Are You A Combat Coach

Making A Difference?

Continue making a positive difference to teenagers' lives

and earn an extra $24,000 with 5 hours invested per week

(Unlimited growth potential if you choose to invest more time)

Combat Coaches Are Under-Valued and

Under-Recognised For The Impact They Actually Make

As a combat coach, you know the mental health benefits of physical activity and the correlation it has with overall wellbeing.


And having discovered those benefits for yourself many years ago, you also discovered a love for helping others do the same.


The problem is, the impact of what you do as a combat coach is vastly undervalued and under-recognised by those outside of our sport – particularly with regard to the education and development in skills such as emotional regulation.


Instead of seeing combat sport as the perfect medium for teenagers to:

  • Build mental resilience
  • Develop self-awareness
  • Learn to maximize their strengths
  • Push outside their comfort zone
  • Develop inner confidence
  • Learn life skills such as emotional regulation
  • Develop a healthy attitude towards life


Much of society outside the sport see it as:

  • Dangerous and encouraging violence — despite studies indicating the risk of injury in combat sports like amateur boxing is lower than collision sports such as football, ice hockey, wrestling and soccer.
  • Only reserved for meatheads who like fighting
  • Only accessible for people who are already fit


I remember many years ago, being in an office in Ireland talking to a civil servant in a suit and tie, and being told by him that no matter how much of an impact coaching combat sports what actually having on the lives of young people I coached, it didn't matter — he couldn't fund what I was doing because I didn't have a "recognised piece of paper" to say I was qualified in something other than my numerous combat coach qualifications — despite the great job I was doing,


This happened over 20 years ago, but to a large extent, in the minds of many parents, educators, mental health professionals and health professionals, it still rings true.


That's why I became a psychologist.

You Don't Need A "Piece Of Paper" To Prove Yourself

Now you probably don’t have a spare 8 years and thousands of dollars to go and become a psychologist – even if you wanted to.


But I also know that what you do as combat coaches in your gyms everyday has a MASSIVE role to play in meeting the current needs of adolescence.


To build resilience, to build confidence, and just life skills in general – especially in the current climate.


That is why I want to engage combat coaches as part of my CounterPunch™ Facilitators team.


As a combat coach, a sport scientist and a psychologist myself, I want to teach you the missing 'piece of paper' stuff – for you to get that external credibility and recognition you’re entitled to, to maximize what you already do and the skills you already have, by just adding those last couple of jigsaw pieces to complement what you already offer.


How?


Through an evidence-based program I've developed over the last 40 years called the CounterPunch Method™.

“Mercedas and her program changed my son’s life completely. CounterPunch has increased his self-esteem hugely, helped him overcome anxiety and fear, now exhibiting tolerance and empathy. He has ceased all medications and counselling, obtained his driver’s license and become one of the programs young leaders."


Keith, Parent

"I learnt a lot about myself in the months I was there, Merc you taught me a lot about who I could be. When I started I wasn’t trying to achieve anything but now I am. I believed in the program from the start and will use my voice to show what this program did for me”


Matt (Client, 16 years)

What Is The CounterPunch™ Method?

And Why Combat Coaches?


Teenagers go through a period of rapid transformation and identification as they transition into adulthood – and with that comes many emotional challenges.


They're flooded with new emotions they haven't felt before and don't know how to manage, and they're consistently trying to balance between the identity of being a dependent child versus an independent young adult.


The CounterPunch™ method teaches teenagers practical tools to both understand and effectively master the life skills needed to recognise, manage and express emotions such as stress, anxiety, anger and depression in a healthy manner – skills that if teenagers don't learn, can affect the quality of their lives later in adulthood.


The Problem With Traditional Forms Of Therapy And Counselling For Teens


The first thought that might come to mind is that this is the role of psychologists and counsellors, as they are specialists in this field.


