"I quit my day job and had the opportunity to open up the gym and realized it was something that I wanted to do."
"Really? You wanna open a Muay Thai gym?"
Those were roughly the words that came out from her mother's mouth when she confessed about what she wanted to do in her life. Dzianti Merican was adamant and did not let her dreams put to rest.
Dzianti Merican is the owner of Merican Muay Thai Gym which she founded two years ago with her head trainer, Saiful. And it was only about a year and a half ago that she decided to kick butt and quit her day job to finally commit to what has been her source of strength now.
"In every class that you do Muay Thai for an hour, you burn about 1000 – 1500 calories." - Dzianti Merican
What was initially an extra curricular thing she did while studying in the States, Muay Thai went out to be her lifelong passion that she keeps dearly in her heart.
Don't let her winning smile and sweet personality fool you, Dzianti Merican has been training Muay Thai sport for ten years now!
WoM: Tell us a little bit about the Merican Muay Thai Gym. Why did you start the business?
Dzianti: I opened up the Muay Thai gym about two years ago and it’s just the start of a lifelong passion that I had. I’ve been training Muay Thai for about ten years now, and about a year and a half ago, I quit my day job and had the opportunity to open up the gym and realized it was something that I wanted to do. I trained in many different places in KL and overseas as well, and when I came back, together with a bunch of different kickboxing gyms and went into one or two different Muay Thai gyms, I collaborated with my head trainer now, Saiful, who is a pro Muay Thai fighter as well, we decided to open the gym together.
WoM: When did you start developing the passion towards martial arts?
Dzianti: At first I picked up Muay Thai as something to do at the side, when I was studying in the States, it was just an extra curricular activity, I wanted to get some exercise, some fitness in. And what I learned from the sport was so much more, what it taught me was self discipline, self respect. Growing up, I was very shy, I was very quiet, I didn’t have many friends, and then when I learned about the sport, it taught me to stand up for myself, to become much stronger.
WoM: Is there any idol / public figure in your life that has contributed you to open up this gym?
Dzianti: Firstly it has got to be my mom, because she has probably been the backbone, she singlehandedly raised me and my sisters to study overseas and she’s my inspiration to become the strong woman that I am today. At first she was like, ‘Really? You wanna open a Muay Thai gym? Why? Of all things?’ , even when I realized it was something that I wanted to do, she was like, ‘What about other stuff like dancing or ballet? You know, like all girls do?’ , so now when she has realized that my love for this sport has grown much deeper, she supports me in everything that I do and yeah, she has got to be my number one inspiration. Also, as for the public figures, it has got to be my partner, Saiful, he’s known as Saiful De Vumpire, he’s also a pro Muay Thai fighter and he’s been fighting since he was 12, so he’s the one that inspired me to open up the gym to tell me that there’s nothing to be afraid of, just do what you love, when you have the passion for something, go for it.
WoM: Have you ever encountered with any critical situation when handling this business? (Injuries, complaints etc) How do you deal with it?
Dzianti: Honestly speaking, I haven’t received any complaints because over here, safety is our number one priority. But we do get people asking about questions like ‘Will I get bruised?’ ‘Will I get hurt?’ ‘Am I gonna get injured?’ before they come in here, so we try to assure them with all the paddings that we wear and with certified experienced trainers that teach here, they know how to handle, and you know, odds are you won’t get injured.
WoM: In what ways can Muay Thai help women besides self defence?
Dzianti: Speaking from personal experience, you know, it’s definitely the self empowerment. Of course the self defence bit is the number one, two is definitely the self empowerment so that you can stand up for yourself, three has got to be definitely the fitness part of it because in every class that you do Muay Thai for an hour, you burn about 1000 – 1500 calories, so that is like more than any other work out, that’s more than jogging, that’s more than going to the gym because you’re using your entire body: your hands, your elbows, your knees, your legs, so it’s a full total body workout.
Dzianti: Always stand up for yourself and believe in what you want to do. Do what you love...if you have a passion for something, go for it, don’t be scared, don’t listen to what other people are saying. If you want to do something, just get out there and just do it!
MERICAN MUAY THAI GYM HAS BEEN HOSTING SEVERAL MUAY THAI MATCHES AND WAS VISITED BY FAMOUS LOCAL CELEBRITIES INCLUDING HANNAH TAN, SAZZY FALAK AND JOEY G.
MERICAN MUAY THAI GYM
3-2 BLOCK A, JALAN SOLARIS
SOLARIS MONT KIARA
50480 KUALA LUMPUR
Open MON-SAT 10:30am-11:00pm
&
SUN 10:30am-12:00pm (Ladies Class)
Contact DZIANTI 012-3300280 for more info.
Cover design: Nick Dorian
Photographed by: Nick Dorian (Candid Photography)
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