Meet the Team

I’ve been practising martial arts for 30 years, beginning with Kyokushin Karate and kickboxing – now I
have almost a hundred Muay Thai fights, and have won titles in European, British and Polish
championships.

A decade ago, my business partner Roan and I started Hanuman Thai Boxing in Edinburgh. During this time
we have produced Scottish, British, Polish, European and World Champions – achievements which we are
immensely proud of. Over many years training in Thailand I was lucky enough to learn the art of Muay
Thai from some of the sports true legends. I strive to share the skills and experiences that I’ve
learned with everyone who comes through our doors. We have worked hard to cultivate an environment at
our gym where anyone of any skill level can train alongside top level fighters and feel welcomed and
part of our community.

I have a long history of martial arts, starting my journey with competitive boxing, kickboxing and Tae
Kwon-Do before becoming a professional Muay Thai fighter. Over the last 15 years I have trained in
Thailand with some of the biggest names in the sport (Seanchai, Sam-A, Nong-O, Penek, Baukaw, Lerdsila,
siayok, pakorn, superbon, dejrong, kwankhoa, Damien Alamos, Nontachai, Simon Marcus, lamnamoon, Rungavee
to name but a few) soaking up different styles, training methods and tactics. I held the UK #2 Muay Thai
heavyweight spot and have picked up medals at European and World championships.

With my friend and business partner Wojtek, we built Hanuman to be an authentic Thai style gym here in
the heart of the Scottish capital – the community here has grown beyond our wildest expectations and we
have produced a huge stable of Thai boxers of all levels from amateurs to world class pros. Through my
experiences I’ve also learned a great deal of self-defence, becoming a qualified self-defence instructor
under the legendary self-protection expert Geoff Thompson whilst working as a bouncer on the doors of
Edinburgh’s nightclubs. Alongside teaching Muay Thai to our students we aim to impart a realistic
understanding of violence outside of the gym, and how to protect oneself in real situations. Another key
aspect of my sporting career has been the integration of mindfulness and meditation. This led me to
found Insight Edinburgh C.I.C providing affordable courses and sitting groups aimed at teaching
mindfulness in the context of competitive sport, as well as life as a whole.

I am Sandra Bolkowska, a 27-year-old Muay Thai practitioner hailing from Poland.
My Muay Thai journey began at the age of 21 during my second year of university.
After graduating, I spent almost two transformative years in Thailand,
training at the esteemed Eagle Muay Thai in Phuket and later fighting for Phuket Fight Club.
Throughout my time in Thailand, I accumulated an impressive record of ten professional fights.
Upon my return to Scotland, I continued my training at Hanuman Thai Boxing in Edinburgh.
Over the course of two years, I achieved remarkable accolades including two gold medals at the Polish Cup in 2021 and 2022,
where I was also recognized as the best female fighter.
I also clinched a silver medal at the Polish Championships in 2022 and a gold medal at the IFMA Open World Cup in Turkey that same year.
In 2023, I secured the gold medal at the Polish Championship and a bronze medal at the IFMA World Championships in Thailand.
Currently, I am proudly coaching at Hanuman Thai Boxing, where I share my passion for Muay Thai,
specifically through my dedicated female-only class that I initiated last year.

Jackson has trained Muay Thai for around 20 years, starting at the age of 8 years old. He is a two time British champion and a silver medalist in IFMA European championships in Portugal .
HE has fought in IFMA and also in the Muay Thai World Championships in Russia. With over 70 total fights Jackson has a lot of experience to share with our students.

I started as a student later than some, starting Muay Thai at 24 years old, but have gone from strength to strength
competing on some of Scotland’s best shows at a high level.
As a true product of Hanuman, I know what it’s like to be a beginner and have this beautiful martial art become a real passion.
I’ve visited and trained in Thailand, trained with some of the country’s best and continue to compete myself.
Our team has always been a place and environment I’ve enjoyed spending time at and I’ll always look forwards to helping new students
along their journey with Muay Thai

My journey into Thai boxing began at the age of 20.
For a decade prior I forged myself within the sport of rugby, representing Edinburgh from the age of 16 through 19 and Scotland rugby league U20’s.
This built discipline and a strong sense of loyalty towards my coach’s and team mates while also becoming accustomed to a high degree of physicality,
all things that I have carried over into my fight career.
From this point I found myself in a studio hitting thai pads, when after some time my trainer suggested i made my way down to Hanuman’s as a
progression from strictly hitting pads. The rest as they say is history…
Since then I have gone on to represent Hanuman and fight professionally,
competing on the UK’s top promotions as well as competing in both Poland and Thailand.
I have also qualified myself as a lvl3 personal trainer who specialises in fight conditioning and pad holding with my clients
benefiting from fight specific programming if desired.
My fight style is one that revolves around pressure and the ability to effectively protect yourself in order to land powerful, damaging techniques.