Five Tips for Aspiring Fighters

As most of you know I started out in Muay Thai first so the majority of references here are from that era. I’ve listed five things I do differently now but wouldn’t change if I went back as I believe they were all important in helping me develop into the fighter and person I am today. Just prepare for the phrase ‘these days’ to crop up a lot! Check it out:

1. 6am Running.

I hardly run these days let alone at 6am. Since moving over to MMA I do hill or treadmill sprints but I do zero road/long distance running. Back then I did it because I had to, my coach was a big advocate of running before a lot of training sessions and we'd have to do one of two routes:

Route One was 'The Roundabout' for those familiar with Darlington it involved running from the cross roads of Woodlands Rd/Portland Place to the roundabout that meets Cockerton/Carmel Rd then back again.

Route Two was 'Abbey Road', we’d run to the said roundabout but continue left onto Carmel Rd, left onto Abbey Rd, past the college, through town and back to the gym.

I hated both, well I hated ALL running for two reasons: it hurt and I was always last. Nothing built up that lactic acid in my legs and the burn in my lungs like running and eventually it really started to knack my joints too, I started getting issues with my hips but looking back that could have been an accumulation of all of the training. Some days I’d set my alarm to be out running the streets for 6am purely because I didn’t want to do it, I don’t actually think it had any other benefit (I didn’t need to lose weight and I was fairly fit) but it was the mental game it built for me.

So like I said, I don't run now however if I were starting out I'd still do it or something equally as disgusting...I hated it so much I wished a car would run me over so I didn't have to do it anymore (how ridiculous) but doing something you don't want to do, being that uncomfortable and battling with your mind over stopping the entire time is something I believe we all need to go through.

2. Training 6 Days per Week.

When I trained in Thai Boxing I would train every evening Mon-Fri then Sat morning, sometimes twice a day if I was off college/work. My mum spent a lot of time in Thailand so throughout the week it was up to me to make sure my dad had his evening meal on the table for when he returned home from work (thankfully I didn't actually have to cook these, my mum would prep a bunch of Thai meals for him before she left, I just had to reheat then make him a cuppa ha!). After this I'd sprint to the bus stop, get the bus, then sprint to the gym from town...that was usually my warm up! Then we sparred every Saturday morning. This routine, the discipline and consistency was important early on because it just became my new life...that I loved! These days I have two days a week off from training and have found that now works better for me but starting out...just get those sessions in, they don't have to be hours long (I was literally doing one class per night) but I showed up every single time and gave it 110% every single time. I also only spar when I have a fight locked in just to ease up on head trauma.

3. Competitiveness

Again I'm referring to my Thai Boxing days as that's where I started but I was super competitive with my training partners. I don't mean during sparring as much but during circuits, bag work and running (even though I would never win I kept trying). We did a lot of circuits so I would put my game face on, get that shit done as best I could and aim to finish first. With bag work I would be making sure I hit the bag harder and faster than anyone else around me (it wasn't even possible as there was some hard hitting dudes in the gym but that didn't matter to me I still tried to put a hole in the bag every time I hit it). However now...I have no desire to be quicker than someone doing burpees haha! But that competitiveness builds the desire to be the best, entering a ring/cage, you've gotta go in there wanting to be the best. I can still be competitive during training however it's probably a littler more light hearted and as cliche as it sounds I compete more with myself, making sure I’m having little improvements from session to session.

4. Proving I'm Tough and Training with Every Tom, Dick and Harry

I was 50-52kg up until about 4 years ago now I sit between 54-56kg. I would train and spar with EVERYONE. Regardless of size/ability, I remember Thai Boxing sparring one Saturday morning and a dude about 85kg dropped me with a body kick, he didn't intentionally hit me hard it’s just he was that much heavier and timed it nicely. When I first started BJJ, I rolled with everyone, got absolutely squished by heavy guys and never turned a round down. It was disgusting and demoralising but I think it's important to train with as many body types and styles as possible as it's all information gathering. It's learning and problem solving...some more painful than others! Now though, I'm more particular about who I train with, especially if I have a fight coming up. I will still roll with big dudes...if they aren't super clumsy as I just don't want to pick up any more injuries on top of the niggles I already have. Striking though...It's a no, no for heavier people. I've racked up a tonne of strikes to my head over the years, I know I can take a dig and I'm done proving that I'm tough, I'm trying to save my brain from any unnecessary damage these days!

5. Time Off.

This kinda falls into the training 6 days a week category but after a fight I would be back in the gym on the Monday training hard again. On one hand this is great because sometimes the longer you have off, the harder it can be to get back into the swing of things. However I'd say have a couple days off but still return just at a lower intensity, learn new skills, play around with techniques you're not as familiar with, try out things you wouldn't usually, help out anyone who helped you prepare and just stay in the routine of showing up. I still do this nowadays, I'll be back in the gym helping the others guys, putting the Gi on and playing around with techniques BUT sometimes I do have a week off and it's like a little reset for me. After spending so many years training, I'm finally OK with stepping away for a short while knowing that the world won't end and I won't have lost ALL my skills after a few days!

Some snaps from my earlier days!

So there you have it, some advice from older/more mature Lanch to any of you guys getting started on your Martial Arts journey especially if you're looking to compete. There were days and sometimes still are where I HATED training and hated my coaches too, but I had/have great coaches and trust them 100%. I know every honest truth bomb they dropped on me, every frickin mile they made me run, every criticism I took was/is all to make me the person and fighter I am today.

Thank you Paul Hamilton for all of my Thai Boxing days, Wil for MMA and every coach I have met along the road who had an input on my journey. If I gave you the death stare, tears and muttered insults under my breath...I'm not every sorry haha it was intentional at the time however I am grateful and thankful for everything.

Last piece of advice...find a coach who wants what is best for you.

Got any questions guys just comment below or drop me a message I'll try to help if I can!

Much love,

Mean Green.

My Final Muay Thai Fights

I had just had an amazing experience at Master Toddy’s gym in Thailand, I returned home and got back to training with Paul. I had no fights lined up but then one came up on 10 days notice against Iman Barlow (she needs no introduction in the Muay Thai world!). Iman had a vast amount of experience on me, I was only 10 fights in to my fighting career but I was more than happy to take that fight.

It was in London at the o2 arena which was another cool show. I had Paul and Michael in my corner for this bout and I had to do the Ram Muay on this occasion which I wasn't pleased about but never the less I got it done and the bout got started.

