About the Creator:

Professional Fighter & Coach: Paul "Reaper" Banasiak

You can take a look through my accolades below, but what I really want you to learn about is the vision, story and mission behind the creation of the Striking Academy. 

I have created this Academy as a high-quality training resource aimed at students of all levels. From beginner to pro. It was created for those who may not have access to top tier trainers, for those who lack structure in their training, and most importantly, for those who don't receive the personal, detailed instruction needed to learn and become confident in themselves and their training.

I never really had a bias to my teaching or learning style, I was always more of a straight numbers guy who paid close attention to simply what works, how often it works, when it works, and when it simply doesn't. I have always done my ultimate best to never limit my training or coaching to a particular style - keeping my mind open to all tried and true methods. I worked at this by training, living and fighting in Central Thailand (Bangkok), Southern Thailand, Northern Thailand, North America and Europe. I have lived inside the gym for months at a time sharing a bunk bed with other fighters, on a couch in the office while training and teaching 14 hour days, and on a few occasions I treated myself to a nice house with a view. 

I have tried each region's style and stepped into each gym with an open mind. Living, training and learning for not just days or weeks, but for months and years in each location before formulating an opinion on what was taught. 

Despite stepping into the ring over 50 times and training with a number of top tier trainers across the world, I have never been a fast learner. 

It's a large part of why I have traveled to different corners of the globe in hopes of learning from the best in each category of striking. Learning the clinch from Kru Pot and Kru Namsaknoi, Muay Thai scoring from as many Thai trainers as I can, introducing myself to boxing through the Golden Gloves, and eventually moving to Thailand where I have spent the majority of the last 5 years - studying the material over and over again to further understand each art. 

My mission is to make this process easier for you, to relay the information in a way that clicks and to cover every aspect of your training, lifestyle and personal development. Whatever your problem, there's a high chance that I've been there! Join the community and let's have a chat!

Career Accolades: 

• Current WMC International Champion
• Current WBC North American Champion
• Muay Thai Professional Record 20-3-1 (15 KOs)
• Overall (Pro/Am) Kickboxing / Muay Thai Record 43-9-2 (29 KOs)
• 12+ Years of Competitive Experience and Coaching
• Coached Training Camps & Seminars in the US, England, Costa Rica and Thailand. 
• 2x Muay Thai World Champion
• 4x North American National Champion
• Competed at the highest levels of striking as a part of: Lion Fight Promotions, Lumpinee, Glory Kickboxing, WBC, and the Thai Fight - Kard Chuek Championship Tournament. Fought 20x in Thailand, 3x at Madison Square Garden, 3x in Spain, Cambodia, New York City, and Atlantic City.
• Golden Glove Boxing Finalist
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer / Health & Exercise Science Graduate
• Muay Thai Pro Fight Team Coach and Group Class Instructor