Most days I’m at the gym by 5.45am rain, hail or shine and most nights I’m at the gym for a few hours after close. My average day is somewhere around 16 hrs. I get asked all the time, “so why do you do it?” and my response is always the same; I love helping people achieve their goals.
To see someone walk into the gym with no skills or fitness and then 12-18 months later see them step into the cage for the first time is just an amazing journey to be part of. To be there in the moment, as an everyday person undergoes this transformation into someone new in their own head is an honour.
I’m not sure now many sets of hands I’ve wrapped for kickboxing & boxing fights now but I’m sure its in the thousands. This is always one of my favorite moments; it’s a very special personal moment between a coach and a fighter. They open up and talk about their lives and what has brought them here to this moment, what obstacles they have over come to get there. Why they want to fight and what they want out of the experience.
I’ve seen big tough guys crying out the back and small little ladies just wanting to get out there and get the job done, and every time it is truly amazing to experience the emotional connection of coach and fighter; something most people will never understand. When my fighter steps in there so does a part of me.
It can be hard as a coach watching a fight; you see and feel the whole thing, you want to slip that punch for your fighter you want to throw the combination for them; its right there! And yet you can’t, you have to trust that you have trained them well enough and that they have the same trust in you.
Win, lose or draw I know that you will never be the same once you have stepped into the cage, faced your fears and met your doubts head on. This is one of the greatest experiences of your life and as a coach I’m so lucky to be there for my team to help them step out of their comfort zone.
I’ve been training people for about 36 years now but I know I’m a student for life and I’m learning from my team every day. I’ve trained 1000’s of people and wouldn’t change the experiences I’ve had first as a fighter and then as a coach for anything.
If you’ve ever wanted to find out who you are in the ring, cage or on the mat find one of our gyms near you now.
