At this stage I have been training in Muay Thai (in some form or another) since I was 19 - thirteen years. I was first introduced to it by my brother who was going through a crappy time (no fault of his own) and needed an outlet. I tagged along not expecting much. Our trainer was Morad, an ex French Foreign legion trainer who was a bit of a legend in the eastern suburbs. In fact if you've ever had a night out at The Sheaf or locations nearby you've probably met him. I can still hear his very strong French accent, 'kick, not English style'. He was awesome. Taught me all the fundamentals. I was a pretty trim 19 year old but my brother had ballooned out since school and was tipping the scales at 110. He dropped down to 80 over the next few years with Morad's help. The benefits of Muay Thai training! There were other benefits too: increased cardio endurance, increased muscle, increased confidence not to mention learning a new skill that none of my mates had.
Fast forward thirteen years and I finally got to put all those skills to the test in front of my friends and family. I got to demonstrate the spoils of all the hard hours I spent in the gym kneeing bags, hitting pads and performing countless hours of sit ups. All the time spent peeling skin off my feet (gross) or washing wraps and singlets that were drenched in sweat (I stopped bothering with singlets after a while). It was a proud moment for me and hopefully one of many awesome experiences I will have in the Muay Thai Arena! I make sure I teach what i know about Muay Thai (there is plenty I don't know and I love still learning) to my clients. I can't think of one who has escaped putting on the gloves for me. It's something I love and I want to share it with everyone I meet. As a sport and a lifestyle it has saved me from hard times and helped make me the happy person I am today :)
