Brad ' One Punch' PickettKaren Ousey - Full time mum and lady killer
Karen Ousey - Full time mum and lady killer
Words by Matt Walton. Photography by Rob Grist
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As far as researchers can tell Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) is approximately 3000 years old. Almost all of the stories appear to have come from the great Sukhothai period, were it is told was the true birth place of the Thai style of combat.
Thai Boxing is now one of the biggest Full Contact Martial Arts in the world and also plays a huge part in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) where the vast majority of MMA champions have extensive Thai Boxing training and experience.
Thai Boxing attracts men & women from all age brackets, ranging from 5 – 70. It seems to have become integral to a lot of peoples weekly training schedule, whether your training is purely Thai Boxing, or whether it is actually just a part of your overall training regime to support your other extreme sports disciplines.
Thai Boxing builds overall body strength, increases core stability, stamina, balance & control, co-ordination, enhances focus and builds overall confidence, so in summary it keeps you super fit, makes you feel great and is a core foundation to help you progress in any of your other chosen extreme sports….You can’t go wrong.
The interesting fact is that although it is known as the hardest full contact martial art in the world, it is attracting thousands of women, as it offers numerous possibilities.
You can train to get fit, you can train just for fun, you can train to learn self defence, you can train to fight.
If you are part of a good club, there is no pressure, you just find the right option that suits you.
Karen Ousey found the right option for her and that was to train so hard, she went on to win 3 world titles. On top of that she is a full time mum of 2 lovely children.
SPIKED caught up with Karen, to find out why she got into Thai Boxing and why it has become such an integral part of her life.
Hi Karen, it is great to catch up with you again in sunny Devon.
Thai Boxing seems such an exhilarating sport, can you tell us how did you get involved?
A friend of mine asked me if I would go along with her to one of the classes, this would have been May of 1992, she was planning on travelling and felt she might benefit from some self defence lessons to give her confidence in a foreign country, I agreed to go with her and entered my first Thai Boxing Session.
Can you describe how the training made you feel?
At first I remember the training to be exhausting! I felt that my heart was going to pop out of my mouth! My body would shake after an hour of putting myself through stretching routines, strength exercises and Thai Boxing techniques I had never done before. It was just mind blowing and very challenging, it was the best feeling and I knew I was hooked, something just clicked, I loved it!
Were there any other girls/women training when you first started and if not was it a problem?
No, there were no other females training at that time. I think that is why my friend had asked me to accompany her, although after a couple of weeks she left and I decided to carry on training on my own. There was never a problem being the only female at that time, the guys could clearly see I was serious, very determined, focused and had alot of motivation. I would never give up, no matter how hard it got, which looking back now was the beginning of my competitive side, although at the time I did not realise this.
There seemed to be a point in your training where you decided to take it very seriously. Can you describe the feeling when you first realised you wanted to fight or take it to the next level?
I had always taken my training seriously, right from the start, but there was a shift in intensity when I went to watch my first Thai Boxing show. My Instructor, Howard, was fighting on the show, I knew I had to go and see what this fighting side of the art was all about. I remember the feeling walking into the arena , seeing the boxing ring, and the trophies on the tables, it was a very powerful feeling.
How did the intensity of your training change? Can you describe a typical training day?
At that time we had no full time gym, so I just trained harder and harder at the set classes, that’s all there was. I had a full time job to hold down, so a typical training day back then would only start after a 12 hour shift at the factory! Work as hard as I could in the classes, and try to train solo, running etc when there was not a class.
What type of diet did you follow and was that diet followed always or just during the build up to the fight?
I used to fight pretty much at the weight I walked around at, so I did not need to follow any specific diet so to speak. Just try to eat healthy, little and often, to keep my energy levels high for training.
What made you want to get in the ring and fight?
It would be after going to that first show we talked about earlier. We all sat down, and as soon as the MC announced the first fight, the crowd roared and my heartbeat was going through the roof! I was sat next to one of my training partners, and I said “ I am going to fight one day.”
To the uninitiated, some people have an impression that to fight you have to be a thug. How would you address that issue?
