coach Leblanc, Martin

Introduction

With over 10 years of experience in various combat sports including MMA, BJJ and Boxing, and a WIT advanced, professional certificate in Combat Sport Coaching, I am fully committed to help my fighters develop their competition success, supporting them in their combat persona, game plan, and emotional fitness. Working with early-stage professionals who want to build a solid foundation and semi-pros who want to level up is my speciality. I’m happy to give guidance to reshape their competition narrative and reach their fighting goals.

– Martin

Articles

• MMA Competitions 2025December 13, 2024
  Thinking of dialling up your competition routine? To look for opportunities, we have created a list of international championships. Feel free to browse and pick, and if your thinking of competing in competing in MMA read the comprehensive guide on costs, logistics, and preparation in our journal. It will help…
• Are you thinking of competing in MMA? – Here’s a comprehensive guide on costs, logistics, and preparationNovember 26, 2024
  Introduction The popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has increased in recent years, becoming a global phenomenon from a niche sport despite being one of the most demanding combat sports due to its complexity and intensity. On the other hand, it’s also one of the simplest sports to step into…
• The belief that mental skills cannot be taughtFebruary 26, 2024
  Mental skills are one of the most significant factors ensuring high performance and success for combat athletes. One of the biggest myths in sports is that mental skills are born with and cannot be taught. However, overwhelming empirical evidence reports that mental skills can be learned and improved through practice,…
• Leave your ego at the door VS. Keep your ego besidesJuly 18, 2023
  ‘Leave your ego at the door’ has, somehow, become the unofficial slogan of BJJ. But the fact is, that ego maintains the boundary between us and the outer world, in this case, the opponent that is. Without ego or with a weak ego, we’re very exploitable in conflict situation. During…
• The busted myth that if unsure of the answer, it’s best to stick with the initial hunchJuly 8, 2023
  A common dilemma when it comes to answering tricky questions on the spot or taking tests of any kind is whether or not we should go with the answer based on our initial gut instinct. There is a generally perceived wisdom that if one is unsure of the correct answer…
• Water break – Is only drinking when told so really good for training?June 25, 2023
  In most clubs I’ve trained at, there were strict drinking restrictions during the class. We were offered a water break, which if someone missed they weren’t allowed to drink. Sometimes this break was topped up with a series of ‘life lessons’ on how we build character and toughness by withstanding…
• It is believed that there’s safety in numbers – the more people present, the greater the chance that someone intervenes?May 24, 2023
  Let’s take two potential scenarios. One (Scenario A) is that you’re walking down a dark alleyway at night. There are just two other people there. One attacks and wrestles your wallet from you. The implication is that because there is only one person who could intervene to help you, you…
• The myth that it’s better to express anger than to hold it inMay 10, 2023
  There is an extensive debate on whether expressing anger or not is the better way to go about releasing tension. Based on earlier research, many people believe that failing to express anger in a healthy manner is a negative practices that strikes back. Moreover, it is often concluded that people…
• The bias that men are viewed as professionals, while women as hobby athletesApril 16, 2023
  There is a strong bias around athletic performance by gender as men are commonly viewed as professionals, while female participants are primarily considered as engaging in sports for fun. In many countries, professionals are mostly referred to using their surnames. However, there is evidence that gender determines how people perceive…
• How to prepare for a BJJ competitionApril 14, 2023
  Competition preparation is a hard beast to conquer: it’s like preparing for a high-stake blind date. It cannot be compared to any regular conditioning neither in terms of physical nor mental preparation. The preparation work starts when the thought of enrolling to a competition has matured into action. Even by…
• Is a day without physical training really wasted? – about the power of restingMarch 31, 2023
  A good number of coaches I’ve worked with repeated this message: anytime you skip training you give your opponents a chance to become better than you. That day is wasted because you didn’t get any further in your path and you are no better than yesterday. I have a very…
• The bias that women in certain sports are often seen as being non-feminineMarch 20, 2023
  There are various qualities associated with gender. These qualities are socially constructed and dependent on cultural standards, leading to gender-based stereotypes of what is masculine and feminine (Mennesson, 2000).  Some sports are seen as more masculine than others, for example, football (soccer), rugby, cricket, basketball and combative arts are all…
• Overweight thought to cannot win – The smothering weight-based stigma in sportsMarch 15, 2023
  Even though engaging in sports considered to be the stepping stone for a better life, with excess weight on, the process is often blocked by the surrounding social climate. Based on their weight, the majority of overweight are regarded as un-athletic and hence excluded from sports in group situations and combative…
• Why do people learn martial arts, what do they gain from it?March 4, 2023
  This is a very frequent question I get outside of the club. What do I gain from putting all that effort in, especially if I don’t plan to actually use the physical skills I gain? Which is true, I don’t plan to fight anyone outside the dojo, and if I’m…
• Reasons why some stay lowkey in the dojo – what can go wrongJuly 15, 2022
  There are two things that make a club a red hot place for trouble, and neither of them is the actual fighting. #1. The first is that a dojo is an emotionally charged place due to the boundary-crossing physical interactions and the community based framework. Accordingly, most of the time…
• coach Leblanc, MartinJuly 1, 2022
  Introduction With over 10 years of experience in various combat sports including MMA, BJJ and Boxing, and a WIT advanced, professional certificate in Combat Sport Coaching, I am fully committed to help my fighters develop their competition success, supporting them in their combat persona, game plan, and emotional fitness. Working…