Jack Chisamore vs. 'The Brick' Trilogy -and- Back To Hamilton !

ENTRY 414



JACK CHISAMORE VS. 'THE BRICK' TRILOGY

Last week I tried for the world record for world's shortest blog entry. One word.
Apparently, it wasn't the shortest. The shortest is one letter.

I was trying to build up some suspense because that is what I like to do.

So far, here is what is happening:

Until now, I have had no scheduled bouts for whatever reason.
Jack Chisamore whom I met in the ring during both the Silver Gloves and the Golden Gloves has offered for me to go to Kingston on May 31 for a match at a card being hosted by his boxing club.
My coach has left it up to me to decide if I want to go ahead with it. Which will, of course, mean making a three hour trip to Kingston.

I have decided to go ahead with it and go one more time with Jack Chisamore as an opponent.
Scheduled for May 31 in Kingston.


BACK TO HAMILTON

In the process of deciding whether to do a part three with Jack, another bout fell into my lap.

I may have an opponent from the Steeltown Boxing in Hamilton this month, on April 28.
Jay Persaro who was supposed to be my opponent at the Brampton Cup and then again at the Stockyards card, he has decided that he wants to try again later this month.


After a few months of nothing, I now have two bouts about a month apart.

That means getting back to work and serious training.

More details on both of these bouts as I find out more, plus more about my training right here on 'Comments From the Blue Corner'.


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--Paul 'The Brick' Brec, 2017 Golden Gloves Silver Medalist

'THE BRICK' VS.JACK CHISAMORE EPISODE 3 ?

ENTRY 413


'THE BRICK' VS. JACK CHISAMORE, EPISODE 3 ?


Possible.



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I've Upped My Standards, Now Up Yours

ENTRY 412


I'VE UPPED MY STANDARDS, NOW UP YOURS

Despite the humorous title, this is a serious post.

As most of you are aware, "The Brick's Guide To Boxing In Toronto" is due out very soon. Possibly later this week.

I have to say that my standards for boxing gyms is very high. As it is with everything. We pay a lot for services, so we all as customers have the right to have high standards.  

Keeping in mind that a boxing gym is a business. The coach represents that business, whether his own or somone else's. Therefore, the athletes are the customers.

My ratings for boxing gyms is based on my own professional opinion. Nobody should be offended by the ratings. They are intended to be a professional constructive critisim. My view as a customer.

I you were at a restarunt and the server was sarcastic to you, would you not ever return that restaunt? You may even file a complaint.
Why should a boxing gym be any different?

If you see that your gym has a low rating for one of the categories, you should take that into consideration. If it is something that bothers me, it likely bothers other people as well. These guides, in addition to helping people look for a place to learn boxing, are also intended to help the gyms provide better service to their members.

These guides are published every 14 or 15 months, so it is possible that ratings could change for the next publication. Complaining about a rating will not help, and could even decrease it for the next edition.

The only time a rating does not change is for those with a 'zero-star' rating. Those are for serious offences and are irrevocable. Meaning it will stay a zero forever. 
There is actually one of those on the upcoming edition.

This will be the first edition that will be using a star-rating system.

All categories are expected to have five stars. A five-star rating in a category means that it has met standards. 
I do not beleive in an 'above standards' rating. It either meets standards, or does not.
However, there are different levels of not meeting standards and this is what this new star-rating system is meant to represent.

The guide is due out mid-week.
Look for it here.


--Paul 'The Brick' Brec, 2017 Golden Gloves Silver Medalist

'The Brick's' Guide To Boxing In Toronto

  

GUIDE TO BOXING IN TORONTO [FOURTH EDITION]

Star ratings are given to gyms that I have attended, along with a review. 
Otherwise, published information about the club will be listed.

EAST OF YONGE STREET

Ashukian's Academy of Boxing
485 McNicoll Ave. (Victoria Park Ave. at Gordon Baker Road)  http://ashukianboxing.com/

Body By Chosen
195 Church Street (at Dundas St. East)   https://www.bodybychosen.com/

Cabbagetown Boxing Club
650 Parliament St. (at Wellesley St. East)   http://www.cabbagetownboxing.on.ca/boxing/programs.htm

Centre Ring
22 Balliol St. (Yonge St. at Davisville Ave.)   https://www.centrering.com/

Clancy's Boxing Academy
100 Sunrise Ave. (O'Connor Dr. and Eglinton Ave.)  http://clancysboxingacademy.com/

Clubb Canada
15 Grand Marshall Dr. (Morningside Ave. at Sheppard Ave. East)   http://www.clubbcanada.com/

