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A Tribute to Dr. Michael Yessis 

"The Revolutionary 1x20" System 

With the recent passing of Dr. Yessis at 91 years old, this is a tribute to my mentor—the man who took away my physical pain.

This is also an introduction to the extraordinary gifts in athletic development that Dr. Yessis gave me.

Hi, I am Lawrence Kenshin, the last mentee and protégé of Dr. Michael Yessis, a legendary sport scientist and one of the greatest of all time.

I've been a leading educator in martial arts for the last 10 years, and I'm here to share that Dr. Yessis gave me three gifts:

1. The fastest system to heal and prevent injuries for both the general and athletic population.

2. The fastest progression for enhancing sport technique.

3. The fastest progression to knockout power I've ever seen.

All three of these gifts have allowed me to successfully work with championship athletes and also some of the highest profile people in the world.

I am here to share my story with the first two gifts. If you want to know why I am not planning to share the third gift, read until the end.

 Who is Dr. Yessis?

Dr. Yessis established sport science collaboration between the United States and the Soviet Union during the cold war. During this time, the Soviets completely dominated the sports world.

He coined the term plyometrics, is responsible in bringing plyometrics, block periodization, and transfer of training to an english speaking audience. He brought several of the Soviet innovators to the west.

Dr. Yessis has trained many olympians and world champions across all sports. He is a mutli-sport collegiate champion himself, and has a PHD specializing in biomechanics. 

He also invented the glute-ham machine. 

In the last 10 years, Dr. Yessis became more known for his revolutionary "1x20" system.

What have I seen with the 1x20? 

• After the 1x20, as a newbie white belt in BJJ, I can roll with black belt competitors and hang in there after taking 8 private lessons. 
• When there is a kinetic chain issue, 2-3x instant power jump from doing the holy grail series, in the same day, repeated across all level athletes for striking.
• Near perfect instant technique correction with "Yessis-LK holy grail series"
• The foundational 1x20 program wiped out all of my injuries of 8 years, as well as all the athletes I work with.
• Moderate intensity provided much higher athletic base and higher athleticism than high intensity.
• Technical development is inseparable from athletic development.
• The above is inseparable from sports rehabilitation and injury prevention.

Buakaw on Lawrence Kenshin

Buakaw is a man who needs no introduction. He saved Muay Thai from collapsing by being the greatest Muay Thai ambassador in history during a time when the art needed it. With nearly 23 world titles, he dominated the kickboxing world and showed the dominance of Muay Thai. 

Saenchai on Lawrence Kenshin

Saenchai is the #1 pound for pound Muay Thai fighter in the last 20 years. Right now on a 70 fight win streak, he shows no signs of stopping. He gave my work generous feedback in 2016.

When I saw that he only had a few thousand followers on social media, we jumpstarted his profiles online and instantly took him to hundreds of thousands of followers. Now with a million followers across all social media profiles, he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Samart Payakaroon on Lawrence Kenshin

Samart Payakaroon is widely considered the greatest fighter of all time in Thailand. Not only did he dominate the Muay Thai world, he also dominated the boxing world in the slickest fashion possible. He noted the importance of my work, that the west may not have otherwise been exposed to legends such as himself. By introducing the best of golden era Muay Thai to the world, foreigners would find their way to  Thailand to learn the national art and sport.

Firas Zahabi on Lawrence Kenshin

Firas Zahabi is considered by many as having one of, if not the most brilliant mind in all of MMA. As the head coach of Georges St Pierre and Tristar Gym, as well as a prodigiously talented martial artist, he is considered one of the greatest coaches of all time. Like Joe Rogan, Firas Zahabi has been supportive of Lawrence Kenshin Striking Breakdowns since day 1. Together, we have developed game plans for a few of the most prolific fights in history. 

Kevin Ross on Lawrence Kenshin

Kevin Ross is considered THE Muay Thai star and pioneer in America. This is what Joe Rogan and Kevin Ross said about my work and its contributions to the martial arts community.

“Your work has been and continues to be phenomenal. I send them to my fighters to study often. Thank you for all the great content.” - Josh Barnett, MMA Legend

“A gentleman, Lawrence Kenshin, just made a super cool video of one of my old fights at Lumpinee Stadium, breaking different parts down in a true Thai style…

Thank you so much for spending the time to put the video breakdown together. Like you said combat sport is an art and my focus is to try and make my violence a thing of beauty. Truly appreciate it my friend, thank you.” - John Wayne Parr, 10x Muay Thai World Champion

“I just wanted to say thanks for the respect you still give for my brother and I like all the breakdowns You do! Keep making the movies, I will be watching them! Osu!” - Nick Hemmers, brother of Ramon Dekkers and son of Cor Hemmers.

He is now the greatest Dutch kickboxing coach in the current era.

Again, the most humbling part to these testimonials is that I didn't ask for a single one of them.

There are more than 100+ industry leaders who have given high praises organically to Lawrence Kenshin Striking Breakdowns. For the purpose of not making this page too long, they include Joeseph Valtellini, Damien Trainor, Sean Fagan the "Muay thai Guy," Paul Banasiak the "Muay Thai Technician," Robin Black, Jeff Chan "MMA Shreeded," Sylvie Von Duuglas Ittu, Samir Seif, Jack Slack, Gary Turner, Duke Roufus, Duane Ludwig, Modern Martial Artist, Mo Abduraham, Matthew Deane, Jason Farrell, James Doolan, BJJ Scout, BJJ Trickster, Pedro Sierra, Rick Sollo, Nick Lembo, Ben Saunders, Evolve MMA, Chris Mauceri,  Lolo Heimuli, Eric Uresk, Uriah Hall, Tyron Woodley, Patrick Valor Rivera, Kirik Jenness, Stuart Tomlinson from "Warrior Collective,"  Mike Angrove, Sean Gannon, Troy Jones, Rory MacDonald, Mike Zambidis, Tenshin Nasukawa, Sagat, and Lerdsila.

Since 2018, I've stopped tracking the incredible feedback legends give me, but remain humbled every time I see support. Thanks to the industry leaders and community members who pushed Lawrence Kenshin Striking Breakdowns forward, I will  continue spreading legendary stories and techniques in martial arts.

Today, I am lucky to be the #1 storyteller in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. I consider it an honor and a duty to spread the legendary stories and the legendary techniques of our sport.

If you haven't already, do consider subscribing to my channel on Youtube here.