First Person: Martial arts training can help body and mind get in sync

Studio A in the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre gym hums with a muted intensity, the air thick with the scent of sweat and determination. I focus on the crackle of gloves striking bags and the rhythmic bounce of skipping ropes. My fists connect with the heavy bag, each strike deliberate, each thud echoing a dialogue I’m having with myself.

Under the fluorescent lights bathing the room in a cold glow, I’m hit with a moment of clarity. After a full day of dissecting interviews and story drafts as a journalism student, I come to the gym not just to train but to find a sense of balance that writing cannot entirely give me.

Muay Thai – an art that marries precision and power – strips away all pretense. It is a brutal and honest style that demands discipline from every fibre of your being. I have practiced for eight years now, on and off, and it’s almost enough to know this is not just about the fight but the fight within.

As I plant my feet, pivoting slightly, I unleash a jab-cross combination. My motions are sharp and measured swiftly as I recall my jab back to guard my head, resetting my stance with a steady breath.

These motions mirror how I navigate the push and pull of my days: the hours spent chasing deadlines and nights crafting the art that matters to me. Each punch feels like I’m carving out space to get in sync with my body and mind.

The gym is a shared space of effort and grit where every person has their own story. Like me, they are not just here for the physicality. The room pulses with something that eats doubt: a quiet, collective understanding that what we do here feeds the rest of our lives.

For some, like Wren Doucette, a police foundations student and rugby player, martial arts became a way to channel emotions.

“I started wrestling in high school to improve my rugby performance,” said Doucette.
What initially began as a way to get better at another sport quickly became a passion that contributed to her personal growth.

“I use it a lot because I’m a pretty angry person, and tough sports really help me calm down,” said Doucette.

For Doucette, martial arts do not just build physical endurance. They strengthen her mental perseverance and prepare her for her future career in law enforcement.

There’s also Nathan Rolland, another Algonquin student who recently started training in jiu-jitsu. For Rolland, martial arts became a key to maintaining a sense of balance amid the pressures of school.

His jiu-jitsu classes lined up perfectly with his academic schedule, allowing him to dive deep into training without compromising his schoolwork. Rolland’s approach to balance comes down to time management.

“I pay attention to class, take all my notes, and study quickly after class so I don’t have to spend much time outside school on this,” he said. This focused approach enables him to train hard while keeping up with his studies.

For him, the structure provided by regular training sessions creates a discipline that carries over into his schoolwork. “It’s all about finding that rhythm,” said Armit.

Armit’s passion for martial arts helps him stay grounded and focused in both arenas.

Keshan Hou, a dedicated Muay Thai student, says martial arts taught him patience and long-term vision.

“Muay Thai showed me that growth comes in phases,” said Hou.

The physical demands of the sport taught him to embrace the process, a mindset that extends to his academic pursuits.

“It’s not just about mastering a skill quickly but staying consistent, and that’s something I’ve applied to my studies,” said Hou.

Ilunga’s dedication to the sport also stems from a deep personal motivation: making his mom proud.

“My main goal is to put a smile on my mom’s face,” said Ilunga. Martial arts can offer emotional purpose far beyond the physical realm.

For many of us, as we lift weights at the gym—it’s not just dumbbells. It’s the burdens of responsibility, ambition and identity. I think about my Salvadoran father, who immigrated in the ’90s with a drive that’s become a cornerstone of my resilience and ambition, and my stepmom, whose roots trace back to Italy. Together with my Canadian-born mother, they form a patchwork of cultures and cultivate stories that I carry daily. Their sacrifices echo in my drive to succeed—not just academically but in all the ways that matter to me: as a journalist, an artist and a person trying to build something lasting.

Muay Thai fits into my frame like something I need, not want. I have always been someone juggling multiple worlds. By day, I’m a journalism student at Algonquin, practicing interviews, research and storytelling.

By night, I pour my energy into music and visual art, chasing the bravest ideas that have always been my way of processing the world.

When I strike the bag, I’m not just releasing stress from a day of studying. I’m proving to myself that I can manage the weight of everything I’ve taken on.