Cutman Tales

I like to use the rectangular curved ones for larger areas, above or below the eye, depending on how large the mouse is getting. I often use two rectangular ones for eyes that are really starting to swell. One goes with firm (but not crushing, and no rubbing) pressure on the swelling, and then I hold the other one on the temple area. My totally unproven and completely made up on my own theory is that I'm going to reduce the direct swelling, and hopefully reduce some of the feeder flow to that area from it's blood supply.

What I really, really like my flat circular one for is holding my swabs in cuts. I like to hold the swabs in there with that one so that I'm getting cold, pressure and my hemostatic agent going all at the same time, but it's not so large that I lose track of my swab under it and find out it wasn't actually in the wound like I would like.

I think if you want to go for some schooling I would do an EMT-B course at a community college. They're typically only one semester. You learn a fair amount of basic trauma, good A&P for this, and the clinicals can help you practice keeping calm and organized.

Once again, thank you very much!
 
Centaur you might want to shoot a PM to SideofKO, just to make sure he knows you replied to a post of his in here.

Usually, for me, a bit of pressure stops a nose bleed just fine. Kids get them all the time in the Gym. I don't use medicine in the Gym, so pressure (pinch, leaned forward slightly old school style), or cold pressure. If it's runny, I do have some of those hemostatic nosebleed plugs that look like tampons you can get at any pharmacy for about $6.

Had an event last weekend where I had to corner one of our little guys. He won:

2012-05-19_13-52-40_913.jpg


Not a lot of damage, just a bruised lip that was likely fat the next day.
 
Cool, thanks Sinister. I forgot about those nose-tampon things.

I'll shoot SoKO a message later on if he doesn't respond.
 
Old school cutmen used actual tampons. That might be somewhere in this thread. Feminine hygiene products for fighters. Maxi-pad knuckle guards, and tampon nosebleed stoppers.
 
Yesterday the small and unappreciated World of cutmen in the fight business lost one of it's true wizards in Joe Souza, who passed away at 77 years of age due to cancer.

Longtime cutman Joe Souza dies at 77 from prostate cancer - ESPN

Here is a good article looking into the mind of this obscure type of person:

Mischa Merz: Writing - The cut man

Holy shit I had no idea Souza had died! I always wondered recently why no one was using his services. Dude was a miracle worker.
 
Yeah it really sucks. Not many guys like him around these days. There's one around here who works out of the Henderson PAL Gym. Old Military tattoos, buzz cut, and always has a smart-ass remark for everyone. Plus he knows what he's doing in terms of cornering. Just the kind of guy who makes learning the trade fun.
 
Great thread gentle(cut)men.

Hope it doesn't get abandoned; keep us up to date with developments and experiences.
 
I've been steady working Amateur corners since this thread's inception. And had my Pro debut as a trainer. My guy lost, but why is a long story. I did get to stand opposite Danny Carbajal, trainer of Michael Carbajal (and his older Brother), who is in the Hall of Fame. So that was quite an honor. My man didn't get cut, though, so nothing to report there.

However, I did come in here to point out that one thing some of yous might wanna watch out for is HOW you apply your coagulant. Or at least, not letting a fucking conditioning coach do it. Because otherwise you get accused of cheating:

http://www.badlefthook.com/2013/12/...-is-alex-ariza-using-smelling-salts-in-marcos
 
This Thread is a Godsend. I learned a ton reading through this thing. I've just started conering and cutmanning. I've worked one show with no cuts. A good friend is an old school MMA (jiujitsu and Muay Thai mainly) practitioner who has been training some amateur and pro fighters. I called him up one day and asked about getting together on a different matter and when he mentioned what he was doing I asked if he needed any help in the corner. He took me on despite my lack of martial arts training. I've always watched and loved Boxing and martial arts, but just never found myself in a place/timeframe where I could train. Now I'm an old man with bad shoulders.

This thread has taught me a ton even corrected some things my chief second told me about working cuts (pushing away swelling with the endswell). I just wanted to say thanks to Sinister, SideofKO, Centaur and Tripnastic for all the info and the rest of you guys (and gals?) who contributed to this great thread.

I've got an entertaining story about our first show that I'm going to drop into the cornerman thread soon so be on the lookout. Thanks again.
 
why i wasn't posting in this thread to begin with, i'll never know
so update: I've worked a card one the weekend, plus an amateur fight in rochester a week ago
card on the weekend went great. i've picked up a second in command, she just needs time to work. her stuff looks alright, probably ask her why she does it the way she does (not wrong, just not see often in the mma world, looks more like boxing). i didn't do anything but wrap on the card. which i don't mind.
now for the fight in new york? holy cow that was just weird to me. some of those tape jobs legit scared me. i don't understand the concept of having some much on just the knuckles and so little everywhere else (i just don't see how it's safer? *shrug*). but man no body had gloves, or swabs, or adrenaline. just man. so glad i only had one fighter to work for near the end of the night cuz i ended up having to work on a couple guys. helped the doc get a guy ready to be stitched as i get the bleed to stop (he needed five stitches), i head over to the doc as he's still ring side and tell him that guy is ready to be stitched when he gets time.
"hey you think you can stitch him?"
me: ".............................not legally"
but it was nice to have a corner job where i could take my time wrapping, and to be able to put down a proper wrap like i wish i could do with every fighter i come across. seeing if i can get my way onto another card in new york in three weeks time as there isn't any mma cards that i am aware of in the province.
 
