With so much focus on the bad business dealings of sponsors in mixed martial arts these days, when a story emerges about the good things that a company is doing to give back to the sport we try to give it as much play as we can.
It’s no secret that Hayabusa makes some of the best fight gear in the business thanks to years of research and testing of its products by some of MMA’s top athletes. One product line that the company was missing from its offerings was a professional line of training equipment. To fill the void, Hayabusa partnered with revered Canadian MMA coach Shawn Tompkins in late 2009 to set about designing and producing a professional grade of products made specifically for trainers. When Shawn passed away suddenly last summer prior to the product launch, the owners of the company became torn about whether or not they should forge ahead with the project without “The Coach.”
With the blessing of Tompkins widow, Emilie, who urged them to put out the products whose design had become a labor of love for her late husband the past few years, Hayabusa’s brain trust finalized the design of the products and unveiled them recently.
“We were devastated by Shawn’s passing, and we lost a partner, and a dear friend,” said Hayabusa co-founder Craig Clement. “We were very conflicted over how to handle the release of the line and considered possibly scrapping it altogether, but we spoke to Shawn’s wife Emilie, and she encouraged us press forward and release this line of gear designed by and now dedicated to ‘The Coach.’”
Besides the innovative design features like anti-slip microfibre inserts and proprietary manufactured hybrid foams to absorb the rigors of multiple training sessions, what truly sets the line apart is the fact that a portion of the proceeds of each and every sale of all of the products in the Hayabusa Pro Training Series line is going to go to the Tompkins family as a memorial to Shawn’s contribution to creating them.
“We offer our deepest condolences to Emilie, the Tompkins family, the members of Team Tompkins and all those in the MMA community who had the pleasure to know Shawn,” said Clement, “We are proud of the designs and we know that Shawn was as well. He worked with us on every facet of the design from prototype to the final products. We hope that the Pro Training Series line will honor his memory.”
You can purchase the affordable and ultra-durable line through select online realtors and retail locations that carry Hayabusa gear, including MMAWarehouse.com. Alternatively, you can donate to the Shawn Tompkins Memorial Fund by emailing [email protected].