We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada has partnered with MMA Expo Vancouver to be the exclusive CEC provider for the first such two day Mixed Marital Arts event in British Columbia at the Tradex Convention Centre in Abbotsford, BC.

The the two day MMA Expo gives fans the unique opportunity to meet, get autographs from and take pictures with MMA celebrities, professional fighters and world champions. The weekend event also features a wide variety of hands-on seminars, CEC accredited fitness workshops, action-packed martial arts tournaments, insightful demonstrations and a vibrant exhibit show floor where fighters and fans shop a wide array of top brand MMA, traditional martial arts and fitness products and services.

Fitness professionals have the option of attending either Saturday April 10th for MMA Level 1 CEC workshop or Certification or Sunday April 11th for the Level 1 Kickboxing CEC workshop or Certification.

Click here to register

CEC Accredited

O’Donnell named coach for 2010 Winter Games - Ontario

When kickboxing headlines for its first time at the 2010 Ontario Winter Games, Orangeville will be well represented.

Ross O’Donnell, owner and instructor of Fitness Kickboxing Canada Orangeville has been chosen as one of 10 provincial coaches for the upcoming Games.

“I’m quite pleased to say I’ve been selected as one of the coaching staff to do all this and be involved as a coach,” O’Donnell said. “Each coach will be assigned about five to six athletes and while we’re there, we’ll basically be taking care of them.”

In addition, two of O’Donnell’s kickboxing students, Alex Silva and Darren Miller, will compete at the province-wide games to be held in Muskoka, Ont. from March 4 to 7.

Sixty-four athletes, including Silva and Miller, will soon head to training camp in Mississauga on Feb. 14 for the provincial team’s selection process. Silva will fight in the 74-kg class while Miller will test the 70-kg group.

In early November, Miller, 18, fought to an Ontario Cup intermediate (69- to 72-kg) kickboxing championship in Burlington.

Silva, 16, finished second in the junior division at the same Ontario Cup tournament.

“I’m hoping there may be two or three bouts for them in the tournament,” O’Donnell said

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada will be a sponsor and presenters at the Can-Fit-Pro Conference and Tradeshow held at the The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel & Conference Centre
Montreal Februay 5-7, 2010

Pre-Conference particiipants will take part in the Ultimate "Fighting-Fit" Boot-Camp session taught by co-presenters Sean Sherk, former UFC world Champ and Ross O'Donnell FKCI president and chief instructor. Tradeshow goers and conference delegates will also get a chance to take part in interactive training with our expert FKCI staff of instructors.

Attendees on the Saturday February 6th will be able to meet and greet Sean Sherk at the FKCI booth in the MMA Zone where they had an opportunity to get autographs, picture with Sean Sherk and prize giveaways.

Click here for Conference info

Fitness Kickboxing Canada
Official UFC Store Affiliate
Click on the UFC banner and start shopping for the
UFC Fanatic on your Christmas list

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada is the newest member of the UFC Store Affiliate Team and now have the capability to offer official UFC merchandise online.

Members can click on the UFC Store logo to take you directly to the official UFC Store website for purchases of apparel, DVD's, equipment and much, much more.

Just in time for Christmas shopping for the UFC fan in your family!!!!

Kicking way to Ontario belt
Thursday November 12th 2009
By Chris Halliday - Orangeville Banner Sports

When Darren Miller, 16, first walked through the doors of Fitness Kickboxing Canada in Orangeville around five years ago, little did he know it’d be the first day of his new life.

Then, the 12-year-old Miller, less than five feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, began kickboxing simply as a way to get fit.

Now, after dismantling his opponent in the final at his first-ever competitive tournament in Burlington, Ont. this weekend, the 150-pound Grade 12 Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) student is an Ontario Cup intermediate (69- to 72-kilogram) kickboxing champion.

“Basically, I was your average young kid, just go home after school, eat a bag of chips, watch TV, don’t do homework, so it wasn’t very much exercise,” Miller said. “I came here with my mom and just worked together as her partner. From there, it got competitive and I was like ‘wow, I’ll go for it,’ try it out and I fell in love.”

Miller dusted Josh Medland of the Golden Tiger Kickboxing Club in Hanover just 30 seconds into the final, breaking his opponent’s nose about 15 seconds in.

“Darren’s instructions were to be very aggressive, come at him right away and never back down. ... If you dance around the ring too much, it gives him a chance to figure out what your style is,” said Fitness Kickboxing Canada owner Ross O’Donnell. “He came in with a kick, got his hands down and came in with a hard cross. (Medland’s) nose started bleeding right away. ... The blood kind of flew. At that point, we knew it was over.”

Scheduled to make his competitive debut several times before, issues like a broken toe, his grandfather dying, and getting his finger slammed in a door always held him back. But, there was nothing keeping him away last Saturday.

“The way we were trained, I thought it would be a lot harder. I thought I’d be exhausted, but once you get in there, it is completely different,” Miller said. “The harder you train to do it ... the easier it is.”

O’Donnell was impressed by his young pupil’s demeanour, especially considering it was Miller’s first official match.

“Never seen a kid more calm in my life,” O’Donnell said. “I think there are several weight categories above and below he could have still won. His punching capabilities are tremendous.”

Next, Miller will join teammate Alex Silva, who finished second at the same tournament for his junior division, at an upcoming provincial training camp before competing at the 2010 Ontario Games in Muskoka this March.

“Never threw a punch in his life until he came in here,” O’Donnell said. “He is a fine example of what kids can become if they put their mind to it.”

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

Click here to catch the action at the conference

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada was a huge success at the Can-Fit-Pro International Tradeshow Conference and Consumer Day presentations held at the The Metro Convention Centre, Toronto August 21-22, 2009

Conference attendees the conference were given the opportunity take part in sold out MMA Ground'n Pound session taught by co-presenters Sean Sherk, former UFC world Champ( who will be fighting in UFC 104) and Ross O'Donnell FKCI president and chief instructor. Tradeshow goers and conference delegates also got a chance to get in a regulation size boxing ring and take part in interactive training with our expert FKCI staff of instructors.
Long lines of fans were treated to meet and greet Sean Sherk at the FKCI booth in the MMA Zone where they had an opportunity to get autographs, picture with Sean Sherk and prize giveaways.

Click here to catch the action at the conference

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada was a huge success at the BC Fit 2009 Conference held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver August 14 -16, 2009

Conference attendees were given the opportunity take part in sold out kickboxing session taught by Ross & Joanne O'Donnell as well as experience the tradeshow exhibitors including the FKCI team who performed demos and provided interactive training opportunities for delegates.

FKCI also held a one day of certification course for BCRPA trainers to become certified in Fitness Kickboxing and implement the classes in the BC locations.

Click here for BCRPA Photo Gallery

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada was a huge success at the Fitness China 2009 Conference held at the China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, China, August 7 -9, 2009

Conference attendees were given the opportunity take sessions taught by Ross & Joanne O'Donnell as well as experience the over 100 tradeshow exhibitors including the FKCI team who performed demos and provided interactive training opportunities for fans and media.

FKCI also held 3 days of certification courses for Bally's China trainers to become certified in Fitness Kickboxing and implement the classes in the Bally's Beijing locations.

READ COVERAGE IN THE ORANGEVILLE BANNER

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada has partnered with MMA Expo Montreal to be the exclusive CEC provider for the first such two day Mixed Marital Arts event in Quebec at the Place Forzani Centre.

Following the huge success of the two day MMA Expo held at the International Centre in Toronto June 6th & 7th the Montreal MMA Expo gives fans the unique opportunity to meet, get autographs from and take pictures with MMA celebrities, professional fighters and world champions. The weekend event also features a wide variety of hands-on seminars, CEC accredited fitness workshops, action-packed martial arts tournaments, insightful demonstrations and a vibrant exhibit show floor where fighters and fans shop a wide array of top brand MMA, traditional martial arts and fitness products and services.

Fitness professionals have the option of attending either Saturday October 17th for MMA Level 1 CEC workshop or Certification or Sunday October 18th for the Level 1 Kickboxing CEC workshop or Certification.

Please check back soon on our conferences page for details and registration information.

CEC Accredited

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada was a huge success at the first ever UFC Fan Expo hled at the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas July 10-11 2009.

Over 60,000 UFC fans attended the Expo and were given the opportunity to meet the biggest stars in the UFC as well as experience the over 150 tradeshow exhibitors including the FKCI team who performed demos and provided interactive training opportunities for fans and media.

The UFC 100 fights were amazing as the Expo attendees and the entire city had an electric atmosphere the entire weekend

Check the links below to see coverage on Las Vegas Channel 5 TV News and ESPN special on the UFC Fan Expo.

Channel 5 Las Vegas

ESPN

Kickin’ it up at a notch at nationals
Thursday February 5 2009
By Chris Halliday - Orangeville Banner Sports

Alex Silva had a taekwondo background to fall back on before starting to train as a kick-boxer about five months ago in late August.

