Fitness Clubs
Kingsway Boxing
Kingsway Boxing sits in the west end of Toronto in an industrial area, looking like an auto-body shop from the outside. It wasn't until I spotted a four-foot sign with the gym's logo on a fence that I knew I was in the right place. My misplaced fear didn't last long.
When I step inside, I'm greeted by Jennifer Huggins and Virgil Barrow, the senior coaches of the gym. Throughout my session to come, every member that walks through the door gets greeted enthusiastically by name, and I get a huge sense of comradery here.
The gym houses an olympic size ring, along with a row of punching bags and a conditioning area, which includes free weights and bosu balls.
While filling out waiver forms, Jennifer tells me some history of the club and asks what my martial arts background is. When I mentioned recently trying boxing at Xtreme Couture, she was professional and respectful of her competition.
All new students get a free one-on-one lesson, which is what I'm here for. Usually, private lessons come at a premium, but here they're the standard for assessments. One of the biggest hurdles to newcomers in martial arts is the worry of looking foolish in class. This private lesson gives students the tools they need to not feel like a... well... tool, and I'm confident I could now take a class and not stand out too badly.
Jennifer is a national boxing coach and referee, has studied Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai, and has even worked with SWAT teams. She knew exactly how my background in Taekwondo might affect the way I box, and caught some bad habits that I was starting before they became an issue. Mostly by smacking me with focus mitts ("Don't drop your hand!").
On top of being knowledgeable, when she threw a few demonstration punches, I was suddenly very glad to be hitting the pads and not sparring.
After trial lessons, Kingsway offers a starting package for $85 that includes 5 Open Sparring or Club classes, as many Abs and Running classes as you want, and full access to the gym during business hours (5pm to 9pm Monday to Thursday, as well as most mornings).
Membership options include:
- $65/month for 1 class/week
- $95/month for unlimited classes
- $125/month for unlimited classes as well as a 30 minute private lesson each week
Private lessons are also offered. For 30 minute sessions you can have:
- 3 sessions for $112
- 5 sessions for $175
- 10 sessions for $325
Or 60 minute sessions at:
- 3 for $180
- 10 for $500
I left Kingsway Boxing feeling, on top of sore, very satisfied with my experience. I learned a lot of new concepts in a very short time, making me wonder how much I could learn with a full membership.
Writing by Dan Cosgrove. Photos by Jesse Milns
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Couture membership expires.
Also, classes are too crowded, and they are refusing to add more.
There are plenty of boxing gyms in Toronto. I suggest not attending this one.
I am a woman boxer, and there aren't that many female coaches in the field. Training with Jen changed my form completely, and helped me learn some nuances of movement that only another woman can teach. I am forever grateful to her for the training that she gave me.
Also, a brief episode from when I was training one-on-one with Jen:
For the past 10 years of training, I have had coaches that notice that I get extremely mad when I get hit (whether it was my own fault or not). Those coaches encouraged the anger, egging it on to "hype up" my fighting. Jen was the first coach to notice that my anger when getting hit wasn't directed outward, it was directed inward at myself (I was getting angry that I had "failed" and beating myself up internally). I remember her telling me that anger makes me (and anyone) sloppy in the ring, and that fighting angry is a waste of energy. She also pointed out that focusing my energy on being mad at myself instead of focusing on the skills and moves that needed to happen in the ring just discouraged me, instead of making boxing interesting and energizing. Instead of "using" the anger, every time it happened, Jen would redirect me into something else. As a result, not only did I learn to fight more crisply and cleanly (something I had never learned before because my previous coaches were happy with me flailing around), I learned things about myself that needed to change not only inside the boxing ring, but outside it, too.
In my professional life, I'm a specialized life coach, and boxing with Jen & Virgil brought new skills to my practice as well.
The only reason I don't workout with Kingsway now is that I moved to Colorado Springs—and I miss them so much! Despite the fact that the Olympic Training Center is in town here, there's just no one to compare to Jen, Virgil & Kingsway. I would move them here, if I could.
I'm also happy to talk with anyone who is thinking about joining their gym or trying it out.
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www.sociallockerroom.com
Twitter:@SLockerroom