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What is ‘Fight Like a Girl. ?

Fight Like a Girl is an incredible program that is helping women across the world to become more confident in their physical abilities and take control of their health and well-being.

Fight Like a Girl is an amazing initiative that began in 2018 in Thailand at Lisa and Denny's Raw Art Warriors boxing gym. Until 2018 the R.A.W. had been private members club with most members predominately being men.

Lisa realised how much women benefit from learning and using the art of boxing but was aware most women didn't wan't to train along side the men they worked with or knew from around town. So, she started Fight Like A Girl and before she knew it woman from around the globe were booking in and joining her on the mats. She provided women of all ages an opportunity to really understand the mental fitness, balance, self-defence, and a sense of community that boxing offers.

It's a great way for women to gain confidence in the gym and in boxing sessions through the sweet science.

This retreat offers specialised training in boxing fitness, nutrition, food hacks, art healing through painting and it's also a great way for women to make connections with other like-minded individuals from around the world who are also empowered to take up boxing and learn self-defence.

Fight like a girl is to be strong and determined, to never give up, and to challenge yourself, to be the best you can be. It is about finding the strength within you to overcome all obstacles and to stand up for what you believe in. It is about courage, resilience, and the power of believing in you.

It's time to show the world what you are capable of.

Learn the Art of Boxing and Fight Like A Girl.

Learning the art of boxing is an excellent way to improve your physical and mental health, as well as boost your confidence. It can also be a valuable self-defence technique to help you protect yourself in dangerous situations. For women, boxing can be especially empowering and beneficial, as it teaches you strength, agility, and finesse. Once you have the basics down, we focus on honing your technique, improving your strength and speed, and learning more advanced boxing skills. With practice, reap the many physical, mental and emotional benefits of boxing.

‘Learning how to box is an excellent way to get fit, improve your self-defence skills, manage your mental health and boost your confidence.’ Lxo

What we do.

Learning how to box with Coaches Lisa and Denny is a great way to get in shape and build confidence. Their approach is perfect for those of all fitness levels, as they start by teaching the basics of footwork, stance, and punching techniques. After you become comfortable with the basics, they will work with you to improve your conditioning, technique, and overall skill level. As you progress, Lisa and Denny can help you to safely and confidently participate in sparring (optional)

They focus on proper form and technique, teaching you how to warm up and cool down safely. A bonus is the provision of post retreat support and boxing programmes to use for your own training or for your own clients. With patience and practice, you’ll soon see the benefits of learning how to box and confidently Fight Like A Girl. (Inclusive)

Is Boxing all we do?

Heck No!! What is a retreat without some amazing food, mindset, nutrition, food hacks, journaling, face yoga, country walks, painting and massage. That would be the 'Girl' part.

You can opt in for all components or pick and choose which you would like to attend. It's your retreat and we recognise the need for down time as much as getting the most out of your weekend.

Inclusive are daily morning walking meditation. After spending 10 years in the jungles of Thailand and silent retreats, Lisa and Denny will walk you through how to deal with monkey chatter and find the calm in the chaos of your mind. For those rebels that want the opportunity to try cold-water immersion, we venture into the lake for a dip. (optional)

Food is power, learn amazing food hacks for meal preps, ways to get more energy out of the way you eat and sit back and enjoy the self catered retreat provided by the Raw Team.(inclusive)

Face Yoga? I'm sure you've heard of it but have you actually tried it? Lisa has been a face yogi for over three years and at the age of 54 swears by it. Self guided face yoga and posturing.(optional)

When was the last time you went for a walk in nature, we take you on a daily guided walk, however there is down time to soak in the surroundings of this world-class location. The retreat has it’s own private pool and gym available to you and our resident massage therapist Gill will also be on site to give you a holistic facial or full body massage.(optional)

But wait, there’s more!! We are also painting - Discover your inner Frida Kahlo (optional)

Lisa is an abstract artist and creator of Spirit Sista Art. Spirit Sista Art is a combination of your favourite flower, favourite colour and your spirit animal. Lisa takes you on a journey creating your own self-portrait through the mediums of watercolour, acrylic and mixed media. Art healing incorporates creative methods of expression through visual media.  Through art we can express emotions and thought, as well as have a positive impact on our mental health. Through the art of boxing and painting, you will discover not only your inner warrior but also your inner creator.

