Rocky Mountain Martial Arts Family Centre has had an outstanding season of competitions this year.
The club sent some of their strongest athletes to national and international competitions in Alberta, two of whom returned with medals.
“They’re good fighters. They’re tough. They can fight very well,” said coach Joel Huncar.
Josh Sutherland, Malacki Honeyman and Gavin Tozer represented Team Canada in kickboxing at the WKU World Championships in Calgary in October. Sutherland brought home a silver medal.
“Josh is a hard worker,” said Huncar. “He got very good relatively fast because he puts in the work … He’s moving more into full-contact and he’s getting pushed in the gym. It’s always been hard physically, but my older fighters are pushing him harder. They’re giving him more contact. They’re giving him more aggression so he can be acclimatized to full contact. That kid can kick hard. He has a lot of power. He’s just getting tougher.”
Honeyman came close to winning his fight.
“That kid kicks. His roundhouses are hard. He has really good body mechanics,” said Huncar. “… For his size, he has so much power. He goes forward. He doesn’t go back. He’s always moving forward into attack.”
This was not the first success that 17-year-old Sutherland has had this year. He scored a victory at his Muay Thai debut on May 2 at Trial by Fire 13 in a close match against Matias Galdamez from Airdrie Martial Arts Centre — an important fight that will be counted on his amateur record.
In September, Greg Bennett claimed gold at WKA Muay Thai Nationals in Airdrie, Alberta. Bennett is a coach at the centre.
“[He has] such an admirable work ethnic. He’s working hard at the gym. I’m so impressed,” said Huncar.
Landen MacNeil, Ryan Walker, Zach Petryshen, Gage Willhelm, Eli Puhach and Ben Gagne also fought in tournaments in Calgary and Airdrie.
Huncar will continue to work with the club members on strength training and technique in the off-season.
“The fitness is so important. Your body has to be strong to take full contact fighting. You have to be really physically fit to handle that. You have to be used to working with a high heart rate,” he explained.
He’ll be preparing Honeyman and Tozer for full-contact exhibition matches, that utilize more protective gear than traditional Muay Thai, in order to get them used to full-contact fighting and get them started on their amateur record.
“Gavin has excellent inside boxing. He can throw hooks like a truck,” said Huncar.
As for Sutherland, he has his eye on fighting at the pro level. He’s looking to move up and pursue the sport of Muay Thai more seriously once he graduates from high school.
His plan is to gain as much experience as possible in the amateur bracket and then move to a larger city like Calgary or Vancouver, where there are bigger gyms, more competitions, and a greater variety of people to fight with.
“I’m physically stronger. I’m more fit, bigger than I was last year. I’ve also been doing some boxing and cross-training. Overall, I’m just a better fighter, more experienced,” said Sutherland as he remarked on his progress in the past year.