A Striking Difference: The Magic Mitts of Gil Martinez

Even with eyes closed, it’s not easy to mistake the slapping sounds of glove meeting mitt and the whispering whoosh as breath is expelled on contact.

Jab, jab, jab. The one-two combo, and the fighter drifts back as he is met with the fast hands of Xtreme Couture striking coach Gil Martinez. To the casual observer, it looks like a choreographed dance. Martinez moves forward, muscles bunched as his body absorbs the kinetic energy of each blow. To those in the know, it is either a test of the mettle of the fighter, or one of the long hours of training in preparation for the cage or the ring.

The soft tenor and shyness in his voice belies the fact that he is a fierce coach who gives it his all each and every time he steps into the cage with someone trying to achieve their dreams of fighting success, whether that dream is as a boxer or a mixed martial artist.

So what is it that makes him special? What is it that defines Martinez as a “Master Mitter?” One word sums it up pretty effectively. Passion. Martinez has passion for the sport and his role in it. In Martinez’ own words, “I really feel blessed to be able to do what I do and make a living at it. I don’t really consider this a job because I love what I do.

His co-workers and fellow trainers have noticed this about him as well. “He’s a great guy and he loves what he does. He’s very passionate about coaching and the people he works with,” said Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo, five-time Muay Thai World Champion.

Even the grueling schedule that he maintains does not detract from his fervor nor diminish his drive. A typical day for Martinez can begin as early as 6 a.m. and doesn’t end until 9 p.m. He works with amateurs and pros, giving private lessons and doing team coaching, working with people at the intermediate level to the most advanced techniques.

Xtreme Couture fighters have had the benefit of his coaching for more than three years now, and many agree that there is nothing mediocre about Martinez. UFC welterweight Mike Pyle said, “Gil is the best at fine tuning a fighter’s basic boxing skills.”

Martinez’ modesty prevented him from acknowledging his reputation as one of the best striking coaches in the business, but when asked his secret to success, he was adamant about treating each fighter as an individual. He looks at each fighter’s style and enhances it, rather than trying to change them. “I try to have a game plan for the way that they fight and train them to the way that they fight,” said Martinez. He emphasized their individuality. “I try to accommodate and work with whatever style best suits them because when they’re in the fight, it’s them that is in the fight, not me.”

Although many mixed martial artists may be compared to both modern day and historic fighters, Martinez insists that no two fighters are exactly alike. “They have to be able to fire on their own cylinders based how their brain is wired. They have to feel comfortable in there.” Martinez credits the personalized game plans with his ability to help his fighters be successful.

Although Martinez’ training techniques are superb, once the fighter steps into the cage, things can change. The fighter doesn’t always do what he’s been trained to do. Martinez denied that this was a source of frustration for him because even when that is not the case, even when the fighters implement their training, there is still someone else in the cage with them. He indicated that, “You have to be able to go with the flow and change the game plan as the fight is progressing sometimes, because the opponent is not going to do exactly what you want them to do.” Even when the fighter does exactly what he’s been trained to do, there are no guarantees. Martinez was philosophical about that. “There has to be a winner and there has to be a loser, and sometimes you learn more from a loss than from a win.”

This is why Martinez’ voice can be heard over the din of the crowd, shouting both encouragement and instructions to the fighter for adjusting the performance. “You start seeing what your opponent is doing wrong. You look for what your guy’s doing wrong and you adjust on the go, right at that second,” said Martinez.

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