Liam-Og Griffin - MMA Coach

22/05/2024

Check out the story behind the new look of SBG Cork

SBG Cork - the story behind the rebrand - with Leon Kroeger.

15/05/2024

Combate Global and Fuse Media today announced a new main event between Patrick “The Leech” Lehane and James “The Alley Cat” Gonzalez.

08/05/2024

I had a lot of fun filming this with Abanoub Fares and Flobater Fares (AKA Team Fares Brothers). Check it out. Features a fat old man hitting pads and answering questions about how this crazy life came about.

Our very own series where we put our guests to the test!

11/09/2023

This was moments after a tough defeat for one my athletes at the Youth Worlds in Rome in 2019.

If you're testing yourself at the right level, there will be losses amongst the wins. It's part of growing and levelling up. The important thing is how you react to those losses.

As a coach, I have learned that athletes themselves are usually in a tailspin in the moments after a loss and while I could start doing a post mortem on the fight there and then, it's neither helpful nor productive. I use this time to be proactive.

Firstly, give the athlete a hug and tell them I'm proud of them. No other information is necessary right now.

Next, I make a point of congratulating their opponent and opponent's coaches. It's thanks to the opponents that we've had the motivation to work hard for this challenge and for that, we should always be grateful.

Then I give my athlete space to decompress. In this situation, Fou Fou's brother Abanoub was there to comfort him so I know he'll be fine. I will catch up with him when emotions subside. I find about 20-30 minutes is adequate and then the rebuild can begin.

The rebuild is about firstly highlighting the things the athlete did right during the contest. At this point, they can only remember the result and the mistakes, regardless of how well they fought up to that point. I remind them of the gains we made during training camp to get here and the good shots they landed in the bout. Then I point out the critical errors that I noticed and most importantly a plan for how to fix it for next time.

No matter what the result, I want my athlete leaving the venue knowing 3 things:
1. I'm proud of them, no matter what.
2. Whatever the mistake, it's fixable
3. Today, we grew because we tested ourselves against tough opposition. A loss is only a loss, if you don't learn from it.

In all sports, wins and losses are just part of the process. A pound of metal or a statistic is not the be all and end all. Becoming the very best version of yourself over the duration of your span on Earth is the ultimate prize. Confidence, Pride, Health and Vitality are prizes too. Once you challenge yourself and work hard, you're always winning.

05/09/2023

Most of my one on one time with my fighters is pad holding. I'm too old and slow to put up any challenge in sparring but I can push a pace that applies some pressure on their technique on the pads. It also gives me a chance to gauge if they're accessing the maximum amount of power and leverage on each of their shots and gives me a birds eye view of what gaps their opponents might see in a fight.

I was never formally trained in pad holding. It's just something I learned from observing other coaches on youtube and from years of holding for hundreds of different fighters. Just like the fighters, I adjust my technique over time based on lessons I learned from previous fight preparations.

This video gives a pretty good view of the communication between fighter and coach during a round. You can see that we have some patterns that we've developed over time but we add motion, energy and timing to mimic the random nature of a fight. We do reps on certain combos but over the course of the round, we're always in motion, always keeping each other honest and always staying alert.

04/09/2023

I was watching a video from Josh Rich BJJ on youtube over the weekend on "Drilling is pointless", which featured his visit to Standard Jiu Jitsu with Greg Souders. If you haven't seen it, definitely check it out. It's a meta concept to learning skills called "The Ecological Approach".

While I haven't heard the term before, as I watched the practice session, I recognised a lot of familiar concepts that (Matt Thornton) advocates. Understanding the micro battles in every position and knowing the preferred outcomes is far more important that having dozens of variations of a submission.

From time to time, I find myself slipping into a lazy coaching mentality of teaching a single technique with a couple of variations but I soon check myself and return to deeper thinking on a more systems based approach. The "drilling is pointless" theme of the Josh Rich video has an element of truth, but it's the same truth behind Aliveness. Drilling is not the problem.... mindless repetition of choreographed moves has its place, but then it's progressive resistance and the Aliveness trilogy of [Energy, Timing, Motion] that transforms the effectiveness of that drill.

Whether you call it Aliveness or The Ecological Approach, the point is the same. Understand the overview, learn the rules of engagement and then add competition so that evolution brings forth the truly valid techniques.

Josh Rich Video: https://youtu.be/9TzG_D3S3Ws?si=ie_KjteyN9OU3Prz
Matt Thornton's Aliveness: https://youtu.be/imjmLWj5WCU?si=FRxU1fAPL_5sVPtF

24/08/2023

In my natural habitat, analysing the course of our match and carefully choosing the instructions that will most help my athlete make the next correct decision.

In the corner, what you don't say is almost as important as what you do say. If you say too much, the important information gets diluted with the unimportant. It reminds me of one of my first lessons on drums. The instructor sat me in front of a kit that cost thousands of euros. There was 5 symbols, 4 tom-toms, 2 kick pedals and a snare drum. The instructor's first lesson: "Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to hit it".

When I'm watching UFC fights, I'm always listening to how the corners advise. There's nothing worse than a corner that spams useless emotional cheerleading. The very best are like veteran jazz drummers. Hit the right surface at just the right time - nothing more, nothing less.

As always, Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy and sweep the leg.

📷 Lenohe Photos (Sharon Coyne)

23/08/2023

One of the biggest improvements I've made to my coaching game in recent years is my communication.

Clear, concise instruction, no bu****it and blunt honesty at all times.

Whether I'm coaching a technique, cornering an athlete, discussing training methodologies or strategising a career path, this is the eye contact that shows I'm giving 100% of my commitment to that exchange of communication.

One conversation at a time, we all grow together.

22/08/2023

Some weekends, we're in Abu Dhabi or Miami. Others, we're in Blanchardstown. The glamour of this business is unmatched by any other 😂

Very proud of this gang putting it all on the line at the National MMA Leagues. All solid performances and showing great progress in every range.

01/08/2023

There is so much talent in this one photograph. It represents some of the very best and brightest MMA athletes that Ireland will produce over the next decade.

Get behind your athletes Ireland. They've worked their asses off to be here and deserve all the support you can muster.