Richard Smith: Keeping Bad Company

Named after a comic strip in 2000AD that coach Richard Smith used to read when he was a kid, the ‘Bad Company’ gym has become a breeding ground for champion fighters, a veritable conveyor belt of talent and two of ‘Bad Co’s’ finest, Liam ‘The Hitman’ Harrison and Andy ‘The Punisher’ Howson will be fighting title on Grandmaster Sken’s MSA Muay Thai Premier League Supershow on November 7th. His fighters headlining on such a prestigious event is further proof that Richard has achieved his ambition for the Bad Company gym to be known as one of the top gyms as far as world calibre fighters are concerned, with the current crop of fighters emulating the success of previous generations of fighting greats such as Lisa Houghton-Smith, Steve Deane and Steve Rutherford.

Richard is quick to point out, however, that it’s not all about fighters and he hopes that the gym can make as much difference to the lives of as many people as possible, from young lads who walk in off the street and end up world class fighters travelling all over the world to those lacking confidence who come in and end up losing weight, getting fit, making friends or even going onto ring combat. “Lisa and I have always tried to be inclusive at the gym and we accept anyone whatever their ability. As long as they put in the commitment, we will give it back to them.”

Much has changed since Richard started the gym, including the standards as he believes we are beginning to understand Muay Thai now. When Richard started travelling to Thailand to train and fight, there was little by way of the sport over here. But he is delighted that it’s really opened up now and standards in the UK and across the world have really risen. “We now understand scoring; how to train and win in Muay Thai; have many gyms who have Thai trainers over; and see many fighters who travel to Thailand for extended periods for training.” As a result, he believes that some of the trainers in the UK now are second to none and are producing real world class fighters. “The standard of promotion across the country every week has really risen with domestic fighters against top international opposition.”

Richard genuinely loves the sport and loves coaching. He never gets tired of putting this across to other people as he constantly tries to learn and improve himself. Bad Company is not just about Richard though. He tries to empower all the younger ones coming through and allows them to express themselves in the gym - and get the credit that they deserve. The main fighters in the gym, in turn, all help to coach and train one another. They bounce techniques and ideas off each other and everyone benefits that way. “This way we haven’t really had anyone leave to start their own gym and we’ve kept the talent that they all have in-house.”

Many of his camp now fight full Thai rules and Richard knows when they are ready just by looking at their training and how they cope with sparring and fitness work. He believes that it’s not really about how good their technique is, rather how big their heart is - how hard they can push themselves in the gym and how committed they are. “With full rules I like to see them thinking a bit more in the fight and not just fighting like beginners.”

The club has had many notable achievements over the years and the fighters who have won big fights and won titles are always memorable but Richard is equally satisfied with the number of people who have come in including some he never thought would stick at it, but who have and have gone on to do really well and achieve amazing things. His proudest moment however was when his wife, Lisa, won and successfully defended her world titles - and winning BBC Look North Sportswoman of the Year. Richard was also pleased to win the Yorkshire Post Sports Coach of the Year. “It was nice to get some recognition from outside of the sport.”

With so much already achieved, Richard simply wants to keep the great family atmosphere that the club has and to keep enjoying it as much as he always has. With this in mind, he has strong views on how to develop the sport into the mainstream. “I have always said that we need to work on quality. As the standard of fighters and promotions get better, the public and the media will start to notice. If you look at some of the rubbish that was getting televised even as recently as three years ago, there’s no wonder the sport isn’t taken seriously. It’s getting better but I honestly don’t think there has been a high enough standard consistently across the board for us to be able to get any more popular.”

On a positive note, Richard believes that change is happening and the standard is gradually rising as typified by shows such as Grandmaster Sken’s supershow on November 7th at De Vere Whites in Bolton. This is something Richard is quick to acknowledge. “Thanks to Master Sken for another great opportunity for the boys. We’ll do our best to justify his faith in us.”