In this interview, DCMMA asks Eric "Knuckles"Nuchols, a NoVA based neuromuscular specialist out of the Advanced Spine and Laser Center and fight enthusiast, about his experiences and what fighters should be thinking about with regards to their long-term health.

Eric "Knuckles" Nuchols

Sports Therapist

DCMMA:  How Long have you been working on fighters?

Eric Nuchols:  7 years.

DC:  So what’s your resume look like?

EN:  I’ve worked on Rampage(Quinton Jackson), Tito Ortiz, "Razor" Rob McCullough, Paul Buentello, Big Perm, of course…uh, Zach Light, Tiki Gozen, Fabiano Iza, Bobby Gamboa…and I’ll stop there.

DC:  Wow, man…you sure get around. Well, what’s the biggest problem you’ve encountered with fighters?

EN:  Let’s see…overworked right-side. Fighters are one-sided here (in the U.S.) I don’t agree with how one-dimensional fighters are in their training. They never switch stance so they always over-work one side. Fighters should be able to change (stance.) Robbie Lawler is a pretty good example of someone who uses both sides. Actually Rob McCullough is a fantastic example of this. He messes people up from both sides, it doesn’t matter to him.

DC:  Why aren’t fighters able to switch from orthodox to south paw if it is obviously an advantage and something that will keep them out of your office?

EN:  It depends on where you trained. The coaches I see teaching these guys are screwed up. It’s an American idea to not balance flexibility with the rest of your training. (For example,) rubber guard shouldn’t be called that. It should be normal to be able to grab your foot in that position. The guys with tight low backs, hamstrings…these are the guys from Brazil and America who don’t have the same flexibility that the Japanese have.

I’ve worked on a lot of personal trainers, fighters, Olympic boxers and they all tend to have a lot of tension throughout their bodies which affects their power. I don’t work on traditional martial arts instructors or Yoga instructors because they really don’t need me. Their training takes care of their bodies’ balance.

In self-defense, the last thing you need to worry about is an attacker. Especially in this day and age where we don’t control our diets, we don’t take care of our flexibility, our minds are affected, too. Really, in martial arts we are training hard everyday to keep healthy and strong (SELF-defense.) How often are we going to be attacked on the streets compared to when the martial arts were for everyday survival?

When I was working on the No Limits team, I bet everyone $1000 that I could improve their overall fight game, that is their flexibility, circulation, speed, power, and stamina with just a single stretching program. Nobody took that bet because nobody doubted it. They’ve all seen me in the ring, it wasn’t a perfect display but it was enough to knock a pro on his ass. Through that demonstration they believed in the power of flexibility training and benefited from it.

Eric Nuchols works out of the Advanced Spine and Laser Center alongside Chiropractor Dr. Vishal Verma in Fairfax, VA