Combative Concepts Boxing Club
1211 Kennedy Road (at Lawrence Ave. East)  https://combativeconceptsama.ca

Gideon Boxing Academy
21 Progress Ave. (at Kennedy Road)   http://www.gideonboxingacademy.com/

Hard Knocks Boxing Club
385A Queen St. East  (at Parliament St.)  http://www.hardknocksboxingclub.com/

Rev MMA
150 Lesmill Road (Leslie St. at York Mills Road)   https://revmma.com/

Toronto Newsgirls
388 Carlaw Ave. (at Gerrard St. East)   www.torontonewsgirls.com/

WEST OF YONGE STREET

Bloor Street Fitness and Boxing
2595 Dundas St. West (at Bloor St. West)
(see 'Rated Gyms')

Kingsway Boxing Club
22 Jutland Road (Kipling Ave. at North Queen St.)
(see 'Rated Gyms')

MJKO
186 Cowan Ave. (King St. West at Dufferin St.) https://mjko.ca/

Stockyards Boxing and Fitness
215 Ryding Ave. (Runnymede Road at St. Clair Ave. West)
(see 'Rated Gyms')

Sully's Boxing Gym
1024 Dupont St. (at Dufferin St.)   http://www.sullysboxinggym.com/

Toronto Boxing Academy  
2389 St Clair Ave. West (at Runnymede Road)
(see 'Rated Gyms')

United Boxing Club
1034 Bloor St. West (at Dufferin St.)   https://www.unitedboxing.club/

University of Toronto Boxing Club
Faculty of Physical Education (on campus)   https://thevarsity.ca/2015/11/23/in-photos-u-of-t-boxing-club/

Xtreme Couture Toronto
700 Kipling Ave. (at North Queen St.)
(see 'Rated Gyms')

NORTH OF OR NEAR HWY 401

Atlas Boxing Club
100 Bridgeland Ave. (Dufferin St. at HWY 401)   https://atlasboxing.wordpress.com/

Grants Rival Boxing Club
4884 Dufferin St.(at Steeles Ave.)   https://grantmma.ca/

Scarbarian Boxing Club
2250 Midland Ave. (at HWY 401)   http://www.scarberianboxing.com/

Siberia Boxing Club
115 Dolomite Dr. (Dufferin St. at Finch Ave.)   http://siberia-boxing.com/




RATED GYMS 
(Gyms I have attended for at least 6 months and can provide a fair commentary)

Price Tag should be used as a guide only as some of these include additional options such as personal training sessions and more classes. Also, in some cases fees can be negotiated at the time of sign-up. 
$  <$80 per month
$$  $80 - $100 per month
$$$  $101 - $120 per month
$$$$  $121 - $150 per month
$$$$$  >$150 per month

RATED CATEGORIES
.
★★★★★ ACCEPTABLE, MEETS EXPECTATIONS
★★★★☆ GETTING THERE
★★★☆☆ NEEDS WORK
★★☆☆☆ UNACCEPTABLE, BELOW EXPECTATIONS
★☆☆☆☆ HOW ARE YOU STILL IN BUSINESS?
☆☆☆☆☆ ZERO, SERIOUS INFRACTION (IRREVOCABLE) 
☆☆☆☆☆ N/A   DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS OVERALL SCORE


POINTS VS. STARS
Each star represents two points. Each gym starts off with 10 points in each category and points are subtracted for each infraction. One or two points are deducted for each infraction depending on the seriousness. For every two points a gym loses in a category that will equal one star. Some infractions are so serious that a gym will immediately lose all points for that category and points can never be redeemed ever again in that category. Meaning that it will always be zero points in future editions of this guide.
The average rating of all categories is at the top next to the name of the gym and the Price Tag.

MY EXPECTATIONS
Coaches and instructors represent a business and therefore are expected to maintain a professional demeanor at all times. They should be patient with the athletes as not everyone learns at the same pace. They should also be open to questions that relate directly to training. Being sarcastic, making noises, rolling eyes, yelling and singling-out or anything else that may make an athlete uncomfortable must be avoided. Also, coaches should be fair and treat all athletes equally, and not play favorites. There must also be at least one certified coach working at the gym. All this is covered in the first three categories. 
Athletes who qualify should be offered to compete on a regular basis.  This is also covered by the Fairness category. Depending on the athlete's division, offers should be monthly or a least bi-monthly. In my division, bi-monthly offers are acceptable.
If classes are crowded to the point where it isn't safe or people are rejected from taking a class due to being over capacity, this will count against a gym in the Class Size/Availability category.
Classes must be intriguing and defined. If all of the classes are exactly the same or boring, the gym will lose points in the Class Quality category. This category is specifically for boxing classes. Fitness classes are not rated in this guide.
The Sparring Availability category is generally for competitive boxers. The expectation is that competing boxers should spar at least 10 rounds per week with a coach available to watch and critique the sparring sessions. If a boxer can not spar enough, or the coaches do not properly critique the sparring, it will cost points in this category.
In the Boxers Get Priority section anything except a 'NO' will not affect the overall score of the gym. A 'NO' will negatively affect the score because it means that the boxers may not be able to train properly when the gym is crowded. A 'YES' means that competitive boxers are given priority use of the gym and its contents. 'SHARED' means that the boxers can equally and safely share with other users. 'NO' means that boxers must give-way for other users when requested by management.


