Meet Declan, our head coach

Declan started training more than 20 years ago and has never stopped. Most people give up after a year or two, or even after five. Twenty-one years later he loves it as much as he did on day one, and still wakes up thinking about when he can next get on the mat.

He has been through every situation in a fight: he has won and lost by decision, by submission and by knockout. As he puts it, there is not a situation he has not been in. That experience is what lets him tell you, with confidence, that he knows what he is talking about, because he has been there himself.

Declan opened the gym because he wanted somewhere to train and because he loves teaching. Years ago he was training in Burnley twice a week and renting another gym for two more days, just so his group could practise what they had learnt. Teaching grew out of that.

Passing on what he knows keeps him learning too. If his students are getting better, he has to keep getting better to stay ahead of them.

✓  Three-time British professional MMA champion
✓  31 professional MMA fights, including against UFC fighters
✓  Two appearances on Cage Warriors, one of the UK's top MMA promotions
✓  Competed on one of the UK's biggest grappling shows
✓  Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
✓  Has coached amateur champions, some of whom have gone on to win professional titles

You do not need to be fit, flexible or experienced to start, and you never have to spar or compete. New members are paired with someone experienced who can help them along. Size, age and gender do not matter, and your progress comes down to what you are willing to put in.

Declan wants Team Dynamite to be known for producing great fighters, and just as much for the atmosphere: a gym where everyone helps each other, travels together and turns up for each other's fights. Egos never last here. People who need to be the best in the room tend to move on, and the ones who stay get better and make friends along the way.

Beginners arrive nervous, worried they will look stupid. Within three months that has gone, because they realise everyone is in the same boat. After a year they can see how far they have come, and many start to want to compete and push themselves.

It shows most with the kids. Parents tell Declan how much more confident their children are, at school and at home, and some come back years later just to say thank you. Kids' classes run without parents watching from the side, so the children can focus and grow their own confidence.

Your first class is free. Come and see what Team Dynamite is about.