THE RISE OF COMBAT SPORTS IN NIGERIA

The rise in popularity of Combat sports in Nigeria has not gone unnoticed. Long before now, combat sports were limited to Olympic amateur boxers, with very limited promotion and no professional platform. But all of that is changing as more Nigerians are embracing the sports as both participants and spectators.

What are combat sports?

Combat sport is a competitive contact sport where two combatants fight each other using certain rules of contact, with the aim of stimulating parts of real hand-to-hand combat. Some examples of combat sports include boxing, mixed martial art, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Karate and so much more.

Combat sports in Nigeria can be tracked all the way back to 1940 when the DAMBE BOXING  was first discovered in kano. Since then a few Nigerians have gone on to win impressive features outside of the country one such is BASH ALI who won the cruiserweight title in 1967 in an impressive performance that is remembered today.

Fast forward to the 2020s when mixed martial art is settling into a comfortable position in the industry and enjoying some much-needed popularity and attention, Nigerians like ISRAEL ADESANYA currently the UFC middleweight champion and KAMARU USMAN who sadly lost his bout last month, have put some major spotlight on the combat sports industry that Nigerian have decided to be fully active in the industry. The guys at TMA MMA Club can testify, they created a platform to welcome all levels of fighters even your grandma can sign up.

Living in Nigeria back in the day, the only sports your parents wanted to engage in was football and nothing else, but all of that is changing as not just kids want to get involved but parents too.

More Combat sports promoters have also come to improve the outlook of the sports, one of those is the guys at BODYROX FITNESS who run a combat sports gym, fighter management and fight promotion.

With a good number of successful fight events under their belt, they are championing how the combat sports industry will be perceived.

MENCITY BOXING EVENT

Another group are the guys from MENCITY BOXING a promotion company that had their first fight event over the weekend in Abuja (CAPITAL CITY RUMBLE), and it redefined how the spectators in the industry can expect to see future fight events.

Red carpet event for the GORILLA CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT

The future of the industry looks healthy considering where we are coming from, however, more involvement from big sponsors will go a long way in improving the quality of events and fighters coming out of Nigeria.

Just like BASH ALI, SAMUEL PETERS, ISRAEL ADESANYA and KAMARU USMAN and many more who had the opportunity to go beyond the shores of Nigeria to achieve all they have achieved and will achieve, big sponsors and industry supporters can also do their own bit to make sure we can export some of the talents we have here in Nigeria.

UNVEILING OF THE LONG-AWAITED FITLIFE 2022

What is the FitLife event at Bodyline Gym all about

Fitlife is a yearly event hosted by bodyline fitness, arguably one of the best gyms in Nigeria with multiple branches in Lagos and Abuja Nigeria.

The Host Fitlife in partnership with Bodyline was hosted for the first time in 2017 to bring together fitness lovers and enthusiasts from around the country to compete and showcase the new skills that have acquired throughout the whole year of training and also win cash prizes while at it.

 Fitlife is a non-profit organization that hosts the event FitLife in collaboration with BodyLine gym once a year for the purpose of encouraging and supporting the up-and-coming fitness community.

Bodyline fitness has successfully held 3 events since the inception of fitlife, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 The impact of the pandemic was felt tremendously in the fitness industry in Nigeria putting the event on hold for 2 years, until now, when we have fully lived with Covid-19.

Thankfully the wait was not in vain because this year FitLife is back bigger and better with the promise to be the most memorable one yet, as Bodyline has partnered with Noreenberger to host this year’s event.

For This year’s Fitlife,  Bodyline has partnered with Norrenberger 

They have themed this year’s event FITNESS, FAMILY, FUN

Who is Norrenberger?

Norrenberger is a leading independent financial service group that provides bespoke financial solutions that add value to our individual and institutional clients.

Our component companies are licensed and regulated by the security exchange commission (SEC) to provide investment banking and asset management and security trading to our discerning clientele.

The unveiling of the event was nothing like we have seen, very colourful and full of fitness industry big names and a lot of press coverage.

