Freddie Roach; Teddy Atlas; any other with clout in the boxing fraternity, can be pictured.
They are studied.
Studied for hours, daily.
With his eyes glued to the screen, Matthew Ryan develops his approach to coaching.
“I’m constantly researching; always looking for new methods and exercises for training.”
A student of the game.
As a trainer he has coached boxers for amateur association competitions, professional boxing bouts and recently corporate boxing events. He currently trains MMA fighters, namely those from Fightcross Bowen Hills, as a ‘striking coach’ for both amateur and professional matches.
Nowadays, Matt is pre-occupied with ‘the sweet science’, but his martial arts journey hasn’t been exclusively boxing.
From a young age, Matt trained in Kyokushin karate. Idolising the likes of Bruce Lee, he became very interested in Asian culture. His love for martial arts compelled him to explore other parts of oriental life,
“Through training Kyokushin karate I was introduced to the Japanese language. I was intrigued with Kanji characters along with other bits of Asian culture.”
In High School, Matt began to learn Chinese which would subsequently lead to him studying overseas.
Undertaking language studies, Matt attended university in Taipei, Taiwan for a couple of years while also continuing to train in martial arts. He speaks of being the anomaly during this period,
“There weren’t any Westerners in the schools I trained in; neither teachers nor students spoke English.”
Amazing them with his knowledge of Chinese language, it wasn’t long before he was treated just like any other “local Chinese bloke”.
Matt says that whilst his martial arts experiences prior to training in Taiwan weren’t necessarily ‘soft’, these gyms exposed the coarseness of the game.
“There were no mouth guards. It was raw. It was brutal.”
“It made me conscious of the reality of combat.”
From Taipei to Bowen Hills, Matt’s perspective has continued to evolve over the decades he has been involved in martial arts. Through all he has learnt, he emphasises that basics are the core ingredient of success.
“A good jab, a good cross, they’re winners. You can duck and weave and bob, you can throw this and that, but there isn’t anything more important than an effective jab and cross.”
Boxing is an art form and this expression of the body and the mind has Matt committed to improving his understanding of the sport. But that isn’t the sole motivation for him to coach.
“I love seeing the drive from people during class. I really enjoy when I can conduct a class that is fun and challenging and is received with enthusiasm by the students.”
“Passion breeds passion.”
A good jab, a good cross, a sweat, and a smile. The staples of any Matthew Ryan boxing class.
