FILIP VERLINDEN, AGE 21, Kickboxer. Belgium
I have fought great since we started working together! I won my last three fights: the first fight by a KO in the second round; the second by a KO in the third round; and the third fight on points. I feel very confident now.”
Emailed April 12: 2004:
Hello:
“My name is Filip. I am 2l years old and I live in Belgium. I practice Thai
boxing
and also boxing in competition. My main sport is Thai boxing but I also fight matches
in boxing for gaining ring experience I live very hard for my spoil. I don’t drink.
I don’t smoke and I watch what I eat. I train every day and when I have time 2-
When I am fighting I always get the feeling I have to throw up (have to puke). Because
of this I cannot give myself the full 100% and I already had to stop 3 fights in
the first round because of this. I sometimes also actually throw up. I already tried
different things but they don’t work. I think its because of the nerves I have before
the fight and they start working on my stomach. My stomach also feels weird always
the thy of the fight itself.
I am always very nervous also on the thy of the fight because I mostly have to fight
big guys of 100 kg (220 pounds) and more who are really strong and older than me.
Of course, I am 88 kg (187 pounds) but I am not so strong for my age and my weight.
But if I don’t have the “throw up” problem, I can do much better against them. If
you maybe know of a solution for my problem or you know something I can do best,
I would appreciate it ready you tell me what you think.”
Many thanks and Regards
Filip Verlinden
Belgium
Emailed April 15, 2004:
Hello Dr. Crowley,
“Yes, I did hear about you by Bas Rutten’s site. The people I train with are
mostly
K-
times Kl champion)
and Sanair Bennazouz (Kl fighter). I trained one time with Remy Bonjaski (Current
Kl champion), but there will be more times.
Normally I was going to train also Stefan Leko (Kl fighter), but he wasn’t
there at
the time. So I then only trained with Heath Hearring (a famous MMA Fighter), but
in a few weeks this also is going to happen. I try regularly to train with these
people because you can learn a lot from them. My native language is also Dutch and
Holland is near Belgium so it is not the biggest problem to go there.
My next fight is on June 5th. I would like to try a session over the phone if you
don’t mind. Let me know how and what I should do and we can maybe give it a try.”
Thanks
Greetings Filip
I worked with Filip April 25th on the telephone. I addressed the
pressure on him that
leads to his physiological reaction of stomach
distress and vomiting. We also focused
on his breathing as it is effected adversely by the pressure of being in a ring with
a fighter who is some 30 pounds bigger than he is. We then targeted the nervousness
that takes over the day of the fight. And lastly, we worked on returning him to his
self-
Emailed May 10, 2004:
Hello Dr.:
“I am just back from a weekend of training with all the fighters of my gym because it’s our hometown fight in 3 weeks. We always go to a kind of resort were we can train and hang out together. It was great. We trained hard every day and had a lot of fun. I feel very good now and I think I am gonna be ready for it in 3 weeks. I can’t say how it is with my throwing up problem but [ will let you know after the fight.
I also included a poster of the event in 3 weeks. I made it myself since it is our
gala and my father is the promoter and, of course, the trainer of our gym.”
Greetings Filip
Emailed on June 6, 2004, the day after the fight
Hello Dr.
“It went GREAT! I won by a KO in the second round. The day of the
fight I had a little
problem eating again but it wasn’t so bad. AND.... I
didn’t have the throw-
weight class like me for a change and it felt great
fighting against
someone like that. I hope I am finished with the throw-
because
like I said before, I never had it with my hometown fights, but
we will see the next
fights go.
I feel very confident now and that is good. Again thank you for
everything.”
Greetings Filip
Emailed August 26, 2004:
Hello Richard,
“I am doing OK for the moment I have returned from my holiday where I
spent one month
in Thailand I trained almost every thy but not to intensive
because it was also a
holiday Now I am back training for my next fight again which will be on September
25th. It’s only amateur boxing, not Thai boxing. It’s good for gaining ring experience.
My first Thai boxing fight would be on October 1 7th and maybe I will have a fight
in England on November 21. So I’ve got a lot of training to do. I didn’t have any
other fights after June 5th because it’s sort of like not a season for Thai boxing.
I will let you know how things work out on the boxing fight. It’s kind a like a test
for me, how everything goes inside the ring.”
Greetings Filip
Emailed October 21, 2004:
Hello Richard,
“Just giving you an update about how things are going. I should have fought in hometown
September 25th but my opponent called it off as he was sick. This wasn’t a big problem
for me because it was only boxing and I see this more as an exercise for Thai boxing.