A question and answer session was held where the CEO of bodyline and Norrenberger and the organizers of fitlife answered a few questions from the press and stakeholders.

Norrenberger signed a 5-year partnership deal with Bodyline and this year they are giving away prices in excess of sixty Million Naira (60,000,000) However these will be split among the top 3 winners for each of the names categories below.

Unlike the previous events where the highlight was Abuja’s Fittest male and female category, this year the Fitlife organizers have added a Strength category to the list of events.

• Marathon – 1st, 2nd & 3rd

• Abuja’s Fittest Male (Culminated Points)  -1st, 2nd & 3rd

• Abuja’s Fittest Female(Culminated Points)  -1st, 2nd & 3rd

• Abuja‘s Strongest Male (Culminated Points)  -1st, 2nd & 3rd

• Abuja‘s Strongest Female (Culminated Points)  -1st, 2nd & 3rd

To register for the 2022 fitlife event click the link www.abujafitlife/register

TRIBE SPORTS STORE is excited to be a part of this event.

Article Written by: @fitkaytoday, @mr_intensity365

TRIBE SPORT STORE

Email: tribesportsstore@gmail.com

Mobile: +234 909 2197 476

Is the motivation to exercise something you can learn?

Exercise and being active are harder as we get older, but they shouldn’t be, right? All I can say is, that it got harder when there was no structure after Uni and when it did get easier I had cut out all the fun parts of my life and just dedicated myself to working out, hours and hours a week. But that motivation and dedication are almost non-existent.

After watching Emily Balcetis on Ted Talks sharing her study on motivation and ‘why some people find exercise harder than others, it made me think, that I can actually train my brain and myself to be more motivated. Here is what I learned.

Avoid distractions – Internal / External

Is your motivation for health and wellness rooted in people or the influence of others

For as long as I can remember, training has always been my escape, and with how crazy life can get, escape is always very important for my sanity. Some people only develop the same drive from training with other people or attending group classes.

From my years of training distractions, a lack of drive begins to set in when I start getting bored from the activities I regularly engage in. switch up your training style and training activities every now and again, I have found that it brings back the excitement in training.

I remember switching from bodybuilding to CrossFit training during the covid lockdown it was an absolute experience, and the results were even more exciting.

What your mind believes your body achieves

In the study, Balcetsi revealed in her results that participants responded to physical activity better when they believed they were getting a nutritional drink that aided their health versus those who did not. Time and time again science and athletes have proven that your mind has the ability to alter your body’s ability to achieve a task in turn the result. So why not be conscious of it?

Why not …

• Tell yourself what you need to achieve a goal; positive affirmations.

• Keep a visual reminder of your goal.

• Eat and drink food you know will support your goal.

What your mind believes is what makes it possible to achieve your goals.

Manageable and Realistic goals

 Setting realistic goals is key to keeping motivated and in turn, makes your goal manageable. We all know the feeling when you train with a ‘fit’ friend or trainer who makes you do a wild workout that affirms your belief of being out of shape; what a bummer. Or better yet you try a short-lived workout that you expect to lose 15 kg in a month, not realistic or healthy.  Keep a track of your progress either visually, distances covered if running, progress in strength or endurance, improved recovery, reduced injury and ability to do a certain routine.

Stay Focused- Eye on the Prize

One of the lasting impressions I got from the talk was the importance of  Keeping your eyes on the prize and your focus. Balcetis used this practical way of explaining our focus with this. Place your arm thumb in front of your face about a foot away and focus on it, notice how everything else is blurry, unimportant and in that moment, not your intention. We need to use this very concept when thinking about goals. Even our environment and what we are surrounded by can distract us from the focus of ‘the thumb’. So my advice, be selective about the environment you want to use to achieve your goal. This can be the people, the facilities, the smells, the music you listen to and the energy.

Article Written by: @fitkaytoday, @mr_intensity365

TRIBE SPORT STORE

Email: tribesportsstore@gmail.com

Mobile: +234 909 2197 476