Former ONE bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus is going strong despite being 40. And the secret behind his incredible longevity is his sports science-based fitness approach, which he recently spoke about.

As Petchfergus prepares for his much-awaited bout with Ben Woolliss on May 16, fans can't help but wonder how he maintains the conditioning required to take on an eight-year-younger opponent. And during an interview with ONE Championship, he revealed that the time he spent learning sports science has come to his aid.

Petchfergus said, “It started when I was around 25 or 26. I kept getting leg injuries and was constantly seeing doctors. People at the gym all gave me different advice, and it was just a lot of conflicting opinions. Since I had just finished high school, I decided to go to university for Sports Science so I could find the answers myself, to learn how to make my body as strong and resilient as possible.”

According to the International Institute of Sports and Management, Sports Science is the interdisciplinary study of how the body and mind react to exercise, training, and performance. The study is a carefully curated mix of physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, psychology, data analytics, and technology.

He moved to Australia and came back, learning a combination of traditional striking with contemporary sports science principles. The result was a hybrid approach that prioritized efficiency and performance.

“I’m constantly reading new research. I track everything, my sleep, my diet, and I use a smartwatch to monitor my blood oxygen and heart rate zones. It tells me if I’m overtraining or if I need more recovery days. This is what has allowed me to keep competing at a high level for so long.”

Petchfergus is a trained Muay Thai fighter, and being a part of that discipline has opened his eyes to multiple faults. Although he admits that Muay Thai is essential for developing toughness and endurance, he argues that several aspects of the discipline can reduce speed, mobility, and explosiveness.

“You need to train five things: strength, speed, power, endurance, and skill. You can’t max out all of them in one day. Traditional training gives you endurance, but it makes you slow and stiff.”

He currently trains in striking sessions, strength and mobility work, cardio, and recovery with the goal of not simply surviving hard sessions, but maintaining peak performance over time.

Some Important Tips From a Sports Scientist

Sports Science aims to improve every aspect of an athlete’s preparation. Unlike regular training and diet programs, it involves nutritional evaluation, biomechanical analysis, and improved exercises using physiology.

According to Dr. Dean Ritchie, a Sports Scientist and coach at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, here are some training and recovery tips

• Correct your weaknesses before opting for more volume
• Always perform full and controlled ranges, as it will build strength
• Train conditioning that matches your sport's demands
• Remember to strengthen areas like the neck and shoulders
• Do not rush the recovery process; it's the best way to avoid burnout.

So, are you thinking of modifying your training routine to make it more sports science-specific?

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy