Matt Furey

I’ve been involved with the martial arts and personal training for quite a few years now and over that time I thought I had been there and done that as far as new training and conditioning goes. I’ve always believed that the body and mind have to be in condition in order to realise one’s will. I started with weight training fifteen years ago and as time has gone by I feel that I have come full circle. I started with just press-ups and after all this time my workouts became mostly press-ups and squats. As time has passed I have trained more for function within my martial arts. My interest in finding the best and most efficient ways to train means I read everything I can get my hands on concerning this subject. Therefore when I first read Matt Furey’s articles on training I was so pleased to find a fresh approach to the training and ideas on body conditioning that I thought would be more for the martial arts. Matt is a no nonsense type of guy, but with great heart and you can feel this form his passion for this art. I hope this interview will give you something to think about as well as to try out. Have fun.

In 1981 Furey was the state runner-up in the Class 3A Iowa High School State Wrestling championship at 167ilbs. He attended the university of Iowa from 1981-1984, where he wrestled Dan Gable for Olympic Gold. In the fall of 1984 in order to rebuild a dormant wrestling programme, Furey transferred to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and in 1985 he won the NCAA II national title at 167lbs, defeating two-times California State Champion Howard Lawson in the finals. While at Edinboro he was coached by Mike DeAnna a two-times Olympic Gold Medallist Bruce Baumgartner.

In February 1987 Furey opened a training business for wrestlers and fitness enthusiasts. Most of the high school wrestlers he trained went on to wrestle in college. Furey began studying various martial arts in 1990 and immediately saw the physical, mental and philosophical links these arts had with wrestling. This led to the publication of his breakthrough books and videos entitled The Martial Art of Wrestling. In 1996 Furey began competing in a style of grappling, Shuai-Chiao, the oldest style of Kung Fu. Furey’s teacher, Dr Daniel Weng, a national champion from Taiwan and a ninth degree black belt, guided Furey to three national titles in the art. Then during Christmas 1997, Dr Weng took two US Teams to Beijing, China, to compete in a World Kung Fu Shuai-Chiao Tournament. In Beijing Furey won the Gold medal at 90Kg (198lbs) and was the only non-chinese to win a title. In addition, Furey’s world title was historic because it marked the first time that an American had won a gold medal in any martial arts competition held in China. In between rounds of the World Championships, Furey participated in an Inner Mongolian Boke (wrestling) competition.
Furey also teaches Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling and is a student of the greatest ‘Ripper" of all time, Karl Gotch. ‘The God of Wrestling in Japan’ and teacher of fighters known the world over such as Satoro Sayama, Fuliwara, Masakatsu Funaki and Minoro Suzuki. Furey is fascinated with all grappling arts and can’t get enough of them.

Matt Furey now publishes NO BS Health and Fitness, a monthly newsletter with information and motivation on how to get functionally fit.

Alan Orr: Its great to get a chance to hear your ideas on the pages of MAI.

Matt Furey: Thanks Alan. Glad you’re giving me a voice in MAI as I have a lot of customers in your great country.

AO: How did you become involved in the martial arts and training?

MF: I started training in wrestling at the age of eight. I’m from the great wrestling state of Iowa, in the Midwest of the U.S. that’s where a lot farm kids take to the mats in the winter, as they can’t plough fields covered in snow. I took second in the stat in high school, then went on to wrestling college where I won a national title in 1985.

Following college I got involved in various styles of Kung Fu and immediately saw a link between it and wrestling. I started to figure out how to combine various aspects of the two supposedly vastly different systems. I was hooked when I started and I’m even more hooked now. I live by the philosophy ‘never stop learning’ and that I believe has helped me to continually come up with the material that people love. It’s fresh, unique and cuts straight to the bone. My love of martial arts continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I currently teach and train in Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling, but still learn from other martial styles and use anything I find useful that will help me become a better athlete and to help others to do so as well.

AO: Many people say that weighting produces what’s called ‘counterfeit muscles’. Mostly these people do not train in any physical way, which is also not ideal. I found training with my own body weight more beneficial and even harder. What’s your view on this?