The Benefits of Boxing.

Boxing is an excellent way to get fit and increase your confidence, as it provides a great workout and teaches you to feel comfortable in a gym setting.

It can also be incredibly beneficial for stress relief and those going through menopause, as it gives you a chance to channel your inner warrior and learn to stay calm in chaotic situations.

This weekend will give you the opportunity to learn the art of boxing and reap the benefits of this powerful form of exercise.

The weekend will provide you with the tools to empower yourself and stay strong both physically and mentally.

The Benefits of Painting.

The 6 Great Benefits of painting and drawing

1. Improve your communications skills
2. Enhance creativity
3. Increase emotional intelligence
4. Improve memory
5. Self-esteem booster
6. Reduce stress

Lisa has been an artist since a young girl growing up in Canada and has had exhibitions in Australia and Thailand. She is predominantly an abstract painter, but during the global shutdown, wanted to connect with her soul sisters internationally and give them strength and love through her art. She created Spirit Sista Art which is a combination of your own self portrait, your favourite flower, favourite color and your spirit animal. Lisa and Denny had an art/music bar in Thailand which they would entertain and create with people from around the world. Language barriers would arise, but through the mediums of art and music, all could communicate and create together.

‘Art doesn’t need any words it speaks to your heart.’ Lxo   

 Program

Your Take Away from Fight Like A Girl.

Foundations of Boxing- 2 hours in the am/ 2 hours afternoon

*Learn how to wrap your hands like a pro

*Know how to punch properly: here we learn proper technique for form, fitness and safety so you can take your style into any gym around the world and own it.

*Learn combinations

 *How to work a bag

 *How to hold pads

 *How to shadow box, work a bag and hit on pads.

*Learn the art of skipping:a rope is always a testament to how fit you are,show me how you can skip and how long and I’ll show you how fit you are. The rope doesn’t lie.

*For those wanting to experience the thrill of a spar we offer this also in a safe environment (gum shield required/head gear supplied)

The beauty of boxing is it is an art form and one that keeps us mentally and physically focused. Boxing is a form of fitness that works your senses, from your peripheral vision to reaction time.

** We include two books writen and co-authored by Denny and Lisa e-book-:The Bible of Boxing

e-book: The Fighting Spirit

Mind, Ready, Set, Go!

Learn the art of calm in chaos through the art of boxing.  Know how to get back up when you’ve been boxed and burnt out in life. We set 2 hours a day for Mind, Set, Go and more to show you different techniques to help fight those demons and monkey chatter.

We Includes a third e-book by Denny Denholm :Fighting Your Demons

Saved by the Bell

Food, glorious food, what wouldn’t we do for it. Isn’t it all so confusing.

We talk through new research, hacks and ways to break habits, all while enabling the best nutrition you can afford. Learn the 7 P’s of life.

Pre, Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

All food is included (we cater to all food and  dietary requirements) although we draw the line at providing bugs!

Fight Like A Girl – 2 Day /3 Nights Retreat

 International Boxing Coach and Personal Trainer to the stars Lisa and Denny Denholm

 *Foundations of boxing 4 hours per day(inclusive)

*Specialised workshops featuring , Mind Set, How to roll with the punches of  Life – 2 hours daily

*Art Class(optional)

*Pre and Post-retreat support from the team

*3 daily delicious and nutritious meals/snacks/coffee/ tea/ juices provided (If staying Sunday night extra food cost for dinner and breakfast the next morning)

*2 days /3 nights accommodation

Accommodation

Nestled in the midlands of the United Kingdom the property consists of a beautiful old farmhouse and  cottages dated back to the 1800's situated amongst  beautiful panoramic views of the farmland and lakes with horses, goats, chickens and sheep.

The farm offers guests a tranquil, rejuvenating home-away from home experience. The rooms are spacious and peaceful, all with comfortable beds.

