From a diary of a Czech MMA fighter living in Thailand. June 2023.
What’s happening? My Spring 2023:
The difficulty of finding a female MMA match
Every month, I set my main goal and sub-goals for the month. For June, it was to find another MMA fight. I had a list of around seven events in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bali, and Vietnam, but they all fell through. 7 events and zero opponents! This is the reality of being a female fighter looking for an amateur MMA fight. Sometimes it can be really frustrating because it feels like you are doing your best, fighting for your dreams, but the world just doesn’t align in the right direction. I had a plan B, which is to take one or two professional Muay Thai fights. I am currently focusing on that, with my third professional fight coming up next week. I am mostly having a striking training plan for the majority of the days, but I still do some grappling and MMA sparring classes.
Throwing in some ADCC grappling matches
At the end of May, there was also the ADCC, a grappling competition. With no fights on the horizon, I decided to join this one, literally maybe two hours before the deadline ha ha. I flew to Bangkok for the Southeast Asia ADCC championship and I had actually great fun. First, no one was punching me in the head, and that was refreshing! Second, I decided not to cut weight for this competition. I had to go to the -70 kg weight class.
I remember during the first match I realized that I am actually having great fun. That was also my main goal of this event: To have fun and not put too much pressure on myself. Because recently I’ve become really good at putting pressure on myself. I ended up having three matches. Two of them went into overtime. All three were tough wrestling matches for me which is exactly what I needed. It was fun! I definitely would love to do more of these. Maybe next time I will actually go to my weight class, on second thought. The funny thing is that only a few weeks ago I competed in 57 kg in MMA and now -70 kg in BJJ.
Working on my neck and hips
I have also started a new strength and conditioning program, and I have been working on my neck strength and hip rotation for the past few weeks. I am really happy that I committed to this small adjustment of my routine and I can feel the differences already. I also started with some agility training. I uploaded an agility video on my Instagram and it went very popular to my surprise! Hopping is also a part of my regular training now :)
Splash of colors on my shorts!
I became a brand ambassador of AMRAPrx this week. I am meeting with the gorgeous couple who runs it to get some new designs this weekend. I’m really looking forward because they are so much fun.
I am happy that we started this cooperation because our values really align. This is also the first company I became a brand ambassador for! I get lots of offers, mostly fakes and some weird ones to be honest, but at least few per week. Now, AMRAPrx emphasizes performance and hard work, but also fun and positive energy and this is exactly the message that I try to tell through my social media: positive mindset, power of mind, mental health. And lots of joy!
You can use my code “VERCA” to get 50% off the shorts and bras!
Podcast!
I was invited as a guest to the Personal Evolution Podcast. We talked about life and training in Hong Kong and Thailand, fighting, mental preparation, and lots of other things around and I really enjoyed it. We recorded two podcasts, one in English and one in Czech. The English one is already out and you can watch it here.
Another project reached out to me, so I am quite flattered and looking forward! I will also let you know about this on my social media, but I guess I should keep it secret for now…
The drama of taking a break
I have three weeks to go before I fly back home for the Summer and I’m really looking forward. I feel like my mind and my body needs some break. On the other hand, I kind of feel sad and frustrated that I have to pause my training, but I know very well that improvement happens when you rest. My stubborn heart wants to keep going forever without any breaks. It is always hard for me to take a break from training and not to feel guilty, lazy or like that I’m wasting an opportunity. Luckily I planned quite active Summer. I’m going to Scotland for my first holiday in five years! I will also see my family and stay with my parents and see my old friends. I’m looking forward to the mountains, the city, and the forest, a cold beer on a summer night, somewhere in the garden outside. Guitar playing at the fire, and some long chats in a teahouse. I plan to train as well when I am at home, but it will be less intense than when I am here in Thailand.
Shall I keep this?
If this type of format, Fighter’s Diary, is interesting to you, please let me know as I am experimenting with this! Comment or send me a message. I would appreciate it!
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