The first round was pretty good! I held my own, landed some strikes but I realised after, Iman was just starting to warm up ha! Round 2, she started picking me off a bit more then Round 3 she landed a beauty head kick which ended the fight. Her shin landed across my head and even though my eyes were still open and I knew what had just happened (kinda). my legs weren't partaking as they just gave way and I slowly crumpled into my corner where Paul waved the fight off.

It was a learning curve and again one I'm glad I got to experience. After this I fought a few months later and lost that fight on points. I'd had 4 fights in the space of 6 months so I decided to have a little time off from competing after that last fight, I still continued to train 6 days a week but just enjoyed the process with no added pressure of competing.

A year later I went back to competition and guess what...lost again!! Three loses on the trot it was quite disheartening, it's never nice to loose but it happens I just had to keep training and improving.

So that I did. I got matched a couple months later to headline an all female show run by Tricia McKeary against a solid opponent at 50kg. So I went down a weight category and took on at the time the current No.2 ranked female fighter Michelle Clayton. I remember we were all given the same room to warm up in so we went and found some other function room to warm up and hit some pads. I was nervous as hell, my legs felt like jelly but before I knew it, it was my time to shine.

We were just about to walk out when my opponent remembered she still had her contacts in so we waited about a little longer until she was ready. Paul said she wasn't ready for this fight and that I was going to beat her. Going into the fight she was known for her boxing and I was worried I was going to get knocked out so I told myself to keep my hands up at all times! She also had 'Destruct' and 'Destroy' wrote on her shorts and had brought a coach load of people to cheer her on. I had brought Wil haha!

It was a great fight, she was stood quite heavy on her lead leg and slightly side on (boxer-ish stance) which opened up low kicks nicely, which I would then follow up with my left body/high kick as that was my fave but it was also working well. Paul continued to yell instructions and I just remember being utterly focused and in the moment throughout. Everything I had drilled, worked on, trained for up until that moment had come together and there was a shift in my mindset and confidence. I'm not sure what caused it but I'll include a clip below with some highlights from the fight and Paul says in between rounds 'It's about time I got you fighting properly'...FINALLY! Ha!

It was a great fight and I was on a high the whole way home. My birthday was a few days before the fight so I’m glad I got a win as I had a holiday booked to Spain with a couple nights in Ibiza with my bestie Sarah-Jane so the next day I was sunning it up with a cocktail.

I was due to fight another top opponent later that year which I was really, really looking forward to but it fell through so I just continued to train as normal until the tides turned and I took an MMA fight!

So I had been dating Wil for 6 years by this point and he was an active MMA fighter, I had done little bits with him in his classes and started BJJ but I was always worried if I got injured it would effect my Thai Boxing so I flitted in and out. I was learning more about MMA and knew eventually I wanted to go down that path but I was more than happy with where my current journey was going, however just before Christmas that year Dale Percival (MADE4THECAGE) had put a post up that he was looking for a Pro Fighter at 52kg to fight Michelle Nicolini (then 7x World BJJ Champ) and I just knew I wanted that fight. It’s probably crazy looking back but we all have a little crazy in us to do what we do I reckon ha! Anyway I called Wil, who eagerly awaited what I had to say as he had seen the post but didn’t want to influence my decision, I said ‘I want that fight’ and that was that. I started my MMA career.

I sometimes wonder how far I would have gone in Muay Thai if I had stuck to that path but I don’t regret my decision that day. I could have always gone back to Muay Thai after the Nicolini fight but I was happy and hooked on MMA so that became my new path.

I’ve already wrote a blog post about that fight which you can read ‘here’.

If you’d like to here about how my MMA journey unfolded let me know and I’ll continue the blogs, hope you’ve enjoyed reading them so far and thank you!

Much Love,

Lanch x

Shout out to my sponsors:

Samantha Leighton at Fit2Kinect

Mindsport Consulting

Functional Self (use code GREEN5)

CBD Life UK (use code GREEN15)

Tan ‘n’ Tastic in Howdon

Travels, Toddy's, Trainer Gae & A Title Win

Coming off a great win, my next fight was fairly soon after. I was headed back up to Scotland to face a really strong, young opponent who was smashing it at the time...and still is, Amy Pirnie has gone on to become 3X World Champ. I was feeling fairly confident on the journey up. It was just me, Paul, Wil and a Thai trainer who Paul had over at the gym called Gae, he's world famous now so if you're in the MuayThai world you'll know who this is and if you've ever trained with him you've most definitely been kicked off your feet a few times!

Around 2015, I was visiting my folks in Thailand so dropped in to do some training with Gae…horrendous!

Gae warmed me up for this fight and no word of a lie, it hurt more than the fight did. He bent my joints back, dug his elbows in, pushed on my stomach so hard I thought I was going to puke but I figured if I can go through that, I can get through the fight! I remember waiting to walk out and I desperately needed a wee, it was a nervous wee but never the less I needed to go but I was all gloved up. Wil had to come into the ladies toilets with me and assist...I always remember to have a 'final wee' before I get my gloves on after that night.

Well off we went and holy shit I'd never been teeped so many times in my life! I had also never kicked someone's elbows so many times with my feet. I had the most terrible performance, my distance was off, timing was off, I felt slow and just a step behind my opponent throughout the entire fight, unfortunately no amount of shouting from Paul, Wil or Gae was helping. The bell went and I knew I had lost. I hadn't done what I was supposed to do and that...that is the worst feeling after a fight. I got the whole 'you could have beaten her' speech from Paul as we got changed and made the 3 hour drive back home. Paul didn't say a word all the way home, Gae didn't speak English and Wil was asleep...it was an awfully long, silent drive home. I knew I had f*cked up but I couldn't dwell on it, just had to get back to training and move onto the next one.

I had three more fights after this in the UK which I won two and drew one. One of the victories was winning the Northern Area Title which was pretty cool. Up until that fight I still hadn't told my parents, bare in mind I'm into my 20's by this point but with the title fight coming up Paul suggested I tell my mum and dad. He said they might like to be there, I was waiting for an onslaught from my mum when I told her but she was fairly mild. Reminded me fighting wasn't for girls, that she doesn't want to see me get hit in the head (understandable) and that she won't watch it, my dad however came to watch along with my brother as always.

One fight from a show in Manchester.

Another home show, no pics from the title fight but I’ll include the video footage.

