Broadneck Freshman Wins Martial Arts Championship Fights

This year, Broadneck High School freshman Natalia Trombley traveled to New York and Delaware, clinching wins in three matches in two competitions in two different martial arts.

Trombley practices kickboxing and Muay Thai, two striking martial art forms. Muay Thai is the older of the two and allows a few more techniques than kickboxing, including the use of elbows and a close-quarters upright technique called clinching, which is also seen in grappling martial art forms like wrestling. Kickboxing is a hybrid martial art started in mid-1900s Japan and incorporates techniques from karate, western boxing and Muay Thai.

Originally starting at 12 years old because her parents wanted her and her siblings to learn self-defense, Trombley grew to like fighting and improved quickly.

“She’s the hardest worker in the room at any given time,” said Matt Van Valkenburgh, Muay Thai head instructor at Kogen Dojo and one of Trombley’s coaches. “She always has a positive attitude.”

Trombley has participated in four competitions in the almost three years that she has been a martial arts fighter. In April, she won a match at a Golden Era Muay Thai championship exhibition.

“I really enjoyed the atmosphere,” Trombley said. “I’ve never been to a fight like that in New York. It was very fun, and I feel like my opponent was a really great matchup.”

More recently, she participated in the World Kickboxing Association national Muay Thai and kickboxing championships in Delaware in August, where she won two gold medals for a fight in Muay Thai and a fight in kickboxing.

When she’s not fighting, she enjoys watching fights outside of her dojo.

“I really like just seeing other fights going on, seeing the other gyms, and seeing how other people’s fighting styles are,” Trombley said.

The time right before a fight can be a bit of a challenge for her. “I’m not nervous in the ring, but I get very nervous before the fight,” Trombley said.

The coaches help their students by giving pep talks before fights. They are also careful not to put too much emphasis on winning matches.

“Win or lose, as long as they try their best and do their best to do what they train for, then we’re not too concerned about the result,” Van Valkenburgh said.

Trombley’s day starts in the morning with an hour run, then strength and conditioning workouts like pushups, squats and sit ups, followed by another mile run.

Nutrition is also important for her training outside of her classes.

“Usually, I cut weight, so I have to have a balanced diet and make sure I’m eating all the right stuff for my weight cutting,” Trombley said.

Practice at the Kogen Dojo generally involves jumping rope and a lot of drills. Students shadow box, spar, and use punching bags and pads. They also practice clinch fighting.

Trombley also recently started high school at Broadneck High School. Balancing her new school workload, especially for the AP classes she is taking, was difficult at first. But after a couple weeks, she got used to it.

“I have practice at the end of the day,” Trombley said. “As soon as I get home, I do some homework. Then right after practice, I do the rest of my homework. I also do homework during pre-periods at school.”

In 2023, one of Trombley’s coaches asked her if she’d like to help out as an assistant coach. She came into it with some experience.

“I have four younger siblings and I’m kind of used to being a coach, in a way, to younger kids,” Trombley said.

She joins a class for younger kids that starts before her class to assist the students in their techniques, give them tips and be a partner for kids who need a partner.

“She’s a good influence on the kids, because her technique is really good,” Van Valkenburgh said.

At first, Trombley found communicating with students difficult. “I have trouble with public speaking,” Trombley said. “But after a while, I’ve gotten used to it and I feel more comfortable in that area.”

The experience has given Trombley a desire to be a head coach one day. “I really like teaching people techniques and stuff like that,” she said.