Post by K1power on Dec 8, 2014 14:40:20 GMT 1
Sem Schilt Interview "Glory even forgot to pick me up!"
The most succesfull heavyweight kickboxer of all time is without a doubt Sem Schilt. Not only did he win the K-1 Grand Prix 3 years in a row (2005, 2006 and 2007) AND in 2009, but he also won the Glory 2012 Heavyweight Grand Slam. Additionally he holds multiple Pancrase titles and was in the UFC. Meanwhile Schilt has retired and focusing on his own gym. Mixfight visited ‘Hightower’ for an interview.
Sem, how is life after such a succesful career, are you affected by the so-called black hole as well?
"I'm doing great. After becoming 2012 Glory Grand Slam Champion I don't have anything to prove anymore as a 5-time world champion. Glory dissappointed me with their way of taking care of things."
"Most people do not know that Glory forgot to pick me up from the hotel where we were staying for the Grand Slam in 2012. We had to travel to the venue at our own expense and arrived just in time for my fight. After my fight with Gokhan Saki the referee raised his arm, while I won the fight. There was an afterparty to which I wasn't even invited. They apologized for it later, but nobody knows why it happened.
Why did you retire?
"Early 2013 I was diagnosed with a heart condition. For me this was a sign to start doing something else."
So what do you do nowadays?
"I've been running sportcenter 'Health & Budo' since 2008. Late 2013 I bought some property to start a gym with Dave Jonkers. Together with Frederico Lapenda an idea was born to start a 'Fight Game Academy'. A gym where all martial arts are respected and taught as an instrument for personal development."
"While I would have liked to combine fitness and martial arts we chose to focus on martial arts and make it more accessible for a bigger audience.
I don't like that a lot of components in martial arts are being marketed as 'fitness'. Think about tai-bo, body combat, bootcamp, crossfit, insanity, yoga, pilatus, kick-fit. In my view these are all components that are born from martial arts."
"Early 2014 Dave Jonkers told me he would like to run the sportcenter again and didn't really feel like participating in running the Fight Game Academy. In August this year the Fight Game Academy Semmy Schilt in Zuid-Laren opened its doors. The kickboxing project is doing well and we're going into our second year. To be able to keep things up we are still looking for sponsors. I myself am teaching classes again in youth kickboxing, kickboxen and a karate lesson here and there. My family is doing fine as well, what else could a man want?"
What's your opinion on the developments in Glory? Do you feel you get the appreciation of a champion??
"Glory is trying to conquer the US and they're doing okay, but the American audience still is very uneducated about the sport in my opinion.
Perhaps this is the way to get rid of the dirty image kickboxing has. About Glory's appreciation for me? It doesn't feel that way to me."
Who do you feel is the best 'pound for pound' fighter in Glory?
"I wouldn't be able to tell. The level is more or less equal and I never really see a heavy favorite in any of their matchups."
In the media it was mentioned that 80% of the fighters use forbidden substances. What's your take on that and have you used anything yourself?
"Remy Bonjaski mentioned in an interview that 80% of the fighters are using steroids? That's quite a number, so who are these fighters? And what are they allegedly using, I ask myself. I myself, in addition to Dutch cuisine used creatine and amino acids. I believe it all comes down to having to have the right mentality. My experience tells me that when the real pain comes, substances aren't going to help you and the only things left are a fighter's spirit and the will to win."
Could you mention all your titles for your Mixfight fans?
1 x European Champion Ashihara Karate
2 x Hokutoki DaiDoYuko Champion
3 x King of Pancrase
Pride top 10 contender
UFC contender
4 K-1 GP winner
3 x K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion
1 x GLORY Grand Slam 16 Man Tournament winner
1 x GLORY Super Heavyweight Champion
Badr Hari is often called a K-1 Champion. Do you regret not getting the same publicity he gets?
"Badr Hari might be a good kickboxer. I am four time K-1 Champion. The publicity he gets with what he does is a good marketing trick in my opinion. Personally, I don't need all that. I do however think it's a shame that Jeroen Pauw held a big interview with "all" the kickboxing greats and my name wasn't even mentioned."
How do you like the family life? You have a son, Maicon, will be be a football player or a fighter?
"Currently we are very busy with the Fight Game Academy and invest a lot of time in it. My wife teaches Zumba classes, Maicon has his own little playroom and whenever he feels like it he takes a judo, karate or youth kickboxing class. Currently, I feel like he will be an engineer, with a fighter's mentality."
What's your favorite martial arts website?
"Whenever I'm looking something up about a fight or martial arts I always visit Mixfight.com first."[/b]
Original Dutch Interview www.mixfight.nl/forum/showthread.php?131953-Interview-Sem-Schilt-%93GLORY-was-me-zelfs-vergeten-op-te-halen-voor-het-evenement!