For the title fight I remember feeling the usual nerves as I was about to walk out but Wil had told me to 'fake it til I make it'...to at least act confident and you know what, despite still shaking I really enjoyed walking out to that fight, my head and hands held high as I entered the ring. Gae was still here at this point, thankfully he didn't warm me up this time but I had some brutal pad sessions with him over the time he was at the gym, I sound like I'm complaining but he did really help bring me on, he was ace. Actually except for when I thought he'd snapped my hamstring in between rounds, he did that thing where he grabs your leg and tries to push your foot up to your head (mine don't go that high) I yelped then he squeezed the water bottle into my mouth just as I was breathing in and I nearly choked on the water...fun times! Anyway, 5 rounds later I won the fight and I went to find my dad after. He didn't say a lot but I think he was really proud...and so was my mum, I only know this because my mum had her friends round (usual do) and she made me put my belt on, stand with my huge trophy and get a photo taken which they have up in their house now. So I'm pleased Paul told me to tell them.

Said photo.

I was 22 years old by now, I was in my final year of uni and an opportunity came up to travel to Bangkok, Thailand and audition for Master Toddy's reality TV show 'TUFF GIRLS'. Ring Girls came before this with Gina Carano, then there was a season of 'TUFF GIRLS' and then auditions for a second season arrived.

This was the first time I had travelled so far alone, my Thai brother Dang picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at the camp, I was apprehensive about how the next few weeks would go but it turned out to be such an AMAZING experience!

Girls had travelled from all over the world to be there, approx 14 of us in total and then one girl turned up late. She was like a fog horn, I instantly heard an English accent, walked over and said something like 'who let a Cockney in here'...that girl was called Hayleigh and she became one of my best friends from that moment onwards.

We had the best time, we trained for 3 hours each morning and evening for 3 weeks (with a little partying and a lot of M150's mixed in) then at the end of the 3 weeks we all got paired off to fight each other. I was paired up against an American girl called Carmel, I actually really liked Carmel, she was chill, down to earth, friendly girl and I was a little gutted I had to fight her but...that's what I was there for!

Hayleigh was supposed to fight a Thai chick but there was some story about her being in a car accident on the way to the venue so she didn't end up fighting. Instead of sulking she had my back every step of the way. Everyone back home had also tuned in as they live streamed it so I had so much support from there too!

What an experience with the Thai crowd!

So the winners of the fights were supposed to go onto film the rest of the show but it didn't end up happening. That sucked, but I'm still so grateful for that experience.

By this point I was in my final year at Uni and I had chosen Strength & Conditioning as a career path...oh wait so I actually had the choice of going on to do a Masters in S&C or flying out to Bangkok for these auditions as they were both in late August of 2012. I figured the auditions were happening there and then and I could always do the Masters the following year...whether that was right or wrong I don’t regret that decision. However I didn't go back to do my MA, after a year out from studying I couldn't face going back to it (the written parts at least...bloody dissertations!).

This is the year I met Barry Gibson, S&C Coach in Sunderland and coach to many combat athletes at the time. I asked if I could do my work placement there which was only meant to be 40 hours but I absolutely loved it. Barry became my mentor, coach and friend and taught me a huge, huge amount. This was another awesome part in my life.

So, only 4 Muay Thai fights left to go...I'll cover all of these in the next blog, stay tuned and as always, thanks for reading.

Much love,

Lanch x

Two Loses, My First KO and a Change of Perspective

As I left it on my last blog, I went off to study a degree in Fashion Design & Marketing. I applied for 3 Universities; Nottingham Trent, Leeds Met and Northumbria Uni and I didn't get into any of them...that maybe should have been my sign then that Fashion wasn't for me but instead of stopping to think 'Why?' , I just applied somewhere else and managed to get in at Cleveland College of Art & Design.

I had just done a full year studying Fashion, which I enjoyed. I loved drawing and designing clothes but somehow I just didn't fit it, I went every day but it was almost like I was just going through the motions because it's what I had always wanted to do growing up as a kid (be an artist, designer or a choreographer lol). At this point I'm not sure I could have loved Thai Boxing anymore, if I had to stay back at a class which meant I would miss training I'd find a way to skive off early, I wouldn't get involved with any extra curricular activities or weekend events if it meant I would miss training or travelling somewhere to watch others fight etc...again, I still hadn't realised at this point I shouldn't be doing a Fashion degree.

I was working part time at Evans Halshaw Peugeot on the reception desk each weekend and I remember complaining to the lady I worked with (Steph) about how I was dreading going back to do my second year and all she said to me was 'Well why are you going back then?'.

That was it. The penny dropped. Why was I going back? I clearly had a love for something other than Art & Design and it was there all along…Thai Boxing!

It was the 6 weeks holidays at this point, I decided to drop out of the Fashion degree but I couldn't not study. I wanted some qualifications plus I enjoy learning so I sat down and figured out how can I make a job out of Thai Boxing. There wasn't and isn't really still much money in fighting unless you're the elite of the elite and even still you can only sustain that for so long so I decided once I was good enough I would teach Thai Boxing. But I didn't have a clue how to be a teacher. Being able to train/compete is one thing, being able to pass on those skills is another so a quick google search and an application to Teesside University I enrolled onto a degree in Sport & Exercise – Coaching Science.

Well bloody hell it was hard! I had never learned about Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Psychology and all these other 'ologies...but man I loved it, I felt like it was helping me improve as a martial artist too as I was learning about how the human body works, the mind works, I learned about nutrition, S&C and so much more it was amazing.

I was buzzing, I felt like I was on the path that I belonged.

So, back to fighting. I had my first international fight against a really strong opponent in Barcelona. It was going to be my first 5 x 2 minute round fight with elbow pads on and I was fighting a little heavier at 54kg. I walked around at 53kg back then so I didn't have to worry about losing any weight on the flight over or anything! Again a whole load of us travelled from the gym and it was a great experience. They put on a fiesta and made us all feel very welcome.

Some proper young’uns here!

Come fight night, I was fairly nervous, it was inside a small sports hall and the crowd was a little hostile, it was the first time (not that I'd fought many times) but I was getting booed by the crowd as I walked out. My opponent then took ages as she salsa'ed her way to the ring and made a big show of it. We both did the Ram Muay (this was my first time doing it and I was more nervous for that than the fight ha). The bell went...then it was over within 3 rounds. I was gutted, my opponent was good and also completely overpowered me I felt like a rag doll getting tossed about no matter how hard I fought back, Paul threw the towel in and called it a night for me. I left physically unhurt and live to fight another day.

