Trix Interview 2001

Another look at the Wicker Camp archives - below is an interview Trix gave in 2001.

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Trix March interview with Aileen Callaghan

When is your next fight?

"My next fight: wako pro world title vs. Anita Groenboon, Holland sat 7th April, 2001. This will probably be my last fight. the training for competition has been really hard this time. I'm fed up with making weight and not having a life for 3 months."

Aileen: How did you become interested in Muay Thai?

Trix: "I was introduced to Muay Thai by my husband. When we first met, he was an instructor. I never thought I would take to it as I always thought of Thai Boxing as being quite brutal. it's funny because my great grandmother was a publican (nickname trixie) and her father taught her to box and she used to tell me stories of fisticuffs with difficult customers, she was a very strong old lady, I know she would have been so proud of me fighting.

I was always sporty at school playing netball for the school and county. I wanted to be a PE teacher when I grew up. I continued to play netball as an adult and was always a member of a gym somewhere.

When I first started Muay Thai I loved the workout it gave me. after a couple of years and seeing other women fight I decided that I wanted to compete. from there it began.

There wasn't many women involved and I had to always train with men. I think this made me a better Thai boxer, stronger and tougher but the down side is you never feel like the top dog, which I think is important to instill confidence in one's own abilities."

Aileen: "Who was your toughest opponent?"

Trix: "Toughest opponent?" Fiona Stirton from Scotland. I fought her for my commonwealth title. she was a good strong fighter and very tough."

Aileen: "What was your most satisfying achievement as a fighter?

Trix: "My most satisfying moment when I beat Fosterer Joseph from Brixton London after a two year layoff for my 2nd British title. She had been the subject of a TV documentary, a hard hitting women... I was really scared by her looks and tough reputation."

Aileen: "Any regrets?

Trix: " "I'm sad that I won't be able to fight Karen Ousey, as she was my only loss. That came after losing too much weight and dehydrating myself for days before. I had to retire at the end of the 3rd round. in hind sight I should never have fought, as I was ill for many weeks afterward. I'd could never get down to 62kg now. it wouldn't bother me but in my heart I know that I can beat her."

Aileen: Who are some of the fighters you really admire?

Trix: "I admire anyone who gets into the ring, it takes real courage. I think women like Lisa Howarth and Ann Quinlan who were amongst the first female Thai fighters in this country deserve recognition. I'm also a fan of Lucia Rijker, who is probably the best female fighter to date."

Aileen: What do you think would help the sport to grow?"

Trix: "women's muay Thai is growing fast as a sport. I think muay Thai needs media coverage and sponsorship to allow the world to see this most spectacular spectator sport. however I'm not in favor of professional sports as I think sport should be a passion."

Aileen: "What do you think of a separate sanctions body for the women. Seeing how the current bodies really don't keep up with the women's fight game?"

Trix: "I have mixed views about a female only sanctioning body. in one respect its good that female fighters could have their own ranking and titles. however I think that it detracts from the real problem that the governing bodies (mainly run by men) are not taking their female fighters seriously. they should realize that in order for the sport of muay Thai to grow they should embrace women, men and juniors alike to show the world it truly is a sport for all."

Aileen: What are your future plans?"

Trix: " as well as running the gym (wicker camp) with my husband I am studying to be a PE teacher at a university. I teach in the gym and am responsible for our junior syllabus and junior fighters. I also teach private tuition mainly at weekends."

Aileen: "What does your family think about you being a Muay Thai fighter?"

Trix: "my friends and family think I'm mad being involved in such a sport but they do support me when I fight. I know my dad gets worried as he was there when I had to pull out of the Karen Ousey fight. he's not seen me fight since, but he's agreed to watch my world title fight which is very important to me."

Aileen: "Any closing thoughts?"

Trix: "I think if Muay Thai is taught safely and responsibly the sport will grow as its a great way to keep fit, learn self defense and give people confidence. there are many organizations out there all proclaiming to be the best. the main problem is that people will not work together, there is too much ego around. until we have a situation where the governing bodies are run by totally independent people and as a business for the benefit of all there will always be conflict.

I hope this is enough, I could go on for hours about all the politics I've endured over the years but its very boring although very interesting."