However, after coming in second at the Canadian middleweight amateur kick-boxing championships in Burlington on Jan. 24, the 15-year-old Orangeville resident may have found his true calling, explained his instructor Ross O’Donnell from the town’s local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club.

“I think he has tremendous potential,” O’Donnell said of Silva. “You don’t have to teach this guy a mentality, he has already got it. He’s got that fighter mentality.”

Silva qualified for his national intermediate division match up against Algonquin’s Steve DeJong on Jan. 24 after winning the 2008 provincial championships last November in Kingston.

Although DeJong, 17, won early in the second round of their tilt, it was clear the Algonquin fighter wanted nothing to do with Silva’s kicks.

DeJong executed his game plan to force the Westside Secondary School student into the corner, thereby forcing the younger Silva into more of a punching match.

“He was more a boxer,” Silva said. “I wasn’t using as many kicks as I was hoping to use. I eventually got pushed into a corner and got my ass kicked.”

By finishing second in the intermediate division’s national rankings, the amateur fighter will get the chance to tryout for Canada’s national kick-boxing team.

“I’m just going to try my best and see if I can make the team,” Silva said. “I’ll just have to see where this takes me.”

Just three official fights into his kick-boxing career, O’Donnell certainly believes Silva has a bright future in the sport.

“He has done very well, having won the provincials and then coming into this. He is always fighting outside his class,” O’Donnell said. “When he turns 16, he’ll have two years in this division and he is already ranked second. I think a national title is definite for him in the next couple years.”

If Silva plans to fight his way to a national title, he knows he’ll have to work on a few things.

“I’ve to keep my hands up more (and) move around a bit,” Silva explained, “instead of staying in one spot and heavy on my feet.”

While qualifying for a national team tryout, Silva wasn’t the only Orangeville kick-boxing club member to earn the chance in Burlington. Fergus resident James Watson and Steve Scarfe of Milton also earned tryouts.

In Burlington, both Watson and Scarfe were forced to fight outside of their division and lost challenging matches at the competition on Jan. 25. Watson fought well-known Newfoundland fighter Robbie Wiseman, who grabbed bronze at the worlds in 2002. Scarfe was forced to accept a low-kick contest, rather than the full contact matches he usually trains for, O’ Donnell said.

“I thought all three guys did great,” the Orangeville trainer said. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but three guys out of a town of 27,000 are getting a shot at the national team. If we can get three guys on the national team, we’ll be very happy with that.”

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

(L to R) Joanne O'Donnell, Shirley Sawchuk and Ross O'Donnell at award presentation

We are pleased to announce that Shirley Sawchuk has been named the 2008 Ross O'Donnell Sr. Award recipient. The award recognizes the member who best display dedication and commitment to the Kickboxing program.

Shirley has been a loyal member of our kickboxing program since it's inception in 2000.She is an example for all as she continues to attend classes regularly while into her retirement years. Due to her tremendous commitment, Shirley has also been awarded a "Life Time" membership with Fitness kickboxing Canada for as long as she wishes to remain in the program. Congratulations Shirley from all the staff at FKCI.

(L to R) Ross O'Donnell -Chief Instructor and Barry Sinclair at Black Belt Presentation

We are pleased to announce that Barry Sinclair, has been awarded his Black Belt level Instructor designation. Barry holds his 3rd degree Black belt in Karate and has been a loyal member of our Orangeville location since 2005. His technical skill and patient manner has been invaluable as he has assisted with new members in teaching basic fundamentals, teaching and participating in the competitive skills development program and presenting courses as one of our course conductors. Barry also holds his Certification as a Personal Trainer with Can-Fit-Pro and as a Certified Tai Chi Instructor. We congratulate him on his diligence and look forward to his continued contributions to our program and development of our staff and students.

We are pleased to announce that Fitness Kickboxing Canada has partnered with MMA Expo IV to be the exclusive CEC provider for the two day Mixed Marital Arts event of the year.

Now in its fourth year, the two day MMA Expo held at the International Centre in Toronto gives fans the unique opportunity to meet, get autographs from and take pictures with MMA celebrities, professional fighters and world champions. The weekend event also features a wide variety of hands-on seminars, CEC accredited fitness workshops, action-packed martial arts tournaments, insightful demonstrations and a vibrant exhibit show floor where fighters and fans shop a wide array of top brand MMA, traditional martial arts and fitness products and services. The 2009 forecast for attendance is 4,000 which has increased in location size, number of exhibitor, presenters and delegates.

It has been a challenge trying to introduce authentic boxing, kickboxing & MMA training for fitness into mainstream fitness and traditional martial arts. The fitness and martial arts industry’s tended to be akin to oil & water. The fitness industry shied away from any type of training that involved “contact” even though it was with pads and heavy bags and not person to person. The martial arts industry looked upon fitness as something that belonged in the aerobics classes. If it didn’t involve combat, it wasn’t of interest. I have been fortunate to be a Conference presenter in both the fitness and martial arts field and after several years of teaching our seminars the two industries have come to accept that there is benefit to both types of training and that cross training is the way of the future. We are very pleased to see that once strict martial arts clubs are now implementing our fitness boxing, kickboxing and MMA curriculum and fitness clubs and instructors are now having members flock to their fitness boxing, kickboxing and MMA classes.

For the first time ever, MMA and Fitness will unite in one conference venue. Martial Artists will experience fitness formatted training to add value and broaden client base to their programming at their Dojo's and Fitness Professionals will be introduced to authentic MMA training that is transferable to their studios while taking part in accredited workshops to earn Can-Fit-Pro and CPTN CEC's towards recertification.

Fitness professionals have the option of attending either Saturday June 6th or Sunday June 7th and take part in numerous workshops featuring Canada's top fitness and martial arts presenters...and earn CEC's!

The list of presenters, exhibitors and sessions will be available soon so please check back for details and registration information.

Click Here of FitNet Commercial

CEC Accredited

We are pleased to announce that for our 5th year in a row Fitness Kickboxing Canada has become an Official Business Club Partner of Toronto’s #1 Community Team, The Toronto Argonauts for the 2009 season. We have also bolstered our relationship to the Argos by continuing with our commitment as Business Club partners and "Boatmen Builders" to help grow and ensure a strong fan base for our favourite team.

In recognition our past commitment the Toronto Argos presented Fitness Kickboxing Canada with an autographed Toronto Argonaut helmet at a business club event in October 2008. Pictured are (top L to R) Brittany O’Donnell, Lorraine O’Donnell, Argos Hall of Fame legend & CEO, Michael “Pinball” Clemons, Joanne & Ross O’Donnell. (Below) Brittany and Michael “Pinbal” Clemons

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has had a lengthy and proud tradition a as a part of the Canadian Football League, CFL, and we look forward to being a part of Argos team for the future.

Please look for our logo and company description on the Argos website, 2008 media guide, video board Jumbo-Tron and ribbon board during all home games at Rogers Centre (formerly Sky Dome).

Scarfe Continues Winning Ways
Friday October 23rd 2008
By Mike Rawn- Orangeville Banner Sports

Kickboxers gear up for provincials

Steve Scarfe recorded his seventh win Saturday night, but it wasn’t the victory he was hoping for.

Scarfe, who fights out of the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club, defeated Shawn McCarthy from Team PEI last weekend at an amateur card in Oakville. However, he was supposed to fight Brian Douglas for the Canadian Amateur Sport of Kickboxing (CASK) cruiserweight title. Douglas pulled out of the fight due to a back injury.

“It is pretty upsetting, especially because we only found out five days before the fight,” Scarfe said. “But I really can’t be mad at him since I pulled out last time because of a busted nose. We’re kind of even now. But the fight is still going to happen, so it’s not that bad. The only downfall was that I was in really good shape for it.”

That showed in an easy unanimous decision win over McCarthy.

“I was training to fight Brian, so my conditioning was through the roof,” Scarfe said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get tired, and looking at him I figured he would be a big puncher. He’s shorter than I am so I just used my distance and I was really technical. I’m getting away from the style of trying to knock people out, which is a lot smarter way to fight. I wanted to win on points, so we went the distance and I outscored him every round.”

Local fighter Alex Silva, 15, had his first kickboxing match on the same card against Robert Sullivan. With more than 6 lbs separating the competitors, the exhibition match was supposed to feature light sparring and kicks only. The result — a double disqualification — was inevitable according to Fitness Kickboxing Canada head instructor Ross O’Donnell.

“It’s pretty hard when you’ve got a 15-year-old kid who is training with full contact, to all of a sudden have to go light,” O’Donnell said. “He did very well; he’s very aggressive and technically sound. Despite the disqualification we’re very pleased with his performance. He’s fearless. He’s sparring with guys five inches taller and 30 pounds heavier, and he’s not backing down.”

A third fighter from the Orangeville club, James Watson, won by walkover. Scarfe, Watson and Silva will all fight at the provincial championships, to be held Nov. 8 and 9 in Kingston.

“We think every one of them has the potential to win at provincials,” O’Donnell said. “Of course Steve has already proven he has the ability. Although the calibre of fighters is getting better all the time, we feel we have guys that on any given night could win. And other clubs do too. But there’s nobody here in the competitive level that can’t win.”

