Ribblesdale High School student Alfie Rowley began Thai boxing training at his local gym Northwest Muay Thai in Padiham aged 15 and now having just turned 20 he’s the combat sports coach on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the UK’s two aircraft carriers.

“Muay Thai has been a huge part of my life for five years now,” explained Alfie while on leave at home with his parents and younger brother in Simonstone. “I’ve been serving in the Royal Navy for nearly three years as a Naval Airman Aircraft Handler. I’m delighted to be the ship’s combat sports coach. In this role I support and develop combat sports within the ship’s company. It’s highly enjoyable being able to use my passion for martial arts to assist others in improving their skills, confidence and fitness, and all the time meeting new people on this ship, which has a core crew of 700 but can accommodate 1600.”

“The Royal Navy strongly encourages participation in sport and funds Muay Thai, providing a fantastic opportunity for personnel to develop both personally and professionally. We support people in pursuing their chosen sport, whether recreationally or competitively. I was given the opportunity to spend time in Thailand to improve my knowledge and skills in Muay Thai. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to train in the cradle of the sport and learn from experienced coaches, gaining knowledge I can share to help others develop as combat sports athletes. I also enjoyed the immersion in Thai culture and now better understand the traditions behind Muay Thai. Thai language fluency will hopefully come via future visits.”

Alfie recently signed up as a junior coach in the Combat Sports Initiative (CSI) via the Royal Navy Muay Thai group. CSI is a joint Royal Navy and Royal Marines initiative to encourage young boys and girls to get involved in combat sports and was founded to counteract what Alfie describes as “the scourge of knife crime".

“I chose to get involved during periods of leave, as I believe in everything CSI stands for. The project aims to help young people develop strong core values in life generally as well as in sport. Such values include respect, discipline, confidence, resilience, and teamwork. These all align with the Royal Navy ethos stressing the principles of courage, commitment, discipline, respect, integrity and loyalty."

“The sessions offer participants a positive environment where they build confidence, improve their physical and mental wellbeing, and develop life skills that will benefit them outside of sport. So far, I’ve done one in Leeds which offered a combination of fitness activities, basic Muay Thai and an introduction to BJJ grappling, and which ended with a series of team games. All participants were encouraged to challenge themselves while supporting others. I’m looking forward to doing more.”

Joe Fitzpatrick is the chief instructor at North West Muay Thai. “Alfie is a strong and fast fighter with much potential and always open to learning new techniques. He has much potential as a fighter. He’s keen to improve his teaching ability, and we're not in the least surprised that he’s proving to be an asset to the Royal Navy Muay Thai team.”

The final word is Alfie’s:

Success is best measured by personal progress rather than comparisons with others. Every small improvement in skills, confidence, discipline or resilience represents success and can fuel much bigger achievements. Too many compare themselves to so-called influencers, making them feel not good enough, and that contributes to increased anxiety and depression. CSI counteracts this by encouraging individuals to focus on daily becoming a better version of themselves.

If wanting to train at Northwest Muay Thai contact Joe on 07749 410495 or e-mail jfitzpatrick25@virginmedia.com. The gym is in Wyre Street Padiham.