Many Thanks to Aileen Callaghan for this interview with Trix March. (Who did all the talking-sign of a good interviewer)

epilogue: Trix Defeated Anita Groenboon to take the Wako Title, April 7th, 2001

http://www.womenkickboxing.com/trix.interview.htm

Fear walks among us all.

Let’s not pretend we’re not afraid – fear walks among us all. I see the fear in my opponents eyes, it is a reflection of my own. They do not see me. I am a shadow. It is far easier to feel fear than understand who I am.

I see the real me, the heart and soul my old man handed down to me. The blood , sweat and tears that have made me who I am. I am a man striving for more. I sometimes wonder if I can shoulder the crushing burden of my own expectations. I too feel fear, it is mingled with doubt, but behind these two imposters burns a fire white hot with determination. This fire will burn, I won’t let it die. I may be unsure of what the future holds, but that will not turn me away.

Round after round my fury grows intense and keeps my fear locked away. Distractions stay outside, I stay inside this place as my will commands my body. Confidence is my shadow that keeps the Spectre of defeat at bay. Performance is my ally, power and skill are my tools, and victory is my task.

As I spend my life time’s worth of toil, I have become what I am meant to be. The man that tries to take this from me will fail and bleed in misery.

Most Popular Video - June 2007

Since April we've been posting clips from many of the Wicker Camp fighters on youtube. Below is our most popular clip so far with over 1000 views! As Helene recently wrote in a comment on the blog

"I believe Imran Khan is one of the most underated fighters in this country and doesn't get the recognition he truly deserves. Imran is in my opinion one of the best fighters in the world without a doubt. to fight like him would be a aspiration and to train with him is an inspiration, imran khan is simply poetry in motion"

We Never Give In

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday"

Paul Timmins - Golden Shin

Mick on Paul Timmins: "He's an amazing fighter with awesome speed and power. Paul is one of our Instructors at Wicker Camp, he's been training with us for years but doesn't get as much time to fight (unfortunately)."

(Paul's fight from the 2006 Octagon Show)

Ring Name : Golden Shin

Name : Paul Timmins

Date of Birth : 11/04/1978

Weight : 58-59 Kg

Nationality : British

Any Regrets : Not starting Thai-Boxing sooner.

Toughest Fight : Is always the battle with yourself. I found my 1^st fight very hard, I was so tired at the end of it. Thankfully I won it on points.

Training Likes : Pushing through the tiredness – that’s a buzz for me. Seeing yourself improve. Surviving sparring with Imran, Christian, Daniel and Lee !

Training Dislikes : When I’m not feeling up to it and can’t push through the tiredness. Oh and getting injured so I can’t train.

Ambitions : To be a Champion, train in Thailand (soon).

What inspired you to start training in Muay Thai : I’ve tried other Martial Arts, and wanted something tougher. I saw tapes of the pro fighters in Thailand – yeah, they inspired me.

Have you trained in Thailand : No not yet

What is your current training schedule ? : I train with Mick 4 days a week,and come to the public classes when I can.

Who has been your biggest influence and why ? : Mick Mullaney of course.

What advice can you give to new Muay Thai students : You don’t have to be a tough guy to do Thai-Boxing. You can take it to any level you want, you don’t have to fight. Anybody thinking of trying it – give it a go, choose a good Teacher and you won’t be disappointed.

By the way, credit is due to the Wicker Camp cameraman Craig Beachell who films the Wicker Camp shows and prepares the DVDs. Without him much of the footage on this blog wouldn't exist! The quality is reduced for the blog/youtube to make online streaming easy. The original high quality DVDs are available from the club.

Those who can, do - those who can't, teach

........”I agree with my dear friend that a good fighter will not necessarily make a good teacher. But I also think that we have to examine our limiting beliefs – stereotypes of individuals in our sport, that if they are a good fighter, then it is almost taken for granted that they cannot be a good teacher as well. We even have this ridiculous phrase – Those who can do, those who can’t teach. I find this phrase misinformed and mildly offensive, and I am sure other teachers of MuayThai do as well.