Scarfe, a member of the Canadian national team and defending provincial champion, is expecting a tough road to the nationals this year.

“It’s going to be high competition,” he said. “Everybody I talk to is going to it. There seems to be a lot of interest in it this year so it might be tough to keep that title for two years. But I want to get back to nationals, and I want to go there with the momentum of winning provincials.”

He also wants to get that long awaited shot at Douglas’ CASK title, and is confident that will happen in 2009.

“I figure it will probably happen next year,” Scarfe said. “With a back injury he’ll take a month or two off and then have to get back in shape. We’ve got nationals in January, so maybe we can do it in March.

“I definitely think I can win. He’s a good fighter; he won nationals a couple of years ago. He’s definitely really talented and has a lot of experience. It will be a huge step up for me in competition, but I’ll be ready for it by the time it comes around. I was ready for it on Saturday, so now I just have more time to prepare myself.”

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

We are pleased to announce that Genene Corbett, has earned her Black Belt level Instructor designation through the CASK Skill Development Program. She has been a loyal member of our Orangeville location since 2005 where she has been teaching classes, participating in the competitive skills development program, sparring program and as a certified competitive coach with CASK. We congratulate Genene on her diligence and look forward to her continued contributions to our program and development of our staff and students.

Watson scores KO win
Friday September 19 2008
By Mike Rawn- Orangeville Banner Sports

Ross O’Donnell described it as the most devastating knockout he’s seen in amateur kickboxing. The owner of the Orangeville based Fitness Kickboxing Canada club was describing the roundhouse kick that his pupil, James Watson, landed on John Eddington at a kickboxing card in Hanover Sept. 6.

“It was an awesome knockout,” O’Donnell said. “James had to fight a guy who was 15 pounds heavier and an inch taller; he was a bit concerned about that because he had never fought anyone taller than him. But he took the first round handily. In the second round, as per our instruction, he landed with a jab cross and roundkick. He hit him in the neck and I’ve never seen a guy drop like this. He didn’t move, and we didn’t know how serious it was. Fortunately the doctor was in the ring instantly. They took him out on a stretcher but he’s okay.

“There were a lot of coaches there, and everyone said that was the most devastating knockout they’ve seen at the amateur level. It was a spectacular win.”

Watson was pleased with the knockout, but happier to get his first win in three attempts.

“I just wanted to fight, and wanted to win,” Watson said. “The first fights were close, but I got a couple of standing eight counts both times because my nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.

“I just went in there full bore; I didn’t want to get hit. I thought I’d bring it to him first.”

Watson’s teammate Steve Scarfe, a member of the Canadian national kickboxing team, had a tougher time in Hanover, losing a close three round decision to Vitto Virginillo from the Twin Dragons club. Scarfe had a good excuse, however. He had just returned from a national team training camp in South Africa — a 36-hour flight — where he fought more experienced opponents to a 1-1 record. And he dropped eight pounds the day of the fight in order to match up with Virginillo, the fourth ranked light heavyweight in Canada.

“Mentally I thought I was going to be there for the fight,” Scarfe said. “I wasn’t nervous
because I just had two fights, so it wasn’t a big deal to me. When I was in there I found myself really tired. I don’t know if it was a combination of jet lag and dropping down a weight class. I just felt mentally really drained when I got in the ring. I still went three rounds but I didn’t have the snap to my punches that I normally do.”

Still, Scarfe is expected to fight Brian Douglas for the CASK (Canadian Amateur Sport of Kickboxing) Eastern Canadian championship next month. The two were expected to fight in May, but the fight was postponed when Scarfe broke his nose while training. The title fight has not been confirmed.

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

We are please to announce that we have been accredited by Can-Fit-Pro as CEC providers for two new workshops.

L to R Joanne O'Donnell, Naijuan Cheng & Ross O'Donnell

Fitness Kickboxing Canada has now gained international exposure through our certification courses and continuing education workshops. Since 2003 we have trained numerous instructors from other countries who are anxious to teach our style of fitness boxing and kickboxing programs.

In February 2008 Naijuan (Tracy) Cheng travelled to Canada to be trained to implement our CEC and Certification program as well as our FKCI group training class format program. No such programs of this nature had been available in China before this time. We are pleased to announce that we have finalized the terms for a 20 year agreement with Ms. Cheng and her Co-operative Group, Union International Trade Corporation, that will provide her with the exclusive rights to operate our Fitness kickboxing curriculum of certification courses and workshops as well as our group format program for China on behalf of FKCI.

She will be marketing franchises as well as recruiting and training Instructors to build the Certification program nationally in conjunction with FKCI operated as Fitness Kickboxing International-China. Ms Cheng expects to have the program implemented and recognized by the Chinese governing body following the summer Olympics in Beijing where she will open her head office and training centre.

We are pleased to announce that David & Jennifer Jones have joined our team of course conductors. They wil be responsible for conducting courses in the Quebec region.

David & Jennifer Jones are FKCI Accredited Fitness Boxing & Fitness Kickboxing Course Conductors, and are excited about this opportunity to work with Fitness Kickboxing Canada!

Between them, they have a wide range of martial arts experience including, Kickboxing, Jui Jitsu, Karate, Tea Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Kali Sikaran & Yoga.

David is a retired International Fighter. Having trained with The Ice Man, Jean Yve Therieult. Dave has fought in numerous competitions throughout Canada, Geneva and Ireland.

David & Jennifer founded Ægis Feng Kickboxing MMA, an original Kickboxing-Jui Jtsu mixed curriculum designed by David. Realizing there were nfitness programs for children or adults in their area, David & Jennifer were inspired them to open up this new school in Wakefield, QC. Their school offers classes for all ages. Children as young as age 4 years old can come and join in the Lil' Dragons program, while older children up through adults can join the various Combat programs. They also offer a Cardio program and personal training.

David & Jennifer can be contacted by calling: 613.230.5555 or emailing: Aegis.Feng@gmail.com

For information on their upcoming courses, Click here

Scarfe gets title shot
Friday May 9 2008
By Mike Rawn- Orangeville Banner Sports

Ever since Steve Scarfe began kickboxing three years ago, he’s dreamed of getting a title shot.

That dream will become a reality tomorrow (Saturday) night in Oakville, when Scarfe will challenge Brian Douglas for the CASK (Canadian Amateur Sport of Kickboxing) Eastern Canadian championship.

Scarfe, a member of the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club, has a 5-2 record. Amateur kickboxing became an officially sanctioned sport in Ontario in October 2005.

“It’s basically because it’s a new organization that he’s had limited fights,” Fitness Kickboxing Canada coach Ross O’Donnell explains. “But when he has fought he’s done well. And he’s shown through the national training camps that he’s earned a shot at a title.”

Scarfe, who recently made the national team for the second straight year, had a chance to watch Douglas at the latest tryouts. He’s hoping that knowledge will be beneficial on Saturday.

“I would assume he’s going to come out hard,” Scarfe says. “I know he’s going to be well-conditioned. When I saw him fight he used a lot of hands, but I know he can use his feet as well. I’m not going to focus as much on what he’s going to bring, and more on what I’m going to bring. That way I won’t be thrown off my game plan if he comes in with something different.”

Scarfe hasn’t fought in six months, with his opponent unable to make weight at the provincial championships in December. During the long layoff, Scarfe, 24, has sparred with Canadian national boxing team member Steve Franjic, mixed martial arts professional Jay Alexander, and former Canadian professional super middleweight kickboxer Jason Battiste.

The fight is scheduled for four rounds, with each round lasting two minutes.
“I think it’s probably going to go the distance,” Scarfe says. “I think it’s going to be a hard fight, but I’ll come out on top.”

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

We are pleased to introduce our newest opportunity for trainers to expand their businesses with our FKCI Kick-Box Boot-Camp™ Program Operator positions.
We have been teaching the Kick-Box Boot-Camp™ Instructor courses since 2003 to thousands of fitness professionals. To keep up to the demands for our style of classes we now introduce this opportunity to those certified fitness professionals who meet the following criteria;

To be considered for a Kick-Box Boot-Camp™ Program Operator position you should possess a combination of the following attributes:

• A current certification as a fitness instructor or a personal trainer.
• A minimum qualification-FKCI - "Kick-Box Boot-Camp™ Instructor".
• Be physically fit for duty.
• Experience operating a fitness program or personal training business.
• Experience teaching classes and/or personal training sessions.
• Attend our Program Operator Orientation Training.
• The ability to operate and manage a fast growing business.
• A genuine passion for fitness, kickboxing and Boot Camp.

For more information on this opportunity, Click here

Fitness Kickboxing Canada is pleased to announce that we are now an accredited CEC provider for The Certified Professional Trainers Network-CPTN.

