Devotee kicks on with sport dream

Whether he’s training for a fight or steaming in a sauna, Muay Thai fighter and trainer Rob Lovett loves to share his knowledge of the sport.

He has recently opened up one of the biggest Muay Thai gyms in the region and is confident the sport will gain more followers in Albany.

Lovett said he had found refuge in Muay Thai, which is the national sport and martial art of Thailand.

Muay Thai is a symphony of kicks, punches, elbows and knees and has since grown in popularity all over Australia.

Lovett found his passion for the sport when he was 20 after a family holiday in Thailand and has since trained in a professional capacity.

With 20 years of experience in Muay Thai, Lovett has won several titles, including international amateur fights in Kazakhstan.

He is now a proud owner and main trainer at the Lovett Muay Thai gym in Lockyer Avenue.

“I actually never intend to open a Muay Thai gym in this capacity in Albany,” Lovett said.

“But after a while I realised there is a huge void in Albany when it comes to martial arts, in particular Muay Thai, and so I decided to take the next step.

“We started from just a humble little gym in the garage with only the three of us, and now we’ve got more than 80 members and so I decided to open this gym to cater (for) the demand.”

Out of his 80 members, half are under 20.

“There are a lot of pressures for any young person in today’s society,” Lovett said.

“And I find a lot of the young guys here (have) found a sense of belonging with the sport and with the community we got in our gym.”

Lovett said he had received good feedback from participants and their parents and those who took part had found the sport life-changing.