The problem with this is 3-fold:

  1. It's often only when teenagers have gone through severe experiences for a prolonged period of time that they end up seeing a psychologist:
    • Many of these severe experiences can be managed and prevented beforehand with the right self-management tools.
    • Not all teenagers seek and/or receive therapy and are therefore left helpless.
  2. There is stigma associated with "having to see a therapist"
    • Teenagers are very self-conscious about how they appear, especially to their peers.
    • The last thing they want to associate with their newly forming identity as they grow up is someone who "needs help."
  3. Traditional forms of counselling and therapy are boring and do not work with teenagers:
    • Adults are content to sit face-to-face and use talk therapy.
    • Young people on the other hand, don't like this method. Talk therapy can often take the form of intermittent grunts and rushing out the door at the first opportunity.

That's where the CounterPunch™ method comes in to fill the gap.


Rather than only addressing the mental health side of things, or just the physical health side of things, CounterPunch looks at addressing the skill and knowledge gap in a truly wholistic manner in order to help teenagers develop into fully functioning adults that can reach their true potential in life – we refer to this as the Performance Jigsaw™.

In my many years working with young people, I have found that the need to feel empowered, significant and competent is the biggest factor driving teenagers' behaviour.


And the easiest way for teenagers to feel this sense of empowerment is on a physical level — something you already help them with.


That's where you (the combat coach) come in, and why I need your help.

Endorsed By Teachers and Mental Health Specialists

Angie Prime
(School Teacher)


Coming into the workshop I was hoping to get some skills and strategies to help students who are dealing with anxiety, depression and to develop some self-regulatory skills...


It's really exceeded my expectations... I mean, I found it most useful for myself which I didn't expect. Merc's psychology background has really taught me a lot about why I behave the way I do at certain times, which I didn't think I'd be coming here to learn about myself, but I really have.


I also found the boxing skills a lot of fun – I think a lot of teachers need to do this course, especially leadership groups, counsellors...


I think coming here is just a totally different experience. It'll only add value. So very grateful that I've been shown this."

Jess Reed

(Mental Health Clinician)


I was really excited when I found out about CounterPunch because I love the whole mind-body connection in mental health.


Learning all the different strategies to connect with young people, particularly working with values and what drives behaviour and how we can elicit more positive behaviour using these mediums — I can see how passionate Merc is about it.


And I can really see the benefits of applying this – particularly in early intervention but I can see it working with fairly disengaged kids as well. And just to learn how to engage young people through the physical side but with the psychology also backing it up.


Merc simplifies it so that it's easily useable and you don't have to be in clinical psychology to deliver this program."

What Sports Coaches Say About CounterPunch™

Aine Conlon

(Kickboxing Coach)


"One thing I got from CounterPunch was that I was able to relate more to the children in my class and more importantly to my children at home."

Padraig Clancy

(Football Coaching Coordinator)


"What I got from Mercedas was a far better understanding of how young people think, maybe to get down more to their level and talk to them."

Endorsed By Teenagers Too!

Zac Nash


"The CounterPunch program really helped me to learn how to deal with my emotions internally, and through that, it gave me a better understanding of how my emotions actually work, which led to a massive improvement on how I was feeling in just my day to day life.


And as I progressed through the CounterPunch program, I had the opportunity to work with some other kids dealing with their own problems.


And from the time I started assisting in the group sessions to when we finished, I saw a massive improvement in things like confidence, communication skills, mental resilience, resistance to negative peer pressure.


Overall, I think the CounterPunch program has helped so many people and I don't know where I'd be today without it."

Ben Reissenweber


"The CounterPunch program to me was a great way to learn a bit more about myself and gain some new skills – which have already been really handy.


One thing I particularly got out of it is improved sense of self-confidence and self-esteem, and even self-awareness. And moving forward in life, I'm confident that these skills are really handy.


It feels great having those tools available. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. It's a really valuable experience."

Hi, I'm Mercedas

Why should you listen to me?

Great question! Here's why I'm qualified to teach you how to help you achieve your full potential as a combat coach...


