Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mark Beecher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mark, appreciate you joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
So I have some students that had high blood pressure and heart problems. They came and train with me and then six months went back to see the doctor and the doctor close the door and asked him what the. F#}| have you been doing? And my student said what do you mean doc and the doctor told him he no longer needs his heart medication or his high blood pressure medication, so what the hell have you been doing? With one simple answer, he looked at him and smiled and said Muay Thai KICK BOXING!!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Beecher’s passion was fighting, win or lose. He wanted to go out and put on a show, but the reality took a toll on his body. Mentally you feel ready, but your body tells you no. As much as Beecher remembers what he loved about the sport he also remembers what he didn’t.
“My favorite part was just doing it. Winning or losing didn’t matter as long as you fought hard — and I hold my students up to the same motto” said Beecher. “Worst part, shit man, when you know your body can’t take the beating anymore, but your better than the guys you’re fighting.”
If saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do, then stepping away from the sport was gut wrenching for Mark Beecher. It’s not about wanting to say goodbye, it’s about knowing when to say goodbye. Despite having the desire to fight, getting hit for a living was taking a toll on him. After suffering three consecutive losses for the first time in his career he decided to step away from competition.
“I couldn’t take getting hit anymore… this still hurts me mentally as I still have the desire to fight … maybe one or two more eh??” said Beecher. “Plus, I said if I ever lost 3 in a row I would quit, and after about 10 years it finally happened … damn.”
By the time he decided to step away, Beecher had been coaching and fighting. Becoming a full time trainer was a natural fit, although Beecher has a warning for anyone out there that thinks coaching and fighting are simple tasks. “It’s one of the hardest things ever to do both”. Being a fighter doesn’t mean you will have success as a trainer, teaching is not something everyone can do well. You see it in other sports continuously: a retired player who was in the upper echelon decides to try his hand at coaching and after a season they get fired because they aren’t very good coaches. Beecher’s key to success is that he adapts and doesn’t try to configure a new style for the fighters he trains.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I open my gym in the middle of the pandemic. I had no choice. I had zero dollars as I spent all of my money renovating to open the gym so I had to open. Luckily, my students came to support me and to learn Mauy Thai and they are the reason that I am where I am today.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
If you really want to do something in your life, you will have to give up comfort and normalcy. I slept in the gym for over a year to save money to where I could open my own place and when I open my own place, I had already signed the contract and the pandemic hit, this was a crazy time in my life. I barely made it through but I made it and you can too!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hyenamuaythai.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyenamuaythai/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hyenamuaythai/
- Twitter: @hyenamuaythai
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/markhyena
- Yelp: yelp is very bad, dont do it
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/talkingshitwithbeecher