I tried. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.

Me, Richie and Paul before the fight.

So that was short and sweet, my next fight was in Bolton, back at 52kg. In the week leading up to that fight I was so run down, at Uni I had done a Vo2 Max test, a bleep test and was just full of snot. Wil did tell me not to do either of those tests and rest up for the fight but I didn't listen, I figured I'd power through and do everything.

I lost that fight too. Have you ever felt so drained that just having to stand up and get yourself a glass of water is an effort? That's how I felt going into that fight, after a great first round I felt f*cked. It's an awful feeling when someone across the ring is trying to physically hurt you and you feel like you're wading through glue. It was still a close fight mind, I dug as deep as I could but she just out pointed me with work rate. This was a frustrating loss because I knew I had the skills to beat my opponent but…

Again, sometimes you win, sometimes you learn!

Next up I was preparing for another home show and by this point I had met Chloe Roddam who had become an amazing training partner and still to this day is one of my close friends. We were both fighting on this show along with a host of other local fighters. My opponent was from Scotland this time, I was confident enough to walk out first by now but still terribly nervous. I had Paul, Richie Chaney and Marc Howey in my corner and their banter instantly made me feel at ease.

I walked out to some rave tune, everyone was cheering and I was full of smiles.

This fight didn't last very long, I had a significant reach advantage which was beneficial. Paul must have seen the winning shot because all I could hear was 'Right hand, right hand, right hand'...and boom, threw the right hand and down she went. I didn't really know what to do as that had never happened to me before but after I had gone back stage and it had sunk in, I was chuffed that I had got back to winning ways and had done it in good fashion to.

So that chapter concludes some ups, downs and career changes! Sometimes it just takes someone else's perspective to set you back on the right path.

My mum is really old school...if you hadn't guessed already, I was always told to get a good job, get a good husband and have kids. True story she once told me to leave Wil and find someone rich hahaha!! She's actually hilarious now that we get on but man I took some insults growing up, she proper had my life at times.

I feel like I rambled on more about my academic life in this blog but it was a pivotal moment for me. Remember that change is inevitable and we should welcome it. It might be scary, it might be risky but try to evolve, adapt and be as open minded as possible, I find it's better to try and fail than to never try at all. On this occasion it worked out for the better as I love my job today.

Thanks as always for reading, stay tuned for my NE Champ victory and a trip to Muay Thai capital of the world, Thailand!

Much love,

Lanch x

A Scot, An Italian & A Nervous Nellie Walk Into a Sports Hall

I didn't have much of an amateur career in Muay Thai, my first two fights I wore the protective gear but then after that they came off and I was fighting in 8oz gloves. I still only ever fought 5 x 2 minute rounds though, I didn't make it to the 3 minute rounds.

My third fight was up in Glasgow against a Scottish girl. I was so nervous (you'll hear me repeat this as I talk about each fight even today), I remember putting the fight gloves on and thinking they felt like little mittens and wondering if it was going to hurt more getting hit...turns out I ended up preferring to fight without the shin guards, head guard etc so that was a bonus.

Thai oil was applied, pre fight pads were done and I was up next to fight. I was made to wait outside the sports hall with my opponent literally stood a few feet in front of me and I couldn't stop starring at her thinking she looked hard as nails...how you can tell that from the back of someone's head I don't know but I did know the Scottish were and still are known for their gameness and they always came to fight! I wondered if she was going to brawl or be technical, I wondered if the crowd was going to be hostile and my legs started to feel really heavy. Paul stood directly in front of me so I couldn't see her any more as he probably sensed I was going overtime with the mental battle.

I was called to walk out and I got a steady clap from the crowd then my opponent came in next and the place went mental. As she stood across the ring from me she was so hard faced and I remember thinking, 'Fuck, this is it'. Likeliness is though, she was probably just as nervous as me.

The bell went...so off we went. There was a small team of people from DBMA and they all cheered for me whenever I landed a clean strike and likewise, the crowd would cheer for my opponent. I remember thinking I best do something every time I heard the crowd cheering as it must mean I was losing. There were some quieter moments during the bout and I knew at the end of those 3 x 2 minutes rounds I had done enough to win. I got the decision victory and I was so, so happy. That car journey home was a pleasant one. (Coming up later down the line is the car journey home from Glasgow in complete silence after a terrible fight).

Glasgow around 2006.

Team DBMA cheering to the right!

I had left school by this point and was studying Art & Design at Darlington College. I loved this course, although I was a bit of a rebel sometimes at school I actually really enjoyed being there, I love learning and College was even better because it honed in on all my favourite subjects.

My mum was also still unaware that I had fought in Thai Boxing, I have her Thai skin so I rarely got black eyes or bruised so I would tell my mum I was going to watch others compete...she might have known and just never told me, but it's not a conversation I’m keen to bring up ha!

My next fight took place at The Dolphin Centre in Darlington. Paul put on amazing shows here, VIP tables, a live Saxophone and Bongo Drums guy as fighters walked out, fireworks, lighting, it was all really cool. My brother had come to watch me fight and was sat ringside as well as my best friend Sarah-Jane and obviously everyone from the gym so it was a great atmosphere! I had just started dating Wil at this point too and he was also fighting on this show but in MMA...I didn't even know what MMA was at the time!

Anyway, I was fighting an Italian girl. I had plaited my own hair, designed and made my own Thai Shorts to wear and bought a new black sports top for the occasion.

The Italian girl walked out first. I was up next and I remember peeking out and thinking 'Holy shit there's a lot of people out there' so I asked Paul to walk out first. He said no, that I was the one fighting so I have to walk out first. They announced my name, played my walk out song (which was ‘Clubbed to Death from ‘The Matrix’…I was watching this on repeat with one of my besties Sarah-Jane at the time!) and off I went, head down, not making eye contact with anyone and making my way to the ring.

Nervous Nelly with Paul H and RIchie C

Despite being nervous as always, I was smiling on this occasion and feeling ready, the added cheers from everyone supporting gave me an extra boost of confidence. The bell went and we got to it, I remember being technical and aggressive (Paul's style, be first and go forwards!) but also seeing a lot of stars as the Italian chick could bang! I remember Paul shouting 'you're alright, you're alright' and it reminded me that I was, it was a good match and I won this fight on a decision victory. It was amazing to share it with my only family member that supported me, my brother who had ran up to give me a huge hug after I had gotten out of the ring and also everyone else there supporting too. Wil also went onto win his bout, by RNC and if you check out the photos you'll also see a young Pete Irving in there reffing!