RATED BOXING GYMS


Bloor Street Fitness and Boxing   $  ★☆☆☆☆
2295 Dundas St.West (at Bloor St.)    http://www.bloorstreetfitness.com/

AMENITIES: Showers, change rooms, lockers, padded floor, extended hours. Full fitness room. On-site owner.
HOURS: 24/7 for members only (visitors and guests are not allowed after hours).
AMENITIES FOR BOXERS: Ring, heavy bags, mirrors. Classes for beginners and intermediate. Certified coach. Club is a member of Boxing Ontario.

COACHING QUALITY  ★★☆☆☆
COACHING FAIRNESS  ★☆☆☆☆
COACHING RESPECT  ☆☆☆☆☆ IRR
OFFERS TO COMPETE  ★☆☆☆☆ 
CLASS SIZE/AVAILABILITY  ★★★★☆
CLASS QUALITY  ★☆☆☆☆
SPARRING AVAILABILITY  ★☆☆☆☆
BOXERS GET PRIORITY: NO (FITNESS CLASSES GET PRIORITY)

The Bloor Street Fitness and Boxing has been part of the Junction area for a very long time. It used to be the Bloor Street Boxing Gym and confined only to the second floor as there was a garage on the first floor. When the garage vacated the building, Bloor Street expanded and put a full fitness facility on the main floor while maintaining a boxing gym above.
Over the years, their boxing program has been on the decline. Today, there are few competitive boxers using the facility and mostly only boxing for fitness classes are held at the gym. 
This gym had a certified coach but he left to open his own gym, leaving Bloor Street without a coach for a long time. Several non-certified and very unprofessional "coaches" moved through the constantly revolving door of Bloor Street Fitness for a long while.
During the time I was a member of their "boxing program", I was the only one who was registered with Boxing Ontario. That meant that I had nobody to spar, and due to there not being a certified coach, I also could not compete.
At one point, one of their coaching staff made a comment to me that involved a threat of physical violence. That person no longer works there, but at no time did any manager apologize for the incident. If that was my business, I would have sent apology letters all over the place. Due to this incident and the fact that management did not handle it professionally, this has gained this gym the one-and-only IRREVOCABLE score in the Respect category (so far).
In addition, due to the unskilled "coaching staff", classes were very poorly taught. Although most of the classes were nearly empty most of the time, although not a surprise.

OVERALL: I have a NEGATIVE feeling about this gym.



Kingsway Boxing Club   $$  ★☆☆☆☆
22 Jutland Road (Kipling Ave. at North Queen St.)   https://kingswayboxingclub.com/

AMENITIES: Showers, padded floor. Some weight equipment. On-site owner.
HOURS: Limited. 6 days, about 3 hours per day. Closed on holidays and Sunday.
AMENITIES FOR BOXERS: Ring, heavy bags, speed bag, mirrors. Classes for intermediate. Personal training sessions available. Certified coach. Club is a member of Boxing Ontario.   

COACHING QUALITY  ★☆☆☆☆
COACHING FAIRNESS  ★☆☆☆☆
COACHING RESPECT  ★☆☆☆☆
OFFERS TO COMPETE  ☆☆☆☆☆ N/A
CLASS SIZE/AVAILABILITY  ★★☆☆☆
CLASS QUALITY  ★☆☆☆☆
SPARRING AVAILABILITY ★☆☆☆☆
BOXERS GET PRIORITY: YES

At the time I was at Kingsway I was not ready to compete. However, my progress there was slow. The reason it was slow was due to poor coaching and poor classes. A class generally consisted of a bunch of us climbing into the ring and having a coach belt out one set of instructions and then take off for the rest of the session. On the few occasions when you did get to see the coach, you were expected to learn at their pace and not yours. Not learning fast enough ofter resulted in a coach making rude noises or eye rolling.
Sparring was almost non-existent, and when it was there was little if any feedback from any of the coaches. 

