Omni Fight Club

By: Brooke Rogan, Valeria Lopez, Miranda Barrera, Danielle Viator

FIGHT CLUB AUSTIN TEXAS

UT Austin— A new type of workout has moved to Austin. Fight Club in West Campus, has become a large trend within the residents in Austin attracting both college students and the working class.

“There’s no one specific model person who comes to fight club. We come from all walks of life, we offer different backgrounds and we’re all here to uplift one another” said Deja Gamble, a trainer at Fight Club.

Women have become the main demographic Fight Club is attracting because of its classes focusing on self-defense. 90% of the clients attending Fight Club are women based on the data from 2018 for the Omni Club.

“I think the way that they teach you to punch and how to kick is super important because if you have to learn how to do those things the right way because you could also injure yourself so I think knowing how to do those things is really important because you never know what type of situation that you’re going to be in” said Ashley Smith, a Fight Club client.

Fight Club clients are raving about the self defense they’re learning and frustration they’re able to release during a class. This type of workout is able to reach all different types of people.

“The culture. It’s incredible. I found myself just not having the energy to work out on my own and I needed to surround myself with people that were highly competitive, similar mannered, and I just realized I couldn’t do it on my own anymore” said Mike Bradford, a Fight Club trainer.

The classes are high intensity, and each class focuses on different parts of the body and what it encompasses.

“It tones all aspects of your body because not only are you doing boxing, but you’re doing kickboxing, and you’re doing other forms of cardio that aren’t running. For people who don’t like running, it’s actually perfect. You’re still getting great cardio workout in without actually having to run,” said Smith.

The environment is very uplifting and allows you to let go of your frustrations and experience a full body workout.

“It makes you feel empowered because we’re here. Majority of the people who come to fight club are women and we’re all really supportive of anyone who comes in” said Gamble.

This is a very empowering experience and for women it teaches such important skills that most women never learn.

“It’s incredibly empowering. You see a bunch of people gain confidence, and their lives change, and you see them lose weight or accomplish their other goals. They come with friends, and they’ll do it for social reasons or physical reasons” said Bradford.

Fight Club is changing people’s lives for the better and it’s through the skills of self-defense.

“I walked in and everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and it made me feel really empowered to be with a lot of people my age that are also women, and it was just an awesome experience” said Stephanie Steele, a Fight Club client.

Learning self-defense is more important than most women know and enables them to be more prepared for any situation.

“It’s definitely a big confidence boost. You realize that you’re much stronger than you think you are. You get in great shape, great endurance, and just learning how to fight is incredibly empowering” said Bradford.

FightClubGraphic

This graphic shows that 90% women and only 10% men are involved in Omni Fight Club, based on data of 2018 from the club.