MF: Once people understand that bodyweight calistnethics are actually vigorous exercises which require far more from them than a barbell or dumb-bell, they’re convinced. When I take a 400lb bench presser who couldn’t even do twenty-five Hindu Press-Ups or a 600lb squatter and he struggles with fifty Hindu Squats, and moreover, they’re sore for days after trying, then their head turns around. But they have to do it to be convinced. And after doing the routine, they find out that not only are they getting stronger, they’re also getting more flexible, gaining more endurance, increasing mental focus and concentration and for many, most importantly, eliminating aches and pains that are often created through the use of weights.

AO: Its been said that training with bodyweights trains endurance but not strength. I have found this not to be the case. What’s been your experience?

MF: I always say ‘define strength’. There is nothing wrong with using weights and I’m not against those who use them, but when I hear this kind of crap, I ask them to do some one-legged squats, some one-arm Hindu Press-Ups, a one-arm gymnastic bridge, a handstand push up with your hands propped on chairs, one-arm chins and so on. Fact of the matter is that vigorous body weight exercises promote functional strength, something you can truly use and benefit from in a much bigger way than weight training strength. You can train for endurance with Combat Conditioning, but the only people who claim you won’t get stronger are the people who absolutely refuse to give the system a try. Everyone who does try it, swears by it.

AO: I’ve tried your exercises and can say I really feel the improvement. You also work with your breath when training, how important is this to the way you train?

MF: One of the old-timers I most admire is Martin ‘Farmer’ Burns. He once said, "Deep breathing alone has made many a weak man strong and many a sick man well. So deep breathing is the key to proper exercise. Without it your training is not even half of what it could be.

AO: You have written a book on Combat Conditioning, how did it come about?

MF: Well, I had been working on a book about this type of training for a few years, I had it outlined, but never released it. I just felt I needed to be sure about the details of some of the callisthenic movements I was doing. Then I met Karl Gotch in 1999 and he filled in a few details for me. Then in February 2000 I released it and it took off like rocket. Totally surprised me. I figured I’d sell a few. My first printing was small, as I didn’t want to invest too much money in a project unless I knew it was a winner. I didn’t really see many people being interested in workouts without weights, all I wanted to do was put forward my message, the thing I was passionate about and believed in. To my amazement, the public picked up my enthusiasm, gave my system a try and today I have students all over the globe. It’s immensely gratifying and fulfilling to be a part of the success of so many.

AO: You seem to have a great attitude to life, what motivates you?

MF: That’s a god question. I guess if I boil it down to on factor, I’d say that I am motivated by a strong desire to continually create successful experiences. I love coming up with an idea and doing whatever it takes to bring it o fruition. Whether it is the creation of a book, a course, a video or the furthering of my own knowledge. I enjoy the entire process of seeing something coming to life and grow that previously was nothing but a thought hanging about in my mind. Being able to take my thoughts and crystallise them in to something tangible, I love that.

AO: You seem to have a great attitude to life, what motivates you?

MF: That’s a good question. I guess if I boil it down to one factor, I’d say that I am motivated by a strong desire to continually create successful experiences. I love coming up with an idea and doing whatever it takes to bring it to fruition. Whether it is the creation of a book, a course, a video or the furthering of my own knowledge. I enjoy the entire process of seeing something come to life and grow that previously was nothing but a thought hanging out in my mind. Being able to take my thoughts and crystallise them into something tangible, I love that.

AO: What do you think about the new interest in grappling that has been developing over the last few years?

MF: It’s fantastic. The more thoroughly martial artists develop themselves, the better. Why limit yourself to one style or one system? There is so much good out there and no one has a lock on all of it.

AO: What does it take, in your opinion to become good at martial arts?

MF: It takes desire. That’s the bottom line. You have something burning in side that seeks expression and you keep that thought in mind, day in, day out, all the time, whether things are going well for you or not. You train hard and bring a spirit of ‘I’m going to succeed’ with you. The other key thing is that you keep track o f where you are in relation to your goal. Without a system of measurement, your desire quickly wanes and there is no impetus to keep going.

AO: If you could give only one word of advice what would it be?

MF: Do

AO: Our readers may not be clear on the different types of wrestling, so when you talk about real wrestling what do you mean?

MF: Catch wrestling, the professional style, used to have real matches and phoney matches and along with this came hols that looked like the real deal, but weren’t they were for show. They may have the same names a s the real holds, they even look, to the uninitiated, like the real deal and they may even hurt if you simply lie there and let someone use as a dummy, but they don’t work in a realistic situation against a decent opponent. They collapse like pack of cards. The real holds are vice-grip tight and are not easily slipped out of. They aren’t for show. Real catch wrestling means holds that are tried and true, they’re not commercial looking, flashy junk that appears impressive but in reality are practically worthless.

