As Lockdown rules become less restrictive across the UK, many martial arts clubs breathe a sigh of relief as they open up their doors for full contact training for the first time in over a year.
Fighters up and down the UK are back hitting pads and sparring with their fight teams hoping to quickly get back into shape before the UK fight scene picks up again.
For the local fight team at Chao Phraya Muay Thai Academy, based in Lincoln, the easing of restrictions has forced a transition from solo heavy bag drills to more interactive pad work.
A transition that is very much welcomed by Head Coach (Kru) and former British Commonwealth Champion, Leigh Edlin who described it is a “great step forward towards a resemblance of normality”
The step away from heavy bag drills was more than welcome for members of Chao Phraya.
Leigh Button, a fighter at Chao Phraya confessed that although the heavy bag workouts helped keep him fit he “found it hard to stay motivated” throughout the lockdown and social distancing period.
He carried on to voice his pleasure at the ease of restrictions however, saying that the ability to “hit pads with my teammates” made him excited to train again, as well as having the added benefit of teammates providing “extra motivation to push-through and finish strong”.
A sentiment that was echoed by various other members of the fight team, including Assistant coach Scott Soulsby, who stated
“the ease of restrictions have added a jolt of electricity back into training”.
A case that was easy to see as the fight team ferociously struck pads like it was their final time.
“You never know what’s next in these weird times, so you gotta enjoy it while you can.” professed Kru Leigh.
He carries on to say “It’s great to have all the fighters and trainers back at it again and working hard to get back into fight shape before the summer really starts”.
He also announced that although “pad sessions have returned” other forms of full contact sparring and clinching would only take place after the 21st of June, which will see the end of covid restrictions, as per Boris Johnson’s roadmap.
This final hurdle will hopefully be the end of a stressful year for Chao Phraya with Kru Leigh hoping to get “some of the fighters into competition” as the easing of restrictions will allow for fight cards to be available.
If you are interested in joining the fight team at Chao Phraya please visit the website https://lincolnthaiboxing.co.uk for more information.