Martial Arts in North York

In 2004, Warren Lee was a high-school teacher by day and a muay thai kick-boxing instructor on the side. But demand for his private lessons grew, and eventually the one-man business blossomed into a full-time fighting gym. Today, Lee runs Toronto Kickboxing & Muay Thai Academy at two locations, both of which provide friendly atmospheres for students to work up a sweat, shed stress, and learn self-defense. The staff credits its unintimidating and professional attitude with helping to draw an almost even split of male and female students—a rarity in martial-arts gyms.

Both locations feature pristine facilities and include men's and women's changing rooms and individual showers, as well as a boxing ring, grappling mats, thai pads, and an assortment of training equipment. The staff of committed instructors includes Ajahn Amnat Yodkwain, a former professional fighter and muay thai master who has trained in Thailand's combative arts since the age of 7. All of the academy's instructors possess CPR and first-aid certification and participate regularly in professional development. In order to join the team, they must also pass a series of rigorous tests designed to challenge their skills in muay thai, general fitness, and kicking cookie jars off the top shelf.

Muay Thai Niagara Combative Arts occupies an immense 5,000-square-foot facility, with more than 30 bags, and one of Ontario’s most experienced staff of instructors, which includes Canadian national team coach Kru Roger Lumyoung. Adult classes run seven days a week, with sessions available for men, women, children, and defenseless scarecrows. Children's classes teach self-defense methods within an organized setting that focuses on discipline and respect, and adult classes offer students a recreational workout using martial arts techniques.

Although seventh-degree black belt Mike Martin is a world taekwondo champion, his most-prized distinction is simply "dad." He takes the concept of family seriously, incorporating it into his studio's philosophy. He helms martial-arts classes in which whole clans of moms, dads, and siblings can learn the art of self-defence or settle unresolved remote-control battles together in the same session. He also leads classes designed exclusively for adults only and for kids only. In addition to hand-to-hand combat, Rising Sun instructors also lead kickboxing classes and boot camps, as well as courses in Korean swordsmanship.

International flags hang over the mat-covered practice area, which also boasts wall grips for climbing and a mountain-range mural. The space additionally plays host to kids’ birthday parties in which tots spend their afternoon taking in a martial-arts lesson, climbing on the walls, and breaking boards with their bare hands, just like carpenters who've replaced their hands with saws.