CPTN The Certified Professional Trainers Network has firm roots as the former Canadian Personal Trainers Network, first established in 1993. The organization integrates current research and practical applications for education, communication, professional development and marketing opportunities for Personal Trainers to maintain a leading edge on professional training developments. We have been accredited for 3 of our courses in our current curriculum. See CEC accreditation below

We are pleased to announce that for our 4th year in a row Fitness Kickboxing Canada has become an Official Business Club Partner of
Toronto’s #1 Community Team, The Toronto Argonauts for the 2008 season. We have also bolstered our relationship to the Argos by agreeing to a 3 year commitment as "Boatmen Builders" to help grow and ensure a strong fan base for our favourite team.

In recognition our past commitment the Toronto Argos presented Ross & Joanne O'Donnell with a framed Argo jersey "F.K.C.I. #1" at a business club event in March 2008. Pictured with Ross & Joanne (L to R) are Agro players Kevin Eiben, Chuck Winters & Andre Talbot.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has had a lengthy and proud tradition a as a part of the Canadian Football League, CFL, and we look forward to being a part of Argos team for the future

We are pleased to announce that AON Insurance has just introduced a Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. Trainer Insurance Program for coverage up to 3 million dollars.

Many Instructors know how hard it is the secure independent insurance coverage for boxing and kickboxing training. Now FKCI certified trainers & Instructors can gain the peace of mind of being fully insured at very reasonable rates comparable to traditional personal training coverage prices.

For more information on coverage and premiums check our brochure and application below...be safe, be professional, be insured!!!

Fitness Kickboxing Canada Insurance Brochure
Exclusively for Our Certified Boxing, Kickboxing & MMA Instructors

Fitness Kickboxing Canada Insurance Application
Exclusively for Our Certified Boxing, Kickboxing & MMA Instructors

We are please to announce that we have been accredited by Can-Fit-Pro for Level 3 Boxing & Kickboxing

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO COURSE LISTINGS

We are pleased to announce that Steve Scarfe has joined our team of course conductors. Steve will conduct FKCI Kickboxing courses in the Milton region and join the instructor/coach staff at our Orangeville location.

Scarfe brings a wealth of knowledge and skill as he is the 2007 Ontario Cruiser Weight Full Contact Kickboxing Champion and 2007 Canadian National Team Member, having won a gold medal for Canada at the Trinidad International Kickboxing Tournament in August 2007.

Contact Steve at 519-942-1625 or e-mail info@fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca

For information on his upcoming courses, Click here

Steve Scarfe won the first ever provincial championship for the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club Nov. 4 in Burlington. Scarfe -- a member of the national team -- had an easier tournament than he expected, winning by walkover when his opponent pulled out at the last minute.

James Watson, the club's only other competitor at the provincials, had his fight stopped in the second round when his nose wouldn't stop bleeding.

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

Local Kickboxers at Provincials
Thursday November 1 2007
MIKE RAWN -Orangveille Banner

A pair of local kickboxers will be looking for gold medals at the inaugural provincial tournament this weekend.
Steve Scarfe, 23, and James Watson, 28, members of Fitness Kickboxing Canada in Orangeville, will compete at the Ontario Provincial Kickboxing Championships in Burlington beginning Saturday. Amateur kickboxing became an officially-sanctioned sport in Ontario in October 2005.

"We hoped we'd have more participants, but due to injuries and inexperience they weren't ready for it yet," Fitness Kickboxing Canada head instructor Ross O'Donnell says about the provincials. "We hope to have more involved next year, but we have high hopes for Steve and James. With Steve, we really expect him to do well, we always do."

Scarfe was named to the national team in June. He scored his first international win in September, a first round knockout over Trinidad's Marlon Fayan.

"I'm pretty confident," Scarfe says. "I'm coming off a pretty big win, so I want to keep that going.

"This is huge. I have tons of my friends coming to watch this. I've got to keep the momentum going. I want to get a title shot, and I've got to get some more wins for that to happen."

Scarfe is currently the sixth ranked cruiserweight (178 pounds) in Canada, his highest ranking to date. With fewer opponents in the open (experienced) class, he'll only get one fight at the provincials.

"The guy he's fighting obviously has experience as well, so it will be a tough fight," O'Donnell says. "His days of getting guys who are fighting for the first time aren't going to happen anymore, which is ok. We're looking forward to it."

Watson, who is coming off a loss, will fight in the novice heavyweight division.

"My nose wouldn't stop bleeding, so the fight was stopped in the second round," Watson explains about the loss. "My training's been really good. I hope I do better than last time."

Click here to read article in the Orangeville Banner

CASK-Ontario Kickboxing Championships
Check here for Bout List
Location - Burlington Senior Center
Address - 2285 New Street, Burlington, L7R 3N9
Phone - (905) 335-7888
Spectator Tickets - $20 each day

We are pleased to announce the addition of two new Course Conductors to our team.

Kerry Jackson, Fitness Kickboxing & Boxing Course Conductor for the Hamilton, Ontario Region holds certifications from Can-Fit Pro, YMCA FIT in the UK, and five years of kickboxing experience and competitive boxing training with a previous Heavyweight titleholder in Sydney, Australia. She also brings with her a history of extensive dance training (ballet, tap, jazz, highland), personal training and fitness experience from across the world. Contact Kerry at 905-616-9899 or e-mail jaxaction@yahoo.ca

Chaouen Reynolds, Fitness Kickboxing Course Conductor for British Columbia, based out of Vancouver, is completing her PTS Certification through Can-Fit-Pro. She holds Level 1 & 2 Kickboxing Certification and has 4 years experince in sport kickboxing.
Contact Chaouen at 604-813-0044 or e-mail chaouen@shaw.ca

For information on their upcoming courses, Click here

We are pleased to announce we had added another Can-Fit-Pro accredited CEC workshop to our curiculum:
Fitness Boxing & Kickboxing
"In the Ring"
This 3 hour workshop teaches "Real” Boxing & Kickboxing punch, block, kick techniques, combinations and drills specifically designed to maximize efficiency in the space of a boxing/kickboxing ring.

Scarfe a knockout in international debut
Team Canada newcomer too much for opponent
By Herb Garbutt, Special to the Champion
Sports

Steve Scarfe absorbed a couple of kicks from his opponent as he worked himself in closer. After all, you don't go into a sport like kickboxing not expecting to take a little bit of punishment.
The 23-year-old waited patiently for the arms to drop or split apart to provide the opening he was looking for. Suddenly, it was there, the bit of daylight he had been hoping for. As quickly as it appeared, Scarfe delivered a vicious upper cut that caught his opponent's chin, sending him tumbling backwards, through the ropes and on to the canopy.

"I knocked him right out the ring," Scarfe recalled. "It was pretty crazy."

Still, he fully expected his opponent to get back up. Scarfe was only 45 seconds into his international debut representing his country. Had he really devoted all that time training for less than a minute in the ring?

As it turned out, Scarfe's night was done. He had just scored Canada's only knockout in its 11 amateur bouts in Trinidad. Not bad for a guy who didn't even expect to make the team.

"That's the usual for Steve," said Ross O'Donnell, who trains the Milton resident out of the Fitness Kickboxing Canada club in Orangeville. "The fights he's won, he hasn't gone the distance yet."

Scarfe had his doubts, though. Upon arriving in Trinidad, he and his Canadian teammates began searching the internet, looking for any information on their opponents that might give them an indication of their skill level or fighting style. Though the search came up empty, it didn't matter for Scarfe, who made short work of his rival.

"I came out strong. I had trained really hard because I didn't know what to expect down there," he said. "I moved well and I took advantage of his weaknesses. I thought I read the fight really well."

Combine that with the six-foot-two-inch, 178-pounder's physical gifts and his opponent never stood a chance.

"A lot of fighters with karate backgrounds are powerful with their kicks," O'Donnell said. "Those that have boxed are good with their hands. Steve's trained as a kickboxer right from the start so his kicks are incredibly strong and so are his punches. Being a bigger guy, he has great reach."

O'Donnell said Scarfe also displays an outstanding work ethic and is very coachable.

Scarfe was originally just looking to get in shape when he went to the Orangeville club with O'Donnell's nephew two years ago. O'Donnell recognized some potential as well as a fearless attitude and suggested kickboxing to Scarfe.

Scarfe began training and won his first three bouts by first-round knockout. When he went to the Canadian team trials in June, he was still stinging from his first loss in the ring.

"I was basically just going to get more training and experience," he said. "I knew most of the guys there had a lot more fights than I did and I really didn't know what level I was at. But making the team was a huge confidence boost."

Next up for Scarfe, who now sports a 4-2 record, are the provincial championships in Burlington November 2. That, he hopes, will help him toward his next challenge.

"The goal is trying to get a (Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing) title shot within the next year," said Scarfe, whose most recent victory moved him from ninth to sixth in the Canadian lightweight rankings.

Click here to read article in the Milton Canadian Champion

We are pleased to announce that we have become sponsors of the Orangeville Crushers Jr. "A" Hockey Club for the 2007-2008 Season.

The season should provide some real excitement as The Orangeville Crushers President Dale Hawerchuk will be taking on the position of Head Coach & Director of Player Personal for the upcoming 2007/08 season. Hawerchuk having played 17 years in the NHL in 1188 games had 518 goals 891 assists for a total of 1409 points. Dale was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.Dale will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this young Crushers Team.

