“I decided to open up Core in 2018 with the sole purpose of making Muay Thai more accessible to women”
I contemplated writing out the purpose I opened up Core Fight Gym in the first place, and after running Core for almost 4 years now, I think this post is probably long overdue.
Hi everyone, my name is Sufi - most of you have probably seen me hanging about in the gym, or training or probably just watching you and trying to guide you through your class. Or if you have yet to meet me, I am the core founder of Core Fight Gym - and I decided to open up Core in 2018 with the sole purpose of making Muay Thai more accessible to women. I wanted to create a safe space where anyone could come in, feel welcomed and comfortable in a very clean, beautiful setting. The first impression that people from the Muay Thai scene would probably say when walking into Core would be how it does not look like your typical Muay Thai gym. And well, that is the idea of it. Core offers you a boutique like setting, but despite how it looks, the training is just as authentic as any other Muay Thai gym (or even better, who knows? We know :p ) you can find out there. It just doesn’t smell bad, make you question its cleanliness and the possibilities of contracting skin diseases and what not. And because I have trained in this sport for years, I know myself as a student what to look for in a Muay Thai gym, or any gym for that matter. And that is authenticity, hygiene, and an amazing, supportive community that pretty much feels like home.
I understand the intimidation that one may feel when walking towards your first Muay Thai/martial arts gym. I started out in a HUGE MMA gym - with Western and Asian coaches, training Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian JiuJitsu and MMA as a whole because I wanted to explore everything I could at that point in time. But I will always remember how afraid I felt walking up the stairs into that gym. The loud sounds, the angry faces. And 95% of the people inside were men. Like where were the female students? The only thing that kept me from leaving was the fact I had a friend with me at that time, and we were trying out that first class together. But that first class was all I needed to realise how much I loved martial arts. It was a Muay Thai class, and I loved it. The aches, the soreness (it was immediate, I was sore walking down the stairs, mind you), but it was amazing. I signed up as a member the next time I came around after my DOMS finally died out - and I never looked back.
So what makes Core different from other gyms? There is a sense of comfort when you walk through the doors, I can’t really explain it; but its something you probably have to experience yourself. Sure its loud. Sure you’ll feel scared walking up the stairs - i’ve stopped multiple people from leaving because the fear struck them the moment they stood at the top of the stairs. But really now- let me assure you. Especially my dear female students who are curious about training authentic Muay Thai - Core is a safe space, because I am here. Because I understand and experienced the exact same feeling you feel the first time you walk up those stairs, and hear those loud sounds of people skipping rope or hitting bags or hitting pads. Core’s students make up pretty much a 50/50 male to female ratio. I might’ve opened up a gym with the purpose of creating a safe space for women, but the men come because the training is truly authentic and the coaches really do care about your wellbeing. So it doesn’t matter if you’re new, it doesn’t matter if you’re shy, it doesn’t matter if you’re afraid of being the ONLY girl in the class - because you won’t be. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve never worked out in your life before, or you’ve been working out forever. Muay Thai is fun, an amazing experience and I recommend everyone to try it out, even if its just once in your life. Because just like anything else, you wouldn’t know how much you might like something until you try it… no?
Oh. The Core-munity (as I like to call it) cares about each other a lot too. There is a lot of support that goes around within these walls. So I do hope, that one day you’ll be able to gather that courage to walk through Core’s doors and into your first Muay Thai class with us. And hopefully, you will fall in love with it as much as I have. Because the beauty of martial arts is that it is an art form itself. And with art you will build discipline, respect, and become a stronger, more amazing version of yourself. And if you aren’t your own muse, who would be? :)