The perfect of training techniques before big game (article quoted from Kunu Thongpaphumi)

Step 1 : Priming the Fish

HOW TO PRIME YOUR FIGHTER:
The purposes of CONDITIONING your fishes are as follow:

1. The first rule is making sure that both male and female parents come from the best bloodlines. The good fighter always conveys good shape, bright color and smart etc. Select the best qualified fighter ones from the pond when they are about 8-9 months old or when you first got them from your vendor.

2. The fry that grow in a community tank or a pond have softer skin and their scales are not smooth or slippery enough to tolerate hard biting from a sharp teeth opponent. They need to be kept individually in a 1- 2 gallons container (a jar, glass tank, bottle or earth pot) for priming at least ~ 2 weeks or more, this method is strongly recommended by Kunu. Transfer the fish into an earth pot approx. 14 inches tall and 8 inches wide or bigger size is preferable, filled with clean and aged water with de-chlorinated as already prepared. Put one dry Indian almond leaf (2”x 4” inches in size.) in the water. The leaf will cleaned, harden and coat the skin and scales.
*Leave it for at least 1-2 days or up to 3 days, while the water gradually changes into brown color. In Thai we call it “Mug Pla” or “Priming the Fish”.

On the 1st thru 14th day or more
Materials:
– Cleaned dry Indian almond leafs or dry banana leaf conditions in, ifany.
– A bit of earth clay around your thumb size in, if any.
– Salt 1/2 tea spoon per 1 gallon of water.
– Tetra Cy-cream (T.C.), Medicine for Anti- Inflammation; 1 capsule /3 gallons of water.
– Small floating plant.

1) Feed the fighters with 7-8 mosquito larvae or other type of live frozen foods (Such as red worms, if available) once a day or 2 days, no more no less, keep observe your fighters , he not too fat or too skin and he should be fed at a certain time of the day. Keep him in the dark and quiet place. Put one or more small floating plant and earth clay (thumb size) in as fish bed.

2) Take out water for 50% and retaining new fresh water with de-chlorinated for every week or less. Observe him, you will find your fighters at prime condition. He will have look perfect such as bright colors, dark head, very strong, smart and very handsome, with full fins and they are making a lot of their own bubbles.

 

Remarked:

1! Be careful not to place the bottle in the direct sun light inside shade is preferable and avoid over heating or too low temperature. Photo 2: Prime in clay pots

2! Always check your fighters, which ones of them are looking in good heath, darkness (more black) of scale and bright colors, the flare fighters must build a lot of bubbles spawn during this prime period. Then you can take them into next step 2 after 2 week already past. If it any not ready yet, please leave them like that in clay pot and wait for another week by repeat on item 2).

3! Why take him alone as long as for 14 days or more in prime tank, the reason to get him alone and let him away from theirs family, That might cause from many reason to make fighter not going to take real bite or run away during fighting. Thai peoples said that fighter never forgot to living in family.

 

Step 2 : Materials Preparation & Understanding Basic Techniques

HOW TO TRAIN AND CONDITION YOUR FIGHTER BETTAS:

The purposes of CONDITIONING your fish are as follow:
1. For good health. He will develop good shape, color.
2. Keeping the fighter alert, lively and flare.
3. Be Prepare the fighter for fighting.
4. To preserve and improve the bloodline and quality of this fighting strain.

Be prepared and understanding on training method:
There are 6 courses of exercise each one has its own purpose:
C-01: Chasing the minor fish to develop prey and fighting. (Yawk Pla)
C-02: Sexual enticement to stimulate the urge to mate, thus displaying his male dominance and
protective drive. (Parn Pla).
C-03: Water swirling to increase his strength and hardiness. (Won Pla)
C-04: Scoop (Krabuey) dipping to socialize the fish with water movement.
C-05: Keep maintain your fighters on flare
C-06: Be survival (The smack)

C-01: Chasing the minor fish to develop prey and fighting drive. (Yawk Pla)
Transfer the fish that has been kept in the earth pot (after priming) into a square glass tank with about 1 liter of water. Leave the fish alone for 3 days. On the fourth day, shift the fish into the 25 liters (5-7 gallon) glass tank. Put 3-5 small females and some weeds for the female Bettas to hide into the glass tank (up to the tank size).
On the first day of encounter, the male Betta may not be so active in chasing the females. But, by the second day, you will see the male actively chasing the females. Allow the male to chase the females for no more than half an hour a day. Do it for approximately 5-7 days. Your fish will slowly develop self confidence and get plenty of exercise by chasing the females. You should be able to observe by the third day that the male will be chasing the females at a faster speed and more forcefully. Your fish is ready to fight.
See also this training video for C-1: here

