Sixteen and fifteen years old, these two young men have been moulded from the mats of Riddlers Gym. Both began their journey in Muaythai when Riddlers was in a 250sqm gym. At the age of seven, Max’s mum introduced him to Muaythai and he hás made it a priority in his life ever since. “I believe because I fell into the habit of coming to training regularly since that young age I have learned to work around my other priorities so I have time do do the things I love”. Max.
Luke was apprehensive in his first lesson, “Mum had to drag me onto the mats…” but left the class hooked as well. They have been training alongside one another for seven years now and have progressed all the way through to our fight and kids instructors team.
We asked the two fighters a few questions about their time at Riddlers Gym and here’s what they had to say…
WHY IS MUAYTHAI IMPORTANT TO YOU?
“Muaythai keeps me physically fit and healthy, it keeps me out of trouble and out of boredom, having something to do and something to push yourself with is very important to me. Most importantly Muaythai keeps me mentally healthy and happy”. Max
“Muaythai gives me something that helps me develop and grow as a person. It can be an outlet for my anger, mood booster when I’m sad, it’s a passion that I wouldn’t trade for anything”. Luke
HOW DO YOU FIT IN SCHOOL, TRAINING MUAY THAI AND NOW INSTRUCTING THE JUNIOR TEAM AT RIDDLERS GYM?
“I had to do lots of adjustments and organising to make it from school to the gym to instruct and then train a couple hours later. I am now falling into habit and finding alternative ways to study and keep up with school work”. Max
“I manage to fit in everything on my plate by planning each thing I do, for example I’ll do my study in the morning when I wake up, go instruct straight after school and then do my own training after that”. Luke
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS GOING FORWARD?
My ultimate goal as a fighter is to fight for a world championship title, I want to see how far I can get with Muay Thai and continue to grow and learn. My short term goals include improving my use of range and learning to use my offensive tactics usefully, as well as improving my overall strength and fitness. As a instructor I would love to become a full time coach and pass on the experience I have to other people”. Max
“Quite simply, I’d like to continue my fighting career and become the best fighter I can be, keep bettering my teaching abilities and to embrace each new experience life has to offer. Pretty much be the best me I can be”. Luke
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY AT THE GYM?
My favourite memory at the gym would have to be the Christmas party a few years ago. The whole night there was sparring up in the ring with everybody watching, having a laugh and enjoying the barbecue, there was blindfolded sparring and tag teams happening and everybody in the gym was smiling and laughing. A very happy memory for me”. Max
The day Daz invited me to fighters back at the start of 2019. That was a big moment for me as I had made such massive lifestyle changes to make me ready for the big commitment fight training is”. Luke
Finding something in life that gives you passion to succeed, drive to develop and discipline to cultivate and pursue your goals does not come easy to most. These young men were able to find that specific thing in their life and have individually pursued it to become the athletes they are today, as well as two of our prominent junior fighters. “Being able to come to the gym every day and have everybody ask how I am and be so kind to me is truly amazing, then to be able to train with and learn from those people, learning not only Muay Thai but life lessons and experiences through my peers has made Muay Thai invaluable to me”. Max Max and Luke both share a unique story of two team mates who have developed together from a young age. They have moslty recently claimed wins on Domination Development Day which also secured Max a State Title shot in February of 2021.
“I love Muaythai and have become completely addicted to the sport, the people and the environment created at the gym. I think everybody can learn something from Muaythai and have fun doing it, especially at Riddlers Gym!” Luke
Watching these two grow from children into young men has been something that we as a gym are extremely proud of. As well as fantastic parenting from both sides, we know that Muaythai has built foundations in discipline, drive and creating time in their lives to live our their passion. These lessons can be transferred to any part of life forever.
We are so proud of the young, respectful men you have become.