Merlins Bridge Amateur Boxing Club is built on firm foundations, carefully laid down by Head Coach, Graham Brockway - but he would be the first to admit how much he depends on his assistant coaches, who take the trouble to qualify voluntarily, give of their time and show the same dedication to their young charges as he does
 
One of them is Alex Ward, who is now passing on his extensive knowledge of training methods, including the need for commitment and self-discipline that is so important, and he learned through his range of knowledge gained by not only being involved in boxing but throughout a long and distinguished career that includes a range of Mixed Martial Arts.







 

Success in a range of martial arts

 
In his 40 years of participation in martial arts he became a Black Belt, First Dan, in judo, where was tutored by a veritable legend of the sport in Sandy ‘Skip’ Buttle, who also ran Pembroke Dock Youth Club, and later with Paul Barnikel, another excellent coach.

 
He was a Black Belt, Fourth Dan, in the ‘NoonTide’ form of ju-jitsu, which is the highest ranking anyone can achieve, plus about a hundred fights in Martial Arts and then mixed martial after he had been persuaded to transition and his competitions that took him to countries as far-flung as the USA (at the exotic venue of Long Beach,  California, Belgium, Germany and Thailand, the home of that sporting interest.

 
He won several Gold Medals and various titles with David Parry as coach but then David passed away when Alex was 25, and Alex was so saddened that he thought it was time to call it a day.

 

Another major step – Joining Merlins Bridge ABC

 

But he continued to train as a means of keeping himself together and then joined Merlin’s Bridge to continue his training with boxing and kick boxing.
at the age of 31, he decided it was time to pass on his knowledge at Merlins Bridge and had a final fling at cage fighting in Newport, where he fought in a British title at his weight against a strong English opponent named Phil Faulkner, with Mr Brockway as his manager, who was very experienced at this level in his younger days.
 
It was going really well but when my opponent tried to gain a submission via an arm lock the referee thought I had ‘tapped out’ to signal to save myself when I hadn’t, and awarded my opponent the verdict.
 
“Both Graham and I were incensed but the decision had been made and that was that - so I concentrated on gaining my boxing coaches’ qualification so I could put something back into Merlins Bridge ABC.”
 

A shared interest with Miranda

 
Alex lives in Pembroke Dock but a real help to him being able to attend the gym very regularly is the fact that his partner, Miranda Davies, is a very experienced boxer herself, training hard and with 15 bouts under her belt
 
She started out with Chris McEwen at Pembroke Dock ABC and since she has switched to Merlins Bridge has continued to do well, having gained a silver medal at the Welsh Championships and won a couple of ‘Box Cup’ compétitions.
 

High praise from coach Brockway

 
Alex works well in all aspects of the club but Graham tells me that he is very patient with youngsters setting out and encouraging young girls to keep going if it seems a bit tough to start - and helping every other one of the youngsters who are flooding to the club, rather than playing on computers or just walking the streets.
 
“Graham and the rest of us extend a warm welcome to anyone who wants to train with us - all we ask is a willingness to learn new skills and enjoy the fitness aspect of things because it good for mental health alongside physical well-being.
 
“We never challenge our youngsters to go into the training ring and start sparring but prefer to let them ask if they want to – otherwise it is great that they are doing something positive whilst learning self-defence and self-discipline as a bonus.”
 

A regional squad coach as well now

 
Alex is now also involved with the regional squad, which means regular trips to Swansea because the squad training sessions are held at The Warehouse Club in the city and involve a number of the talented young boxers from Merlins Bridge.
 
“We recently took them to the ‘Box Cup’ competition in Ireland and it was a great experience for them to compete against some very useful boxers there from other countries - and as coaches we felt that had all been a great credit to the way that we like them to perform, in and out of the ring.


 

And finally . . .

 
We have watched Alex Ward working with boys and girls at Merlins Bridge ABC on our regular visits to talk to Graham Brockway or interview a number of their talented boxers and we regularly see the work that Alex does.
 
He is calm and encourages careful listening as he gives advice on skills that will aid improvement – and it is clear that his young charges look up to him.
 
We at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk have been really impressed by his approach and his care for all who come into contact with him: he is a real asset for Graham Brockway and everyone else at Merlins Bridge ABC.