Inspired by his daughter’s martial arts efforts, MAN v FAT Gloucester coach Ryan Barkle got into action himself by appearing in a national Taekwondo Championships at the start of November.
Having seen his daughter take up the sport in September 2021, Ryan decided that it was time to lose weight.
And his efforts on the scales and on the pitch saw him shift over 5 stone as a MAN v FAT Gloucester player, before graduating to lead the club, held at Plock Court on a Thursday night.
Ryan told us: “Through the support, friendly rivalry and environment created at the club, I lost 5 stone before becoming the club’s Coach.
“It has provided me with lots of opportunities from playing at Sixfields for George Elokobi against Ian Holloway’s team to getting back to running.
“However 2024 has been a bit more difficult to keep the weight off due to ‘weak hips’ meaning football and running had become painful.
“This led me to try something new. I joined my daughter Abi at Sumners Taekwondo, as I could see the amount of flexibility and hips work that goes into it.
“Before MAN v FAT, I would not have had the confidence to attend and I would not have returned after the first session due to feeling too unfit, too judged or too embarrassed (there is no reason to feel this, I’ve found!).
“However my MAN v FAT journey has led me to try something completely different. Who would have thought you would start sparring at the age of 42?”