Art's Story
“He has visited me, staying and practicing at my gym since 2014. He also assisted me with my Thai and international boxers. Artur is a great Thai boxing trainer. Before he arrived, I researched his profile about his boxing skills; he trained about boxing (Muay Thai) in Canada for 3 years then he came to Thailand. His character is a perfect match for coaching Thai boxing on an advanced technique level, as he is calm, has brilliant skill, and loves to help others. He surprised me once when we went to Ratchadamnern Boxing Stadium, where he coached my fighter in a World Class fight (Thanonchai Tor Sangtiennoi vs Sangmanee Sor Tienpo). That day, my boxer got cut by the elbow; during the fight he was still bleeding a lot. Artur was able to stop the bleeding of my fighter and the fight went to the full five rounds, with my fighter winning the fight. Later my fighter had 38 stitches to his face. This situation showed me how he is World Class. I am so proud to have worked with him.”
Kind Regards,
–Sangtiennoi Sor. Rungroj “The Deadly Kisser”
Lumpinee, Rajadamnern Stadium and World WMC Champion”
Beginnings
As a child, Artur was constantly subject to an intense and unrelenting interest in what could only be recognized as the Warrior’s mentality – Courage, Equanimity, and Wisdom. While he was young Art would spend his time immersed in books. Books detailing the wise teachings of aboriginal chieftains, books detailing the virtues and struggles of martial arts masters… books focused on the warrior’s way of life. As the years passed and Art matured, he would come to realize the life he sought wasn’t at home in his small village near Szczecin, in post-communist Poland. The answers were to be found elsewhere in the vast and unknown.
Courage
Every worthwhile undertaking begins with courage. It may be the courage to be curious, or the courage to brave the unknown, but at the eventuality, it is simply the courage to live a meaningful life. At the age of twenty-two, Art left his home country to travel the world. With hardly any money to his name and no concrete plan, he headed off into the broad reaches of the extensive and wide world. There was one thing that Art knew for certain: he was looking for a master, a mentor, someone to guide him and teach him the way of the Warrior. He needed someone to harden and temper his untapped potential into what he was meant to become. However, that someone would not be found so easily. Between the ages of 22 and 27 Art would pass through 18 countries, hitchhiking over 20,000 km, alone. Finding food was a constant struggle and he would often find himself unsure of where his night would be spent. It was a hard and dangerous time, but it was also the call to adventure. Today Art looks back on these years with a profound sense of meaning and fulfillment. He travelled Nepal during political unrest, crossed the cold desert of Ladakh at high altitude, motor biked through India amidst a devastating drought, lived and studied for a time with the Shaolin monks in China, and vagabonded through most of Europe. The Journey alone was a harsh training in itself.
Throughout the span of his life Artur has passed through over 35 countries.
At the age of 27 Art found himself in Korea, a key chapter of his life, where he first began Muay Thai under Master Giyong Kim (Kang-il gym). He was a firm and disciplined, but very caring man, “Without him, I would not be where I am today.” Art had finally found the guidance he had sought after his entire life. Subject to grueling and unforgiving training regimes, an unrelenting hammer to the malleable and misshapen metal that was his body and mind, Artur would evolve, harden, and grow. Through hard work and discipline, with the intense beauty of Muay Thai as his medium, Art gained a new understanding of himself. Learning the differences between the capacity and use of “Heart” and the capacity and use of “Will”, Art would discover a mental stamina that would serve him for the rest of his life. A new perspective was found, a new way to model and regard the thoughts and desires he faced: Equanimity – the abiding calmness, the development of an unshakable heart, the undaunted composure, the unwavering soul in the raging storm. Artur would look at the world through new lenses, more calm, more content, more akin to the warriors of the past.
A year into his stay at Kang-il gym, Art’s journey eventually led him to fight in the legendary Rajadamnern stadium, a place for only top Muay Thai fighters. Hardened by Master Giyong Kim, Art was soon to be honed and sharpened by top Thai fighter Monkoldej Sitthepitak, also known as Mr. Bee. Bee, the former head coach at Fairtex and ranked number one in both Lumpinee and Rajadamnern, now would use his expertise to refine Art even further. Art and Bee grew close during this time, and today they still work together with a friendship based upon a deep and extensive trust.
Another Path, Toward Wisdom
Shortly after fighting in Rajadamnern, Art’s immune system weakened and he became very ill. He spent some time away from competing and went through a period of self-assessment. Rather than submit to illness, Artur decided this was an opportunity to develop outside of fighting. He would remain in Muay Thai, but this time as a trainer. Artur was a fast learner and a natural teacher, his instructive abilities developed rapidly as he embarked on the next chapter of his life’s journey. He travelled to Canada, opened a gym on Vancouver Island, and over a period of 2 years, transformed two fresh athletes into Canadian champions. Once Canada was no longer suitable competition, Artur decided that the next step was to return to Thailand, the home of Muay Thai.