The most succesfull heavyweight kickboxer of all time is without a doubt Sem Schilt. Not only did he win the K-1 Grand Prix 3 years in a row (2005, 2006 and 2007) AND in 2009, but he also won the Glory 2012 Heavyweight Grand Slam. Additionally he holds multiple Pancrase titles and was in the UFC. Meanwhile Schilt has retired and focusing on his own gym. Mixfight visited ‘Hightower’ for an interview.
Sem, how is life after such a succesful career, are you affected by the so-called black hole as well?
"I'm doing great. After becoming 2012 Glory Grand Slam Champion I don't have anything to prove anymore as a 5-time world champion. Glory dissappointed me with their way of taking care of things."
"Most people do not know that Glory forgot to pick me up from the hotel where we were staying for the Grand Slam in 2012. We had to travel to the venue at our own expense and arrived just in time for my fight. After my fight with Gokhan Saki the referee raised his arm, while I won the fight. There was an afterparty to which I wasn't even invited. They apologized for it later, but nobody knows why it happened.
Why did you retire?
"Early 2013 I was diagnosed with a heart condition. For me this was a sign to start doing something else."
So what do you do nowadays?
"I've been running sportcenter 'Health & Budo' since 2008. Late 2013 I bought some property to start a gym with Dave Jonkers. Together with Frederico Lapenda an idea was born to start a 'Fight Game Academy'. A gym where all martial arts are respected and taught as an instrument for personal development."
"While I would have liked to combine fitness and martial arts we chose to focus on martial arts and make it more accessible for a bigger audience.
I don't like that a lot of components in martial arts are being marketed as 'fitness'. Think about tai-bo, body combat, bootcamp, crossfit, insanity, yoga, pilatus, kick-fit. In my view these are all components that are born from martial arts."
"Early 2014 Dave Jonkers told me he would like to run the sportcenter again and didn't really feel like participating in running the Fight Game Academy. In August this year the Fight Game Academy Semmy Schilt in Zuid-Laren opened its doors. The kickboxing project is doing well and we're going into our second year. To be able to keep things up we are still looking for sponsors. I myself am teaching classes again in youth kickboxing, kickboxen and a karate lesson here and there. My family is doing fine as well, what else could a man want?"
What's your opinion on the developments in Glory? Do you feel you get the appreciation of a champion??
"Glory is trying to conquer the US and they're doing okay, but the American audience still is very uneducated about the sport in my opinion.
Perhaps this is the way to get rid of the dirty image kickboxing has. About Glory's appreciation for me? It doesn't feel that way to me."
Who do you feel is the best 'pound for pound' fighter in Glory?
"I wouldn't be able to tell. The level is more or less equal and I never really see a heavy favorite in any of their matchups."
In the media it was mentioned that 80% of the fighters use forbidden substances. What's your take on that and have you used anything yourself?
"Remy Bonjaski mentioned in an interview that 80% of the fighters are using steroids? That's quite a number, so who are these fighters? And what are they allegedly using, I ask myself. I myself, in addition to Dutch cuisine used creatine and amino acids. I believe it all comes down to having to have the right mentality. My experience tells me that when the real pain comes, substances aren't going to help you and the only things left are a fighter's spirit and the will to win."
Could you mention all your titles for your Mixfight fans?
1 x European Champion Ashihara Karate
2 x Hokutoki DaiDoYuko Champion
3 x King of Pancrase
Pride top 10 contender
UFC contender
4 K-1 GP winner
3 x K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion
1 x GLORY Grand Slam 16 Man Tournament winner
1 x GLORY Super Heavyweight Champion
Badr Hari is often called a K-1 Champion. Do you regret not getting the same publicity he gets?
"Badr Hari might be a good kickboxer. I am four time K-1 Champion. The publicity he gets with what he does is a good marketing trick in my opinion. Personally, I don't need all that. I do however think it's a shame that Jeroen Pauw held a big interview with "all" the kickboxing greats and my name wasn't even mentioned."
How do you like the family life? You have a son, Maicon, will be be a football player or a fighter?
"Currently we are very busy with the Fight Game Academy and invest a lot of time in it. My wife teaches Zumba classes, Maicon has his own little playroom and whenever he feels like it he takes a judo, karate or youth kickboxing class. Currently, I feel like he will be an engineer, with a fighter's mentality."
What's your favorite martial arts website?
"Whenever I'm looking something up about a fight or martial arts I always visit Mixfight.com first."[/b]
Original Dutch Interview www.mixfight.nl/forum/showthread.php?131953-Interview-Sem-Schilt-%93GLORY-was-me-zelfs-vergeten-op-te-halen-voor-het-evenement!
