This earthly spirit is a force to be reckoned with... Meet Graydon

What do you do outside of training?  I work for NASA & CSIRO out at the Tidbinbilla tracking station as a facilities assistant specialising in Horticulture. It is pretty much my dream job, working with a team to further astronomical science, while I primarily take custodianship and care of my little section of spaceship Earth.

Where do you draw inspiration from and why?  I draw inspiration from the universe and life itself. For when I observe nature, nothing is done in a hurry yet everything gets achieved. The constant growth that leads to decay which then provides hubris for life to grow. Sacred geometry and harmonic resonance has always interested me and the patterns repeat constantly in nature.

What was the best advice you were ever given?  “Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”.

What is one key event that changed your life in a positive or negative way?  Sitting on the prow of a sail ship in the middle of the ocean with a full moon lighting the endless expanse of the sea, it was the moment I conquered my fear of the sea and felt totally calm and at one with everything, I have been chasing those moments ever since.

What is your favourite part of class?  Pushing through and digging deep, when you are a sweaty, exhausted mess, and all you want to do is stop. You find that inspiration, motivation to keep going because if you can’t find and break those limits you have conjured, then you don’t really know of what you are capable of.

Do you want to fight, why or why not?  Yes, I do want to fight as it would be a great way to challenge and express oneself honestly, testing the culmination of training discipline and character.

Favourite fighter and why?  Bruce Lee, he has been my favourite fighter and childhood hero of all time. He was a significant cultural bridge between east and west that paved the way of kung fu movie mania. His philosophy, his sheer tenacity towards life, martial arts made him a legend that continues to encourage many generations to do their best, to be authentic and expressive.

Sea Shepherd warrior by day, ass kicking Chopper student by night... Meet Cam

What do you do outside of training?  I have recently returned to Canberra from spending 3 and half years aboard the Sea Shepherd vessels. My role was a marine engineer; currently I am working a contract at the Film and Sound Archives in Audio Services.

What has been the greatest adventure of your life?  The greatest adventure was joining the crew aboard the Sea Shepherd ships. The MY Bob Barker, the MY Steve Irwin and MY Sam Simon. I have sailed in some intimidating situations in the interest of marine conservation.  Whilst at sea I have been in a mayday situation, navigator of a small boat crew and witnessed an illegal poaching vessel sink off the west coast of Africa.

What has been your ultimate achievement?  Volunteering in Costa Rica on a turtle conservation project, and being a crew member aboard the Sea Shepherd ships, I consider my ultimate achievements.  

If you were Prime Minister of Australia, what would be the first thing you would change?  If I was the Prime Minister of Australia I would end the live animal export trade.

Why did you start doing muay thai?  I started training at Chopper Muay Thai to improve my fitness, coordination and wellbeing.

Do you want to fight? Why or why not?  I don’t plan to fight at this point but we'll see what happens in the future.

Describe the people who train with you?  The people I train with at Chopper are a great team, always offering technique advice, support and help push me when I am starting to fade.

Chopper's pocket rocket... Meet Monica

What do you do outside of training?  I work in the Public Service as a programme administrator for digital channels and strategies.

What was the best advice you were ever given?  The best advice I have been given, was from my fiancé Željko, he always tells me "There is no such thing as 'I can’t"

TV show you secretly enjoy?  I secretly enjoy 'Teen Mom OG” (Original Girls) - it's my trash TV. I also love the late night Denoz Direct ads - they never cease to surprise me!

If money and career were no object, where in the world would you choose to live?  I definitely wouldn't be located in one spot, I am a very indecisive person, I would hop from country to country. Mostly, living through Europe and all the tropical islands. I would also fly all my family along with me, in my private jet of course!

What do you enjoy about muay thai?  Pushing myself to the limit! I also enjoy little milestones, such as being graded to the next level at Chopper Muay Thai, and seeing little improvements in myself with every training session.

Describe the people who train with you?  I love the people I train with, such a fun enthusiastic bunch of people who are so encouraging and motivating. I like to think of us as a Chopper family, helping each other all the way!

Explain the feeling you get after class.  Honestly, I feel wrecked, but at the same time, empowered to continuously improve when I believe that I didn't put my best effort during class. This continuous improvement allows me to gain a great sense of achievement and to focus on my next training session.

