“I was in an engineering career, which I wasn’t really happy with for one, so I was already contemplating, ‘What’s going to be my next step?'”. Fitness kick-boxing instructor, Matt Rudman, has described what influenced his decision to try a different career path.
It wasn’t until Rudman decided to do a course as an assistant instructor that he found his true passion.
“The aim really was to improve my martial arts, and then I just seemed to fall in love with the coaching aspect. My instructor was opening up an academy, and then the seed started to grow more and more.
“I signed myself up to learn about the business side of stuff. There were around 15 people on his course and six months later, he offered me the position. I did that for two years and then I bought him out from the Cheltenham location in 2013.”
Rudman teaches both Mixed Martial Arts and fitness kick-boxing at his academy in Cheltenham, however the choice to get into the latter was inspired by his true aspiration; to help people.
“I’ve always liked helping people. I had seen what it had done for me. My partner at the time was training, her confidence grew and it was doing that for me too.
“I wanted to pass that on to other people, so it was fulfilling the need to do something for the community. The fitness is a big part of it, but I’d say it’s more that I wanted to help people and see their confidence grow.”
Rudman clearly cherishes the opportunity to help people, which is seen at his academy. Having witnessed it first hand, the variety of people that come to train, whether they’re older or younger, male or female, they all work out, and have fun at the same time.
“Fun has got to be crucial because if someone’s not enjoying it, then it makes it very difficult.
“We’re competing against screen time and devices, so fun is important.”
Belief is crucial to Rudman, and he admitted that he “wouldn’t be doing it” if it wasn’t for his instructor Steven.
“He believed more in me at the beginning than I did in myself. Even though I was quite high graded in martial arts and comfortable doing it, there was still the thought of ‘Could I really do this?’ I think that’s just a bit of my own background, getting through school.
“Even with the engineering, I literally just scraped by, so there were elements of my self-belief that were missing. I can now see it in others that there’s potential in this person and they may not realise it.”
Rudman himself is now passing on what he has learnt in his coaching career to his trainee, Josh Hall, with the hope that Hall takes over one day.
“I’ve been able to hand over so much to him, and I think for a 20-year-old to stand in front of a group of adults or children of different ages, weaving in some of the stuff that I’ve learned as well, is nice.
“He has so much potential, and because he’s that little bit closer in age to some of the teens, it’s not too far for him to remember ‘This is what my GCSEs were like’, so he’s actually given them really good advice. He’s a great role model.”
“I would love him just to take it over from me.”
Josh Hall teaching