Click here for The Crushers game schedule and be sure to look for our Ad in all Home Game Programs

Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. Affiliate Program
Start earning commission with Fitness Kickboxing Canada.

The Fitness Kickboxing Canada Affiliate Program is perfect for anyone in the Boxing, Kickboxing, Martial Arts or Fitness industry with a Website to earn commission by placing the Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. Portable Fitness Boxing & Kickboxing Training Ring sales advertisement on their website along with PDF attachments for Product Specs and Order Form.

How it works, and how you get $$$$.
It's FREE and easy. Once a buyer submits an order form to you from your website, Fitness Kickboxing Canada will do the rest!
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• Your payment is 5% of sale price per unit sold! ($100.00 on full sale price)

For more information on how to become an affiliate contact Fitness kickboxing Canada at: info@fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca or 519-942-1625

Fitness Kickboxing Canada® introduces the “Portable Fitness Kickboxing-Boxing Ring”. Clubs and studios that can’t afford the price or dedicated space for a traditional boxing ring can’t afford not to have this new cutting-edge training tool. The portable ring provides for authenticity, variety, innovative training drills and sparring sessions. Assembled in 15 minutes, weight (approx 230lbs) stores easily. Customized flooring, corner heavy bag and speed bag attachments available.

Entire ring and parts are made and hand built in Canada by Canadian engineers to ensure highest quality standards!

For more information contact Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. at
519-942-1625 or e-mail info@fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca

Fitness Kickboxing Canada is proud to be a business sponsor of
Theatre Orangeville for the 2007-2008 Season.

We are also pleased to make our facility available for the Theatre Orangeville Youth Company Workshops during July and August .

Above are the facilitators and cast at the July 27th, 2007 rehearsal for the production of “Alice in Wonderland”.

For more information on Theatre Orangeville Please visit:
www.theatreorangeville.ca

We are pleased to announce that Ultimate Boxing results .com has added Fitness Kickboxing Canada's Ross O'Donnell to their team of columnists.

Ross will be a contributing guest columnist for the United Kingdom based website specializing in both amateur and professional boxing reporting. Ross will be feature as the Boxing/Fitness Columnist.

WWW.ULTIMATEBOXINGRESULTS.com brings you all the latest boxing news from around the world with pre and post fight reports.
Predictions for future matches, currently running with a 90%+ success rate.
Exclusive interviews with the world top boxers and the future up and coming stars, together with debates and guest articles.

Click here to read Ross O’Donnell’s column

We are pleased to announce the addition of three new very talented members to our FKCI Course Conductor team.

Terry Sulkye, Fitness Kickboxing Course Conductor, is the founder of Golden Tiger School of Kung Fu located in Hanover Ontario. Terry started studying Martial Arts over 25 years ago studying Traditional Hung Gar Kung Fu. Terry has black belt rankings in a couple styles in Kung Fu, and has studied many other styles of Martial Arts. Terry. has extensive knowledge and provides instruction in over 23 weapon systems. He is a CASK certified level 1 Kickboxing Coach and has a recreational and competitive Kickboxing program for men and women of various ages. Our school also offers competitive Boxing programs and recreational MMA. Terry is looking forward to working with the Fitness Kickboxing Canada Team as a course conductor. Contact Terry at 519-364-0123 sulkye@bmts.com

Bas Gohar, Fitness Boxing Course Conductor, is a student at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, with 2 years remaining on his studies towards his degree in Sport Psychology. (2009). Bas is a
Can-Fit- Pro Certified Personal Trainer, Level 1 Technical boxing Coach through Boxing Ontario. He is also an amateur Boxer out of Bigtyme Boxing (Orangeville, Ontario). Bas holds an impressive competitive record as 2005 Canadian Champion, Multi-time Ontario Champion, International Competitor (USA, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Poland) 2004-2007 .
Contact Bas at 519-939-3027 bx_gohar@laurentian.ca

Ben Spooner, Fitness Kickboxing Course Conductor, is a third degree black belt in TaeKwon Do and a four-time National TaeKwon Do Federation heavyweight champion. After spending 13 years competing in tournaments, training and conducting martial arts seminars across North America, Ben is now focusing on group exercise instruction and class development. Ben is a very dedicated instructor and participant in all types of group exercise classes, ranging from Ripped! to Core to Spin to yoga. A recent AFLCA graduate, Ben can now be found teaching unique high energy group fitness classes all across Calgary.
Contact Ben at 403-863-4123 bspooner_350@hotmail.com

For information on upcoming courses, Click here

Scarfe named to national team
Thursday June 21 2007
MIKE RAWN, Banner Staff Writer

Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport of kickboxing, Steve Scarfe has earned a spot on the national team.
Scarfe, a member of the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club for the past two years, competed with approximately 60 people for one of 11 positions on the team.

"They put us through some crazy conditioning workouts," Scarfe said about the two-day tryout in London. "They were just testing where everyone's breaking point was. At the end of the last day they called everyone that made the team. So they called me, and I was pretty excited.

"I was just going there to train and learn. I didn't think I was going to make the team. I guess I impressed somebody."

Scarfe, 23, will represent Canada at his first international competition in Trinidad in October.

"We're very proud of Steve," Fitness Kickboxing Canada instructor Ross O'Donnell says. "It's the first time we've ever sent anybody to the national team trials. We were pleased that he got an opportunity to go there. We knew he'd get a lot of experience because of all the top-level coaches there. We knew he'd come back as a better fighter, it was just a bonus for him to make the team."

Scarfe, along with Fitness Kickboxing Canada teammate James Watson, will compete on Sunday at a Twin Dragons event at The Docks nightclub in Toronto. The fight will be Watson's first.

"His sparring has been limited to a couple of guys in the club," O'Donnell says about Watson. "This will be a real test for him but we expect him to be competitive. He's gung-ho, he doesn't mind getting hit and he can dish it out. We're looking forward to him putting on a good show."

After starting his career with three straight first round knockouts, Scarfe lost his last fight. He's anxious to get back in the ring and redeem himself.

"My pride was destroyed, because I had been walking through people," he says about the loss. "But it's good, too. It's humbling. You start getting in your head that you're invincible, and maybe I didn't train as hard. But ever since then I've been killing myself in the gym."

TITLE
If kickboxing becomes an Olympic sport in the next few years, Scarfe would like an opportunity to compete at that level. He also has another goal in mind.

"I want to go as far as I can in this sport," Scarfe says. "I want to climb in the rankings. My ultimate goal is to win a title in CASK (Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing), that's what I have my sights set on."

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We are pleased to announce that for our 3rd year in a row Fitness Kickboxing Canada has become an
Official Business Club Partner of
Toronto’s #1 Community Team,
The Toronto Argonauts for the 2007 season.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has had a lengthy and proud tradition a as a part of the Canadian Football League, CFL, and we look forward to being a part of Argos team for the future

We are pleased to announce the addition of John McMahon to our FKCI Course Conductor team.

John is the founder of Nomad Kickboxing & Boxing and focuses on teaching his students to get good first, then worry about getting fast second. His principal aim, when creating Nomad Kickboxing & Boxing, was to ensure that students receive the highest level of instruction available. In order to do this, each of his instructors is certified as a national level boxing coach and must have national level fighting experience. The aim is not to have the best fighters in the world teaching the classes, but rather the best coaches. John's passion for the sport is easily recognizable from the energy levels of the class. It's a whirlwind from start to finish.. His qualifications include: Black Belt - Karate - Head Instructor, Certified National Level Boxing Coach - Level 2,Certified National Level Kickboxing Coach - Level 1, Certified CASK Kickboxing Official - Level 2.
John will be offering courses in the Ottawa and Hawkesbury area at his club: Nomad Boxing & Kickboxing - Ottawa.

For information on his upcoming courses, Click here

We are pleased to announce the addition of six new Course Conductors to our team.

Muriel Townsend will represent FKCI as a Skipping Course Conductor in Vancouver B.C. with her first courses already posted in May.

Karlene Krusch will be teaching Boxing and Kickboxing as our Course Conductor in the Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo area.

Kelly Parker will be our Boot-Camp specialist Course Conductor in the Burlington-Oakville area.

Jacqueline Giella-Crespo will be teaching Boxing and Kickboxing as our Course Conductor in the Toronto GTA area and will be traveling to Argentina to offer our courses internationally.

Genene Corbett and Gwen Thompson from our Orangeville competitive club will be teaching Boxing and Kickboxing as our Course Conductors in Ontario where we receive requests for private in-house courses for club staff instructors

For information on their upcoming courses, Click here

By TOM GODFREY, SUN MEDIA

Wheelchair boxers "Pitbull," "Dynamite Dave" and "Big Ben" were among two dozen fighters on the card last night at a popular Golden Gloves amateur fight night to raise money for Variety Village.

Brett Toleck, Dave Henderson and Ben Devoy took to the ring to demonstrate wheelchair boxing at the event, which attracted more than 1,500 fans who hoped to raise $50,000 for the Children's Charity.

