Each month we like to do a short Q&A with our members and find out a little bit more about them – on and off the mats.
This month we’re kicking things off with Will.
Will joined Fightcross Albion in early 2020 after hearing about it from a friend. At the time he was looking to try a new sport that would challenge him, and he soon became a regular at the BJJ and wrestling classes where he particularly enjoyed the strategic and problem-solving aspect of grappling.
After recently becoming a dad for the first time, we thought this would be a great chance to sit down and chat with him about how life has changed on and off that mats since his daughter Zoe was born.
Read on to find out how life has changed for Will since becoming a father.
So Will, I’ve noticed that despite all the ups and downs of 2020 you’ve still managed to stay consistent with your training. What would you say drives you to head to the gym every day?
Wanting to succeed and become a better version of myself. There are people in the gym that I roll with and feel like it’s my first day all over again. I have a great drive to catch up to them and be on the same level. Every day I’m not training is another day I move further away from that goal.
That’s interesting that you mention wanting to succeed and become a better version of yourself. What was one of the most difficult obstacles you’ve overcome in your training so far and how did that set you up later for success?
My fitness and flexibility was the biggest obstacle. When I started training I was 20kg+ heavier and had no cardio, alongside that I had awful flexibility which led to me hurting myself more often. Frequent stretching at home and turning up to class most days if not every day helped drop the weight and put me in a position where I can train harder than ever before without such frequent injuries. Plenty of room still for improvement in both areas.
Well, the weight loss alone is super impressive! With all the progress you’ve made so far I’m sure you’ve got some ideas that would be helpful for those that are considering training but haven’t quite made the leap yet. If someone brand new walked into the gym today and asked you for one piece of advice, what would you say to them?
Just be consistent with your training and have some grit. Don’t expect to start dominating people in rolls straight away, but learn from your mistakes and keep at it.
Awesome, I’m sure anyone that’s thinking about training or that has just started will appreciate your advice. Another interesting thing I’d like to talk about is you becoming a father for the first time recently. I’ve been curious to find out how this has impacted your training?
The arrival of my daughter hasn’t impacted my training heavily as I have a wonderful supporting wife who encourages me to continue training as much as I can (she probably remembers fat Will and is happy to avoid that again).
That’s great to hear. There must be some changes to your schedule though since your daughter was born. What does your daily routine look like these days? How are you balancing training with work and family life?
I usually start the day by getting up early to spend some quality time with my daughter in the morning before I start work. Thankfully I’m currently working full-time from home so I’m able to spend more time than many with my family. After work, I’ll usually go straight to the gym where I’ll train from 5:00 – 7:30pm.
Would you want Zoe to start training when she’s older? How important do you think it is for kids to learn martial arts?
I’d love to get Zoe into training! I’ve seen Ethan run several kids classes and they look fantastic. I think every dad should be supportive of their kid learning how to take care of themselves and on top of that it’s great fitness and discipline.
What are your goals for the rest of 2021 (in and out of the gym)?
Inside the gym I’m looking to improve my Judo specifically while improving all-round, potentially moving my work hours slightly to get back into the morning classes if possible. I also plan to compete in each Lockdown that I can and improve my competitive grappling.
Outside of the gym, I’d love international travel to open again so I can take Zoe to Austria to meet her grandparents for the first time.
That sounds fantastic. Well, best of luck with everything Will and we’ll see you around the gym.
Thanks for that, see you on the mats!
Check back again each month as we continue interviewing more of the Fightrcross Team.
