"I skateboarded for most of my life. I got sober in 2021, and I wanted to be more physically active. A couple friends were doing muay Thai in one of their basements, and they invited me to come. I went over there and got my ass kicked. I was hooked."
"In skating, you're constantly falling and getting hurt; it's hard and painful, but you keep trying. And that's the exact same thing with muay Thai."
"I can't really do anything half-assed or just for fun. I always try to lean into things that suck and things that I don't want to do and things that are scary."
"I was thinking that even if I got knocked out, if I'm lying there face down on the mat, then at least my back looks cool."
Sean McLaughlin, a graphic designer from Greenpoint, turned to muay Thai after skateboarding for most of his life. After getting sober in 2021, he sought a more active lifestyle. Invited by friends to train in a basement, he quickly became passionate about the sport despite the initial challenges. He draws parallels between skateboarding and muay Thai, emphasizing resilience in both activities. McLaughlin's commitment to pushing through difficult experiences reflects his personality, and he even got a tattoo to commemorate his journey in training.
Read at Curbed
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]