C-02: Sexual enticement; (1:1 making male experiences)
To stimulate the urge to mate, displaying male dominance and protective drive (Parn Pla) The purpose is to stimulate his male dominance and build up his confidence to create protective and aggressive drive of the fish. You can see the most beautiful stage of your betta in this course of exercise. Put an adult female ready for mating (full of eggs; stomach slightly yellow color) in another jar or smaller tank. (Minimum 1 gallon of water) Add an underwater plant or dry Indian almond leaf for the female to hide in case the male decides to attack the female. Then put the male in. In Thai word we call “Yawk Pla” (It means “teasing”). The male will go around the tank spreading all of his fins showing off to his female.
This turn he will not attack the female but swim around showing his power and beauty. (Actually he wants to mate). This course should not be longer than 5 minutes and make sure you do not allow them to do real mating at this time. The benefit of this course for certain female is that the female which had previous problem not allowing the male to mate (may be because of fear) will reduce the anti-male behavior and be willing to mate; also her eggs will be rapidly growing in number. This is the event that you can take great photos to see the beauty and the brightness of the colors of the fish.

C-03: Water swirling; (Fry against the stream).
The purpose is to increase his strength and hardiness of your fish. Find a round basin or bowl of approx. 10 inches in radius and 12 inches tall with clean water. Put the betta in and slowly swirl the
water. Your betta will try to swim against the current. This exercise should not last longer than 5 minutes, and must be stopped immediately if your betta has no energy to swim against the current (will lag off and swim with the current). The drawback of this exercise is that the betta thinks that he is weak and loses his confidence if he can‘t keep up with the speed of the current.
Today, some betta trainers do not apply this course because of this reason. See also this training video for C-03: here

C-04: Scoop (Krabuey) dipping to socialize the fish with water movement.
This process called “Krok” aims to make the fish familiar with the dipping of the scoop when used to transfer him from jar to jar, bottle to bottle or tank to tank. First, dip the scoop into the jar and take a scoopful of water out (causing water movement and pressure) and pour the water back into the jar slowly (making noise and bubbles under the water). Keep doing this several times a day until the fish is not frightened or afraid of the sight and sound of the scoop activity. He may even come close to the scoop and start fighting it. These are the 4 main types of training & conditioning that betta enthusiast should follow regularly to keep your betta healthy, beautiful, colorful and most important of all, to develop and improve the good betta species.

C-05: Keep maintain your fighters in flare
To let them see another fighter by push back (take off) partition a little bit around 2” into backside. He will be more aggressive when see on another. This way is to keep maintain fighters in flare and
aggressive (up to available time). Just continue playing with them around 5 minutes each morning and everning time, some has to close partition between them and try to reopen again, just like you see from this training Video. See this training video: here

*** Caution of using this method, you have to be sure and more carefully on your fighters, he doesn’t hit his bottle tank. cause that might be chance for his mouth damage already.To let them see another fighter by push back partition a little bit around 2” into backside. He will more aggressive when he see another fighter. This way is to keep maintain fighters in flare and aggressive.

 

C-06: Be survival; (Get your fish to do smack hit)
This training purpose is for create super strong neck and tail muscle also builds up movement power when attacking bites. so if you get successful with this training you will got your fighters never stop fighting until last second and his power shown every time bite his foe. Used circle plastic bowl or Styro-foam box or liqueur bottle (round shape). Surface of bowl must be smooth. Add about 0.3-0.5 cm height water, then put your fighter into survival tank. Immediately he will smack himself and try to find deep water around the jars. This training started about 10 minutes until 20 minutes. Image 1 : Be survival technique, simulate him in Liqueur Bottle In next day you can improve the training from 30 minute up to 1 hour. Many of betta’s trainer believed to do smack is all in one package training them like a shortcut way to bring up to the top performance of your bettas. But if your bettas no match in arena after your treat them with smack, they will need long stay rest in earth pot around 1-2 weeks to recovery and keep them still to be good fighters.
See also this training video: here

 

Step 3: Be ready your fighters on train with day per day

The perfect starting day must be set on Thursday for next after week on game at Saturday or Sunday approx. use
around 7-10 days
The purposes of TRAINING your fighters are as follow:
1. You have to transfer those fighters for 2-3 sets from tanks D as usual living into tank A. Each set should be around 3-5 fighters, on periodically passed already 2 weeks in prime.
2. Select fighter only fine healthy ones and flare looking. Carefully check theirs balance on each such as body characters, big mouth, perfect skin, full of teeth, grill.

