Ben Schneider is a south wales based Professional MMA fighter, fighting out of Arcadia Fighter Manager (Find them on Facebook or Twitter) & Xandao Kickboxing Academy/MMA (Also on Facebook and Twitter). He fights in London, UK, in the longest running and most established show in Europe, UCMMA (Cage Rage).
We spoke to Ben to find out a little bit about his favourite gear and training advice.
Hi Ben, to start off with, what’s your favourite piece of fight gear?
My favourite piece of fight gear are my Be Smart shin & instep guards.
What sort of training do you use them for most?
I essentially use them for k-1 training.
How long have you been using them?
I’ve had these particular ones for about 7 months now. I’ve used other brands but these are the first ones I have bought from this brand.
What was the reason behind you getting those particular ones in the first place?
Because of the style and added strapping to them, I presumed the functionality of them would be better. I’ve bought other items from this brand before and had no problems, so I thought I would try them, I was not disappointed.
What would you say are the stand-out features of them and what makes them better than other brands?
They have an additional elasticated strap at the top which stops the padding stretching and twisting around the calf when I’m using them. The design is simple, but highly functional and the graphic is plain. The padding has moulded and shaped itself to my leg during prolonged use but hasn’t lost any shape. Finally, the elastic sleeve has kept its shape and is not loose even after constant use.
With your fight gear, do you tend to stick to a few select brands, or do you like to mix it up with a nice variety?
I always like to try new items, but when I find an item I’m happy with I will stick to it. That being said, I do have a mix of brands in my kit bag. Having equipment I am comfortable with is priority, no matter what make.
Is there any other gear you just love to use when training?
My RDX 10 ounce gloves get used most often and My mouthguard by XS guard which is custom made to protect my mouth.
Like most fighters I would be nowhere without my gloves. On average I use them 2 to 3 times a day 4 to 6 days a week and with hard use and a lot of sweat they still have not lost any structural integrity.
I choose my equipment on functionality and the fact that the RDX gloves had breathable palms and were filled with foam and gel. After two weeks they moulded to my hands all adds up to much better protection in and out of competition. I have two pairs of the same RDX gloves 16oz for training and 10oz for competition also I’m a simple man with simple likes and the gloves have a straightforward simple logo on them which I like.
I would highly recommend them to any fighters or anyone looking to get some gloves.
How much of your training is dedicated to martial arts/technique training and how much is dedicated to other aspects such as cardio, strength and conditioning?
It’s about a 60/40 % split. A typical weeks training usually consists of Boxing, MMA, K-1 & Kickboxing. Usually in the evenings with some private lessons dotted through the week. I usually start my week off with a 12 mile Monday morning run and the rest of the week I’ll do a 5 mile early morning run every day followed by some resistance training.
What are your thoughts on sparring – Should you go in hard and heavy, or keep it light and technical?
In my opinion, the only way to improve, try new things and learn from sparring you need to be relaxed and have trust in your sparring partners that no one is going to try and knock you out so that you have opportunity to try new techniques. When you fight, you fight but when you train, you train. To blur the lines of having wars in training could lead to many fighters heading into competition carrying concussions which could end up in the weakest of shots rendering you unconscious. In my opinion, no one should ever want to learn how to take a shot. They should want to learn how to not be there when the shot is thrown.
What pushes you to do your best during training?
There’s a lot of external things I do to help compliment my training (supplements, nootropics, etc) but overall the best thing that motivates me in training is the fact that the guy I step into the cage with wants to knock me out.
And finally what’s your best training tip for aspiring fighters out there?
Train hard but be smart. Listen to your body. If you need a recovery day take one.
Pick your gym/training partners carefully. Don’t let the bullshit baffle your brain.
And finally, nothing can substitute time served and hard work. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on your kit, or how many videos you watch on training, everything comes with time, experience and dedication.
Thanks for your time, Ben!
If you liked this, you can find Ben on Twitter as @SCHNEIDER_CGS
or visit his facebook page.