TEAM

Having had the urge from young to delve into some sort of martial arts training, Spiro was firstly exposed to the art of Muay Thai at the age of 15.

After finding a passion for it up until his late teens, he had to let it go to pursue a career in AFL. Finally after retiring from the sport in his mid 20s, he found the art of Muay Thai once more, or it found him. From there Spiro achieved another one of his lifetime goals in learning the art and competing. After learning from many knowledgable trainers over time here in Australia and abroad and teaching both Muay Thai and Kickboxing for the last 8 years, he realised that giving back these skills and helping all types of individuals was what gave him true happiness in the long and short term.

“Muay Thai gives you many skills and tools to deal with both your internal and external challenges in life, teaching you to be resilient, courageous in many forms, self development, building strength both physically and mentally, stress relief, all round cardio fitness and just plain old fun!!”

Coming from an Emergency Registered Nursing background of 6 years Spiro had to deal with many health and mental health issues within the hospital and community setting. After teaching for so many years Spiro had found that Muay Thai assisted in a rehabilitation process for many people looking for an outlet in life, including himself. Whether it be learning difficulties for a child, mental health issues, overall health & well being or addictions. Solace Muay Thai offers that outlet whilst still being nurtured in a family atmosphere with our experienced trainers, teachers, coaches, father figures guiding you through. Being a great team or coach entails all of these attributes as each individual is different with different needs, which Solace strives to achieve.

Adam fell in love with martial arts as a child and began training in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu at 5 years old. During high school he took a break but resumed training while attending university. He is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has trained extensively in Judo, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, MMA, Hapkido, Eskirma and KEF-IC (Australia’s Military Hand to hand combat system).

Adam became a group fitness instructor and Personal trainer in 2011 and has been coaching Martial Arts and Strength and Conditioning in the Northern Rivers for over a decade. His clients include Australian Champions and international medalists in a variety of sports.

He has a particular fondness for the grappling arts and is excited to provide high level wrestling and submission coaching for our MMA students.

“I love using my knowledge, coaching and skills to help people become the best version of themselves. The team at Solace Athletica are unified by a singular vision, to help people achieve their goals, and give people a safe space to learn and grow.”

Joel is a local lad who grew up in the area and is now teaching wrestling, grappling & MMA at Solace.

CREDENTIALS:

⁃ BJJ brown belt, started training at 16YOA in 2012 under coach Adam Ryan and a short time later Coaches Big George, Icaro Marques and Havel Marques.
⁃ Started mixed martial arts 3 months after starting BJJ at 16 in 2012 under Australian MMA pioneer Sam Nest at Rings MMA.
⁃ Competed in kickboxing, in MMA, BJJ and submission grappling extensively.
⁃ Competed in MMA on multiple fight cards such as XFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) and ACFA (Amature Cage Fighting Australia)
⁃ Achieved multiple Gold medals in BJJ and submission grappling in competitions such as the BJJ Australian open, Coffs Harbour Invitational, Grow strong fight series submission grappling and Amature Cage Fighting Australia submission grappling.
⁃ Certified Lvl 1 & 2 in Kinetic Fighting IC Army Combative’s program
⁃ Spent time running defensive tactics programs for different security companies on the North Coast

Alex coaches Muay Thai with a great understanding of the technicalities. His Thursday evening classes are easily one of our more popular sessions.

Alex is 29, has trained in Muay Thai for over 4 years with two fights under his belt with more to come. He’s been coaching at Solace for 2 years. His top skills are his low kicks and evasion.

“I have loved working at Solace because of the people and the friendships I’ve made. I encourage everyone to come and have a go. It’ll bring structure and discipline to your life and you’ll be part of a really good community of people.”

Mick has been coaching our Strength & Conditioning classes for over a year and he consistently offers fun, fast-paced sessions for all fitness levels. Although he does always offer the ‘hard-core’ option, he’s always happy to modify for injuries or people wanting to take it a little easier.

Mick provides unique, creative and effective programs and classes for members and clients.

“I would also list resourcefulness, organisation, adaptability, and resilience, which are skills I have developed during my time at Solace. I love working with like-minded people who want to level up in their skills and in life.”

Mick’s goals for the coming year are to further develop his skills and begin coaching athletes and fighters.

“Beyond self-defence, martial arts teaches you an array of skills that are applicable to every aspect of your life, such as adaptability, patience, timing, stamina, perseverance and sportsmanship”

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

Certificate III in Fitness (Group Class Instruction)
Certificate IV in Fitness (Personal Training)
Group Class Instructor (International Sports Science Association)
Nutritionist (International Sports Science Association)
First Aid/CPR (St.Johns Ambulance)

Kat has been with Solace for over 3 years and currently teaches beginners classes. She has a good grasp of the basics of Muay Thai with attention to the small details such as stance and breathing.

Kat also does the Solace marketing, social media, website and booking system.

“I was addicted to Muay Thai from my first week and the benefits for my mental and physical health have been huge. Solace has such a great community and the friendships I’ve made have been some of the best so far. Everyone is welcomed and we all help each other to learn and grow.”