Steve started off in Hong Kong with a seminar for Joseph Lee’s Krav Maga group, a seminar for Andy Chan’s self-defence group, and private training for a few fighters.
Then Steve went on to Bangkok to meet up with Q23 Academy black belt BJJ professor and Legend FC/One FC fighter Adam Kayoom. Adam and Steve go back many years before he was involved in MMA. The two traveled to the world-famous Tiger MMA in Phuket for a blowout seminar attended by UFC vets JJ Ambrose and Junie Browning.
When he returned to Hong Kong, he staged another seminar at Triquest for the MMA team, private training session to Impakt MMA gym owner and champion Alain Ngalani, with a final big bang seminar at Impakt with a variety of students from Muay Thai, to white collar boxing and MMA amateur fighters from Vuyisile Colossa's City Fight Club.
On the most memorable fight he cornered:
"Murilo Bustamante in Pride Bushido versus Quinton Jackson. Ricardo Arona was pulled from the fight 2 days before in Japan so Murilo stepped up and took the fight without training at all for it. At this time Quinton was destroying EVERYONE! I told him be patient and use his distance and Jab! He did and it was very effective. Murilo lisstens to everything you tell him. Murilo lost a split decision in which many people feel it was a very unfair decision. I felt Murilo won also!"
About the importance of the jab:
"What's the best punch? A jab. What's better than a jab? A double jab. What's better than a double jab? A triple jab! OK, the jab is what sets everything up in striking. That's how you get into punching distance. It's like a measuring stick. If you see the first fight with Belfort and Couture, Randy beats Belfort with a jab, and he was a wrestler doing it. Anderson Silva, he is knocking people out with it."
On other important boxing points:
"The most important thing is balance, lightness in your feet, knees bent. Then position. Get off your heels and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! The most important way to get speed is relaxation and a certain amount of lightness on your feet. And release the punch. Don't pull the hip when you pivot. Less is more, people try too hard and move both their hips at the same time and twist way too much, they don't need to. Keep the front hip in front. For MMA, sure you have to worry about leg kicks and you look at the boxing position as wrong for that. But the position is meant to get in and out, they can't reach you if you're out. When you get inside, then you can square up."
On the state of professional boxing:
Then Steve went on to Bangkok to meet up with Q23 Academy black belt BJJ professor and Legend FC/One FC fighter Adam Kayoom. Adam and Steve go back many years before he was involved in MMA. The two traveled to the world-famous Tiger MMA in Phuket for a blowout seminar attended by UFC vets JJ Ambrose and Junie Browning.When he returned to Hong Kong, he staged another seminar at Triquest for the MMA team, private training session to Impakt MMA gym owner and champion Alain Ngalani, with a final big bang seminar at Impakt with a variety of students from Muay Thai, to white collar boxing and MMA amateur fighters from Vuyisile Colossa's City Fight Club.
I was very lucky to accompany Steve and attend three of his seminars, plus watch his private training. I learned a lot about boxing, and from his personal experiences, a lot about the world of MMA as well. Steve has been involved with the sport since its very earliest inception in the US when he was hired by Carlson Gracie. He has very rich memories about each and every one of the fighters he has trained. Throughout the course of his stay, Steve shared many of those experiences with me.
On becoming the striking coach for Team Carlson Gracie:
"I was first introduced to Carlson Gracie by Donnie Bender in 1995, he asked me to come over to his home. Back then, Vitor Belfort was living with Carlson. He asked me to teach Vitor something so he could see my teaching abilities. I started showing Vitor how to stand and then step and punch and he stopped me and said, "That's all I need to see. You are my guy." He then said he wanted me to teach all his guys boxing. So the first one was Belfort, then the others came over. When all the other guys came over eventually, they were shocked on how good Vitor was because they'd seen him before and he did not know how to box. I trained Vitor over one year almost every day. But right before his first appearance in the UFC, he left me to try and make a better management decision. There he stopped Tre Tilligman and Scott Feroso with punches and became the phenom!"
"Murilo Bustamante in Pride Bushido versus Quinton Jackson. Ricardo Arona was pulled from the fight 2 days before in Japan so Murilo stepped up and took the fight without training at all for it. At this time Quinton was destroying EVERYONE! I told him be patient and use his distance and Jab! He did and it was very effective. Murilo lisstens to everything you tell him. Murilo lost a split decision in which many people feel it was a very unfair decision. I felt Murilo won also!"
About the importance of the jab:
"What's the best punch? A jab. What's better than a jab? A double jab. What's better than a double jab? A triple jab! OK, the jab is what sets everything up in striking. That's how you get into punching distance. It's like a measuring stick. If you see the first fight with Belfort and Couture, Randy beats Belfort with a jab, and he was a wrestler doing it. Anderson Silva, he is knocking people out with it."
On other important boxing points:
"The most important thing is balance, lightness in your feet, knees bent. Then position. Get off your heels and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! The most important way to get speed is relaxation and a certain amount of lightness on your feet. And release the punch. Don't pull the hip when you pivot. Less is more, people try too hard and move both their hips at the same time and twist way too much, they don't need to. Keep the front hip in front. For MMA, sure you have to worry about leg kicks and you look at the boxing position as wrong for that. But the position is meant to get in and out, they can't reach you if you're out. When you get inside, then you can square up."
On the state of professional boxing:
"Boxing is like a great building, strong at one time but now needs restoration! It needs to be broken down and built back up the right way, there are too many organazations running the shows corrupt with only a few making loads of money! I can talk for hours on this."
The best thing he ever learned:
"Never underestimate your opponent!!! I was taught this was by a mediocre sparring partner who i thought i was much better than and I got my bell rang good!!!!
Advice for aspiring fighters:
"I hope they are fighting because they love it!!!! Because only less than one percent make enough money to support themselves financially. It takes long hard weeks to prepare for fights and you make NO money training!"
What Steve thought about his students in Hong Kong:
"Awesome! Willing to learn and no egos! And that's the key, being obedient!"
And at Tiger MMA in Phuket:
"Amazing place! I can't believe they get so many students up in the sticks like that! Regarding the will to learn, it's usually same thing, guys think they know striking until I break it down and then they realize there is so much more to it if they want to do it the right way. The Tiger guys were very respectful and responsive."
