Harley's Kickboxing club is today bristling with champion fighters and possible future title-holders, says coach and founder Mal Harley.
Harley, who established the club in Masterton 27 years ago, said over the past month several of his fighters have taken out regional level bouts in Muaythai and Wushu disciplines, with club members Bryce Baron, Brendon Varty and Chris Edmonds also winning selection to a Kiwi Muaythai squad at a Masterton qualifying tournament.
Wushu is an Olympic sport and form of Chinese Kung Fu divided into display and full contact tournaments and each of four club fighters that attended a Wellington Wushu tournament, won against their opponents and qualified for possible selection to a Kiwi squad that will compete at the next Olympics.
At a Porirua Muaythai tournament this month five fighters from the club Eli Johnston, Joy Smythe, Brendon Varty, Zane Hopman and Simon Hodder each took their bouts and again proved the reputation of the club throughout the lower North Island.
The first New Zealand title-holder from the club was Heather Smythe, the eldest of five sisters who have each in turn trained under Harley with Joy Smythe, nicknamed Baby, the last and youngest of the group to trade leather under the Masterton banner.
Harley said Baron at 27 victories from 32 fights is a standout fighter for the club who now holds all the New Zealand titles in weight divisions from 82.5kg to 94.5kg.
Chris Edmonds is another member who has won at national champs, including the New Zealand and North Island Thai Boxing Association titles.
Harley said up-and-coming fighters to watch include Varty and Jamie Matthews, both of whom will more than likely hold New Zealand titles "this time next year".
Other "show-stoppers" training out of Harley's include Serin "Big Fella" Edwards and Rory "B1" Burke, he said.
Harley said fitness is a vital ingredient for a successful fighter no matter the discipline and with fight experience a novice is able to better manage the sensation "of everything going in slow-motion like a dream".
Training regimes are also soon to step up a notch with the imminent arrival this year of former K1 referee and professional boxer and kickboxer Norm Graham, who is shifting from Hamilton to take up a coaching and refereeing position with the club, Harley said.
He said the club is holding its second Battle of the Bush tournament at the Masterton Town Hall early next year after a wildly successful inaugural "bash" in 2007 despite each Harley fighter who was entered losing that year.
He said some sponsors have already signed on for the February event, which will give the club an opportunity to claw back wins in the wake of the first meet, and sponsorship drives will soon begin.
The club now has about 30 members with four of seven fighters still fighting that took national titles since it was founded, he said.
"We have a healthy club for a small town and I believe we're one of the strongest clubs in the lower North Island, and that's saying something when you consider New Zealand performs really well on the world stage in turn.
"You can never tell who will turn out to be the best fighter when someone first starts.
"Big mouths and big muscles always seem to quit early. I mean if they have to tell you they're good they usually aren't and it's the quiet little fighter that the right training can really turn on and knock you out."
Kickboxing coach confident of depth of talent at club
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