Last week, Tarna Batelman, a personal trainer at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, competed in her first-ever Amateur Modified Muay Thai fight and came out victorious with a 1-0 record. Muay Thai, a traditional martial art from Thailand, is similar to kickboxing and allows punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and clinching, but no takedowns. It falls somewhere between kickboxing and MMA in style and intensity and has been growing quickly in popularity across the United States.
To prepare for the fight, Tarna trained nearly 25 hours per week, including sprints, boxing gym sessions, and sparring. It was a demanding, full-contact training experience that often left her constantly hurt.
“You have to give up everything in your life,” Tarna said. “You have to diet because you have to make weight. It was a lot just to have one amateur fight. But the actual fight itself was amazing from start to finish.”
The event itself, hosted by Triangle Kickboxing Promotions under the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) platform, drew a crowd of several hundred people. Two weeks before fight night, Tarna’s original opponent dropped out, but the promoters quickly found a replacement so the match could continue.
Tarna’s journey into Muay Thai began while she was a student at Pitt. She had always wanted to take a boxing class, and a simple online search led her to Top Tier Gym, where she met her coach, David Reese. After her first class, Reese asked whether she had ever considered fighting. A year later, after intense training and even traveling to Thailand to train, they agreed she was ready. She increased her training, stepped into the ring, and earned her first win.
The lessons Tarna has learned through her own training are ones she now shares with her clients at the JCC, especially those she kickboxes with. She offers simple, powerful advice for anyone considering trying something new or challenging.
“I was so terrified to lose every single day,” she said. “If there is something you’re scared to do because you might fail, go do it anyway. You might win, and it might feel really, really awesome.”
Tarna is now officially 1–0 in Amateur Modified Muay Thai, with more goals on the horizon.
To learn more about Muay Thai or other fitness opportunities, contact Tarna at [email protected].