I fervently believe that you cannot teach MuayThai well if you haven’t fought using MuayThai skills. The primal experience of having to survive a full contact physical encounter with another human being using only MuayThai, leads to a deeper understanding of how and when to use those skills (N.B. hard sparring is not the same experience.). Look at Ronnie Green, Pele Nathan, Richard Smith, Oliver Harrison, to name a few in the UK ( please don’t be offended if I haven’t mentioned you or your Instructor – there are many, many more great people out there ), all excellent teachers AND fighters. They couldn’t pass on that level of knowledge if they hadn’t gained it the hard way.

Learning to communicate fighting skills is the job of the Camp’s Master. I personally have found this a most difficult task in the past. To transpose all the combat skills a fighter possesses, into knowledge they can access, understand AND communicate to others. Sometimes fighters use their skills but don’t really understand what they are doing. They act on instinct using their knowledge in a natural, impulsive way ( the way it should be applied ). The intuitive way we do things is very difficult to identify and takes experience.

Now, I suspect that we can learn almost anything – if we want to. (But of course, not everyone wants to teach.) I don’t hold with the premise that the skills of a good fighter differ from the skills of a good teacher. I think a good teacher must use knowledge developed from years of training and fighting, to help students accomplish a learning experience that will enable them to develop their own skills. ( in this sense a teacher cannot fully instruct a student from beginning to end as the fight experience is the ultimate learning outcome.) My Wife Trix doesn’t totally agree with me here, and I hope she will make her contribution to this topic (?)

I personally would not allow a student to teach others how to fight if he/she had never had that experience themselves. It makes no sense in this very dangerous sport to permit anyone without that vital, tested knowledge to instruct others in how to do it. My students/fighters go through a rigorous period of learning “how to teach” with me before I allow them to take any class at Wicker Camp”........
Mick.

Beyond the Possibility of Defeat

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

- The Art of War (Sun Tzu)

Lee Chesters - Defeater of Champions

Name : Lee Chesters Date of Birth : 02/12/1973 Weight : 65-67 Kg Nationality : British Years Training : 12 Years Fight Record : Wins …17…… Losses …5…… Draws…1…… Titles Held : North-West Area, British, Commonwealth, European, World Champion. Any Regrets : I think I switched off after I won the WMC World Title, which was a mistake. Just didn’t have the same drive for a while after that, But you can’t hold on to regrets, it’ll just screw your head up. Toughest Fight : Mick took me to Budapest where I fought the Hungarian MuayThai Champ Suveges Slizard at 67kg ( although he weighed in at 73kg!!!) Knocked him down in the 1st round, his eyes were gone, but when the Referee helped him up, I knew I’d lost this one. I hit him with Knees to head, elbows, the works, but lost on points. Training Likes : I love padwork. Training Dislikes : Dieting Ambitions : In MuayThai I want to fight at Ratchadamnern Stadium. Outside of Thai-Boxing, my greatest ambition is to be a good Dad to my son Ryan, who is a fantastic 12 yr old. What inspired you to start training in Muay Thai : I was a professional Footballer for many years, but always loved Martial Arts. I remember watching the film Kickboxer and wanting to do Thai-Boxing. I found Mick’s Club in the Yellow Pages and that was it. Have you trained in Thailand : Yes, many times and fought in Thailand too ! What is your current training schedule ? : Same as the others, 5 days a week, twice a day when I can. Always with Mick. Who has been your biggest influence and why ? : Mick Mullaney and my Mom and Dad. What advice can you give to new Muay Thai students : Don’t get too serious too soon, or you will burn out. Enjoy your training and it will come to you.

cutting edge DVD now available

The fantastic DVD of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP THAI-BOXING from the Octagon, Sheffield is now available. It is a brilliant, "broadcast quality" DVD featuring nearly all of Wicker Camp's top fighters.

8 full on action bouts including Christian Di Paolo's elbow stoppage against the Belarussian, Daniel Hudson's knee to the head KO against Attila Nagy from Hungary, Mehdi's unbelievable head kick KO against Gaz Cooper from Manchester, Thomas's stoppage of the very tough Lithuanian and many more !!!

Order you copy now, price only £10, from Wicker Camp, Unit 14 Clarence Works, Effingham Road, Sheffield. S4 7YS. South Yorkshire. ( please make cheques payable to M.W.Mullaney ).

ALSO -Last years DVD of World Championship Thai-Boxing at the Octagon, is still available to buy. This disc features 11 quality bouts, including many KO's and is now selling at the knockdown price of only £5 !!!

YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.