From a lineage of Muay Thai fighters... Meet Raem

What do you do outside of training?  At the moment, I am working in Mitchell, at a warehouse, as a store-man, and delivery driver.

How could you describe yourself in 3 words?  Never give up.

Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?  Do your best, while you can.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and why?  I grew up in Thailand where muay thai and fighting strong is an important part of the culture.

Why did you start doing muay thai?  I have two uncles in Thailand that were professional muay thai fighters, it's in the family, its in my blood so I wanted to give it a shot. I also wanted to get fit and healthy.

What advice can you give to new students joining up who have never trained?  Have fun and try something new.

What kept you going in the first months of training at Chopper Muay Thai?  I wanted to see how far I could push myself and how much I could learn.

A big heart and deep determination... Meet Ian

What do you do outside of training?  I play indoor soccer regularly. I have also been known to jump out of planes and bungy jump on occasion. I'm also involved with Heavy Horse Heaven a charity organisation that helps abandoned and neglected horses.

What was the best advice you were ever given?  To do the best you can with the time you are given and to enjoy life while you have it.

If your life were a movie what would the title be?  Hard work and determination.

What was the greatest adventure of your life?  Travelling through Europe, experiencing life in many different ways with people from a variety of different backgrounds.

What Helps Me Focus During Class?   Gaz Rees helps me stay focussed during training workouts because of this I'm motivated to get good results and improve.

What is your favourite part of each session?  Pushing my body to the limit.

Who is your favourite fighter?   I have two favourite fighters, Arturo Gatti and Evander Holyfield because of their pure determination and will to succeed. Both fighters don't have flawless records, however they were world champions, that provided fans with incredible, memorable fights that will never be forgotten.

Funny shorts lead Jono to Chopper, the rest is history...

What do you do outside of training?  I am currently a student and just finishing up my degree after a long hard slog! So, at the moment, I’m polishing up my resume and I am looking forward to getting out into the professional world. I also have a part-time job with the public service. Between uni, work, training, playing some video games and cleaning up after myself, I keep pretty busy!

If you could choose one super power, what would it be and why? It depends if I was being a superhero or not! I think teleportation would be pretty handy for normal life – you know, save on petrol, being able to pop over to Italy for your pizza on the way home from work, swing past Thailand to do some muay thai training, etc. However, after watching Jessica Jones, I think having indestructible skin or superhuman strength would be a bit more useful for superhero business.

TV show you secretly enjoy?  I have two guilty pleasures: Antiques Roadshow and COPS. I enjoy watching Antiques Roadshow because I love trinkets (or junk) myself, but I’m always amazed at the random things people bring in and also when the experts uncover something hugely valuable. I enjoy COPS because it’s just trashy!

If money and career were no object, where in the world would you choose to live?  I’d retire and live in a house with enough space for a games room, gym and sauna in a forest somewhere in New South Wales! I like the idea of pottering about and growing veggies, planting trees and cutting firewood. But I’d still like to be within at least few hours drive to Canberra or Sydney.

Why did you start doing muay thai?  By accident! I was hanging around the gym in the afternoon after a workout and ran into Stefan, another student at Chopper. I asked him about his funny looking shorts and he convinced me to stick around to come in and have a go. I used to do Tae Kwon Do and I had gone to a muay thai class in high school, so I figured why not? The rest is history! Thanks Stefan!

What do you believe differentiates muay thai with other sports? Firstly, i’ve never had such an intense workout. Secondly, would be the comradery. I’m not particularly into team sports like rugby or soccer. Whilst it’s an individual sport, you can’t advance or practice without other people there – whether it’s sparring or  just holding the bag for you. The environment at Chopper is awesome, everyone is happy to give advice, plenty of support and encouragement to keep going.

Which class do you like best, Techniques or Heavy Bags and why?  I like both classes for different reasons! Like I said above, I’ve never had a more intense workout than I have in a Heavy Bags class. And it’s fun hitting something which are designed to be hit. But, bags don’t move or hit back, so it’s always a nice change of pace to go to a techniques class! Techniques classes are a good way to practice the things you learn in a Bags class, but also learn how to defend and react to different situations.