I’m proud to say that I’ve been training with Piet since he first came to Tulsa. I had just started working out at a Muay Thai gym that offered a mixed arts/grappling class, and Piet came in looking for some people to roll with. Despite his ominous appearance (tattoos and all), I could tell right away that he was genuinely a cool guy: very humble, down to earth, and an all-around nice guy. We became friends right away.

It quickly became obvious to me that I could learn far more from this guy in a week, so I began training with Piet at his home. He had an outbuilding that was fully matted, and we would spend hours out there in the evenings. With all of this one-on-one training time, I developed my skills very quickly.

Finally, in August of 2004, Piet and his wife Summer opened the Triton training facility at 51st and Memorial. That’s when my training was elevated to an entirely new level. Suddenly I was training within a structured system, working on a specific set of techniques, striving to accomplish the particular goals that Piet and Summer had laid out for me at my current level. With Piet and Summer’s first rate instruction, my mission was soon accomplished, and it was on to a new set of goals. And then the bar was raised again, and again.

While I continued to build my arsenal of fighting techniques, my cardio and overall health saw steady improvements, as well (I’ve dropped twenty-five pounds of useless fat in the last seven months). All of the technique in the world won’t help you a bit if you can’t last two minutes in a fight, whether it be in the ring or in a street confrontation. No need to worry about that with Piet and Summer around; they know how to push you beyond your limits. I’m thirty-four years old, and I can honestly say that, thanks to Triton, I’m in the best shape of my life.

I plan to continue my training at Triton indefinitely. I enjoy being in good shape and feeling confident in my fighting abilities. But most of all I enjoy the atmosphere. At Triton, you won’t find the me-first attitude that is found at so many gyms. No BS. No attitude. No infighting. The students and instructors there always treat one another with kindness and respect. It is like one big extended family. I want to personally thank all of you who have spent countless hours training with me, and I especially want to thank Piet and Summer… for everything. I love you guys.

“Mighty” Mike Lyles