holy cow i haven't posted in here in a while. lots of weekends. lots of weekends. had a card yesterday in syracuse, i wrapped probably seven or eight guys. treated a couple ouchies post fights. was in the corner for the main event. still pissed at myself for not stopping the bleed in between the second and third round. warm vaseline, what a fucking rookie mistake.
had a card in niagra falls, probably wrapped 12 guys there.
card in rochester, probably another seven or eight. cornered two guys. helped one guy that had a cut that was deep and bad. probably five stitches (never found out, just plugged the hole and he went back home to an ER there)
few cards around ontario. mainly wrapping hands, but i do manage to get out front some times for greasing and dealing with cuts.
local fight company is making me a custom shirt, which is nice. it's still something that screams me as well i tend to stick out a bit when it comes to fight stuff (i wear neon green sparring gloves in boxing, nuff said). hope to have it in a month.
with college finishing in the coming weeks, and me going into an employment field that ins't necessarily just 9-5 monday-friday, i'm not sure how this is going to pan out. i enjoy doing it and i hope to continue on as often as possible however.
 
I cornered three fights Saturday and wrapped three sets of hands and I have to say... I did a great fucking job compared to some of the guys that were there. I was worried about being a good corner man and whatnot but there were some nutjobs that didn't do anything for their fighters. It was terrible. They were MMA fights so I didn't go as much on the knuckles and I made sure to keep the palm open. It was a solid wrap.

I saw some guys try to use the tape first on the hands. A couple of guys didn't know you had to wrap hands at all so they were running around frantically trying to find gauze and tape. I laughed at myself for being nervous.

Most of the coaches made their fighters stand between rounds, and just shoved water in their face without reapplying vaseline, checking for swelling, no ice on the neck, no spit bucket, corner tote was absent, no towel, nothing.

So Centaur, I'd say that we're light years ahead of most people, mainly because we do our research. It's in the trenches that we'll get our experience.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot this. Funny Story.

There was a guy that actually tried to wrap the hands with that pre-wrap stuff and duct tape. No joke.

What's the deal with leaving fighters standing between rounds? In our gym (mma and kickboxing) our fighters stand between rounds. Just something we've done.. In fact, the old boxing barn is the only one with a stool (it's one of the swivel ones attached to the corner post. One day the rookie of the corner (there for work experience and to carry the bucket) set the chair up end of the first round. The fighter was about sit down and the head trainer literally kicked back round out of the ring "we don't do that here".

I get a sense the feeling is that sitting restricts the flow of blood to the legs? Old wives tales is it?
 
At Tocco's, we just don't have any stools. Very few gyms think to order stools and use them in sparring to train for using them in a fight. Then, famously, it was George Foreman who during his second heavyweight career stood in the corners between rounds and made the statement: "we don't sit between rounds in the Gym, no need to sit between rounds during a fight." But likely this was due to his age and him wanting to seem tougher than younger guys. Nowadays when I work a corner by myself the fighters stand, this is because I just have no stool/bucket man. But they don't care either way.
 
Just found this thread!!! I am a nurse (for real!) I also train BJJ and Kick Boxing. I just started apprenticing as a cut man. REally exited to be working "Fight Night 2 Medicine Hat" Oct 28. My first Pro card! Really loving this thread. Keep it going!!
 
had a card in niagra falls, probably wrapped 12 guys there.

Just curious, why are you wrapping so many hands? Don't the coaches want to wrap their own fighter?

It's really nice that you are there to do that.
 
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Just curious, why you are wrapping so many hands? Don't the coaches want to wrap their own fighter?

It's really nice that you are there to do that.
lots of coaches do from what I've seen. Sadly, many of them wrap their fighter badly. Some are great.
 
Just curious, why are you wrapping so many hands? Don't the coaches want to wrap their own fighter?

It's really nice that you are there to do that.

i've seen some really bad wrap jobs from coaches. from being too tight that hand movement is restricted as well as blood flow, to being well illegal as most places don't allow tape over the knuckles. most cards i'm hired on by the promoter to be there because they know who i am, and willing to pay to have someone there that knows exactly what to do, every time.
 
i've seen some really bad wrap jobs from coaches. from being too tight that hand movement is restricted as well as blood flow, to being well illegal as most places don't allow tape over the knuckles. most cards i'm hired on by the promoter to be there because they know who i am, and willing to pay to have someone there that knows exactly what to do, every time.

That makes sense. As long as you are getting paid by the promoter and you are prepared going in. I've had coaches ask me last minute to wrap their fighter and I have to say no because I need to focus on mine.

I feel bad saying no, but it's shameful to show up to an event with a fighter without any wrapping supplies and expect someone else to take care of you.
 
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