Issue 116

July 2014

Blackzilians head striking coach Henri Hooft reveals how he made the transition from world champion kickboxer to one of MMA’s most acclaimed trainers.

Reclining in a leather black chair while sipping a bottle of water, Henri Hooft grins as he reminisces about the old days. Although most know him for his work as head striking coach with the Blackzilians team in Florida, Hooft originally made his name as a kickboxer. And while he was always a fierce striker in the ring, it was his lack of striking ability on a soccer field that first led him into combat sports.

“Like everyone else who comes from Holland I played soccer first when I was very young,” he explains to FO in an exclusive interview. “Unfortunately I wasn’t really good, although I could play well enough. I actually moved from soccer to kickboxing because my coach told me I needed to get a bit stronger. Three months later, I had my first fight.”

While it may surprise some to learn Hooft began his fight career after training for just three months, it certainly didn’t come as a shock to him or his family – because fighting was in his blood.

“I don’t know why I jumped into it so quickly, it might be because it’s in my genes,” he explains. “My father boxed and my brother was a kickboxer. Also, I was fighting in a small gym so it was easy to get fights. That was in 1985, when we fought in rings in small venues, in halls. There were no mats on the floor or anything like that; they were very old style fights.

“Three years later, I moved with my coach to Amsterdam because there wasn’t enough competition for me to improve, and that’s where I really became a professional.”

Training with the likes of Rob Kaman and Remy Bonjasky at the Mejiro Gym, Hooft came into his own, eventually becoming a world champion. Gradually, though, his focus started moving towards coaching.

“I was in the corner of Rob Kaman,” he recalls, “so I began learning how to be a cornerman for fighters and therefore something of a coach from a young age. I went a little bit away from my own career because I was spending a lot of time working with other people. 

“Remy Bonjasky actually spoke about me in his book. He said I was the one who brought him up, took him to the gym and put a lot of time in with him. From Remy I went to Peter Aerts, so I already understood the coaching aspect of things.”

For some fighters it might be difficult to make the transition to coaching, especially after spending years in the limelight. For Hooft, however, the move over to being a coach was seamless – and he believes he knows why.

“I think I’m a good coach because I know what I missed,” he explains. “I see a lot of trainers who make themselves important, but I don’t. I was a fighter myself, I won and I lost. I knocked people out and got knocked out so I know what I’m talking about. But some trainers didn’t accomplish much in the ring and still want to be in the spotlight all the time.

“If you want to be a good trainer then you can’t be in the spotlight all the time. You need to be an extra pair of eyes for your fighter, you need to make sure their preparation is complete because you can help them out before the fight but you cannot fight the fight for them.”

Eventually his coaching prowess would see him teaming up with number-two ranked light heavyweight Muay Thai fighter Tyrone Spong, which in turn led him to the world of mixed martial arts.

“I came to the Blackzilians with Tyrone Spong when he came to help Rashad Evans with one of his fights. Tyrone called me out of the blue and asked me to move over to Florida because he thought he might stay. 

“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do because I had to think of my wife and daughter. He convinced me to come over for a couple of weeks and try it out, and it was great. The team is really good and we have a great manager in Glenn Robinson.”

Hooft’s positive influence on the Boca Raton based team is clear for all to see, but perhaps it’s most noticeable with Vitor Belfort, whose opponents these days don’t just have ‘The Phenom’s knockout punches to worry about, they also have to contend with his greatly improved kicking ability.

“When I saw Vitor for the first time in training I saw him doing some kicks and wondered why he never used them,” explains Hooft. “He was scared to use his kicks because trainers would tell him he would be taken down.

“If a fighter is making you concentrate on their hands then how are they going to defend a kick? You can’t do it, it’s not possible. He has the fastest hands in MMA but doesn’t throw a kick? That didn’t make sense. You saw the difference when he started throwing kicks afterwards. Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping both got knocked out clean.”

And now he’s well on the way to making his name known among MMA aficionados, Hooft’s next challenge is closer to home: to try and make his first love, kickboxing, more of a mainstream sport.

“I think the future is very bright. It must be because it’s a very exciting sport,” he says passionately. “All the MMA guys in our team love it. It’s got constant action. Glory is doing very well, especially since it has very good production behind it. I definitely think it has a future. 

“I think the big thing is that there are no American champions. Americans like to see their guys do well and what we’re going to try and do with our team is maybe make a side team for kickboxers who fight in Glory or another organization.”