Issue 019

November 2006

Charlie Joseph is the manager and one of the head trainers of the Trojan Free Fighters gym. Home to international MMA and K-1 fighters such as James Thompson, Ronnie Mann, Zelg Galesic, Pele Reid and many more, Trojan Free Fighters has a reputation of being one of the most hard working and progressive teams in the country. With coaching staff comprised of professional trainers in every discipline, Charlie explains a little of his coaching philosophy in this interview with Jim Page. 

What first sparked your interest in martial arts?

When I was younger I had to stay in a place called Sevenoaks with my uncle.  At the time the Skinhead movement was extremely popular. Unfortunately one of the more unpleasant aspects of the culture was its neo-nazi association. Being about the only black kid in the area I was the subject of much racial abuse, much of which took a physical form. The local boxing coach had a wife who was German and she had been subjected to some pretty tough treatment when she had arrived. Her stories of mistreatment had upset the coach so much that he resolved, where he could, to help others in a similar position. He had heard about my particular problems and correctly reasoned that boxing would help me out in some of these confrontations. His son took me to meet his dad, who started training me that very evening, and so began my career in combat sports.

What inspired you to become a coach?

I have always loved fighting, having fought at a reasonable level in various combat forms. Unfortunately I was shot in the face whilst serving in the French Foreign Legion and this brought my fight career to an abrupt end. I suppose I always had a latent desire to fight again but because I couldn't the next best thing was to teach others. There have also been many people along the way that have inspired me to varying degrees. Master Sken, Kirkwood Walker and Tony Myers to name a few.  Today my main impetus is the fighters themselves. The new generation of Trojan fighters are some of the nicest guys I have ever met and I always feel that I must do my best for them. Consequently my main inspiration tends to come from others, who recognise my potential and encourage me to develop my skills and efforts as a trainer.

What do you consider to be the most essential character trait - or ability - for a professional fighter to have?

They have to be prepared to make many sacrifices, but no bigger sacrifice than time.  To be a good professional fighter you need to put in the hours full stop. I suppose this can be summarised as being disciplined and devoted to your chosen aim. Natural ability/genetics. Some people will never be able to be good fighters, average fighters yes, but not good fighters. There is a certain amount of genetic selectivity that dictates what sort of fighter you will be. 

Who you train with, your trainer and training partners. The more knowledge and experience your trainer has the more he will get out of your potential. Good training partners, good sparring and a supportive training environment will help you reach your full potential. The importance of a good fight team is, in my mind, one of the most important factors. I realise this is not a trait or ability but it is important none the less, as your choice will often dictate what type of fighter you will become.

What makes you decide when an up-and-coming fighter is ready to compete?

At Trojan it is normally a process of thorough deliberation amongst the training team. Italo (BJJ black belt), Sayeed (wrestling coach), Tony Myers (Muay Thai) and Paul Sutherland (MMA trainer/manager) will all have an input. They will have observed the fighters training/progress and will all have a good idea whether someone is ready to fight.

It is very rare that we don't concur if an individuals ready to fight or not. I tend to have the concluding judgment, chiefly because I am the main co-coordinator and trainer of the daytime squad. (The main fight team)

Do you monitor your fighter's diets - or leave it to them?

The fighters have access to various avenues for nutritional advice.  For supplementation they can approach the experts at USN (our sponsors).  For nutritional advice they can talk to Tony Myers, who is a doctor in Sports Science.  Myself and few of the senior fighters have degrees in associated sports science subjects and can provide advice to those who require it.

Do you train your fighters differently for specific opponents?

Yes, if someone's strong in a particular area then we will work towards neutralizing that strength. That said, our training regime is pretty inclusive of all the skills associated in MMA.  Because the quality of trainers for each area is so high, we are confident that the structure we have in place will provide the fighters with the best training for any given match.

How do you ensure that a fighter doesn't leave their best work in the gym?

Most of the training team have competed at high level in one sport or the other. So we all have an appreciation of the needs of a fighter. I think because we are able to empathise and relate to a fighters needs we can offer advice that helps bring out the best in them under any circumstances. Though more importantly we have good communication between all parties, which allows us to instruct and motivate a fighter to their best potential.

As a fighter, how important is it to have a good corner?

It is imperative a fighter has a good corner team who know what to look for. Corner teams are a fighter's second pair of eyes, and a good corner team can be the difference between winning and losing. Often in the mix a fighter won't notice flaws in an opponent's game or indeed in their own game. A good corner team will pick up on these things and will advise the fighter correctly during the break. They will also help prepare you mentally for the fight, which is probably the most essential function of a corner team. If you have an inexperienced and poor corner team it will inevitably affect your performance. 

Do you regularly have fighters from other gyms train with you?

Yes we do, we have guys from Elite in London come up and train. I would say they are our favourite UK crew to work with. I also have a good relationship with Ricardo Liborio: consequently we sometimes have American Top Team guys visit for training. We also work closely with Mikes Gym in Holland and do reciprocal visits. There are individuals who come to train, but I couldn't list their respective camps. We see the knowledge as belonging to everybody and are happy to share what knowledge we have with whoever wants it.

How do you cope with the anti-social hours of being a trainer?

It is very hard sometimes, as there is a lot of stuff to do in the background.  I train the fighters or take them to other training locations in the daytime. I teach the evening classes and in between things I am responding to emails and other admin stuff on behalf of the team. My main release however is to spend time with my youngest child Pamela, who is my little sidekick.  Every day with her is a joyous day and I try where I can to do something interesting with her.

What interests do you have away from the fight game?

I am very aware that every day should be treated like a special day and so I try where I can to use some of the interesting skills I learnt in the military. So sometimes I go diving with a friend of mine who has his own dive school in Wales, and other times I go parachuting.  My main passion, as previously stated, is doing things with my youngest child Pam. She is great fun to be with and I enjoy her company very much.

What's your proudest moment as a trainer?

A rival MMA camp had one of their supposed up and coming fighters matched against one of our fighters Matt Sellers. There was talk on the local grapevine that this fighter would demolish Matt and some of what was being said was just plain silly. The fighter in question had trained with us when we only taught Muay Thai and had disappointingly become a bit of a dick after the change of camps; so even before the fight there was a bit of hostility. In contrast to this other character, Matty is one of the politest and most unassuming people you could ever meet. So for me it was a genuine match between two people from opposite ends of the scale, one a nice guy and the other a knob. When they did eventually meet Matt dominated the fight with superior skill and went on to submit him with little trouble at all. Seeing the haughty and overrated individual beaten effortlessly was very satisfying indeed and is probably my proudest moment as a trainer.

MMA is constantly evolving - what changes in the game have you noticed recently?

I suppose the biggest change I have noticed is that fighters are becoming better rounded. Not too long ago the fighters were either strikers fighting in MMA or ground fighters fighting in MMA. We are now witnessing the fruits of fusion training, with many of today's fighters becoming mixed martial artists in the true sense of the word. At Trojan we constantly monitor the international MMA scene and update our training methods to keep abreast of new developments. We have recently introduced a world class wrestling coach to the team to strengthen aspects of our ground game. And we are also looking at bringing over a Russian Combat Sambo coach for six months to see what he can bring to the mix. In summary if there has been any discernible change it has been the rise of the complete mixed martial artist.

If someone wants to join the Trojan pro team how would they go about it?

In the first instance it is probably better to give us a call and come and have a look at what we do. If the way we do things is what you want then we can progress things from there.  My contact details are as follows: email - [email protected]  phone – 0870 043 45 48.