In almost 30 years of teaching, Dominic Lavalle from Reflex Martial Arts and Fitness Wollongong has not seen such dedication to the sport as what he has seen with his current sibling stars Josh and Eli Yearby.
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Training up to six times a week, the young teens recently brought home gold at the Wollongong grappling tournament held at UOW.
It was a great day out for the Reflex team, with fellow members Rocco McCarthy and Dominic Smith earning silver medals.
Eli - at just 12 years old - dominated in two events: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where he secured gold, and kickboxing, where he also claimed gold, sweeping his division.
14-year-old Josh also excelled, winning gold in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and silver in kickboxing. Rocco competed in the no-gi jiu-jitsu event, while Dominic took part in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi event.
For Lavalle - who has operated Reflex Martial Arts and Fitness Wollongong since 1996 with his wife Rosanna - the results obtained by the four athletes was due to their consistent hard work. He added that he had seen an increase of teenagers coming to train out of his gym.
"Eli and Josh have been training since January and train six days a week, which is unheard of," Lavalle said.
"So that's why they got the results that they did. Rocco and Dominic are also very consistent. There were clubs from Sydney competing [at UOW], so it's a big tournament.
"This year has been a little bit different. I've had a lot of teens come and train with me and they seem to be excited to learn different styles and get fit. And the good thing about it is the parents like it because their grades in school are better and they're more focused.
"So what happens is if they have time to do their martial arts training, it becomes a schooling. So I'm started to get a lot more teens training this year, which is good."
30 years of Reflex Martial Arts
Lavalle's business is approaching its 30th anniversary, a goal which filled him with immense pride.
"I really can't believe it. I think I was 25 when I first started and now I'm 54," he said.
"Teaching is the best thing about it. Running a business can be up and down with a few headaches, but actually teaching, I love doing that."
Reflex Martial Arts offers classes for kids and teens in both Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If you would like to know more, visit their website.
Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