Private, twin and triple rooms are available and furnished to a high standard

Check in Time 3pm Friday afternoon

Check out time 10am Monday morning

 Facilities

*Spa

*Swimming Pool

*Gym

*Kitchen

*Dining area

*Environmentally Friendly Farm

*Fireplace

*Kitchen

*Lounge

*Smoke –Free Property

*Free Parking

*Free Wi-Fi

*Internet Access

*Games Room

*Parking Lot

*Wireless Internet

The Bread & Butter of Boxing is the Foundations

Some people call it the fundamentals, and others the basics. I call it the FOUNDATIONS of BOXING

When you train with the RAW MC we  prove to you, there’s nothing basic about the foundations of boxing.

My name is Coach Denny Denholm, and as of 2023, I am a fifty-year-old boxing trainer, who’s been around the Sweet Science of boxing for forty of those years. I started writing notes on what I was learning in the gym fourteen years ago, as side-notes, as I embarked on my new career as a boxing trainer.

I established the Bible of Boxing was for the benefit of other boxing trainers and coaches, active, and aspiring fighters, and the professionals in the fitness industry. Over the years, I have shared some of these notes to grandpas who were  teaching their grandkids; mums to help calm their children, and every boxer, and client who've trained with me. They all tell me it helped a lot, which has inspired me to share it with you now. In fact a great friend of mine, Pete Phillips, an MMA fighters and BJJ coach called it an OSD piece of work with everything you will ever need to know about striking. As a former commando, I do like to make sure we leave no stone unturned as we go into combat.

I teach the professional style of boxing. This is due to my progression from the amateurs and my understanding that kids, adults, anyone, who is learning to fight, should learn from the pro's. There's no point in waiting to you get to that level. Learn it now and don't mess around. As a pro coach, I am focussed on bringing on athletes who compete in fights with 6 or more rounds. There's a big difference in how you train for 3x3 minute rounds as an amateur, compared to training professional boxers for  6-8, or 12x3 minute rounds. Pro boxing is all about self-discipline, patience, energy conservation, precision, and being calm and focussed amid chaos, for a maximum of thirty-six minutes.

The content in the Bible of Boxing-Volume One-The Foundations, is what I teach amateurs boxers who are turning pro, new members to my club, fitness enthusiasts, and now that you're here-you. No matter whether you are a professional boxer, or just starting out with amateur ambitions. You'll need to have a solid stance and defence, good rhythm and timing, accurate punches and smooth movement. Learning how the pro’s do it can only further advance experience and knowledge, which will boost your boxing IQ as an amateur, and gym junky.  I have a lot to teach, but before we start, you must know how it works in my boxing club, so you set high standards right now.

No boxer can progress through into advanced boxing, sparring, competing, and no trainer can hold pads in my gym, until they have read, and understood this training manual. Without this foundation of knowledge, they will be a danger to themselves and others. Over the past thirteen-years, I’ve been editing, up-dating, and improving my writing skills, as I learned more in the gym. What I’m teaching is no secret. But it’s just hard to explain when the club is hustling, and forty boxers want a piece of you. Boxing coaches don’t have a lot of time in the gym for a chatting, we wish we could, but we’re too busy. We don’t focus on one person; we share our energy with many.

So, let’s not waste any time and get stuck right it and talk about fighting spirit. Yours, mine, and everyone else who is going to master the courage to live amongst the boxing fraternity.

Fighting Spirit 

Until now, I have only shared this wisdom with members of my club, and those who ask for help. This knowledge is rare, and I could’ve done with it when I started out, but there was no one willing to give it away. Some boxing coaches keep all their secrets to themselves. I agree with that, to a degree. We should keep our secrets for the benefit of our fighters, but the foundations of boxing are common knowledge, and the world needs our help in strengthening our people.

Boxing is essential for our societies, and for our mental, and physical health within our community. We need more boxers and warriors to step up and away from the snowflakes. Anyone saying people don’t need to learn how to fight are no doubt bullies who’re afraid of coming across warriors like me. Everyone needs to know how to fight.

