Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (WiredPRNews.com)
C.J. Doyle founder and Chief Instructor at the ACADEMY OF MARTIAL ARTS, is celebrating the 25th anniversary this August. Chris believes that the martial is for anyone, of any age, race and gender, and has changed it, the only way he knew how, through teaching. When Chris began training in the seventies classes were what he calls “old school” karate. “It was survival of the toughest back then,” Chris recalls. “In my first class we did 500 stride jumps, 150 push ups, hundreds of sit ups and other excersies for the first hour!” he adds. “And then we put on boxing gloves and fight for the rest of the class.” Chris wanted to change the “old school” mentality and have more people to discover the beauty, character development, and life skills through the discipline of the martial arts.
Most people back then had only watched David Carradine in the TV series Kung Fu, and b-rated kung fu movies of the times. Each movie had lots of action, violence and the good looking athletic guy always won!
Twenty five years after he opened the doors Chris has taught thousands of students over the years, granted over 150 black belts to people and currently has over 400 families training out of his studio. “I would like to reflect upon our incredible years of training, mentoring, that now accompanies our entire family,” Says Nicki Gagne a student since 1987. “However life’s paths have directed us we have always felt confident in knowing that the academy is always there,” adds Nicki.
There are students of all ages (from three to over sixty), and professions training at Chris’s Academy including doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, engineers, moms, dads, teachers, nurses, dentists, accountants, CEO’s and entrepreneurs (Jack Rabba, owner of Rabba Fine Foods, and his sons are black belts at the Academy). “I would have to say that building the lives and characters of people within the community has been a monumental success over the lifetime of this amazing place,” said David Ewart, a black belt under Chris. Nabeel Kaukab, an executive recruiter and blue belt at the club tells us, “The maturity of the Academy is a testament to the time, dedication, passion, commitment, and perseverance that Mr. Doyle has.”
Over the years Chris has earned awards and letters of recognition from the Mayor, the prime mister and just received a letter of congratulations this week from Premier Dalton McGunity. Chris and his wife Lesa (a 5th degree black belt) are still enthusiastic and motivated about educating the community on the martial arts and when asked what is in the future for him, Chris (now the 46 year old grey haired karate kid) said “We have huge; I mean huge plans for the future, that’s all I will say!”
Chris has grown from teaching karate and Tai chi classes to adding fitness kickboxing (celebrated 15 years this January), Defensive Tactics (police & security training), corporate training (Clients include Revlon, Cisco systems, Government of Ontario, Direct Energy), and the now popular Mixed Martial Arts (UFC) type of training created in 1999 called Kardio Kombat (Also know as CAGEFIT™).
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Chris’s martial arts academy contact information is: 108 Lakeshore Road East, Port Credit, Ontario, L5G1E3, 905-278-7234, www.academyofmartialarts.ca. If you would like to schedule an interview with Chris Doyle please call Doug Pocock at (416) 400-6546 email Doug at [email protected]