Remarked

1! Why do we let you to pick them up for 2-3 sets (1 set = 3-5 fighters)? Because, nobody ever knew when an appoint time is come to you, be sure all of each batch will not be down looking at the same time in ring. If any batch set will not in hi peak, surely you can take on another batch set to the game.

2! To do know which one of them can be qualify for your game, you must talk to all of your fighters one by one and they going to talk back to you too. That sound like crazy but if you think you can do it you have to do. Then you will learn many of them by this way. Kunu is strongly recommended to everyone who would love to success to be such plakat’s master.

Day 1: on Thursday
9:00 AM. In tank, do step C-05 ~ 5 minutes.
2:30 PM. Feed time
3:00 PM. Put them into new tank, do step C-05 for 15 minutes, to let them swoop around tank.
….Take them on rest

Day 2 & 3: on Friday & Saturday
9:00 AM. Do C-05 for 5 minutes then let do step C-02 in tank C for 10 Minutes
2:30 PM. Feed time
3:00 PM. Transfer them into new tank, do step C-05 for 30 minutes, to let them swoop around tank.
….Take them on rest

Day 4: on Sunday
2:30 PM. Feed time
3:00 PM. Take fighters one by one into new tank by use scoop #2, Get tempt male fighters between each tank for the positioning, then do following step C-03 and slowly swirl form 5-6 rounds at first
time until fighter can understand how to fry against the water then continue to do each 10 round per time then observe him and always check their behaviors and see how each one really needed to fry against the water or not? Do until completely 30 times of each tanks clockwise or anti-clockwise and take him a rest for 3-4 minutes, continue to do another swirling on the opposite way for 30 times, then completely stop swirl water and let them take a rest until they are getting back in fine condition (no tired ~3-5 minutes), take them into new tank, continue to do step C-01 with 4-5 females for 30 minutes, then get them back into tank.
….Take them on rest

Remarked:
1! Any male of fighting fishes can use for tempt male, but not for fight ones.
2! Which one of them did not want to fry against during swirling water that you may have to reconsider to get him out from team, you may select another qualified fighter instead.

Day 5 – 7: on Monday thru Wednesday
2:30 PM. Feed time
3:00 PM. Do repeat same on Sunday but reconsider to increase swirling from 30 times of each day by day up to 60 times (Max.) and up to each fish size, big one can be 60 times and smaller ones can be around 40-50 times. Renew all water in tank A before get them back into tank A (use water as provided in stock)
….Take them on rest

Day 8: on Thursday
9:00 AM. Transfer them into new tank, do step C-05 for ~10-15 minutes, then let do step C-02 in tank C, for ~5 Minutes transfer them back to tank.
2:30 PM. Feed time
3:00 PM. Repeat step same in the morning.
….Take them on rest

Day 9: on Friday
9:00 AM. Transfer them into new tank, do step C-02, you have to carefully check which one of them can suddenly fast hit on those females you have to mark on his own tank, let you to knew which one of them are perfected fighters already. Then get him back in tank. You shall take only marked ones * on the show. This is a reason, why we let you to pick them up for 2-3 sets, and check only qualified fighters.
….Take qualified fighters as marked for rest,
Please remember do not play with them again until next day.
2:30 PM. Feed them only half from usual
3:00 PM. Take them another chance by transfer only unmarked ones into new tank, do repeat step C-05 for ~ 10-15 Minutes, then transfer unmarked ones into another tank, do continue on step C-02
….Take them on rest, do not playing with them again.

Day 10: Saturday or Sunday (in the morning time at show day)
At tank A, take only marked ones to do step C-05 for 1-2 minutes then do step C-01 by get 1-2 females drop in his own living in tank. re-check again on each, to let him take only one bite on a female which drop in. Then immediately take him out into small tank which you already prepared to game at arena.

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Notes:

  1. On those fighters which haven’t been selected, you have to get them another chance on next week, whenever they are ready for it or not at this time.
  2. If anyone went to the show but do not have a chance to play on game, when just take him back you must better transfer him into earth clay pots for his living conditions for 3 days. If you do have another chance for your game next week, you just pick him up again into tank A at next Wednesday and do repeat steps same as day 7, 8 & 9
  3. Use only light colors partition BTW each tank. But white color is preferable.
  4. You have to take them a rest at least 1 Hr. before game when arrive to arena.
  5. Use only white cotton to cover the fish tank, while carry them to arena and do not open until arrived there.
  6. Renew water for every 7 days. Except only own Tank, it must better to renew water for every 4 days.
  7. The female set, those are used for step C-02 must live separated in theirs own tank (1:1).
  8. The female set, those are used for step C-01 must been taking them good care for healthy by renew water and drop medicine for Anti- Inflammation everyday. Reset them all when you got new fighters on another training set.