OVERALL: I have a NEGATIVE feeling about this gym.


Stockyards Boxing and Fitness   $$   ★★★☆☆
215 Ryding Ave. (Runnymede Road at St. Clair Ave. West)   http://stockyardsboxingandfitness.com/

AMENITIES: Change rooms, padded floor. Treadmill, weights, and medicine balls. On-site owner.
HOURS: Limited. 7 days, about 6 hours per day. Closed on holidays.
AMENITIES FOR BOXERS: Ring, heavy bags, speed bag, double-ended bag, mirrors. Classes for beginner and intermediate. Personal training sessions available. Designated sparring sessions. Certified coach. Club is a member of Boxing Ontario.

COACHING QUALITY  ★★★★☆
COACHING FAIRNESS  ★★☆☆☆
COACHING RESPECT   ★★★★☆
OFFERS TO COMPETE  ★★☆☆☆
CLASS SIZE/AVAILABILITY  ★☆☆☆☆
CLASS QUALITY  ★★★★☆
SPARRING AVAILABILITY  ★★★★☆
BOXERS GET PRIORITY: NO (FITNESS CLASSES GET PRIORITY)

As of this post, Stockyards Boxing and Fitness, commonly shortened to just Stockyards, has been in the Junction for just about six years. The head coach used to coach at Bloor Street Boxing but found success operating his own gym out of the George Bell Arena. 
Unfortunately, when it was just him coaching and there were few boxers, the coaching standards were very high. However, as more boxers found their way into the Stockyards and more coaches became involved, the head coach began to step back. In addition, there is a very small group of competitive boxers who for some reason are 'favorited' by the coaches. Due to that, only the favorited boxers are given offers to compete.
This gym is very small and is often over capacity.  For a while, this gym was not allowing new members.
Classes are decent and sometimes the competitive boxers get dedicated classes.
There are no dedicated sparring classes but the competitive boxers can usually spar anytime a certified coach is on duty. Making sparring more accessible to more of the boxers. 

OVERALL: I have a NEUTRAL feeling about this gym. 



Toronto Boxing Academy    $$  ★☆☆☆☆
2389 St Clair Ave. West (at Runnymede Road)   www.torontoboxingacademy.ca/

AMENITIES: Padded floor. Treadmill, bikes, and weights. On-site owner.
HOURS: Limited. 6 days, about 6 hours per day. Closed on holidays and Sunday.
AMENITIES FOR BOXERS: Ring, heavy bags, speed bag, double-ended bag, mirrors. Classes for beginners and women. Dedicated sparring sessions. Certified coach. Club is a member of the Ontario Boxing Association (boxers cannot compete, recreational only).

COACHING QUALITY  ★★★★☆
COACHING FAIRNESS  ★★☆☆☆
COACHING RESPECT  ☆☆☆☆☆ IRR
OFFERS TO COMPETE  ★★★★☆
CLASS SIZE/AVAILABILITY  ★★★★★
CLASS QUALITY  ★★★★★
SPARRING AVAILABILITY  ★★★★☆
BOXERS GET PRIORITY: SHARED


This gym is family-owned and is an extension of the Durham Boxing Academy in Ajax.
The coaches are technically good but do not treat all as equal.
It looks like there is a bit of effort, unfortunately, they will turn on you if something doesn't go their way. If the coaches had people skills as well as their other coaching skills, they would have ranked a lot higher in the respect and fairness categories.

OVERALL: I have a NEGATIVE feeling about this gym. 


Xtreme Couture Toronto  $$$$$  ★★☆☆☆
700 Kipling Ave. (at North Queen St.)    https://xtremecouture.ca/

AMENITIES: Showers, change rooms, lockers, padded floor, smoothie bar, gear and supplement store, extended hours. Full fitness room.
HOURS: 24 hours 5 days, about 12 hours on weekends and holidays.
AMENITIES FOR BOXERS: Ring, cage, heavy bags, speed bag, double-ended bag, water bags, mirrors. Classes for beginners and intermediate and women. Dedicated classes for competitive boxers (training camps for tournaments). Personal training sessions available. Designated sparring sessions. Certified coach. Club is a member of Boxing Ontario.

