but I would be quite happy the other way," Graham said.

"I'm not telling him to quit, that's for him to decide."

Were Hatton to continue, however, Graham said he would want the boxer to return to his natural weight, in the 140-pound division in which he still reigns as the Ring Magazine undisputed junior welterweight champion.

That would appear to rule out a fight with De La Hoya, who minutes earlier said his return to the ring would be contingent on him being able to make 147 pounds.

While Hatton appears to have the hunger to continue, at least at light-welterweight, motivation appears to be the sticking point as far as Mayweather is concerned. Despite one of the more exciting performances of his career as played Hatton at his own game and brawled inside, the brash American feels he has little else to prove after 39 victories over the likes of the late Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo (twice) Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah and De La Hoya.

"It wasn't hard getting up for the Ricky Hatton fight. I trained my ass off," Mayweather said. "The only thing that is hard is that used to be at the gym at three o'clock on the dot, now I get there at 3:30 and somebody has to come and wake me up.

"My house is paid for, all my cars are paid for, eight figures in the bank…it's not hard to train but getting there is."

Bio: Simon Lewis is a British sportswriter based in New York. He writes for a variety of newspapers, magazines and wire services in the UK, Ireland and US.

View his profile at: Linkedin.com

Cycle Fit? technique is everything!

This article was in the Independent yesterday. It features one of the outfits we work with at Balance Performance Physiotherapy - Cycle Fit.

Why is it on Industrial Strength? well to me Industrial Strength is about attitude and at Cycle Fit they believe that if your going to do it you do it right.

There is no point is spending money if you don't exploit it to the full. Whether its a gym membership, a set of kettlebells or a £3k road bike. Any way take a look even if you dont have a bike, the same approach to technique (set up) applies to physical training, particularly the paragraph I highlighted......

this article was first published in the Independent on 4th December and is now online.

"James Daley: The Cycling Column

All gain, less pain: thanks, CycleFit!

Published: 04 December 2007

If you do a lot of cycling, it's important to take care of your body as well as your wheels. While you can pay a few hundred pounds to get even the worst of your bike problems fixed, it gets harder and harder to iron out any damage you do to your body as you get older.

I should confess, however, that I'm saying all this with the benefit of a bit of hindsight, and a visit to Europe's only cycling ergonomics centre, Cyclefit (www.cyclefit.co.uk).

Cyclefit works to ensure that your positioning on your bike is as perfect as it can be, minimising impact on the knees and other joints, while aiming to ensure that you're getting the maximum performance from your body relative to the effort you put in. Although you'd think that the majority of their clients would be world-class athletes looking to shave half a second from their next time-trial (and some of them are), most of Cyclefit's customers are leisure cyclists like me, who have heard about the service on the grapevine, or have been referred on by their doctor or physiotherapist.

A full review of your bike position – along with all the relevant changes that need to be made – costs £150. If you put in a lot of miles each week, that seems like money well worth spending.

During the three hours I was there, I was measured up, filmed both on my bike and on a special test bike (pictured above), fitted with a personalised set of orthotic inserts to go in my shoes, and observed and analysed by technicians.

It all proved utterly fascinating. I'd been suffering from a few recurring aches and pains on my bike for well over a year but, like too many British people, had never bothered to get it checked out.

After a couple of hours examining my posture and my bike's set-up, however, Cyclefit were convinced they could help. As well as some problems in my bike position and posture, they said the cleats on my shoes were apparently in the wrong position, forcing my foot into a position that was not natural.

On the test bike, it was fascinating to see how the torque in each of my legs changed as I altered my posture just a fraction. Perhaps unsurprisingly, keeping my spine in a neutral position proved a far more efficient way of cycling than slouching and arching my back.

Although several changes were made to my bike's set-up before they sent me on my way, the team did not seem quite satisfied that they had got to the bottom of some of the problems with my knee. As a result, I have been referred on to a specialist physio in Clapham, called Balance. I'll keep you updated on progress.