"These guys just don't give up," said coach Jason Battiste, a 2003 Canadian kickboxing title holder. "This sport is very demanding and it takes a lot of discipline."

In a women's match, Anna MacNeil, of Essex, took home a tough win over Darlene Goodwin, 47, a Mississauga court reporter. The women boxed for three, two-minute rounds. It was the first fight for both.

"I plan to go in and go all out," MacNeil said before the fight. "I like the competition, but I am really here to help the children."

Boxer Andrew Aceti, 18, said he drove from Aurora to help raise funds for Variety Village.

"My strategy is to stick with the jab and follow up with a cross," Aceti said. "It's get in and get out."

Variety event director Nancy Busby said this is the second time her agency has teamed up with Golden Gloves to raise funds.

"The support for this event has been overwhelming," Busby said.

CFRB radio personality Spider Jones, the show's MC who is also a three-time Golden Glove champ, said last night was a win-win situation for Variety Village and amateur sports.

Toronto Sun Article Link

Scarfe faces toughest test at Tournament of Champions
RICHARD VIVIAN - Orangeville Banner May 8th, 2007

When kickboxer Steve Scarfe steps back into the ring on May 12, it will be with the opportunity to impress the national team coaches.
Scarfe, a member of the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club, has won all three of his fights by first-round knockout. He knows his toughest challenge will come on Saturday at the Tournament of Champions in Oakville, against Brian Douglas from Taz Kickboxing in Burlington.

"We're very confident he's going to win," says Fitness Kickboxing Canada head instructor Ross O'Donnell. "It's going to be his toughest fight.

Douglas has ring experience; he's been trained by the national team coach. We expect him to be much more skilled and ring savvy than (Scarfe's) previous opponents, but we are expecting a win."

The national team coaches will be at the fight taking a close look at Scarfe, with the possibility of inviting him to the national team trials in June.

"I wanted to win a fight, I wanted to win a medal, and I wanted to join the national team," Scarfe says. "So I've done the first two already, and now my goal is to join the national team. The coaches want to see me in this fight, so I plan to go out and be impressive and make an impact."

Scarfe is currently ranked ninth in Canada in the 178-lb division, while Douglas holds the same ranking in the 185-lb class.

Kickboxing became an officially sanctioned sport in Ontario in October 2005.

"Getting on the national team will be tough with his limited ring experience," admits O'Donnell, "but depending on what he does in this fight, we think he's heading in that direction."

Although he's never been out of the first round in any fight, Scarfe is ready to go the full three rounds if necessary.

"I go 20, 25 rounds in sparring," Scarfe says. "So going three rounds doesn't worry me.

"I'm going to come out hard, use push kicks. When I see that he's tired, if his cardio isn't there, I'm going to put him away."

O'Donnell believes that kickboxing will become an Olympic sport in the next five to 10 years, and Scarfe has targeted an Olympic Games as his ultimate goal. A win Saturday is the first step towards that goal.

"I don't want to lose," Scarfe says about the fight. "There's a lot more pressure now that the national team is starting to take a look. I figure if I can beat a ranked fighter, people will have to start taking notice."

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We are please to announce that we have been accredited by Can-Fit-Pro as a distance education provider

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO COURSE LISTINGS

MMA Magazine-March 2007 Issue
By Christopher Park
MMA writing staff

While being a kick boxer living in the 1980’s, it must have been tough to accept that this sport they practiced wasn’t legal and if you thought that the sport of kickboxing was going to remain legal, then prepare for a change.
Kickboxing saw its heyday come in the 1970’s and had some miraculous moments as non-sanctioned organizations throughout its respected time period. In the 70’s many karate fighters were influenced to try out kickboxing because the techniques that kickboxing provided were more realistic with actual fighting combat.

On October 1st, 2005 the day every kick boxer had been waiting for had arrived, and it came with reliance. The sport had established a positive reputation that made its way around the world and now it had gained respect in Canada. It was after numerous proceedings, government meetings and extensive planning, that the Government of Ontario officially sanctioned kickboxing a recognized sport in Ontario.

When this day came, and from that day forward, kick boxer’s united and were determined to take this sport to higher limits. These were limits we had not been witnessed to yet.

CASK (The Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing) in conjunction with Kickboxing Ontario played host to the very first amateur sport kickboxing championship in Ontario on November 25th and 26th in Burlington, Ontario.
Kickboxing came to Canada and when it became recognized as a national sport this is when the sprawl occurred among MMA, Muay Thai and multiple Jiu-Jitsu organizations, one of which was Fitness Kickboxing Canada . Fitness Kickboxing Canada opened up in 1999 with owner Ross O’Donnell leading the pack. O’Donnell, who is a black belt instructor, a personal trainer and a certified pro trainer also teaches courses in certifying instructors through personal training.

Fitness Kickboxing Canada is a certified competitive kickboxing club with The Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing (CASK) organization.
As coaches that are certified through CASK, they teach boxing, competitive kickboxing, as well as skill level kickboxing, which is in a belt ranking system. They also teach fitness kickboxing which is primarily made for women to learn authentic moves but not to compete.

During the non-sanctioned period in the 1980’s the sports level of ability was limited due to unclear rules, which in actuality, it increased the chances of fighters suffering any injuries.

“Kickboxing was non-sanctioned in the early 1980’s because the rules and regulations were not very clear, rules were not well enforced, training wasn’t that good, equipment was not up to par, and there were serious injuries” said O’Donnell. “Because of that, it was non-sanctioned over the last 5 years. But now The Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing (CASK) has come to meet all the government requirements and its almost a mirror of the five level program that the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) has which has been around for a long time.”

O’Donnell explained that it was like Karate or Taekwando to start, but early kickboxing as a combat type sport, had very few rules which resulted in injuries. Now it is regulated where full head gear is mandatory along with mouth guards, 10 oz. boxing glovers, shin guards, foot protection and low blow protection. Only certified clubs and coaches are permitted to train and enter their athletes into sanctioned events.There is a referee in the kickboxing ring with the exact same perimeters that there are in a regulation boxing ring.
Yes, we would be mistaken if we said Mixed Martial Arts isn’t on the rise. It’s escalation has been a great achievement for the sport and it is managing to have a substantially positive impact on not only North American’s between the ages of 18 and 30, but from individuals of that demographic worldwide.

Anyone who disagrees with the notion of kickboxing and MMA inevitably becoming one of the top sports in Canada should think twice.
“I would see it (kickboxing) in 5-10 years definitely paralleling boxing. I see young kids programs evolving and I expect it to be one of the top 5 sports in Canada within the next 5 years,” said O’Donnell.
“People are going to love it with the evolution and the amount of exposure of MMA with the ultimate fighting. It teaches proper mixed martial arts, enhances fitness, and it teaches them self defense skills which can be helpful these days with what takes place at some schools.”

In kickboxing there are different skills that each fighter may have in their repertoire, but having patience, being able to listen and maintaining an intense physical regime that consists of working out three to five days a week will take fighters along way in this sport.

“It (working out) can’t be something you just feel like doing for today as you have to have a passion for it and it has to be a burning passion when getting into the ring,” O’Donnell added. “You can’t convince someone to get into the ring, they have to want to get into the ring.”

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for now, as we watch this upcoming sport in Canada ascend.

We are pleased to now offer Continuing Education Credits, CEC's for recertification of the Can-Fit-Pro Sports Conditioning Specialist, SCS, certification.

In addition to our current CEC accreditation for Certified Personal Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors, Sports Conditioning Specialist may now be accredited with Can-Fit-Pro CEC's upon completion of the FKCI workshops for the following:

Fitness Boxing - Level I - Basic Instructor
4 CEC’s for PTS, FIS,SCS

Fitness Boxing - Level II - Advanced Instructor
4 CEC’s for PTS, FIS,SCS & ADV-PTS, FIS,SCS

Fitness Kickboxing - Level I - Basic Instructor
4 CEC’s for PTS, FIS,SCS

Fitness Kickboxing - Level II - Advanced Instructor
4 CEC’s for PTS, FIS,SCS & ADV-PTS, FIS,SCS

Kick-Box Boot-Camp
2 CEC’s for PTS, FIS,SCS

Fitness Boxing 101
1 CEC for PTS, FIS,SCS

Fitness Kickboxing 101
1 CEC for PTS, FIS,SCS

Kick-Box Skipping Workshop
1 CEC for PTS, FIS,SCS

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO COURSE LISTINGS

Hastings ready for kickboxing debut
MIKE RAWN - Orangeville Banner February 8th, 2007

Angie Hastings has made a seamless transition from martial arts to kickboxing, and she's ready to prove it this weekend in her first ever tournament.

Hastings, a 33-year-old mother of two, will compete Saturday in The Canadian Open Kickboxing Development Tournament in Burlington.

"It really is just a continuation of my martial arts training," Hastings says. "I've been training for almost three years. I started taking Kung-Fu, basically to learn self-defence."

Hastings joined the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club five months ago after the martial arts club she belonged to relocated to Cambridge.

