Happy Women's History Month!

Hello! My name is Aidan, and I’ve been training at The Clinic Muay Thai Gym since September of 2025. Before moving here to Lancaster, I lived in Kutztown, PA, where I trained at Althouse Training Center. I started this journey at 23 after seeing some old photos of my dad in his 20’s kickboxing. Inspired to follow in his footsteps, I walked into this only thinking, “I am going to look sooo cool.” … Okay, obviously I was immediately humbled, but I fell in love with the sport anyway.

Over time, I realized that both of these gyms gave me something I didn’t even know I needed at the beginning: Community. Specifically, I found a group of women who supported me in and outside the gym. Women I could lean on, who pushed me when I needed it, and who understood me both as a fighter and a person.

Being a woman in any martial art comes with its own set of challenges. There are always going to be biases, biological differences, people who doubt you, and sometimes people who assume you don’t belong in the room. The reality is, we’re in a male-dominated space. These spaces were originally created by men, for men, without the expectation that women would be a major part of it someday. Thankfully though, we’ve come a long way. Women’s divisions and female fighters are getting more and more recognition, and gyms like The Clinic have created environments that are welcoming, respectful, and do not tolerate disrespect toward female students. Places like this are a huge step in the right direction.

I feel incredibly grateful for the environment I’ve found at The Clinic. I can honestly say I haven’t experienced any kind of negativity here. The men I train with show respect, kindness, and make it a great place to learn and improve. While I appreciate all of the great people in this community, there’s something uniquely powerful about training alongside women. There’s a camaraderie that’s hard to describe. The women I train with have encouraged me, pushed me, celebrated my wins, and supported me through some really tough days. I’ve never felt more seen or appreciated than when I’m surrounded by them.

Muay Thai is often referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs.” People describe it as a dance, which is true. It’s a beautiful sport, but at the same time, it is so damn ugly. It’s exhausting, humbling, painful, and messy. There’s nothing necessarily glamorous about sweating through rounds, hitting something as hard as you can, or realizing how much you still have to learn. And honestly, that’s part of what makes it so freeing. As women, we’re so often expected to be composed, graceful, and polished. But with this sport, none of that matters. You can sweat, struggle, mess up combinations, get swept, get back up, and keep going. You can be loud, competitive, aggressive, and determined. You can take up space and you can push yourself to your absolute limit without worrying how it looks. There’s something incredibly empowering about walking into the gym and giving yourself permission to just be ugly.

I hope this blog post reaches the women I’ve trained with, so they know how much I appreciate their support and friendship (and how totally cool I think they all are). But I also hope it reaches women who have never stepped foot in a gym like The Clinic Muay Thai Gym. If that’s you, consider this a virtual shake of the shoulders and imagine me screaming to you, Just DO IT! Sign up! You’ll feel more confident, more powerful, and you’ll be surrounded by women cheering you on every step of the way. You won’t regret it.

Happy Women's History Month, everyone!

You can celebrate by following some of these amazing female martial artists on Instagram!

@muaythaimusings

@gabriellederamos

@elenacresci

@duangdawnoi

@mikahdiazcruz

@kymarissaa