“Last Sunday October 17th I had a Thai boxing fight against Omar Bellamar that was
pretty important for me. I don’t know if you remember when I worked with you in the
past and I took an imagination in my head about a big opponent I had lost to from
before? Well, I had to fight this guy again now with him weighing 100 kg and me about
88 kg.
It was a heavy fight with me kicking him down in the first round, but his outweighing
me made me very tired so I wanted to quit between the second and the third round.
I decided to go in again in the third round with the thought in the back of my head
if it didn’t work anymore to quit. I tried to stay away from him a little bit to
rest.
I knocked him out with a series of punches. I won by a KO in the
third!!! I didn’t
have any stomach or throwing up problems at all. And it was a very heavy fight for
me so normally I should have gotten it. So I think I am rid of it.”
Greetings Filip
Emailed November 16. 2004:
Hello Richard,
“Everything is OK with me. In 2 weeks I have a big fight against a pro MMA
fighter,
but on Thai boxing rules. His name is Dave Vader. He is a Dutch guy of 105 kg., again
15 kg. (33 pounds) heavier, but this is my last fight with the heavyweights for this
season. I am going to fight on 86 kg and am going to try this 1 or 2 years till I
have the age and the power to fight the heavyweights.
Two weeks before I had the only boxing match that I won on points. I
won this pretty
easy BUT!! I had the throw up problem again, but I
could keep it very well under control
because I could keep my opponent pretty easy away. It’s weird that I had it now because
I wasn’t nervous at all. And I told you in the past that on the day of that fight
I would have a weird feeling in my stomach. However, I didn’t have it this time.
I think it was there because maybe I ate something not good or something.”
Greetings Filip
Emailed November 26, 2004:
Hello Richard,
“I am sorry I couldn’t reply sooner, but this week was very busy for me,
finishing
of my last training days and working of course. Tomorrow is the fight. I am feeling
very good. I am going to do my very best tomorrow ( I can’t do much more ) so we
will see. It stays a sport, of course, and you can never predict how it turns out.”
Thanks Filip
Emailed November 30, 2004:
Hello Richard,
“I had a great fight! I was able to win on points. It was the first time I fought
my 5 rounds till the end. It went pretty good I stayed away from him and made a lot
of points just like I planned to do. And he couldn’t hit me too much (of course you
always get hit I got like 5 knees on my nose, but for the rest not that much).
He was 14 kg heavier than me, about 30 pounds. I had the throw up problem 3 times
between the rounds. When I fought him from a distance I never had a problem. But
from the moment I got in to the clinch with him I would get it. I think because then
I breathed too much with my stomach. Then after the clinch I always could control
it till I came in my corner then I wanted it out. The last rounds I tried to stay
away more from the clinch and I didn’t get it or could keep it under control.
Between the third and the fourth round I made myself angry at my father (also my
coach) because he kept on yelling at me not once but about 20 times: “Turn it off.
It is in your head!” I yelled at him: “Stop it now and be calm god damn it. I can’t
put it off!.” It was pretty funny afterwards but the nausea went away immediately
after I yelled at him. Maybe because I forgot it a little bit. I don’t know.
I feel pretty good now because my opponent is a top MMA fighter in Holland. I think
if you ask his name to Bas he knows him to. But, of course, he isn’t a top Muay Thai
fighter.
He only did this fight to improve his Muay Thai skills.”
All the best
Filip
Emailed December 31, 2004:
Hello Richard,
“I had a boxing match booked on December 19th , but my opponent called it off sick
the day before the fight.
My next fight is on February 19th and I am going try to train very hard in
Thailand
in the next two weeks.”
All the best
February 16, 2005: We worked over the phone on his upcoming fight in a couple of
days.
February 20, 2005:
Hello Richard,
The fight went good. I won but it was a pretty strong opponent. He kicked
really hard
and I could block all of his kicks but I had a lot of pain from it on
my leg (and
now it feels 10 times that bad.)
I am not very happy because I should have done better my heart says. After the first
round, between the round, I bad to throw up again but then after I didn’t have it
anymore. In the 3rd round I gave him an eight count with a flying knee on his head
and I kept on countering him. I think that’s why I won the fight. The 4th and 5th
round I could really feel over my body. I got sick the week before. So with the sickness
being inside me, I am pretty happy I won, but I still think I could do better.
Filip
“I have fought great since we started working together! I won my last
three fights:
the first fight by a KO in the second round; the second by
a KO in the third round;
and the third fight on points. I feel very confident now.”
Full Transcript and Testimonial of
Flip Verlinden
Kickboxer. Belgium