"Since she's come here she's adapted to the kickboxing style really easily," Fitness Kickboxing Canada head instructor Ross O'Donnell says. "She keeps herself in excellent physical condition. She never misses classes, works on her strength and conditioning away from the club. And we expect great things from her."

Hastings, a personal trainer, sticks to a weightlifting program and three or four days of cardio per week as well as her kickboxing training.

Kickboxing has only recently been recognized as an officially sanctioned sport in Ontario, and Hastings admits that she has no idea what the competition will be like. But she's optimistic about her chances at the tournament.

"Everybody fights to win," Hastings says. "I know my training has been good with Ross. Hopefully it will all come together for that day. We'll see what happens."

"I don't want to put the bar too high for her, but we expect her to come away with a gold or silver," O'Donnell says. "We'll be happy if she does well and we know she'll be competitive, but our goal is to come away with a medal."

Hastings says that her two children, ages seven and nine, won't be in attendance to watch mom fight this weekend.

"Only because if I hear them when I'm in the ring, I don't want it to throw me off," she says. "I don't know if they really understand what I'm doing. But they think it's pretty cool."

SURPRISED
O'Donnell says he's surprised at the amount of women that are competing in kickboxing tournaments, because "the sport was traditionally male dominated."

"There's more competitors in the women's division than the men's right now," he says. "A lot of the women that traditionally took fitness kickboxing, or in the old days Tae-Bo, are switching over now to competitive kickboxing because they want the challenge and to test the skills they've learned in fitness kickboxing classes."

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Kickboxers medal at provincials
by MIKE RAWN -Orangeville Banner-December 1st 2006
Two members from the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club brought home medals from The KO Challenge, the inaugural provincial amateur kickboxing championship held last weekend in Burlington.

Steve Scarfe won the lone gold medal for the Orangeville club, and he did it in impressive fashion. The 22-year-old won both bouts by a first round RSC (referee safety consideration, similar to a technical knockout in boxing) to win the 189-pound class.

"Once I got in there I tried to go slow, work my push kicks and take my time," Scarfe says. "But I tagged them with a couple of shots, and they were getting hurt with the low kicks so I just decided to push it. I ended up putting them out.

"With all the equipment on, a knockout doesn't usually happen. You expect to fight to the distance (three rounds). I guess I just got lucky. I don't think my opponents were as prepared for it as I was."

Orangeville's Steve Ball was supposed to fight in the intermediate (16 to 19 years old) division, but moved up to the more competitive senior open class. He won his semifinal match by a unanimous decision, and lost a heartbreaking one-point split decision in the finals. Still, he was pleased with earning a silver medal.

"I'm ok with the decision, because it wasn't one-sided," Ball says. "We both fought well.

"I was only expecting one fight on the weekend, but I got two out of the deal."

Ross O'Donnell, the chief instructor for Fitness Kickboxing Canada, was impressed with the level of competition at the first amateur competition held in Ontario.

"I thought with being novice there would be a lot of feeling each other out and waiting to see what the other person is going to do," O'Donnell says. "And right from the opening bell everybody was aggressive. You wouldn't know it was their first time competing. The calibre was quite good."

There will be six amateur kickboxing tournaments held in Ontario in 2007, with competitors collecting points in order to earn a spot at the provincials.

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Local kickboxers take aim at provincials
Sport of kickboxing expected to grow following provincials
by MIKE RAWN -Orangeville Banner-24 Novmber 2006
Four members from the local Fitness Kickboxing Canada club will compete at the first ever Ontario amateur kickboxing championship this weekend.
Steve Ball, Leonard Heramchuk, Steve Scarfe and Ryan Shepherd will step into the ring tomorrow in Burlington, in what is being billed as The KO Challenge. Fifteen clubs, with 65 competitors in total, will participate in the inaugural event.

"It was five years in the making," Fitness Kickboxing Canada head instructor Ross O'Donnell says. "Full contact kickboxing was not a sanctioned sport in Ontario for many years. The CASK (Council of Amateur Sport Kickboxing) lobbied for five years to make kickboxing an officially sanctioned sport in Ontario, and we received that designation in October 2005.

"We anticipate that after this, it should grow exponentially. Once they see that there is a provincial title, the doors will open and I think you'll see a lot of people switch over from other sports."

Although kickboxing has been around in Ontario since the 1970s, it was banned because of serious injuries.

The sport at the amateur level mirrors amateur boxing, with competitors wearing head gear and 10-ounce gloves. They also wear kickboots, which is essentially a glove for the foot, and a shin guard to prevent bone-on-bone injuries.

"The rules and regulations are absolutely safe," O'Donnell stresses. "All the kicks are above the waist, there's no knees, no elbows, no headbutting. It's not like an Ultimate Fighting situation. It's in a ring, and competitors are required to land six kicks per round above the waist, or you lose points."
The competitors have spent the past few months preparing for the event, including kickboxing, running, strength training and sparring.

"I definitely think I can win," Scarfe says. "I know I have solid cardio, we've been training hard. I think I do have everything it takes to win, it just depends how well my opponent has prepared."

"The unknown is always a little scary," Heramchuk, an Alton resident, says. "But I've prepared the best I can, and I'm just anxious to get into the ring."
The competitors are placed into pre-novice (less than five fights), novice (five to 16 fights) and open (over 16 fights) divisions. Each bout features four two-minute rounds.

"It's a big unknown because we don't know what the other clubs are like," O'Donnell says. "They're all pretty much in the same boat as we are. Some of the clubs that have gone to other provinces to do a little bit of competing might have a small advantage. I know that our guys have trained hard over the last few months. We feel they're as ready as they can be.

"From what we've seen from our guys, even if the skill level isn't up to some of the others, their conditioning will be."

Anyone wanting more information on the local club, which has operated in Orangeville for four years, can check their web site at www.fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca.

"We're very excited about the provincials," O'Donnell says. "We anticipate that once this happens, not only in this town but across Canada, kids and adults that want to get involved in a competitive sport may turn to kickboxing."

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Fitness facility recognized

Fitness Kickboxing Canada, a local fitness facility, is the first kickboxing institution in Canada, and the first fitness facility in Orangeville, to receive national recognition for compliance with the Canadian Fitness Safety Standards. The standards are guidelines and recommendations regarding fitness-related personnel, emergency procedures, communicable disease, fitness environment, pre-screening and informed consent, and special exercising populations.

"Safety of fitness club members is critical, and we are pleased that Fitness Kickboxing Canada has shown that they too value the safety of their members," said Patricia Clark, executive director of the Ontario Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences (OASES).

"We are pleased to be the first fitness facility in Orangeville to be recognized for complying with the Canadian Fitness Safety Standards. We are proud of our role in leading the way for other facilities to ensure all participants are trained by fully certified trainers and instructors in a safe and clean environment", said Ross O'Donnell, president of Fitness Kickboxing Canada.

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We are pleased to announce that Jason Battiste (pictured left), former Canadian Super Middleweight Professional Kickboxing Champion will be opening an official FKCI Fitness Kickboxing and Personal Training Program in Toronto. Jason is a Can-Fit-Pro certified personal training and brings with him almost 20 years of competitive kickboxing experince. His programs, will range from fitness based kickboxing classes and personal training sessions to preparing competitive athletes to gain the edge they need to succeed!
For information on Jason Battiste's upcoming courses or programs please click on our Trainer Listing for his contact information. Also, see Get Active Now

Orangeville-based Fitness Kickboxing Canada has become the first kickboxing institution in Canada to receive national recognition for compliance with the Canadian Fitness Safety Standards.

The standards are guidelines and recommendations regarding fitness-related personnel, emergency procedures, communicable diseases, fitness environment, pre-screening and informed consent and special exercising populations. These were developed after a lengthy consultative process with fitness facilities across Canada.

"We are pleased to be the first fitness facility in Orangeville to be recognized for complying with the Canadian Fitness Safety Standards," said Ross O'Donnell, president of Fitness Kickboxing Canada. "We are proud of our role in leading the way for other facilities to ensure all participants are trained by fully certified trainers and instructors in a safe and clean environment."

As part of the safety recognition package the facility will receive prominent placement in www.Canadianfitnessmatters.ca , which also lists the standards, directory results for people searching for a fitness facility in the area.

The site's introduction coincides with growing public awareness of the importance of personal health and safety and is meant to educate consumers to help reduce fitnessrelated injuries and health risks. Launched by the Ontario Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (OASES), a nonprofit organization.

"Safety of fitness club members is critical and we are pleased that Fitness Kickboxing Canada has shown that they too value the safety of their members," said Patricia Clark, executive director of OASES.

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We are pleased to now offer a full certification in Fitness Boxing and Kickboxing. We will still be offering our full CEC curriculum but have incorporated a theory exam for certified fitness professional to another certification to their credentials.

Certified Personal Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors may now complete a theory exam upon completion of the CEC workshops for the following:

Fitness Boxing - Level I - Basic Instructor
Fitness Boxing - Level II - Advanced Instructor
Fitness Kickboxing - Level I - Basic Instructor
Fitness Kickboxing - Level II - Advanced Instructor

The theory exam is a 3 part exam covering all the material taught at the workshop and included in the instructor manuals.