For me, fighting was never a priority, I trained 6 days a week regardless, sometimes twice per day but purely for the love of the sport, the training and the person I was becoming by doing so.

If you’re looking to compete, just put the work in, be consistent, be present in the sessions and soak up as much knowledge as you can when you can. Believe it or not I used to be that 6am runner, as much as I hated it but if it was going help me improve I’d do it. I’d have my clothes laid out the night before ready for when my alarm went off to just get changed and go…no time to talk myself out of it! There’s gonna be sessions you don’t want to do…I don’t long distance run anymore but I do sprints once a week when preparing for a fight and it’s the session I dread but weirdly welcome at the same time. I know it’ll be horrendous for that 45 minutes but after, when I’ve pushed myself to my limit, gritted my teeth and got the work done it’s a feeling of satisfaction, knowing I’m doing what I need to do in order to achieve. Even setting yourself small tasks and goals such as hitting those 10k steps a day or finishing you’re two litre water bottle for the day, anything like this, doing what you set out to do will bring a sense of achievement. Have a think about what goals you could set, if you’re struggling just drop a comment below and if I can help I will do so.

So, I continued with college then went off to start a degree in Fashion Design (you wouldn't think that judging by how I dress these days) but that became my early adulthood life… training, studying and working part time as a receptionist at a Peugeot Car garage in Darlington.

Just thought I’d include this! The photos are taken approx 12 years apart…I put up a post a couple years ago, saying I used to think I had muscly arms when I started Thai Boxing…I totally didn’t ha! But over the years, training paid off mentally…and physically!!

Thanks again for reading, next up will be a few more regional and international fights as well as a break away from my arty, farty side!

Stay tuned,

Much love,

Lanch x

Rebellious Teenage Years & A Coach That Didn't Let Me Quit

So after my pretty none eventful start to Thai Boxing, I left that alone and continued on with Gymnastics which I had started from about 4-5 years old, I then went I went back to Thai Boxing when I was about 14 years old just to casually keep fit.

I was still great friends with Nikitta at the time even though we ended up in different secondary schools. One day she asked if I wanted to go back to a Thai class and I genuinely wanted to so off we went, it was a lot more fun this time around and I really enjoyed it.

Throughout secondary school I had become quite sporty, I was on the netball team, hockey team, I even became the first female to make the Haughton Cricket Team...I made the local newspaper and everything ha! I was still doing gymnastics too...which sounds great, but I wasn't actually very good at it. I struggled with anything that required flexibility, I could only do the splits on one side, my head would hit the floor before my hands on a backward walk over and getting into a bridge?...Nah my shoulders and upper back were solid as a rock, I wasn’t great with heights so I panicked on the parallel bars and vault, I’m surprised I stuck it out so long reading this back! But because I couldn't do a lot of the regular advanced stuff...back flips, somersaults etc I worked on a lot of strength, so I was doing push ups and pull ups from fairly early on which definitely put me in good stead today as I have a fairly solid foundation in core strength, balance and coordination. I 100 percent put this down to doing gymnastics from an early age. So if you're not into martial arts...definitely try gymnastics!

So, teenage Lanch wasn't an angel at school. I was popular, I had friends, in fact there's a Whatsapp group with my old school friends in it, we still talk today and on the rare occasion we do meet up, we have THE best time. My friends helped me through a lot at school, my mum was Thai and tried to raise me with her cultural values in an English environment. It was hard and I struggled to talk to my mum as a teenager. I wasn't allowed out as late as everyone else, I wasn't allowed to talk to boys, I wasn't allowed to wear skirts, don't drink, don't smoke (understandble) don't do this, that...the list goes on and the more my mum told me I couldn't do something the more I did it with no regard to consequences so I ended up doing things out of spite, which is never a good reason!

So during my rebellious teenage years I got into an altercation (you can read more about that here in a blog I wrote about bullying). Basically I got into a fight with 3 girls and got my arse kicked, it knocked my confidence so much. I told Paul about it and I went from training a couple times a week to training 6 days a week. The gym became somewhere I could escape, where I could just be myself, forget about the outside world and release any anger and frustrations I had onto the pads and bags. I picked up the art fairly quickly and my confidence started to come back, I also met so many wonderful people while training at Paul's gym. Shout out to all those guys and girls!!

By this point I wasn't really on great terms with my mum, she still didn't agree with girls 'fighting' or even training in Thai Boxing so I would tell her I was just going to the gym to get fit...which technically wasn't a lie. At this time also, my parents had decided to build a house in Thailand which would later become their retirement home, so my mum would travel back and fourth to Thailand and spend a few months there at a time which meant I was in charge of looking after my dad whilst she was away (Thai culture, the females do all the cooking and cleaning etc).

She had batch cooked a whole load of Thai meals and stuck them in the freezer before she left so it was fairly easy on my part. Every night Monday-Friday my dad would arrive home at 6pm, I'd have his meal heated through served with rice waiting on the table, I'd wait for him to finish, make him a cup of tea then sprint to the bus stop to make the 6.30pm class and this became my routine as well as a Saturday morning class.

Then around 16 years old, I had my first amateur fight! It was in Darlington at The Engineers Working Mens Club, it was the craziest experience, the crowd was so close, people could smoke indoors still, low ceilings, rowdy as hell but I was really looking forward to it, everyone from Paul's gym was fighting and the banter was great. Everything was fine...until I stepped into the ring and got hit ha!!

Fighting wasn't really in my nature, I shyed away from confrontation, I cried if my older brother was mean to me and I just didn't like hurting someone...but on the flip side, I was getting good at Thai Boxing and a way to test my skills was to compete so I decided to give it a go.

Well my skills went to shit and I got drawn into an awful windmilling brawl with my opponent. She literally ran at me as soon as the bell went and threw all her arms and legs at once, it was extremely overwhelming and I hated EVERY second of it. I wanted to get out the ring in between rounds but obviously Paul said no ha! I was fine, I wasn't getting hurt I was just all flustered and before I knew it, it was over. I'd lost the fight. I got out of the ring, back into the changing rooms and told Paul I never wanted to do that again.

16 years old, Engineers WMC Darlington. Paul Hamilton to the right and Paul Spinks on the left.