My name is Mercedas Taaffe-Cooper, and for the last 35 years I have been honing and combining my skills as a martial artist, a combat coach, a sports & exercise scientist, and a registered psychologist into an overarching method I call the CounterPunch™ method.

To give you insight into why I'm so passionate about helping you help teenagers become the best they can be, I'd like to invite you to jump back in time with me, and re-live my journey in 10-year increments.

1985 – 1995

My Start As An Athlete


My journey starts over 30 years ago, when I first competed as an athlete. Through rigorous training and conditioning, I'm proud to say that I've won a total of 25 titles in martial arts and boxing tournaments since, including:

  • 4 World titles
  • 3 European titles
  • 10 Irish titles
  • 8 Australian titles

1995 – 2005

Coaching Teens To Elite Level


Having had my own life transformed through the power of sport, I sought to do the same for youth. As part of this commitment, I:

  • Established 4 boxing clubs (1 in Ireland, 3 in Australia), all of which continue to coach young people today
  • Coached over 1000 youth since 1987 – 5 of which have won 19 titles (15 in Ireland, 4 in Australia) in total
  • Trained with some of the top boxing coaches in the world (such as Nicolas Cruz Hernandez, Gerry Storey, Mick Dowling, & Bodo Andreas) in order to become more effective as a coach

1995 – 2005

Coaching Teens To Elite Level


Having had my own life transformed through the power of sport, I sought to do the same for youth. As part of this commitment, I:

  • Established 4 boxing clubs (1 in Ireland, 3 in Australia), all of which continue to coach young people today
  • Coached over 1000 youth since 1987 – 5 of which have won 19 titles (15 in Ireland, 4 in Australia) in total
  • Trained with some of the top boxing coaches in the world (such as Nicolas Cruz Hernandez, Gerry Storey, Mick Dowling, & Bodo Andreas) in order to become more effective as a coach

2005 – 2015

Becoming A Psychologist & Launching CounterPunch


While working with youth as a sports coach, I began to notice that many weren't reaching their full potential as a result of personal life factors.


As a result, I sought to improve my understanding of psychology, and today, I'm honoured to say that I've:

  • Become a registered psychologist and worked with over 100 youth and adolescent clients as a Clinical Psychologist at CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
  • Run a 2-year, state government-funded study with the Menzies School of Health to create and validate the CounterPunch™ method as a tool for improving mental wellbeing in teenagers
  • Been featured on ABC TV as part of the 730 show

2015 – Now

CounterPunch Continues To Change Lives


Eventually I realised there's only so much 1 person can do on their own, so I decided it was time to share CounterPunch with the world (hint: that's where you come in!). As part of fulfilling that mission, I have:

  • Co-written the bestselling book 'Elevate Your Life' alongside 10 other nationally recognised experts, including Benjamin J Harvey
  • Created a Facilitator's Curriculum to teach sports coaches like you to take young athletes through the journey to become the best versions of themselves.

2015 – Now

CounterPunch™ Continues To Change Lives


Eventually I realised there's only so much 1 person can do on their own, so I decided it was time to share CounterPunch™ with the world (hint: that's where you come in!). As part of fulfilling that mission, I have:

  • Co-written the bestselling book 'Elevate Your Life' alongside 10 other nationally recognised experts, including Benjamin J Harvey
  • Created a Facilitator's Curriculum to teach sports coaches like you to take young athletes through the journey to become the best versions of themselves.

Why Combat Coaches Get CounterPunch™ Certified

CounterPunch Facilitator-training

Because you want to grow your combat coaching in a highly leveraged way that doesn't require too much investment of time, energy and money.

Because you see gaps in the education and societal system, and you want to help educate young people not just academically, but also mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Because you want to take your combat coaching to the next level and stand out with the services you offer.

Because you believe societal harmony and a sustainable future is cultivated from developing the youth of today.

Because you see a great opportunity to help one of the hardest markets improve their lives – teenagers.

Because you're passionate about helping teenagers grow up with every means at their disposal to live a happy, successful and rewarding life.