In this Bible of Boxing you will learn how to punch like a pro, and get control of your body and mind. I’ve been in boxing gyms since eleven-years-old, and had my first fight at twelve, and the last one at twenty-eight. Turning pro was not something I found the passion for in the prime of my life. At sixteen-years-old, I joined the Royal Marine Commandos of Great Britain and led a life in and out of war. Since returning from Iraq in 2008, I have dedicated my life to professional boxing and the fitness industry. 

What I found over these last, almost four decades in the boxing world, is that it’s hard to get a coach’s attention to ask all the questions you need. Then, when you have the opportunity, you forget everything you wanted to ask. I wanted to sit with the trainers and coaches all day long, to listen, and watch what they do. In 2008, I did just that with at Fortitude Boxing Club in Brisbane, Australia.

When I joined the team, Jarrod Fletcher and Todd Kid were turning pro after amazing amateur careers. Both lads had just returned from the Beijing Olympics, so it was a great time to be there as a trainer. It gave me plenty of time to be a fly on the wall, picking up little tips here and there. Loads of boxers and their coaches would pass through the gym, and I would listen, study their pads, bag work, and all levels of sparring. Our stable was full of boxers, at amateur and professional levels, and the community of fitness enthusiasts. Those two years were my apprenticeship in the business of professional boxing.

Our new location opened in the Fortitude Valley, and we invited Joe Frazier and Aussie Joe Bugner, to the opening. I can’t tell you how cool it was to sit and chat with those two legends. Smokin’ Joe passed away the following year, so I feel even more blessed to have that experience. Rest in peace, Joe.

After moving away from Australia with my wife, we opened the Raw Art Warriors Boxing Club, on a small island in Thailand. We chose this place because of the climate, and there are a lot of warriors, who need to learn how to punch because the national sport is Muay Thai boxing,

I couldn’t find Queensbury rules boxing club, so, we thought, let’s open one and teach these guys how to fight with their fists. We’re still here ten years later. Boxers and clients fly in from all over the world to get away from the hustle and bustle of their gym back home. Our training camps offer one-on-one time for every boxer, and they come back year after year. 

In 2014, my career as a boxing coach took a nosedive when a firework exploded in my right hand and destroyed it. I almost lost my hand, and it took me the best part of a year to get the fingers moving. In the final part of rehab, my wife decided I needed motivation. So, she bought the two of us flights to Los Angeles, USA, and booked us for a two-month stay at an apartment in Hollywood. Her mission was to get me to Freddie Roaches gym to be around world champions so I could again dream of a future in boxing. I still couldn’t move my fingers, and my morale was low. At the time I had given up even thinking about being able to box or hold the pads again. Three of my five fingers wouldn’t respond from messages from my brain. Lisa was adamant that I was being a “dick” and needed to believe in the future. So, she bought me new boxing gloves and squeezed my hand right into it and laced me up and off I went and began the long, painful journey of punching my right hand back into shape.

Every day we were there at 0800hrs when it opened, and most days were the last to leave. Even though I was just tapping the bag’s light with that hand, I was moving again. Forty minutes on the speedball each day was doable because there was no pain in my hand, my just fingers didn’t bend. After three weeks, I was holding a fist inside the glove and getting some right cross power shots off. Our two-month training camp ended just before the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight in May 2015, and my hand was working as good as new. We said our thank you and goodbye’s and headed back to our own boxing club with a renewed passion, experience, and a solid vision for the future.

Six years later, we are now ready to move forward and take our vision to the next level and share our knowledge and experience with the world. We believe that the mental and physical aspect of boxing training should be getting taught at home and in the schools in every nation.

Boxing is not just a sport for poor kid’s escaping the hardest challenges of their young life. Although there are many who are like that in gyms, plodding away, and improving body and mind each day with the dream of finding peace. Those who’ve taken the time to learn a combat sport as a child, or an adult understand this. We can overcome fear in the gym, and that makes us better people.

Boxers learn the arts of self-discipline, healthy living, overcoming fear and living a clean life with a healthy mind-set. Life has its ways of knocking the confidence out of us we gain in the gym. So, the art of getting back up and dusting yourself off becomes second nature. I’ve had more comebacks to the gym than anyone I know, but one thing is for sure. When I came back from the Iraq war in 2008, there was only one focus. Boxing. I was far too old to consider fighting, so I put all my money, time, and effort into being a coach.

