Activity at Fox Den Martial Arts is kicking two and a half months after YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 newest combat sports gym opened its classes.
A handful of students came out on Aug. 21 for the gymSA国际影视传媒檚 Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and kickboxing classes.
Normally on weekends about eight students show up but on Aug. 21-22 many people were out of town camping trying to make the most of the remaining weeks of summer, said Celia Harding-Russell, one of the gymSA国际影视传媒檚 directors and a kickboxing and BJJ instructor.
Sessions at Fox Den always start with RAMP warm ups - Raise heart rate and temperature, Activate key muscle groups, Mobilize joints and ranges of motion and Potentiate (increase the intensity to the point that subsequent activities can be performed at a maximal level).
The classes then moved onto workouts where pairs tried to touch each othersSA国际影视传媒 knees with their hands and each othersSA国际影视传媒 feet with their feet.
Three students joined the kickboxing class on Aug. 21, where they practiced punches, jabs and kicks on pads.
Looking back at their first 10 weeks in business, Harding-Russell said things have gone better than they hoped.
SA国际影视传媒淥ur goal was to have a gym that would be self-sufficient and itSA国际影视传媒檚 done more than that. We have 44 students, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 more than we expected. We were hoping for 28 to break even. So many of our students do both BJJ and kickboxing,SA国际影视传媒 she said.
The gymSA国际影视传媒檚 womenSA国际影视传媒檚 self-defense course had 10 students and teaching that group has been a highlight for Landen.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey were really engaged and it met a need in the community,SA国际影视传媒 he said.
The age of students at the gym ranges from 14 up to 68.
Harding-Russell said that despite his age, the 68-year-old kickboxing student is one of their toughest and most energetic.
While MacDonald isnSA国际影视传媒檛 an instructor at the gym, heSA国际影视传媒檚 about to replicate the Fox Den model in Behchoko, where he will use his years of BJJ experience to open a free class at the sports plex for students 14 and older.
As Fox Den prepares to enter its third month of operation, it will do a SA国际影视传媒渂ring a friend to the DenSA国际影视传媒 in the first week of September where a friend of a student can try BJJ and kickboxing classes for free.