The Fight for Peace muay thai team have recently seen a cluster of successes as three of our athletes stepped into the ring at the War & Redemption show in Tottenham earlier this month. Former members and now coaches, Tomas and Tommy, were among the three winners, alongside current member, Maëlle, and it prompted us to think about their journeys from young people to becoming a part of our coaching team.
Tommy joined Fight for Peace in 2021 after looking for something positive to do and regain a sense of community as the lockdown restrictions were eased. Three years later, he is a valued part of our frontline team, delivering a range of sports sessions to our members, and is also studying towards gaining his Diploma in Youth Work.
“I became a coach in spring last year after Silvino, who is the Sports Development Manager at Fight for Peace, approached me and gave some compliments about my character and the way I interact with young people. I was 24 at the time, so I’m sure he knew I was coming up to the age when I’d have to stop attending as a member,” Tommy told us.
“He suggested I take part in a Boxing Level 1 course and a Fitness Instructor course and I took him up on the opportunity. About three months later I coached my first boxing class in a park in Newham and I loved it. Since then I have been asking for more work, and have been approached for work by Silvino and other organisations that host martial arts classes. So that’s where the snowball started rolling,” he continued.
Since gaining his qualifications, Tommy has continued to grow his experience through the delivery of sports sessions across muay thai, MMA, and boxing, as well as providing support to young people through his role as a youth worker. Alongside this, Tommy has remained dedicated to his own training, and has taken to the ring in several amateur muay thai bouts.
“My idea was that I wanted to get so good that I could teach other people. I hadn’t taken any action on this, but when I was offered the boxing course I had the opportunity given to me so it got the process going,” Tommy explained.
Tommy’s journey highlights the impact of our work beyond sports, and the power of sport for development which builds the foundation of all work we do with young people from our Academy in North Woolwich.
Providing young people with access to qualifications is a key part of our Five Pillar approach, combining Boxing & Martial Arts, Education, Employability, Support Services and Youth Leadership to support young people in becoming champions in the ring, and champions in life.
“Coaching allows me to understand the sport better so I can be a better martial artist, and training as a martial artist helps me to be a better coach. I think it’s important for other young people to see that there are opportunities for a career in martial arts besides competing.”
“I like to think I can be an example of where young people can go in martial arts. The ones that have known me since I’ve been training can really see my progression and they can see this is something they can do as well.”
There is so much power in young people having positive role models to look up to, and seeing former members like Tommy progress both inside and outside of the ring provides exactly that.
There’s something special about building a Fight for Peace team that knows what it’s like to access our services. It provides an opportunity for our team to connect and relate with young people on a deeper level, and we are proud to have supported the transition of so many of our coaches and frontline team from being young members.
It’s clear that Tommy’s learning experience is ongoing, which is a testament to his determination to grow and develop, but also to the coaches who inspired him to take boxing and martial arts seriously in the first place.
“I really understand [young people] when I’m coaching, I can put myself in their shoes because I know what it’s like to be on the other side. I’m learning, but also helping others to learn,” said Tommy.
Tommy finished on a reflective note, sharing that in the future he’d like to take competing in martial arts as far as he can, while making his work in the health and fitness industry a full-time career.
“I’d like to develop my skills in mentoring and help young people more on a 1:1 level to develop themselves in their lives and empower them to be who they want to be. Martial arts will be part of that, but it’s not the total of their life and their development, so I’d like to be able to play that role in their lives.”