10 years on...from the kid that never wanted to go back to a Thai Boxing class, to the teenager that never wanted to step into the ring again but Paul didn't let me quit this time.

Despite my traumatic ordeal he arranged another fight for me exactly a week later, I said he must be joking and that I didn't want to do it. He didn't except that answer either, so off we went a week later to Manchester (I think) where me and a couple others fought on a small show. I was terrified this time around, terrified that the same thing would happen, that I'd loose in front of all those people, that I wouldn't get to display what skills I had and that we would have traveled all that way for me to let everyone down.

Paul believed in me, he told me I could beat this girl, to stand strong, be first and listen.

The bell went and we got to it, it was a completely different experience to the previous week, the girl was also very technical and we had a great scrap. We all thought I had won the bout but she got the decision, I went to the toilet straight after, spewed then cried, I thought I'd let everyone down but when I came out they were all so proud of me. I had stood strong, I tried my hardest to be first and I listened, that's all Paul asked of me and I did it. But more importantly I wanted to be there and I wanted to stand and fight. That for me was a victory.

Second fight, one week later with Paul H and Michael Dicks.

On the ride home my jaw hurt, my legs hurt and I felt physically drained but I also felt an overwhelming sense of achievement. I couldn't believe that I had just done that and it grew my confidence even more. I absolutely loved Thai Boxing and despite the ‘result’ of that fight I definitely wanted to do it again! Which I did…and continue to compete today 15 years on!

I’m so pleased I went back and pleased I found a home at Paul’s Gym. When you join a club, make sure the coach has your best interests at heart. Don't get me wrong, I didn't always like Paul, sometimes I'd walk home thinking how much I hated him (soz Paul) he was so blunt and straight to the point, if I sparred terrible he'd tell me about it, I hated running...but you guys know that already ha, some of the training sessions were so disgusting I wanted to cry and he wasn't exactly generous with his praise but Paul didn't let me quit, he always believed in me and made me realise I was a lot more resilient, tough and courageous that what I once thought. For that I am forever grateful because who knows what I'd be doing now...

Stand Strong and Be First were always Paul’s last words to me before the bell went.

Stay tuned for more teenage Lanch years and where my next fight took place!

Much Love,

Lanch x

Ying & Yang, How My Journey Began

For those that don't know I have a Thai mother and an English Father. My dad is laid back, patient and super quiet, in fact I'm not sure I ever heard him raise his voice at me growing up. My mum on the other hand is this huge ball of energy that radiates whatever emotion she's feeling at the time, if she's happy we know about it, if she's sad we know about it and if she's angry...well, hell we definitely know about it, I once watched her chase a guy off our driveway with a wok!

But my mum can talk to anyone, we'd be walking back from the supermarket and she'd offer a stranger some grapes, she'll make friends with the person next to her on the bus and had an open door policy at home for our neighbours to pop in whenever they liked. I think this is a Thai thing but most definitely her village culture, my mum grew up in the North of Thailand, in a small village called Ngao. Most of my childhood was spent visiting there every 18 months, the small wooden house my mum grew up became empty once her parents passed but next door to it was a bigger wooden house with some of our family there which is where we would stay. No hot water, a classic Thai squat toilet and the clothes washing still done by hand. I'm grateful I got to experience that way of life.

Ngao, Thailand around 1996…Dad is obviously the 6” ginger guy on the left and my mum is crouching down at the front.

I never appreciated this until recently but as a child my mum would give me to other people to look after me a lot, especially in the village...she didn't need to and a lot of the time I didn't want to go, I don't speak Thai and they spoke very little English but anyway off I'd go on the back of someone's moped later to return that day or the next. As much as sometimes I hated that, I think it's definitely played a part in who I am today as I've totally turned into my mum where I can start a conversation in person with almost anyone, anywhere. I once tried to do it stuck in traffic on the A1 with the car next to me...however the guy just put his windows up and wouldn't make eye contact with me. So you can try, but it doesn't always work ha!

I feel like I'm digressing but a bit of history is starting to reveal how I went from the shy kid that couldn't hit some Thai pads in front of a few parents at the gym to the woman that fought on the other side of the world in front of 15k people on two days notice.

So, back to childhood...Growing up I definitely took after my dad, I was quiet, shy and I was happy just playing by myself but I did have friends too and loved playing with them, making up dance routines, magic shows, roller blading etc you name it, we'd be out playing for as long as we we're allowed.

I had one particular best friend growing up called Nikitta and we are still friends today. She lived in the street next to mine and we ended up in the same class when we both started school. Nikitta was the Ying to my Yang, confident, sassy, sometimes a bad influence but we had the best times. She always had my back and I know if I called her up right now and said the shit has hit the fan...she'd be there all guns blazing! Nikitta's mum was called Simone and Simone became my second mum. My dad worked away a lot during the week so Simone would look after me if my mum had to work too. Simone was the Ying to my mums Yang...she's so calm and super thoughtful, I am lucky I had both of their influences growing up.

We liked Xena Warrior Princess back then!

Anyway, eventually Nikitta asked if I wanted to go Thai Boxing when I was about 6 or 7 years old, Simone's husband Paul had a Thai boxing gym. I mentioned this to my mum and she reluctantly said I could go (my mum still is super old school and still says the phrase 'fighting is not for girls'). So off I went and much to my mum's relief, I hated it. I literally cried in the class, I got so worked up and embarrassed that I had to run to the four corners of the mat and hit pads at each one that I refused to do it. One of the older girls was so kind, she took me to one side where no one could see and did a little bit of pad work with me then I never went back.

That was it, I didn't start my martial arts career at 6 years old and that's all good. It wasn't for me at the time but I ended up returning when I was 14 years old which I'll cover in the next installment.

Now, as a coach, I teach kids martial arts at The Lab and have taught at a few local schools here in Darlington and every so often there's a kid that doesn't want to join in, they cry, they freeze or they want to go home. I do what I can but we never force any kid to take part, they remind me of me and my first session and I always wonder how they'll turn out in years to come. Every moment growing up and how we respond to those moments are crucial for our development...seriously having kids scares the sh*t out of me, being responsible for a mini human and how they will turn out.

Old pic of when I first started coaching the kids classes at The Lab…such fun little humans!

