As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it brought an abrupt end to Daniel and Alex Rybalov’s martial arts training.
So when the Georgetown brothers were able to resume training, they were looking for a change.
“When I was doing martial arts, I didn’t like it at all. It was more of a chore,” Daniel said.
They found what they were looking for in Muay Thai. Previously, they were training in Brazilian jiu jitsu, a defensive martial art that focuses on grappling. Muay Thai was very different. It resembles kickboxing and prioritizes striking. Both showed immediate potential in the new discipline and have had success in the two-and-a-half years since making the switch.
“Ring IQ is probably their biggest strength,” said Rommel Oliveros, their coach at Milton Muay Thai and the coach of the Canadian team. “Both are pretty fast, quick and agile.”
The brothers recently returned from the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations World Youth Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. Alex finished fifth in a field of 11 in the 12-13 year-old 40kg division while Daniel was 17th of 29 in the 16-17-old 63.5kg class.
It was their second year competing at youth worlds, having been to worlds in Turkey in 2023.
“It was fun. I was proud to represent my country,” Alex said. “The first time we did it, there was a lot of pressure, but knowing what it was like to be there made it easier this time.”
Though their new discipline is vastly different, Daniel said their previous training did help in building strength and improved their conditioning.
The biggest challenge they face is finding high-level competition.
“Both are at the top of their game in Canada,” Oliveros said. “To get the fights they need we have to go to the States and it’s hard to do that on a regular basis because we’re not funded by the government, so we don’t compete as regularly as the others (they faced at worlds).”