AO: You trained with Karl Gotch who is classed as the greatest ‘Ripper’ of all time. Maybe you could explain to the readers what a ‘Ripper’ is?

MF: A ‘Ripper’ is a catch wrestler who would not only maim you with nasty submission holds, but beat you up in the process. He know how to use his knees, elbows, knuckles and various other parts of his body to inflict pain the entire time you’re on the mat.

AO: Where do see wrestling fitting in as a sport and as self-defence, would the training be different?

MF: Wrestling is and always has been both self-defence and a sport. We’ve seen wrestlers rise to the occasion to defend others time and again. The greatest military powers, traditionally, have always been the countries with the toughest wrestlers. The training is different, but it’s only a matter of changing focus and a change in the application of techniques from nicey-nice ‘sport’ to that of brutal, in the trenches warfare.

AO: BJJ has become very big now and I know many BJJ guys who have seen your work and been impressed. What are the main differences and parallels?

MF: Well, part of my answer depends on the fighter. You have world champions like Garth Taylor who were wrestlers first. Garth, for example, talks about how he believes BJJ is superior to wrestling, but the truth is, without his wrestling background, he wouldn’t be half as good as he is. He most certainly is not talking about the form of wrestling that I study when he speaks about wrestling. Then you have guys like Rigan Machado who uses plenty of wrestling on his feet and Mario Sperry does as well. Then you have guys like Royler Graciewho doesn’t fight at all like Renzo. So when I give differences and parallels, they are based upon what I see being taught, not based on each and every stylist.

In a nutshell, most people who study BJJ are lacking on the feet. They wear a Judo Gi but stand incorrectly. They don’t know how to use the gi to throw, at least not well, and they attempt takedowns that are poorly chosen. Other’s can’t wait to fall down, hoping to suck you into the guard. From the ground the entire game plan is built around the idea of three main positions and everything is paint by numbers approach. First I pass the guard, then I go to the side, then I get knee to the stomach, then I go to mount and so on.
Catch wrestling is very different. It’s a wide-open style of attack and defence. Being good on the feet is just as important as being good on the ground. There is no three-position theory. Everywhere you are is a position and you learn techniques from multiple angles and directions. You place few limits on what you can and can’t do. Sure you think about positions, but you can also think about three to five moves from each position and how you can change from one to the next at lightning speed.

AO: What would you like to see happen in the martial arts in the future?

MF: I would like to see more martial artists studying catch wrestling and using it effectively. We’ve already seen amateur catch wrestlers dominate, guys like Mark Coleman, Mark Kerr, Dan Severn and Tito Ortiz. They are using collegiate wrestling or amateur catch techniques. Now imagine if they were also trained in the professional style of catch.

AO: I’m always interested in how much the martial arts have affected a person’s life. What would you say are the main changes that martial arts have brought to you?

MF: It’s rounded out my skills and abilities. Before I was simply a man who could wrestle. Now I know striking, dirty fighting tricks, submission style catch wrestling and so on. The more I know and learn, the more I enjoy the base and foundation I began laying down thirty years ago.

AO: Matt, I could ask you questions all day. Thankyou very much for your time. It was great to hear your thoughts. Do you have any last words for us in the UK?

MF: Thanks Alan. My advice to those in the UK is to never forget your roots. You’re the ones who gave us boxing, catch wrestling and many other great forms of sport. These don’t have to be lost. It is great to study what other cultures have to offer, that’s how we learn and grow, but remember you guys were the best at what you did and too much has been shoved aside in favour of foreign influence. Take back your roots and make yourselves even greater than you currently are.

Alan Orr is a disciple of Robert Chu Sifu and the European representative of the Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun system.

He is also the UK representative for Guro Mark Wiley in the Filipino martial arts.

Web: www.alanorr.com

For further information Tel: 07958 908 196 or email: info@alanorr.co.uk

If you would like to know more about Matt Furey catch wrestling: check the net:

www.mattfurey.com
www.farmerburns.com

If you would like to know more about Matt Furey catch wrestling: check the net;

www.mattfurey.com
www.farmerburns.com