Black Lotus Academy of Martial Arts and Fitness trainer Riley Sova has transitioned from fighter to teacher after 17 years in the game.
The now 23-year-old Sova got his start in mixed martial arts with karate when he was just five-years-old.
“When I first started, my parents put me into it to burn energy, but I think what got me to stick with it was the people and the environment,” Sova explained.
As he grew older, Sova began to appreciate the teachings of respect, humility, and the dedication that came with the sport, more so than the fighting element.
Sova’s passion for mixed martial arts and a desire to broaden his knowledge, prompted him to move from karate to jujutsu, where he was trained by coach Fred Kitchen.
“He was an amazing coach for me and he helped me with a lot of stuff,” Sova said of his former coach.
For close to five years, Sova trained six days a week with Kitchen and began preparing for national tournaments while attending high school at Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School.
Sova’s hard work paid off, winning gold at the North American Grappling Association Expo in 2011.
After having success under Kitchen’s guidance, Sova was without a coach after Kitchen decided to take a break from mixed martial arts. At that point, Kitchen recommended Sova work with Nic Langman at Black Lotus.
“Kitchen told him that I needed somewhere to go, so Sōke Nic gave me a chance, we hit it off, and I worked hard enough to get in with his crew and I’ve been there ever since,” Sova explained.
The transition from jujutsu to kickboxing was difficult in the early stages of the transition, Sova recalls.
“I had stand-up fighting skills from karate and jujitsu but not to the extent that kickboxing does.”
The elite part of Sova’s mixed martial arts skills came from his grappling ability. Before joining Black Lotus, kickboxing was not his forte.
“I used to hate throwing hands and I used to hate sparring. I didn’t start liking kickboxing until I met Nic. He brought my stand-up to a level that I never imagined I could ever achieve,” Sova said.
With the guidance of his new mentor, Sova began having success in kickboxing, winning gold at the 2014 World Association of Kickboxing Organizations' national tournament in the light kick division.
After years of success under strong mentorship and coaches, Sova became one himself after Langman offered Sova another new challenge: teaching classes.
“When you have to teach someone it’s almost like having to learn those skills all over again,” said Sova. “You can be good at something but not be good at teaching it to someone else; it’s a whole different ball game.”
Like the rest of his mixed martial arts career, Sova faced his new challenge head-on. He became passionate about teaching his craft to others, so much so that he began teaching a minimum of three days a week.
“I really enjoy meeting new people and being a positive influence in their lives, even if it’s just in a small way,” Sova said.
Sova started to sacrifice his individual fighting career to make more time for teaching students.
“Martial arts will always be my passion, but I don’t need to fight and compete to fuel that passion,” he explained.
“My main goal is to give them as much as possible,” said Sova. “If I’m holding them back and not giving them my best then I’m failing them as a teacher.”
Sova believes he’s found his purpose in mixed martial arts, passing on what he’s learned through the years onto others. Sova is so passionate about teaching that he does it for no personal financial gain.
“Nic has spent so many hours of his time training me, and the least I can do is pass that on to somebody else,” he explained.
And while Sova knows he could work at an academy who would pay him to train students, he says the people who train at Black Lotus are his family and he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
“As soon as I became skilled enough to have the honour to teach people, I realized I get a lot more, personally, out of teaching,” he said.