As a kid I was told that I was shy which I think reinforced that belief. I can't remember when this stopped or if my parents told me if I believed in myself I could do anything (sorry mum and dad maybe you did but I can't remember at this moment in time), saying that though, my mum would tell someone I'm shy then still send me off with them ha!! But I do remember going back to Thai Boxing years later and that's when my confidence really grew. Paul (coach) believed 100 percent in my ability to do well, even if at times I didn't believe it myself but the journey martial arts took me on, the training, travelling, meeting new people, the gruelling sessions, the running we had to do (that I hated with a passion), the highs and lows of competition all certainly played a humongous role in who I am today.

So, there you have it. How my first Thai Boxing class wasn't an overly positive one at the time but it did start an amazing journey waiting to be had...years later! So that in itself, is most definitely a positive.

Stay tuned for the next chapter, plus more embarrassing old photos!

Much love,

Lanch x

Mean Green Update

Mean Green Update

My last blog entry was in September 2017 when I was preparing to fight Bryony Tyrell after 18 months out from competition.

My fights are like buses, you wait around for ages then they all come at once! Here’s a run down of what’s happened fight wise since then…

I fought Bryony in Sept 2017 which ended in a draw. I then fought Sofie Langsford in November 2017 which brought me my first official ‘win’ on my record.

Then 2018 got off to a great start, I was due to fight Mellony Guejes in May but with two weeks to go she pulled out. But as they say, ‘when one door closes, another one opens,’ so within 36 hours I had my bags packed and was on the plane to Japan to face Kanako Murato on the world famous promotion ‘Rizin.’

Unfortunately I didn’t win on that occasion but man what an experience that was. Actually I’ll just fill you guys in on that experience as it really was an amazing time for me.

As me and Wil were sat in Manchester airport awaiting our flights to Japan he showed me footage of my opponent, I’d literally spent the past 8 weeks preparing for Mellony who had an extensive Dutch K1 background so to then face an Olympic level wrestler was quite the change. But one I welcomed and I was so excited for the fight.

We arrived in Japan and I was loving every minute of it, I met Ayaka Hamasaki who I’ve enjoyed watching fight over the years and then at breakfast on fight day Gabi Garcia tapped me on the shoulder and wished me luck, I was like ‘ohhh shit this is crazy!’  

Come fight night, the fighters had to do a walk out down the stage before the fights got underway and guess who was first to walk out, yep, me and I was shitting my pants. Despite the nerves I was still so excited, the stage was huge, there were about 15,000 people in attendance and the atmosphere was electric.

Then it all got a bit rushed and I was told to get my stuff and wait in this other room, because of the language barrier I started to panic a little bit, Wil wasn’t there and I thought I’d have more time to warm up so I was trying to tell them to go and get him whilst I did some burpees to get started!

Anyway panic over, pep talk done, walk out done, I was ready and stood across the cage from Kanako and I just remember thinking, ‘wow she’s hench…but also a wider target, I can do this.’

Turns out I couldn’t do it; I managed to inflict some damage but not enough. After some exchanges and grappling I was in an arm triangle for what felt like eternity, I managed to escape but she locked up another choke and with 7 seconds to go, I tapped.

Heart breaking, I really thought I could win.

That night wasn’t my time; it was just another lesson for me to learn and more experience for me to gain. After the tears, loss of sleep, the mental replay over and over of each mistake made it’s always good to find the positives and remember the bigger picture. I was proud of myself for stepping up and travelling across the world to fight an incredible opponent, and I lived to fight another day and continue on my journey.

Four weeks later I was back in the cage for a re-match with Bryony Tyrell. I felt a lot more confident this time around and I came out with my first submission victory and also the first person to submit her, she had told me afterwards. I became Made4TheCage Strawweight Champion. I’d never been fussed on belts, I’ve always just wanted to fight the best girls there was but I got to admit, it was nice to have my shiny belt propped up at my afternoon tea party I had the next day and it now lives on the wall at our gym, The Lab.

Again, I went another 10 months without any fights but on April 6th 2019 I returned to Made4TheCage to face Claire Lopez, a strong, aggressive fighter from France. I got another first round submission win and retained my Strawweight Title in front of my local support, I truly appreciate everyone who is there cheering for me, it really is an indescribable experience.

It’s now May 2019 and I’m preparing for my next bout which is against Weronika Zygmunt. It takes place June 29th on Celtic Gladiator in Poland.

The journey continues!!

Thank you to Martin Wilby, The Lab MMA Gym, my training partners, coaches, clients, friends, family and supporters from near and far. Thanks to my sponsors:

Fit 2 Kinect - Sports Massage at www.fit2kinect.co.uk

Steffan Abel - Chiropractor at 0191 389 1866

Rob Dawson - Mindsport Consulting at www.mindsport.co.uk

Functional Self - Quality Supplements at www.functionalself.co.uk

Love Hemp - CBD Oils at www.cbdoilsuk.com

Rainha - Fightwear at www.rainhafightwear.com

Warrior Woman - Nutrition at www.warrior-woman.co.uk

Mean Green Return

March 2016 was the last time I was in the cage and a lot of you have been wondering what has been happening ever since.

When I tried out for TUF 23 I was still very early in my MMA career having only 1 MMA fight under my belt. I made it onto the show, with vitcories over Ashley Cummins and Helen Harper then I lost to Amanda Cooper in the semi finals.

I knew I had holes in my game but I believed in my striking, in my heart and in my determination. Unfortunately though, those didnt see me through and losing that last fight was heartbreaking. I wasn't light years away from from the other girls' levels but I was definitely behind and I decided I needed to improve certain areas before getting back in there.

I didn't actually plan to have 18 months off from competition but my travels in order to help me progress and improve took me firstly to Brazil to train at Nova União for 1 month. Then back to the UK with my home team at The Lab in Darlington for a few months before I headed over to the states spending 3 months at Kings MMA in LA then 3 months at Jackson Wink Academy in Albuquerque. Time has absolutely flown by, I've already been back in England for 3 months and at the time of writing this I have 1 week before flyng back to Perth, Australia for 1 month. According to one of my friends I'm a 'flight risk'!

It's been a strange few months adjusting to life back in Darlington. My routine has been a bit out of whack but all is good and I have a busy few months coming up which I will fill you in with now.

So my travels continue, here's some dates for your diary as I may be near you at some point!

July 30th - August 23rd: I will be in Perth, Australia training and teaching at Ste Walton's Mach One gym.

August 26-27th: I will be back in the UK at Fighting Fit gym Manchester teaching at the 2017 UK Female FIghter Camp.