In the few days since the changes to my bike, I've certainly felt good on my commute to work, and it's made me think much harder about my posture. Cyclefit insist that after some work with Balance and another reassessment of my position, I'll feel better still. Here's hoping.

Have you visited The Independent's cycling blog, Cyclotherapy? (www.independent.co.uk/blogs)

cycling@independent.co.uk"

Boxing - Mosley vs Cotto fight comment and training video

"Sugar Shane Mosley hailed conqueror Miguel Cotto as a young lion on the road to greatness after losing to the Puerto Rican at Madison Square Garden, New York on Saturday night. (November 10th, 2007)

Cotto retained his WBA Welterweight title and his unbeaten record as held off a spirited challenge from four-time former world champion Mosley with an unanimous points victory over the American.

While never truly dominating 36-year-old Mosley, Cotto, nine years his junior, did enough over 12 rounds to eke out the victory in a pulsating contest in front of 15,251.

Mosley, whose record slipped to 44-5 (37KOs) while Cotto’s improved to 31-0 (25KOs), was in good spirits despite his defeat and praised his victor.

“It was a great fight. Miguel was very strong, not only was he a powerful puncher but he can box. He mixed it up and did a hell of a good job.

“He’s a young lion on the way to greatness.

“For a guy to be fighting in the ring like that, when I was fighting him and he kept fighting me back, the guy did a great job.”

Cotto said he was satisfied that he had got his preparation for the fight spot on.

“When I was in Puerto Rico I focused on his power, movement and speed,” Cotto said. “That’s what I trained to face and I thought I did real well.

“I wanted to give my best performance for the fans and I thought I did.”

While never quite reaching the epic proportions of Cotto’s previous defence against Zab Judah in the same arena last June, the champion’s battle with Mosley was a close fought and exciting spectacle.

The contrasting styles of the two boxers showed immediately as Mosley displayed his quick hands while Cotto stalked his man, picking his moments to land telling power punches in a cagey opener.

The fight really came alive at the end of the second round when Mosley caught the champion with clubbing right, provoking an immediate response from Cotto as the rivals traded fast and furious blows over the final 30 seconds.

Mosley’s right again did damage midway through the third with two hooks to Cotto’s head before giving him a taste of his own medicine with a big right to the body, punches that momentarily subdued the large Puerto Rican contingent in the Garden.

The round closed with another furious exchange, Mosley unloading with combinations as Cotto countered with sharp, straight rights.

And so it continued, Mosley finding Cotto’s chin with a right upper cut in the fourth only to get a left hook to his cheek in exchange, with neither fighter able to truly dominate the other but Cotto just shading the contest.

The sixth round, though, belonged to Cotto as he repeatedly landed shots on Mosley’s head and chin without any significant response.

Mosley rallied in the seventh with a big right hook that knocked Cotto’s head back and his own fans found their voices in the ninth as their man took the fight to the champion, rocking Cotto back onto the ropes in the dying seconds before landing a left hook to the head to take the round.

“I was hurt,” Cotto said of that moment. “Mosley punches real hard and I had to go away for a while but I came back strong.”

Mosley stormed out of his corner at the start of the 10^th and again had Cotto in trouble on the ropes. The rivals continued to trade punches, Mosley breaching the champion’s defences with a right upper cut and Cotto landing a straight left on the challenger’s nose, rocking Mosley’s head back.

The 11^th was just as relentless, Mosley this working the body before Cotto broke out in the final 10 seconds to hurt his man at the bell.

The final round still gave both fighters everything to box for with Cotto’s fans erroneously cheering as Mosley went down in the champion’s corner but only with a slip.

Mosley again took the fight to Cotto and opened a cut on the corner of the Puerto Rican’s right eye although it appeared to be from a clash of heads.

“He caught me with some good shots but I never felt like I was going to go down,” Mosley said.

“I got a buzz but never really felt hurt.

“And I definitely hit him with some good body shots but he’s so tough.”

courtesy of Simon Lewis, New York.

Its not easy to find fight footage right now but take a look at these guys training in preparation for the fight. Fast hands!!