I think you do have to have a special something, deep down inside you, certainly not a thug, you would not last ten seconds with that sort of mentality. The complete opposite actually, calm, motivated, determined, professional, these are the qualities of a fighter.
You had a number of successful fights, when did you go for your first world title?
Yes, after a number of fights at the novice and intermediate levels I was offered a World title fight with the WAKO-PRO organisation, this would have been 7th November 1999.
Can you summarise that fight?
My opponent was the French Ladies Champion, Florence De La Rouche, it was my first fight with five, three minute rounds, the maximum length for a professional Thai Boxing bout. I had trained really hard, and prepared myself well, we knew nothing about the French girl so I just trained my best. It was not the fight I expected it to be, in all honestly after our first few exchanges in the ring I could see and feel she was not in my class or condition. The fight went the full distance, although looking back I could have, and should have stopped her in the early rounds, I coasted to a reasonably easy points victory.
Can you summarise the other world titles you won?
That fight put me on the map so to speak in women’s Muay Thai, other title fights would not be so easy. The fighting level of women was improving all the time, more females were becoming involved in the sport in rapid numbers. I was blessed to be offered 2 more World titles with different associations, Firstly against fellow UK fighter Shelley Nisbett,. We had two great wars during our time as fighters, both for title belts. I had not seen any footage on Shelley’s previous fights so therefore acted on feeling the first few rounds out then dominating the later rounds. The judges added the scores and awarded me the fight by one point, it was that close. But, it soon became apparent that one judge had scored it to me, the other two judges scoring a draw, so it then became a majority draw result! So, the rematch was on, Friday 13th 2002 was the date, to finally see who was number one! I would not make the same mistake on our second meeting, although it was a tough fight for me, I went one hundred percent from the first to the last bell to seal victory by all three judges this time, World title number two was mine.
World title number three, the WIKBA belt, was against USA’s multi Champion Trisha “TNT” Hill. A kickboxing Champion and a Professional female boxer, she was not to be taken lightly. Various internet forums saw Hill as the strong favourite to take the belt, she had so much experience compared with me, but we had to fight, as we were the two main contenders for the belt.
This was a pressure test for me, the bout was to take place in my home town, everyone came to watch me fight! She was a very strong puncher, had me wobbled a bit at one point, but my training did not let me down as usual, I had superior skills and better preparation, winning the bout on all judges cards 50 – 45, I was so happy to win this one in front of Family and friends.
How would you describe the atmosphere in a typical Thai Boxing class?
The atmosphere is always good when we teach. Thai boxing is a high tempo Martial Art, so much to learn and do, the classes are professional and serious but always friendly and with not too much pressure on the students who want to learn at their own pace, and challenging enough for those who want to progress as I did to possibly becoming fighters.
What qualities has Thai Boxing bought to your life?
So many! All good ones as well. Discipline, Patience, Understanding, Confidence, to name just a few, so many good qualities come from practicing the Martial Arts. Also for me personally it gave my the chance to meet my partner, Howard, and have a family and lifestyle I love and enjoy. The feeling of achievement is also one of the best qualities I could describe, an amazing feeling.
What are the top things that Thai Boxing can offer any girls/women looking to get involved?
Thai Boxing is not just a fighting sport, but a true Martial Art and self defence, in my opinion it does not, and never has made any difference if your male or female getting involved. But, times have changed, and it is far more accessible for females to train, and it now offers so much. I would say the confidence factor would be one of the top things, also becoming or staying fit and healthy, teamwork, increased stamina and strength to name just a few.
For anyone interested in starting, are their any top tips you would recommend?
Word of mouth I would say would be number one. Ask around, talk to someone in your area who already trains if you can. Check out the internet, search for local clubs, venues were you could train. I also recommend watching a class first, see how the club plus it’s instructor operates, especially if you are new to the sport, then if you are happy, just get stuck in!
Are there any pitfalls to look out for when choosing the right club?
Like any club in any sport, there is good and not so good. Unfortunately, there are so called instructors teaching without the necessary experience and qualifications needed to teach properly. Try to educate yourself properly on your chosen sport if you can. In Thai Boxing, the instructor should be knowledgeable, conduct themselves in a professional manner, well turned out and has a confident and friendly approach to your training needs.
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