Hi. It’s good to catch up with you all once again.. as always I’ve been pretty busy but want to try to find a little more time to write than I have of late. Writing as well as training can be therapeutic and it’s nice to let the creative juices flow. My dad is a writer as well as a former stage actor and a teacher so it absolutely runs in the family.

When you find your natural bias it’s important not to let it fall to the wayside. You might find it easy to pick up again but I guess if you want to get good at anything you just have to keep doing it. Speaking of dad it was his 90th birthday this weekend, having lived through and resisted apartheid, he started a new life here met mum and of course the rest is history. His life experiences and journey are something worth writing a book about. He’s my hero and on my best day I wish I could be more like him.

But that’s me, I often draw inspiration from those closest to me and when it comes to training its pretty much the same. I’ve never had an issue with looking at those who have made it to the top of their game or become legendary fighters such as Muhammad Ali as inspirational people but as this is my journey I want to be the best I can be. I don’t want to be like them.

The attitude, mindset and achievements of world class athletes is certainly something to aspire towards but there’s a big difference between aspirations and putting people on pedestals. Something I strongly disagree with, and not wanting to be like them doesn’t mean I can’t learn from them and much closer to home learn from people I train with every day.

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Those people who find it hard and who struggle, and those people I see get consistently better even though it doesn’t come easy to them are the biggest inspiration for me. They are the ones who will be in it for life because right at the beginning they gave their all. That’s relatable.

Of course, martial arts isn’t all about inner journeys and battles against the odds it’s fun as well, and if you don’t find it fun then it’s worth considering doing something that is. Who knows, maybe your art will grow on you. You just have to stick with it and give it time. If you do you are also my hero. Just do me a favour and remember to take it home with you. It’s yours to keep forever.

When it comes to taking Muay Thai home with me I’m still shadow boxing. running and keeping myself as sharp as I can before the gyms reopen once again. At the moment it looks like Lockdown 2 is finishing here at the beginning of December so being the eternal optimist that I am when it comes to all things martial, I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with the heavy bag between then and the Christmas break. Whilst the rest of the world burns and society collapses “I go back inside and I tighten my own game”. (Ok maybe that’s a bit melodramatic.)

2020 has been a tough year for all of us but it’s good to see so much positivity about keeping training up at home and staying focused. If you are wondering what you can do to bridge the gap between now and the gyms reopening it’s worth looking out for online or home training sessions some of which you’ll find, have actually been out there for a while. You can always find motivation when you need it the most and its always worth practicing what you know already because tools need to be kept sharp! I guess for now that’s about all she wrote so in the meantime train hard stay focused, stay motivated and just like the time before.. I’ll see you on that road.

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