HEALTH, fitness and a sense of community has helped to establish the thriving boxing club in Bass Coast.
Despite the decline of boxing and fight clubs along the coast, Wonthaggi Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club is going from strength to strength with a laidback, welcoming environment and consistently low membership fees.
Now under a new committee with a new president at the helm, the club is going into 2025 with a vision of offering a space for people to hone their skills and increase their fitness in a casual setting.
“We are a volunteer club. It’s heavily subsided by (Bass Coast Shire) council and we really appreciate having the space and being able to keep costs down for our members. The money left over at the end of the year goes into a kitty and we try to save that up for when we need new bags, mats or renovations,” president Jak Wardley said.
“However, because it’s a volunteer club, we can’t offer scheduled coached classes. It gets to be too much for everyone.
“Our committee agreed to cease coached classes, so the way the club is going to run – at least in the first half of 2025 – will be boxing on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is open for all members.
Boxing is self-run to a degree, so come on in, do your skipping, put your gloves on and start moving around the bags.
“If there is a more experienced member around who wants to help or if two people want to spar and there’s somebody to supervise, that’s perfectly fine – that’s what we want to see. We just want to emphasise that the sessions are independent, but the support from our members is
always there.”
The club is also open on Tuesdays and Thursdays for jiu jitsu.
These sessions will be more structured due to the nature of jiu jitsu.
On Tuesdays, the club will run a Gi class, while Thursday nights will be a No-Gi class –more of an MMA style class.
“Whether people want to wrestle, grapple, box, kickbox, the Thursday nights will be more of an open night,” Jak said.
All members who have paid their $120 membership fee for the year can come down on any of the four days and use the facilities.
For high schoolers, the cost is $60 a year.
The age range at the club generally spans from 16 to 60 years old.
The club is happy to accommodate younger participants, but members are reminded that scheduled classes are not offered.
“All coaches – myself, Cade, Brad and Tom Burdekin – have Working with Children checks and level one boxing accreditation. Some of our guys are going for level two boxing accreditations, funded by the club,” Jak said.
“There’s always someone qualified at the gym, but at the same time they are there to train as well. All the coaches are actively training, which is great.
“Every now and then, someone will come in who wants to volunteer their time to hold pads or wants to run a night, which is fantastic, but for the start of the year at least, there will be no formal classes. Just come on down and join in.”
The club has gear for people to borrow, but members are encouraged to bring along their own gear if they intend on training regularly.
James Heenan will continue running taekwondo on Friday nights.
“Jimmy uses our space but he has his own pay structure. His members aren’t our members, but we give them the space because he and Steve had an agreement when no one was using the gym on Fridays,” Jak said.
“We’re keeping that going because Jimmy is a good bloke, and they treat our gym with respect.”
Jak has been part of the club for five years and has taken over the presidency from Steve Dunn and Aaron Rigby.
The secretary is Cade Zun and the vice president is Billy Caddy, supported by a strong committee consisting of Brad Meldrum, Sam Allan and Lana Brusamarello.
Jak said the club is looking to foster an environment that delivers a family vibe and continues to encourage those with interest in pursuing boxing and jiu jitsu.
“I’ve always been around boxing and jiu jitsu gyms since I was 12. The guys who want to train and want to fight will no matter what. In jiu jitsu classes in Melbourne, you get kids who will sleep on the mats. They love it and they are there rain, hail or shine. Our plan moving forward is to be open to those who want to train. This isn’t a sport just for men or women – we want everyone to come in and feel welcome and motivated,” Jak said.
“There are a lot of guys who are getting to the level in jiu jitsu now where they will be approaching belt promotions. I was recently promoted to purple belt.”
The club is affiliated with Checkmat Australia and Traralgon’s Ty Humphrey, who will likely be the one to grade the local club members.
“For a lot of the guys, if they want to be graded by the end of the year or halfway through the year, we would want to see them starting to compete. I’ve done a bit competing in national and weekend championships, and that’s how I was graded through my white, blue and now purple belt,” Jak said.
“We really want to promote our white belts to compete at these tournaments and we will coach them.
“We’re still learning, but we want to teach these guys as much as possible. Watching has been really good for my own personal growth. Everyone says you learn more when you teach, and I’ve found that.”
Membership growth has been strong, and attendance has been consistent at the gym, so the club is also focused on making some minor renovations this year.
“I believe council has approved us to remove the (centre) wall. It’ll give us 50 or 60 square metres of extra jiu jitsu space, which the boxers will be able to use as well,” Jak said.
“We aim to develop all members as we continue to grow, and we will continue to work towards a positive environment that supports health and wellbeing, while encouraging competition training as much as possible,”
To get involved with the club, simply come along to one of the training nights – walk ins are always welcome.
For more information, there is a Wonthaggi Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club Facebook and Instagram page so people can see what the club is all about.