“Innferno 8” is back in Innsbruck this weekend and it’s going to be tough! PLUS subscribers (secure the offer here now) can watch the spectacular cage fights on Sunday from 6 p.m. on stream on krone.at. Laurin Pöschl is also involved. Brutal thug type? Not at all! The physiotherapist loves and lives Chinese martial arts, focuses on inner peace – and fights with his patients against Parkinson’s disease.
“What? You?!?” Disbelief. Laurin Pöschl is regularly confronted with this when he talks about this one of his passions. “You can’t see anything,” the Innsbruck native often hears, “your nose is still completely straight…” That speaks for him. It means that he is good at what amazes. Namely the tough MMA sport. There, people box, kick, wrestle in the cage, sometimes with extremely tough bandages, until the blood spurts.Dad was not the only teacherThe fact that Pöschl ended up in the Octagon seems paradoxical at first when he explains: “The greater art is to heal and help people than to hurt them.” The Tyrolean learned this as a teenager, also from kung fu films. He inherited his father’s penchant for Far Eastern philosophies, and the combination with martial arts fascinated him. Laurin also learned Tai Chi and Qigong, which are Chinese shadow fighting and relaxation techniques. “But something was still missing,” remembers the now 35-year-old. “When I was asked to teach techniques, I wanted to know which ones could really be used in fights.” So he moved on to kickboxing and from there to MMA, “because it is the most complete martial art, it combines all the techniques from different disciplines,” emphasises Pöschl.The calm for the stormOf course, mixed martial arts also stands for wild, tough guys, for posers, for loudmouths. But not only that. “At first I wondered whether I fit in. But MMA offers more than just fights, it follows precise rules and has nothing to do with pure aggression. You need real skill.” And – what sets Laurin apart behind bars – the necessary calm! “That is the basic essence of all Far Eastern martial arts. People tell me that I’m particularly calm when fighting.” A trait that also bears fruit elsewhere… On the one hand, in the recently opened “Roots Collective” studio in Innsbruck, where people live together rather than against each other, teach martial arts techniques, but also offer fitness workouts for young and old. On the other hand, in his daily job. As a physiotherapist, he helps Parkinson’s sufferers with special boxing workouts. Both sides benefit. His patients train their muscles, improve their motor skills, and are amazed – as described at the beginning – at their physio’s passion for MMA and the patience they always show. And he himself sees time and again: “There is a fighter in every person!” This Saturday, Pöschl is letting his fighter out again at the Innferno Fighting Championship 8 in Congress Innsbruck (after-party in Club B1). A second triumph in his third professional fight against Hungarian Dominik Vetek would be nice. “Our styles are similar. I choose my opponents carefully. Much more important to me than a win at any price is offering the spectators an interesting fight!”Full program for PLUS subscribersThe “Innferno” fight card promises an exciting, action-packed event! In addition to Pöschl, many other local aces such as Hannes Auderer, Mathias Prehofer and Ayub Gaziev are taking part. The latter will fight the main fight against ex-UFC man Jessin Ayari (D).If you can’t or don’t want to be there live, just check out krone.at on Sunday. All PLUS subscribers (here are our offers) can watch all the fights of the spectacle on stream there!
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