September 2nd: My return to the cage. I will be fighting Bryony Tyrell on Made4TheCage in Houghton le Spring.

In between those dates you'll find me at The Lab Martial Arts gym in Darlington.

I am so excited to fight again. Although I train out of my home gym with my fellow Lab Rats under Martin Wilby, many other people have helped and continue to help me progress including Pete Irving, my main sparring midgets Sam Robinson and Wil Harrison, Ellis Younger and his guys and the coaches and training partners I've met on my travels all over the world.

Martin Wilby is my head coach, Barry Gibson is my S&C coach, Rob Dawson is my Mindsport Coach, Samantha Leighton is my sports masseuse and Steffan Abel is my chiropractor.

My sponsors:

LED Supply & Fit - www.ledsupplyandfit.co.uk

Functional Self - www.functionalself.co.uk

Cutting Up Gym Apparel - www.cuttingupgymapparel.com

Thank you all involved, hope you are looking forward to my return as much as I am. Bryony is a very respectable opponent and I suspect we will put on an amazing fight for the fans!

Bullies, my experience and how martial arts helped.

This wasn't the topic I had planned on writing about but it seems to be a topic prevalent in my newsfeed as of late and I just wanted to share my experience from a similar scenario and how getting into martial arts became my saviour. 

If you have watched the season of TUF I was on, or if you were one of my friends at Haughton school back in 2000-2005 you'll know I started Thai Boxing after I ended up in a 'fight' with 3 girls one night when I was 15 years old. I use the term 'fight' loosely as I don't think I actually got any strikes in whatsoever!

I was walking home one night when a girl came out from behind a bus stop, she was storming over to me shouting about me slagging off one of her friends, now if that was true I wouldn't have had a problem but it wasn't, she was picking a fight and I knew it. What I didn't know was what to do next.

I stood my ground as she came right up to my face (exactly like some of the intense stare downs you see at weigh ins) but she continued to yell and all I could think was 'who is this bint and what does she want with me?!' so I put my full palm on her face and pushed her away telling her to get out of my face. 

Looking back, I shouldn't have even let her get that close to me...what's the first sign of defence kids? Awareness! 

By this point two more girls were behind her and a group of lads nearby stopped to watch the entertainment. 

After I had pushed her away her friends all said she should hit me back. Technically I didn't hit her. Anyhow, I didn't want to fight her, my heart was pounding, I was hating the whole situation, the confrontation, the audience, the fact that I was going to have to fight this girl for no apparent reason, I had no idea what to do but I knew I was going to have to get stuck in.

If anyone has seen me compete, I'm usually known for having heart and determination which is great, I don't think you can teach those things. But those didn't help me that day. As we collided she immediately went for my hair pulling my face down onto her knee...she knocked me out because the next thing I remember was one girl in full mount, one girl ragging massive clumps of my hair out (this actually hurt like hell!) one guy shouting about me being outnumbered and trying to pull me out from under them and some nearby neighbours trying to scare everyone off who then picked me up and told me to go home. 

I was wearing white jeans at the time which wear completely covered in mud and grass, I had a fat lip, bust nose and huge amounts of hair missing, my head was so sore! Luckily I have great Thai skin so the next day I looked fine, a bit of make up hid a faint black eye and my lips weren't as fat. I just had puffy eyes from crying all night! 

The whole thing had been filmed, but Facebook wasn't invented back then so it never went viral, well I'm assuming people saw it but not on the scale we see today. I'm seeing more and more videos popping up of very similar scenarios happening and it's awful to watch as I'm sure you will all agree, no one likes bullies. 

I had just started Thai boxing by this point but I was just in there to keep fit really. After the altercation, a switch flipped. I was embarrassed. I wasn't even thinking about getting revenge because I knew I had no idea how to fight and I thought the same thing would just happen again. I didn't grow up watching Rocky films or doing anything even close to martial arts. The closest experience I had was my older brother practicing his WWF wrestling moves on me...now looking back I've realised it was never my turn to practice! Ha! My mum is Thai and for girls to fight just wasn't acceptable so I lied about going Thai boxing and competing for a long time, I just said I was going to the gym to keep fit, which technically wasn't a lie! 

My training went from a bit of enjoyment to hardcore overnight. Paul Hamilton, my coach at the time would laugh at me when I first started and he once said this exact sentence 'Lanch, you're the only Thai I know that can't kick'. That soon changed, I was training 6 days a week and I picked the art up very quickly.

After some dedicated training, then a couple of inter clubs, I had my first amatuer fight at 16 years old. Back then, the fight itself wasn't as important to me as the status with which I thought it would bring. In my head, I thought that if people knew I could fight, then they wouldn't think I was a push over and therefore no one would pick on me! 

Well it turned out I was actually alright at this Thai boxing malarkey so I continued to compete. Studying always took the forefront but I had one or two fights a year, I travelled the UK and overseas, I literally took on some of the worlds best fighters, I won some, I lost some then I beat the UK no1 ranked 50kg female fighter in my last outing back in 2013.

I have had a couple of confrontations since the first, none that ended up in physical contact but even though I still experienced the pounding heart, nerves and extreme uncomfortableness of the whole situation, I felt confident that if shit hit the fan, I had a better chance of coming out on top this time. Now let me just say, I wasn't an angel at school, but I never bullied anyone. Sometimes there's revenge stories behind these attacks we are seeing, sometimes there isn't. But bullying isn't going away, so at least let's try and be prepared both physically and mentally. 

So the purpose of my blog was to a) share my experience and hopefully inspire anyone that this has happened to that its not the end of the world, some people are just arseholes and b) if you have kids, I highly recommend getting them involved in some form of martial arts. 

Now this isn't a plug for my gym, even though I do believe we run an amazing program for children and adults too, with techniques that apply across the board, not just in a sporting environment. But get your kids involved in something that will provide them with necessary skills should they ever have to use them (I hope not). 

Martial arts can help with confidence, self discipline, self belief, learning how to respect one another, to work hard to earn anything and even just growing up around like minded positive people will have a positive impact. There's a lot of fun to be had along the way whilst picking up what I believe are essential skills for life. Everyone should know how to defend themselves and to not have to walk around in fear and worry about the next person that is going to pick on them or worse physically hurt them. Please don't suffer in silence. 

Although my experience was an unpleasant one, it has helped shape my life today as I continue on my martial arts journey, 12 years and counting 😊.