I knew there was a high potential of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) taking hold of my mind. To conquer that, I thought being in the professional boxing business would keep my mind focussed on only positive outcomes. As the years past, the temptations and demons of those years became too strong. So, I left the business, the gym, promotions, and the competition so went travelling around the world teaching the art.

My passion for teaching the art, re-awoke in 2007, when I was training Iraqi bodyguards in how to best protect their clients in a hostile environment. I noticed they were all overweight and unfit. So, while planning the course, I slotted in six-days of boxing and fitness training each morning. Over the six-week course, the guys had halved in size and looked fresh and ready to protect not only their clients, but also their families and friends. 

On first impression, I could sense they didn’t trust me, but after our intro boxing session, we were all best friends. Each course same result. Boxing became my language, and I didn’t need a translator to do pads. Each time those guys punched, I could sense the warrior who lived within, and found it easy to motivate them into being the best they could ever imagine. 

By teaching them how to think and train like a boxer in the morning, I could get their blood flowing, not only into their bodies but, more important, their brains. There is so much to think about when you’re serious about learning the art of boxing. This focus took their minds off the war, the threats, and the fact they were in immediate danger every minute of the day. We all forgot that there was a horrific war going outside our compound for the hour and a half each morning. Man, we laughed. Boxing has always been a big part of my life, but in those days, it was, and has been since, my soul. I realized how the art of boxing brought healing, strength, courage, and compassion to men exhausted from years of war.

Since then, I have studied the body, mind, and spirit, and am fascinated with how every warrior has unique abilities and attributes. They’re body-shape, mind-set, attitude, confidence, and how the process information is different. But one thing remains the same. We bleed red, and the foundations of boxing never change, not in any nation. 

The Sport of Boxing Is Not for Everyone, But The Art Is

No matter whether you are three years old, or one hundred, the further you advance your experience in the art of boxing, you will overcome fear and intimidation. Reaction times improve and you will notice them, and the determination you learn in the gym will roll into your daily life. The courage that builds inside the hearts of warriors becomes their confidence. Earned the hard way through blood, sweat and conquering fears.

At our gym, we recognize the value of building trust, and supporting each other, during and after the sessions. We also watch out for each other outside the club, and those friendships have proven to last lifetimes.

When we feel inadequate because we cannot achieve something in the gym that an accomplished boxer makes look natural. We become humbled, not jealous. This is a quality the systems of the world should take heed of, and get boxing and sports combat training into the world’s school curriculums.

My Name is Coach Denny; I am a father, husband, a Royal Marine Commando veteran, and a man who has dedicated my life to boxing and empowering warriors. 

Welcome to the Bible of Boxing 

My Fighting Spirit

At the end of my military career in 2008, I was looking into a long-term lifestyle change as a civilian. My goal was to become an author and boxing trainer online. I was nervous and quite intimidated with civilian life in the beginning but faced my fears and put myself out there and focused on creating this book. 

Part of that journey was to create a YouTube channel and throw it out there and see what happened. Back in 2009 there were no online boxing coaches, so I thought it would be a waste of time. Day after day there were thousands of hits on all the videos, and I was receiving hundreds of emails asking for more. I was just back from Iraq so did not know what was happening and continued to focus on writing this training manual and a few other books on mind-set training. 

I never dreamed so many memories of my childhood would awaken. There was much to learn from all the people who were part of my education in the sweet science. As a child boxer growing up in Scotland, being around legends was something natural to us and was no real big deal. Unbeknown to me, who, like every child, takes things for granted, I was being coached by some of the best professional boxers and boxing trainers in the UK and Europe. 

My grandfather and two of his mates opened the first boxing gym in the area after they returned from WWII. Even though the sweet science was my grandfather's passion, it missed my dad’s generation, but became my obsession. My Grandad died when I was six, and I never found out he was a boxer until way after my military career. 

