Fitness YouTuber Laurie Shaw has tried to learn calisthenics moves, backflips, and “impossible pushups” in the name of video content, and in his latest challenge he lays on the fighting talk, vowing to do everything it takes to go from martial arts novice to muay thai fighter over the course of just 30 days.
At the start of the month, Laurie steps into the ring for two fights with seasoned fighters Sam and Jarrod, the logic being that he will then invite them each back for a rematch 30 days later to see exactly how much progress he has been able to make in his training.
“This is going to be a long 30 days,” he says, after getting knocked down no fewer than seven times. “I thought I had some sort of ability to protect myself, but jumping in there, it was just so full-on.”
Shaw starts training five times a week, and soon starts to feel confident that he is picking up the principles of the sport—but he remains nervous as rematch day draws nearer. “I’m literally learning everything,” he says. “How to put on my wraps, how to stand properly, how to move my feet, how to punch… I’ve had to compartmentalize and focus on one at a time, so I can really hammer in the basics, like being able to defend myself, being able to take punches and blocking them, keeping my guard and not turning away when I’m hit.”
Fight day eventually arrives, and while Shaw feels good about the progress he’s made with his footwork and punching technique, that doesn’t stop Sam landing a hit that leaves him with a bloody nose. “At least I didn’t fall to the floor so many times,” he says.
But once the challenge is over, he finds that he still wants to continue with his training. “It’s become such a big part of my life, it would feel weird or unnatural just to give it up now,” he says. “It’s definitely something I’m going to stick to… Although I’m still very much a beginner, I do feel like I’ve learned a lot in the space of only 30 days.”
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