Those who have taken the above workshops within the past 12 months are eligible to write the exam only to receive their certification.

Candidates can now request that the exam be included in the workshop fee and will be mailed a copy of the exam upon registration. All candidates must complete the exam with 30 days of the date of the workshop and submit it to Fitness Kickboxing Canada for marking. Candidates must also submit a copy of their current fitness certification and current CPR certification. All certification must be renewed annually by attending a workshop within the 12 month period. Those who do attend within the 12 month period will not be required to re-write the exam portion.

Those successful candidates fulfilling the above requirements will be mailed a full colour copy of their certification designation as:

Fitness Boxing Specialist- Level I
Fitness Boxing Specialist- Level II
Fitness Kickboxing Specialist- Level I
Fitness Kickboxing Specialist- Level II

For further information please contact us at 519-942-1625 or
e-mail at info@fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca

We are pleased to announce that our FKCI Continuing Education Credit Courses are now available form B.C. to Nova Scotia, with the addition of two more Course Conductors and a new Program Operator to our team.

Sue Dumais will represent FKCI as a Course Conductor in Vancouver B.C. with her first courses available in October.

Sylvie Roberge, already a Courses Conductor for the Elliot Lake, Sudbury and Sault Saint Marie Region will be opening our unique FKCI Program at her new Elliot Lake location on October 1st, 2006.

Shelley Greig, our Program Operator in the Saugeen Shores Region will be opening her brand new facility on November 1st, 2006 in Port Elgin and will be serving the Port Elgin-Southampton communities. Shelley has also taken on the role of Course Conductor for the Grey-Bruce Region.

For information on their upcoming programs and courses, please click on our Franchises or Trainer Listing for their contact information.

The Equalizer Athletic Training
Instructors Course – LEVEL I

Can-fit-Pro accredited for 4 CEC’s for both PTS & FIS
YMCA recognized for 6 hours towards recertification

Course Description: Designed for a unique alternative class or PT format incorporating the “Equalizer” for new cardio, strength and flexibility training exercises. The “Equalizer” was designed to do traditional strength training exercises for group aerobic classes and is portable and inexpensive for personal training sessions at the club or in-home. This workshop is for PTS & FIS.
Includes: Guidelines and Practical Application of all exercises & usage, sample class format & Personal Training session format, Instructor Manual and Certificate of Completion.

Please check our Courses website page for soon to be posted
Courses Dates, Locations and Registration package

We are pleased to announce that we have affiliated with Marc Lebert, inventor of the "Equalizer".

Together we will be introducing the first ever "Equalizer Athletic Training Instructor Course" across Canada.

The Lebert Equalizer could be possibly the hottest new strength and flexibility training tool to come to market in many years. It was designed to do traditional strength training exercises for group aerobic classes and is portable for personal training sessions at the club or in-home.

The Equalizer targets muscles we love to hate. It works the triceps, lower abs and back muscles like no other. Participants use their own body weight as resistance and decide what level is right for them (resistance is variable as the legs can be used to assist the exercise).

The Equalizer is safe and most importantly will add an new exciting dimension to your workouts!

Please click on the logo to go to The Equalizer website. We will soon be announcing our newest courses and workshops dates and location.

We are pleased to announce the addition of two more highly talented new Program Operators to our team.

Robert Foster and Mindy Parmar, already FKCI Course Conductors will now be expanding their services to offer the Fitness Kickboxing Canada program for group and personal training at their Mississauga location.

For information on their upcoming programs please click on our Franchises or Trainer Listing for their contact information.

We are pleased to announce that
Fitness Kickboxing Canada has become an
Official Business Club Partner of
Toronto’s #1 Community Team,
The Toronto Argonauts for the 2006 season.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has had a lengthy and proud tradition a as a part of the Canadian Football League, CFL, and we look forward to being a part of Argos team for the future

Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. is pleased to announce that we are now an Independent Associate for Isagenix International nutritional products.

Isagenix International promotes becoming healthy, clean, and lean for life! Isagenix programs offer the complete solution for ultimate health and wellness.

For more information on The Isagenix System or to place an order please click on the Isagenix logo

We are pleased to announce that we have affiliated with Twist Conditioning Inc.
As leaders in the field of Sport Conditioning, Twist Conditioning has developed a Sport Conditioning Specialist Certification as well as the most comprehensive line of Sport Conditioning, Fitness, and Functional Rehabilitation Products in North America.

With over 200 training tools, Twist Conditioning has become a name that people associate with innovative, effective, high quality, and reliable products to increase sport performance, health, and fitness.

Please click on the logo to on-line shop for the ultimate resource for trainers, coaches, teachers, athletes, fitness enthusiasts, rehab practitioners and training clients as incorporated into our FKCI, Can-Fit-Pro accredited CEC courses and workshops.

We are pleased to announce that Joanne Morden, one of our FKCI Trainer Course Conductors has received her Can-Fit-Pro PRO-Trainer designation. She will now assist in presenting the Can-Fit-Pro Personal Trainer Specialist, PTS, Certification Courses as well as proctor theory exams and PTS practical exams.

For information on upcoming Can-Fit-Pro PTS courses please click on our “Courses” Page.

Fitness Kickboxing Canada is pleased to announce that all of our FKCI courses and workshops are now recognized by the YMCA at the National level, Canada.

Fitness Kickboxing Canada Courses are now applicable to YMCA Instructor continuing education hours for recertification.

Please contact your local YMCA our check our courses section for the next available course near you!

We are pleased to announce the addition of two more highly talented new Trainer Course Conductors to our team.

Hang Nhan, holds many certifications including, Can-Fit-Pro Certified PTS and World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Taekwondo 2nd Black Belt. She has addition martial arts training in Judo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kali stick fighting, Tai Chi and Teaches Self-Defence Courses for Women at Queen’s University. Hang will represent us as a Trainer-Course Conductor in the Kingston-Ottawa Region..

We also welcome Sylvie Roberge who also holds many certifications including Can-Fit-Pro FIS and a 3rd Dan (degree) Black Belt in Karate. She is also has additional martial arts training as a Maharlika Kuntaw Instructor. Sylvie will represent us as Trainer-Course Conductor in Northern Ontario, based in Elliot Lake and teaching courses throughout the Sudbury & Sault. Saint Marie Region.

For information on their upcoming courses please click on our Trainer Listing for their contact information.

We are pleased to announce the addition of four highly talented new Trainer Course Conductors to our team. Jason Battiste (pictured left), former ISKA Super Middleweight professional champ , has just completed his Can-Fit-Pro PTS certification and will joining Gail Gibson, Can-Fit-Pro PTS, FIS & FKCI Program Operator- Trainer Course Conductor in Richmond Hill and York Region..

We also welcome our western Canada teammates, Linda MacKinnon, Can-Fit-Pro PTS & FKCI Program Operator- Trainer Course Conductor in Drayton Valley and the Alberta Region. Teaming up with Linda is Liza Glazebrook, Can-Fit-Pro PTS and Canadian Amateur Boxer.

Participants will work in pairs and cover things like shadow boxing, bag work and stretching.

"We don't go to the beat of the music. We're training like you would if you were a real boxer or kickboxer," O'Donnell says. "It's the closest you'll get to sparring without actually sparring."

For the first course, 14 people came out to take part, some from as far away as Kitchener and Whitby. Surprisingly, O'Donnell says 99 per cent of those participants were women.

"A lot of the instructors in aerobics are women," he says. "They started off dainty, but within two weeks they were whacking each other."

Mackie says he thinks the first course went really smoothly and the participants are definitely ready to teach a class on their own now.

"At the end of the day, I felt really good about what I had passed on to them," he says.

Certified fitness professionals who do take part in Mackie and O'Donnell's program will receive a continuing education credit, which is required to maintain their certification.

Next month, the two local men will be taking their boxing and kickboxing instruction to the University of Toronto.

After that, they are hoping to spread the word across the country on the course at the Canadian Association of Fitness Professionals annual cross-Canada conferences.

For more information on the boxing and kickboxing instruction program, call Bigtyme Fitness at 940-8269.

Work it out

From yoga to kickboxing, these six stress-busting workouts tone your body and soothe your mind

By Sara Marett-Carter

Kickboxing
What it is: combines martial-arts moves with boxing-inspired punches

Stress-buster: Tension-releasing punches and kicks are a good stress and frustration outlet. Focusing on your instructor’s calls and reacting with the right move gets your mind off everything else.

Other benefits: It’s an excellent cardio workout; promotes lean-muscle building (due to high repetitions and low weight); improves balance, coordination, speed and agility; you learn self-defence moves.

Find it: Champions Martial Arts Academy, (604) 983-3799, Vancouver;
Fitness Kickboxing Canada, (519) 942-1625, Orangeville, Ont.;
Kickboxing Montreal, (514) 814-8099, Montreal.

First Published in the November 2004 issue of Flare Magazine