I drifted in and out of boxing because of my career in the marines and a mercenary, but each time I returned, it was with more passion and dedication. These days, as I fast approach my fifties, my desire to fight in the ring disappeared. However, the passion and devotion that lives in me is for those who want to fight. 

I wanted to be the World Champion when I started out as a kid. That was all I could focus on throughout my youth until I heard about the elite Royal Marine Commandos at fifteen years old. After that, I set my goals and ambitions into becoming a Royal Marine. The next year, at only sixteen, I began my journey to my green beret. There was something inside me that knew I would never fail.

Two weeks before I passed out as a Royal Marine Commando, I won the Corps boxing tournament and became the welterweight champ. I felt like I was on top of the world and earned a place on the Royal Marines’ boxing team and then the Royal Navy team after that. I intended to get out of boxing when I joined the Marines, but as I learned decades later. Boxing is my life.

Back in the 80s, money was tight, and boxing gyms didn’t receive funding in Scotland. All coaches were volunteers. Most facilities were old school with limited strength and conditioning facilities. The Royal Marines and Royal Navy boxing teams had funding by the Navy and housed state-of-the-art equipment and places to train. The Navy team, based in Portsmouth, England, had running tracks, Olympic size swimming pools, gymnasiums with more weights and machines than I’d ever seen. Being so young, it was difficult for me to appreciate how fortunate I was. But I am now aware how much those facilities cost and what a blessing it was to have them available.

In 1992 they tasked me to take thirty novice boxers from 40 Commando and win the Royal Marine Corps Championships. The Commando Unit hadn’t won for many years, and the Colonel was a big boxing fan and wanted the trophy. After six weeks of gruesome training, we entered fifteen boxers to fight for twelve titles. On that night we produced eight champions and brought the trophy home for the Colonel. I was only nineteen years old and realised coaching boxers is the best job in the world. 

In boxing we are all one family; we are warriors and support our culture of warriors, and do not look for enemies amongst each other. We strive to compete with respect and dignity.

Why Are YOU fighting?

Regardless of what you think, understanding how to fight is your duty and responsibility to your family, yourself, and your friends. They also have the same responsibility to you. We all should be able to defend ourselves, and anyone who tells you anything else is naïve. 

We should bow our heads and pray for that day where we don’t have to. But, in the meantime, it is important to keep our bodies and minds strong. It’s a tough, cruel world that changes all the time. Crime is never too far away from our doorstep, and there are many temptations that lead to pain and stress. Unemployment and depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism play a big part in the decline of our communities.

When you travel through most cities or towns, people don’t communicate with each other. In most cases, people will walk past you if you need help in case they may get hurt. On public transport, no one makes eye contact, and if you do, some people stare at you as if you are weird or going to hurt them. Our world is a mess and most people run around afraid of their own shadows. The world is full of damaged people who hurt others. As warriors, we have accepted this a long time ago. In the boxing gymnasium, all of that is none of anyone’s business. Our mission is to see who we are and how to become strong in body and mind as a boxer. Our job is to focus on building your body and mind to become the King, or Queen… of your world. 

We all have our own personal demons to defeat, but they cannot be our focus. To become a fighter who lives in the mind-set of a warrior; we must turn off everything that is not useful to our mission. Our minds can only focus on a few things at a time, so our focus must be on improving skills, knowledge, and fitness. 

There can be no distractions, but there will be plenty of temptations, regrets, and fears that come your way to knock you about. As I have said, there are enough problems in the world without bringing them into the gym. Stay focused on yourself and learn from those who have gone before you and who have mastered the Art of Boxing. 

I’ve been training all my life and have years and years of experience in many boxing gyms with thousands of coaching hours. I know some great coaches, and even though some of them have been in the game for sixty-years, they tell me they are still picking up new knowledge daily. With this insight, I know I am still young, and have the right attitude to continue to grow within this great art. 

Please teach your family, friends, and anyone willing to read the lessons found within the Bible of Boxing, and forever grow in your strength and unity as warriors. Fight for what you believe in, but not with your fist on people you might not like. Use your talents and knowledge so you can train like a professional and live your life as the champion. Know that because you are a boxer, you have limited the chances of being bullied or abused.

Be strong and fear nothing.