COACHING QUALITY  ★★★☆☆

COACHING FAIRNESS   ★★★★☆

COACHING RESPECT   ★☆☆☆☆

OFFERS TO COMPETE  ★★★☆☆

CLASS SIZE/AVAILABILITY  ★★☆☆☆

CLASS QUALITY  ★★★☆☆

SPARRING AVAILABILITY  ★★★☆☆
BOXERS GET PRIORITY: YES

Overall, this gym does have an excellent coaching staff, and they do a good job of trying to keep the team together. It is a good group of people but there are problems. Of course, there are. You will always have issues with a group this large. However, there is a professional way of handling such problems. The biggest issue is a huge gap in communication between the coaches and the athletes. Quite often, questions from athletes are answered with sarcasm or of the singling-out of an athlete in front of others. This is something this is unacceptable anywhere. It makes the coaches look really bad. even if you are the best coach in the world but you can't communicate with your athletes, you may as well be the worst coach in the world.
Another big issue os lack of communication. Coaches do not communicate properly with the athletes either by relaying information too late, through too many channels, or not at all.

Finally, knowing how to box does not mean you know how to coach. These coaches lost points on quality due to the fact that although they have good technical skills, they do not know the rules of the sport. How can you be a coach and not know the rules of the sport you are teaching?
Chances are the reason the coaches are sarcastic is due to the fact that they likely do not know the answer to a question and are embarrassed to admit it.
This gym's score in the Respect category has brought the overall score down.
Another issue is with respect to access to sparring. The average sparring for competitors is about five rounds per week. Half of the expectation. Part of the reason for this is that there is only one scheduled sparring session per week and they are crowded. Being crowded also makes it impossible for a coach to monitor and critique the boxers. Even if you think you are Supercoach, there is no way you can watch six or more simultaneous sparring sessions and be able to accurately critique them. I suggest expanding the sparring sessions so that boxers can spar more often in a less crowded environment. I realize that in that type of environment it can be difficult, but there is always room for compromise.
Classes are also sometimes crowded and can be difficult to follow as they are not defined.
For example, there is very little difference between the beginners class and other classes. 
The classes need more definition so that the attendees know exactly what is being taught and what the expectations are.


OVERALL: I have a NEGATIVE feeling about this gym. 


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That is all for this edition of 'The Brick's Guide To Boxing In Toronto'.

For additions and corrections please email HERE.
If your gym has not been rated and would like it to be, or you would like your gym to be re-rated please email HERE.
Re-ratings and corrections will be accepted for 10 days after publication. After that time, edits will have to wait until the next edition in May 2019.
Additions and new ratings will be accepted at any time and included in the
next edition.

The Return of Captain Hook

  ENTRY 411


THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN "HOOK"

Hello all. Welcome to another "Blue Corner". 
It has been a very interesting week for me.

First of all, last Saturday at Stockyards, it was very different for me to be watching a boxing card like a normal person instead of through a viewfinder.
It was a great time, and my teammate, Cat, won her bout. I was surprised that she had won because she had two standing-eights against her. Although standing-eights are not supposed to count towards scoring, we all know that they do...most of the time.
My other teammate, Adrian, had his bout cancelled because his opponent didn't show up. 
Congrats to Cat from Xtreme Couture Toronto for an excellent win.

Speaking of 'win' and 'winning', I have been working very hard with my personal coach lately. 
I am going to be more than ready for my next bout, which will hopefully be soon. It has been three months since my last time in the ring.

Currently, since I don't have a bout coming up, I am training on my own three times per week, plus once per week directly with a coach.

I always do: core training, heavy bag, shadow boxing, and at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. I have also been working on the speed bag lately which is something I have not done in a while. I became rusty at it. I used to be really good.

When I train with the coach, we still work on footwork. 
However, the infamous "hook" has returned. 
Those hard-core followers out there know how much a absolutely hate throwing hooks.
Well, this coach wants me using them more...at lot. Therefore, hooking has become part of technical training. Lots of practicing throwing both hooks correctly. In addition to the 'on the toes' drills. In some cases throwing hooks while 'on the toes'.
He is also working on a couple of other techniques with me. Including one of my new favorite techniques of which I will not reveal here at this time.

On Wednesday's sparring session, the coach split the ring into quarters which forced us to work on inside techniques.
It was an interesting session.
It turned out to be something else we started working on. Again, inside techniques have never been one of my strong points, but coach is doing a good job of helping me improve on all of my boxing skills.

I have been noticing a steady improvement since I joined Xtreme, but the personal sessions are invaluable. 

My contact expires in May. 
That year went by fast. 

Will I stay with Xtreme? 
I will have to see how things go until then.

If all else fails, maybe this guy could coach me:

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Then again, maybe not.

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--Paul 'The Brick' Brec, 2017 Golden Gloves Silver Medalist