IMA-Mag - What drives you to be the best you can?

Ian - Honour and pride. Along with my family. I have been inspired my whole life by my father who instilled in my the drive to be the best at anything I do. And the belief that you are never to old for a comeback.

IMA-Mag - How do you clear your mind to give your best performance?

Ian - If you have put in the hard work, and I mean trained like a warrior, then you will feel ready at any time to perform. If you haven’t done the work, you can’t clear the mind. I also rely on my long-time trainer and mentor Wayne Spencer whose voice I still hear in my head when I prepare for any performance. 

IMA-Mag - How do you read an opponent’s intent and defend against it?

Ian - For me when I am in a fight, everything is quiet, I am hyper focused and just hear the breathing of my opponent. I watch everything especially their eyes. Any little gesture when you are hyper focused is easier to read.

IMA-Mag - How do you work through an injury (your rehabilitation strategy / techniques)?

Ian - I used to just train through injury, but now with all of the exercise science available I rely on a world champion team of experts and utilise all of the services available. I get my bloods checked regularly, I have a leading physio and chiropractor and muscular skeletal specialist. I take inner origin super foods to keep my inflammation down and keep my body’s alkaline levels right.

IMA-Mag - What techniques are you currently working on to improve or develop?

Ian - I have developed a new sport inspired by martial arts called ‘ThundaBall’.

“It all started at a testing time in my life, “Jacob’s said. “Three years ago, whilst in my gym and on the wrestling mats, I received an upsetting phone call and in frustration, I kicked an exercise ball that was lying next to me against the brick wall and continued to punch and kick it at full pace for about 30 seconds sending my heart rate through the roof. I felt my entire body activate, especially my core, and whilst I was bent over with exhaustion, my mood instantly changed, my stress had dissipated and thought ‘wow’ this could actually be a thing!” It was then I had a vision for a new global sport and fitness program.

The Thundaball court is like nothing that you have ever seen or experienced before. The game blends racquetball, squash, soccer, football, volleyball, and martial arts skills into a futuristic, hybrid sport. And there are social and corporate competitions that kick off soon.

IMA-Mag - What is your greatest achievement?

Ian - It is hard to pick one as I have been blessed with a few amazing moments. The two that stand out for me is being inducted into the martial arts hall of fame and breaking the world record for the fastest KO in Kickboxing history in my comeback fight at 39 years of age.

IMA-Mag - Which martial artists have inspired you and why?

Ian - Bruce Lee and Mohamad Ali were my idols, when I first saw Mohamad Ali fight, I was 6 and I said to mother then, I was going to be champion of the world someday. I didn’t disappoint her, I went on to win 3 world titles