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Featured shows...
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Gym
Shows It’s
very hard to make the transition from sparring in training to actual
competition. There’s a big difference between the club and competition
environments, and the latter brings with it new experiences, such as weighing
in, medicals, spectators, and the true competitive element. What’s needed is a
‘halfway house’. That’s where gym shows slot in nicely. Gym
shows are run in order to give potential fighters the experience of competing,
although there are no winners or losers from bouts. The referee looks after the
fighters well, doing his best to limit any potential injuries, and does his best
to ensure both fighters leave with positive memories of their match. Protective
equipment is emphasised. There are no judges to score. Matchmaking is set up to
be as accurate as possible by way of weight and experience. The whole atmosphere
at these shows is designed around the experience, and not from winning or
losing. A good gym show will enable a fighter
to gain valuable experience, and to give them knowledge to see if they want to
make the final step into actual competition. It’s not unusual for fighters to
do two or three gym shows before making that larger step – its important to
gain as much experience as possible, and sometimes people need the reassurance
of their own abilities. Den
is a commercial airline pilot, who likes to keep very fit, and has enjoyed Thai
Boxing training for about a year. He attended several large promotions watching
club mates compete as a spectator. He enjoyed these, and wondered what it would
be like to experience it for himself. So he trained hard, and booked himself in
for a gym show, and loved every second. “It was great!” he said. “By the
time it was my fight, you could of put a bear in with me and I still would have
fought – I was that fired up!” After training for several years and actively sparring within the club Ed felt the need to compete. Instead of stepping in on a large promotion he has taken the option of doing gym shows to build experience first. He’s now done two and enjoyed them both. Speaking with him, he told me how he’s probably going to do one more show before having a full fight – he’s not sure that his leg blocking is ready, and wants to test it one more time in a safer environment.
Lucy
is now a competitive fighter. She has had two fights, won one and lost won, both
on points. However, she too had her first match on a gym show. “The gym show
gave me the overall experience – you have the ring, the weigh in, the crowd,
the referee. Its all so different to club sparring.” I asked her whether it
had helped her prepare for her first fight. “When I had my first full fight
everything wasn’t new. I’d already been through everything at the gym
show.” Gym
shows are great from a promoter’s point of view, as they will reap the rewards
as they develop a flow of fighters for their main events. They give
opportunities to see how different clubs are developing, which ones bring the
most support, and to network with other promoters and the club managers
themselves. Gym shows can be active marketing experiences and an opportunity for
information gathering. Run properly, with good cash flow management, gym shows
can be profitable too.
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