Coach Pete Ryan - Complete Website Content
I wasn’t always the fit, confident coach you see today. As a kid, I was overweight and bullied almost daily. P.E. class was my nightmare - I’d always have an excuse or a note from mum to skip it. But life has a funny way of pushing you towards your destiny.
At 18, a chance encounter with a kickboxing gym flyer changed everything. Showing up on the wrong day, I found myself watching a high-level sparring class. For five hours, I sat transfixed, watching these athletes move, react, and flow. I was hooked.
My first actual class? I was sick within the first 5 minutes of warm-up. This continued for four months straight. But I kept coming back. Even a broken foot couldn’t stop me - I took on my coach’s challenge to catch up and pass two belt gradings in three weeks. Not only did I succeed, but I achieved the second-highest score the gym had ever seen.
Within two years, I was a two-time W.A.K.O British Kickboxing Full Contact champion. My passion became my profession as I started coaching others.
My journey led me to London Shootfighters, a tough, no-nonsense gym that humbled and reshaped me. It became my home, my family (I even have their logo tattooed on my ribs!). Here, my coaching skills were dissected, reshaped, and focused into the craft I practice today.
I’ve worked with everyone from complete beginners to UFC and Bellator professionals. I’ve trained people with cerebral palsy and coached individuals undergoing chemotherapy. One of my proudest moments was seeing a client battling breast cancer become the fittest she’d ever been during her treatment.
My own athletic journey continued too. I’ve completed three ultra-marathons - 160 miles in 5 days through the deserts of Namibia, the Kenyan safari plains, and the Amazon jungle. These weren’t just physical challenges; they were lessons in perseverance and mental toughness that I bring to my coaching.