Equanimity
Thailand was where Art would once again find guidance, a mentor, someone to temper him further… but this time coming as a teacher rather than a fighter. Sangtiennoi Sor. Rungroj aka “the Deadly Kisser”, one of Thailand’s top trainers and former champion. He was a man who could see into the very depths of an individual’s soul with no more than a glance. He would bring Art into a whole new world of Muay Thai. In a family based all-Thai camp, Art was assigned the role of a pad holder, teacher, and strategist. He would spend 4 months at this particular gym, his main focus being Thanonchai Sor. Sangtiennoi. Thanonchai, who was awarded Fighter of the Year 2015, would go on to defeat Sangmanee (one of the greatest fighters this decade) with Art as his trainer and strategist. Looking back, Art would describe his stay with Sangtiennoi, due to underlying circumstances at the time, as one of the most difficult experiences of his life. His time there was physically demanding, but more significantly, incredibly taxing mentally. “Every single ounce of energy I had was focused into making it through the next minute. A minute would pass and then every single ounce of energy remaining would be focused into making it through yet another minute, and so on and so forth until the day was done. This would repeat every day for the duration of my stay.” While it was incredibly difficult, the stay with Sangtiennoi allowed Art to further develop equanimity and gain rare and valuable perspective. The idea of fighting to live rather than to survive, a confrontation of the ego through good will and a higher purpose in search of one’s true nature. It was an embrace of nonresistance, a strategy to weaken unnecessary survival instincts to combat the defilements of the mind. Developed through Muay Thai, this stratagem would provide a framework, navigation for any and every difficult future task. Now, considered a world class trainer by one of the few legends of Muay Thai, Artur decided it was once again time to move forward. However, sometimes in order to advance we must go back to our roots.
An Eternal Pursuit
A young boy sits quietly in a forest near his home. He sits there as still as a boy can manage at that age. After a time deemed sufficient, the boy stands up, eyes a chosen nearby elm tree, takes position and strikes. The tree does not budge but surprisingly, neither does the boy. His fist now bruised from the hard bark that was his opponent, the boy sits down… closes his eyes… breathes… and once again is still. So one may ask: why? The answer: even when young, Artur knew that there was more to a warrior’s life than just sheer brutality. That young boy would spend many hours of many weeks of many months of many years with this self-directed meditation. Finally, before he would leave Thailand for Canada, Art would formalize his practice. Vipassana; 10 days, sitting meditation for 10 hours a day, no music, no writing, no speaking, no distractions of any kind. Subject to only his innermost thoughts, demons and all, Artur would make a deep dive into himself. There was nowhere to run, no way to avoid, and confrontation of all the things left untouched was necessary. In life’s journey dealing with the things left undealt with is one of the more formidable tasks. After the 10 day period and after leaving Thailand, Artur would continue to meditate daily. In his practice he would find yet another vital piece to his development: a deeper understanding on the cultivation of Wisdom – An irreplaceable realization and an eternal pursuit. The boy who set out into the world in search of a master, in search of guidance, in search of the warrior’s mentality, had not done so in a way devoid of meaning. Through the trials and tribulations of the last decade Art had developed a central method – a strategy; a way to communicate the warrior’s way of life, methods to break down the various lessons and truths of every situation’s reality.
In Calgary, Canada, Artur would share his teachings with his students, Jessica “Thumper” Gladstone and Abdou “Montreal” Haddad. Haddad, with only 18 months of training, would go on to fight Saenchai – widely considered the best pound for pound fighter to have ever lived. Gladstone would become known as Canada’s most accomplished female Muay Thai athlete, and be invited and participate in the prestigious promotion “Glory Fight Series”.
Now with numerous accolades and accomplishments under his belt, Artur would continue to teach and expand his methodology. In doing so, it would soon become very clear that his methods were applicable to not only high level athletes, but to individuals from all walks of life.
Courage, Equanimity, and Wisdom, through the expansive and rare experiences that characterize his life, Artur Nowacki has cultivated these three virtues into an integrated method. First, the task is understood, identified and analyzed with eyes seeking reality, one must be courageous in approach. Second, perseverance developed through discipline and hard work is used to see the task through from a perspective that cuts through fear and doubt. One must be equanimous in the undertaking. Third, decisions are made through wisdom; one must be aligned with reality and see things as they are in order to find purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. This method is applicable to any and every problem for any and every person – a fighter, a farmer, a businessman, an actor, a speaker, a model. The method is applicable all the same.
In 2018 and 2019, Artur was a sought after consultant for the recovery treatment center “Clarity Thailand“ where he cooperated with clinical staff, including psychologists. In 2020, he created and developed a coaching program for EASE Performance Coaching based on 3 fundamentals: 1. mindfulness, 2. sensitivity to sensory stimuli, 3. ability to voluntarily focus attention.
That brings us to the present day. Artur Nowacki currently resides in Canada where he lives with his now significant other, Jessica Gladstone and children. He is a man who is known for not only his understanding and person ability, but also his blunt and inescapable honesty. Students have come far and wide to learn about his way of life, his teachings, as well as for his Muay Thai expertise. “A meaningful life begins with the truth.” Art’s students stay in close contact with him and visit from time to time; they often describe their time with Art as irreplaceable and a vital part of their lives as they move forward.
Today new students, regardless of background, capability, or expertise, can contact Artur via email (ArturNowacki8@gmail.com), or find him as a consultant
