Giving Santa Monica the Fighting Spirit

Muay Thai instructor Dean Rosenwald and his student Chris Heihn train in Santa Monica, California on November 30, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

In our beautiful city’s parks, Santa Monica Striking coaches Dean Rosenwald and Lance Dixon train their fighters in Muay Thai. They are temporarily offering these classes free of charge. “I don't want to turn anyone away who can’t afford to pay, especially [during the pandemic],” said Rosenwald.

But as many gyms have been closed for months, Rosenwald, the founder of Santa Monica Striking, has had to move his classes outside. These outdoor classes are primarily done at parks throughout the city.

As the pandemic still goes on, hundreds of gyms across the nation have had to close. For the first two months of the lockdown, Rosenwald still had the desire to teach his students, so he taught through Zoom calls. Rosenwald said, “It was pretty much a digital Muay Thai class where we would go through technique and strikes, kind of like guided shadowboxing, but a lot more technical.” Even with the shutdown, the coaches of Santa Monica Striking continued to train their students every day of the week, online or outdoors.

His classes consist of a diverse group of people from beginners, to trainees that have been practicing for several years. They are open for anyone that has an interest, to come and join. The community, Dixon said, “ is very strong, very humble, and very respectful.” And his students agree. Santa Monica residents, Anna and Nate Redmond have been training with Santa Monica Striking for over a year. “We came in with no experience”, said Nate. Anna added to that saying, “when we started, we looked at a couple of places though, and we really liked the energy, they’re relaxed, they take what they do seriously.”

Santa Monica Striking trains several fighters, some coming in with no experience prior to joining Rosenwald’s community, like fighter Chris Heihn.

“Back in January, we got a student [named] Chris Heihn. He came to us with zero experience, zero striking, and wanting to compete. So he put in the work. And after about six months, we started thinking about fights. And then in November, he was able to compete in his first amateur fight,” said Rosenwald.

But there is still a serious concern on the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. Although outdoor activity is still permitted, cases in Los Angeles County have reached an all-time high. In the class, people are paired up for striking and pads, which requires close contact throughout the workout. “Yeah, there is [concern]. I tell people if you want to wear a face mask, definitely wear a face mask. But I think just being out in the sun, being outdoors, exercising is a key part of health,” says Dixon.

There is uncertainty when it comes to how much longer indoor gyms will be closed. This outdoor exercise is an opportunity to try Muay Thai without being charged, until their indoor gym opens. For anyone looking to attend a class, send them a direct message on their Instagram, @santamonicastriking for class time and location.