Locky

More About Locky

​​​Locky first discovered Muay Thai through his interest in Lethwei (Burmese boxing, is a traditional full-contact combat sport originating from Myanmar), a sport he had always wanted to learn.
With no Lethwei gyms available locally, Muay Thai was the closest alternative, so in 2023 he began
training with the intention of eventually making his way into Lethwei.

His favourite part of Muay Thai has been the people he’s met along the way, but his motivation for continuing goes much deeper. With international interest in Lethwei declining, Locky hopes that by training, fighting and sharing the sport online, he can help raise awareness and keep the sport alive. He has even received messages from Burmese people thanking him for helping preserve and promote their culture, which has made the journey even more meaningful.

The best advice he has received came from his mum: “You spent over 20 years being Locky Thomas (his birth surname), it’ll take 20 years to become Locky Tinhla (his current name).” She shared this with him after he returned from training and fighting Lethwei overseas, where he had stopped drinking, trained hard and felt like he had finally found something he was good at and could succeed in. After returning home and slipping back into some old habits, her words reminded him that reinventing himself as Locky Tinhla wouldn’t happen overnight and that becoming the person he wanted to be would take time.

Outside of training, Locky enjoys learning Burmese, long runs with his marathon runner girlfriend,
recovering in the sauna, visiting spas, going on day trips and of course travelling.​

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Since joining us in February, Locky has quickly become a much loved part of the Strike community. He’s always putting in the work, often doubling up on classes, and he still finds the time to lend a helping hand in classes and share his advice with newer members. Sadly for us, Locky is now off to Myanmar, where he’ll be living and competing professionally in Lethwei!
It’s been an absolute blast having him around the gym, and we’re excited to follow along with the next chapter of his journey on Instagram (@locky.tinhla)! We wish Locky all the best for this exciting next chapter and can’t wait to see where it takes him!

Damien