“Don’t stop working on your craft”
That was the message the kickboxing legend Peter Aerts left to the participants in the January KWU International Professional League camp.
The event took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the past three days with more than 120 of the finest Bulgarian fighters and coaches taking part in it.
The event was organized on the initiative of Shihan Ivo Kamenov – the Chairman of KWU International Professional League and chairman of the National Association of Combat Sports in Bulgaria.
The Dutch legend pushed the fighters to the end. One of Bulgaria’s finest kickboxers and karatekas were on their feet since early morning. The last training session was all about the importance of low-kicks.
“The Dutch Lumberjack” even talked about the fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, giving us an example of the low-kicks that the American fighter managed to land on McGregor’s front foot.
“If you want to chop down the tree, do it from the base”, Aerts said. Then he demonstrated some of his best combinations which all ended with a low-kick.
The legend was constantly urging the fighters to rather work on their technique and the proper positioning of the body than to focus on the quantity of the strikes they land.
“When you do sparring, throw real strikes, as you’d do in a real fight. When you are inside the ring, you should never stop working and thinking about your next move”, Aerts added.
Photos: Dimitar Kyosemarliev © 2021