The Fight Network

This is my first piece in what I hope to become a series of pieces on MMA coaches and trainers.

There are stories and articles on every fighter under the sun. Stories about fighters' training, fighters' lives, fighters' favorite running shoe, etc.

I want to look a little deeper at the men and women BEHIND the fighters: the coaches and trainers.

For my first feature, I look at trainer, coach, and cornerman Sam Zakula from Xtreme Couture Toronto.

Everyone remembers the near-mythical UFC moment when Matt Hughes, deep in Carlos Newton's triangle choke, simulateously lost conciousness himself and slammed Newton into unconciousness. When the smoke cleared, Hughes was the UFC champion.

Toronto's Sam Zakula was in Newton's corner.

"I think they made the right decision", remembers Zakula. "Carlos was out, and Hughes lost conciousness only for a moment. It's a fight. If the fight continues, and one man (Carlos) is out, the other will finish it."

Toronto's Sam Zakula has been in the corner for a lot of watershed moments in his coaching career already, from the famous Hughes/Newton fight to a "Mayhem" Miller legendary Superbrawl battle in Hawaii to UFC fighter Mark Bocek's first professional fight.

In the last decade, Zakula has gotten around, too. He has trained and coached in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Guam and Los Angeles. His main trainers, in his career, have been Joao Roque (BJJ world champion and top 145lb mma fighter) and ubertrainer Marc Laimon.

In his travels as a developing coach, he was roomates with Marc Laimon, "Mayhem" Miller, Joe Stevenson, Kendall Grove, and Roy "Big Country" Nelson. (Interesting tidbit: Zakula has been roomies with 3 TUF season winners.)

These days he (along with Marc Bocek, WEC contender Wagnney Fabiano, grappling phenom Misha Circunov and top shelf black belt instructor Robb "Spider" DiCenzo) is a featured Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA coach at Xtreme Couture Toronto.

Recently, Zakula saw his proteges take 5 of the 8 spots on the Canadian team at the Fila World Grappling Championships. 2 of those (Mike Imperato and Jason Wishinski) medaled in Florida last weekend. A great accopmlishment for Xtreme Couture Toronto, a team together just over a year.

In 2010, Zakula is focusing on his young talent, and helping some of his young world class grappling competitors make the transition to professional MMA.

I caught up with Sam Zakula to get his insight on the MMA game.

1. What makes a good young athlete? Can a good coach predict who will develop high end skills? Who will be mentally strong? Who will have heart?

There are many traits that good young athletes posses. There are the obvious physical attributes, such as, speed, power, co-ordination, and conditioning. The 2 attributes I most look for in an athlete is his heart and his brain. If the athlete has the will to win, the will to train hard then he has potential. I also like to work with athletes that are coachable.

2. We have seen many athletes make the transition to mma from different backgrounds (elite athletes like pro football players, top kickboxers, street fighters, elite wrestlers, world class grapplers). Your team seems to use jiu-jitsu as a base. How does making the transition differ for grapplers, wrestlers, superathletes etc?

To me it does not matter what background an athlete comes from. The sport is so diverse now that you have to learn all the other disciplines at a very high level. You need to know how to wrestle and how to box or kickbox. Even though we are a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team, I always strongly encourage my athletes to cross train in other styles and with other coaches. I believe in continually learning and adding pieces to your game whether it be boxing, wrestling or jiu jitsu. You can learn something from everyone. It is very important to be very well rounded.

3. What do you think makes a good mma coach?

I think a good coach is someone who is still constantly trying to learn new techniques, new concepts. A good coach never stops learning. You have to be able to work differently with different people. Not everyone learns the same way. My job as a coach is to give my athletes as many shortcuts as possible for them to be able to achieve there goals.

4. What is the TOUGHEST thing about coaching young mma athletes?

I find the toughest thing about coaching young mma athletes is that many of them want to rush into the sport to soon. They have the heart and desire to fight, but there skills are not quite there yet. I always suggest waiting and developing your skills to a certain level. It is better to be overly prepared rather then under prepared and find out the hard way.

5. You've coached and cornered veterans, and you are currently developing new fighters. How is it different preparing an athlete for his 1st fight than it is for his 20th?

I have coached and cornered guys in championship fights in the UFC in Las Vegas and SuperBrawl in Hawaii. Then on the other end of the spectrum I have coached and cornered 20 year old kids making there mma debut in a night club in Montreal. The common denominator that all those athletes have is that they are nervous. It does not matter if it is there 1st or 20th fight, the nerves the goosbumps are there. Over the years, we've developed a strategy to make it as relaxed a situation as possible in a other wise very tense environment.

Best of luck to Sam Zakula and his young athletes in 2010.