Barrhead Community Muay Thai Boxing Club (BCMTBC) and Three Kings MMA, both of whom have previously trained at the Foundry, have teamed up to establish the Elevate Community Martial Arts Center on Main Street.
Elevate, which offers classes in MMA (mixed martial arts), jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai, operates as a nonprofit organization and is run by volunteers who have full-time jobs elsewhere.
All money raised goes back into the club, the aim of which is to keep the cost of classes low and enable as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of martial arts, including increased discipline, confidence and fitness.
“We reluctantly made the decision to move on from Foundry,” BCMTBC coach Vinnie McWilliams said.
“Barrhead has had a Muay Thai Boxing Club in the Foundry for around 25 years and is where I first started training Muay Thai full time.
“The club is now starting to produce good local fighters, so moving to a new unit that can offer more specific equipment was a must going forward.
“While we as staff loved our time at the Foundry, in order to grow the club we needed to open a new, purpose-built facility where we could extend class hours and add new classes. did.”
Scott Drummond of Three Kings MMA said, “I started training in martial arts when Vinny owned the old BadBoy Gym in town, so he was my first choice as a partner to open this new facility.”
“I had to drag him out of the foundry kicking and screaming, but deep down I think he knows best.
“Elevate’s purpose is to make a positive impact through martial arts, and we strive to keep it as a community project and hope to get as many sponsors and funds as possible to keep the cost of our classes low. I hope so.”
The club recently benefited from a new donation from local businessman Richie Tyrell, who runs Guardian Scaffolding, who has so far donated £2,000 to the club.
“Honestly, we would not have been able to open our new facility without Richie’s help. Thanks to him, we were able to purchase important equipment such as the boxing ring and most of the pads we use for training. ,” Vinny explained.
“Me and Scott are really grateful to Richie. We can't thank him enough because there really aren't enough people like him in the world.”
As for adults, we currently have about 40 members who go to the gym throughout the week and about 15 kids.
“We have men in their 40s, we have teenagers, we have children, so the classes are suitable for everyone,” Scott explained.
“You don't have to do this. If this is what we're doing and you feel like it's going to work, if you don't feel comfortable, don't do it.”
The new space only opened in February, but it's already making a big impact on the people who are coming.
John Baxter's son Kyle, 12, and daughter Millie, 10, both of whom have autism, took up mixed martial arts after Pollock's father decided to get them involved in an activity to keep them away from technology. He comes to his class “with all his heart and love.''
He told Barrhead News: “Their coordination and balance is much better.
“It's been crazy and we've only been doing this for six weeks.
“We also saw an increase in their strength.”
Meanwhile, Barrhead teenager Liam McLaughlan trains in both MMA and Muay Thai and is one of the club's most enthusiastic students.
He went to the gym every day and sports nurtured him, growing from a quiet boy to a confident young man.
The 14-year-old said: “Last June, I didn't have any hobbies and was always bored.
“I used to do boxing for a while, and I saw that Thai fighter and thought I'd like to go to the foundry someday and I loved it.
“It changed quite a bit for me overall and I also realized that this is something I want to do properly full-time as I get older.
“The new gym has made it so much better. It has more space and can accommodate more people.
“Scott is really good at giving visual demonstrations.”
Cammy Harvey, 17, who is part of Elevate's Thai boxing fighting team and also trains mixed martial arts, added:
“They were just there for me, and for example, if I was nervous in a game, they told me that and told me what to expect.”
To raise funds, the club is hosting a spa-thon on Sunday (April 14) inviting members of other gyms to pay £5 to spar with people they've never sparred with before. I hope you enjoy the opportunity.
Since the club is not using the space full-time, they would like to have as many other community groups as possible use the space when Elevate is not using it.
If you would like to contact us regarding this matter, please contact Scott at Scott_d89@hotmail.co.uk.
The club is also appealing to other local businesses who would like to sponsor and support the club.
Click here to learn more about Elevate.
