A New Boxing Gym, Deja-Vu

The Stockyards Boxing and Fitness opens today! With head coach Richard Souce at the wheel.

This past Saturday, Richard allowed me to drop in for a preview look at his new facility.

It was not quite finished, but I did get a good idea of what he was trying to achieve.  

Also, while I was there, he asked me to help him setup the ring. Oh, I knew there was a catch! That is quite all right. I don't at all mind helping.

Stockyards Boxing in the George Bell Arena

Junmar was also there, and we began talking about Stockyards Boxing and what I wanted to achieve as a member.

Richard asked me if I was interested in competing. I said "Yes". Then he asked me my age and weight. I lied about my age first, as a joke. I told him what he wanted to know. He said there was absolutely no problem with that, but I would have to get registered with Boxing Ontario. Wow, just like that? You mean he is not going to ask me to shell-out 200-and whatever something dollars to attend some stupid "Fight Camp"? Yeah, amazing isn't it?

However, I am going to suggest that to him. Hopefully, he will not get upset an throw a tantrum. How dare someone make a constructive suggestion. Anyway, I am going to suggest the same idea. Obviously, we will not be able to call it "Fight Camp", but how about this: "Boxing Bootcamp"? Huh? Pretty good? 

The ring at the new Stockyards Boxing

I have a different "feeling" about this place. I never felt comfortable at Kingway, because I had a feeling something odd was going on. It turned out that I was right. Stockyards feels different. I can't explain it. Is this a sign that I can trust this place? I do not know, yet. However, I will give it a try.

The only thing is, I did not see any showers. Personally, I think that is gross. However, I was told that they have access to the entire arena building. That means there has to be a shower room someplace!

Oh, and Junmar told me that the upper deck of the rink goes all the way around, so that means lots and  lots of running! Oh, great, running, my favorite. Can I not just stick my head into a lion's mouth?

Stockyards opens today, so drop by and have a look. Meet Junmar and maybe even Richard.  They are located in the George Bell arena. Behind the Metro store off of St. Clair Avenue West, or take the 71 Runnymede bus north from Runnymede station. The arena address is 215 Ryding Avenue. The club is on the east side of the building.

Also on September 17, Stockyards will be having their first live boxing event. Please come by an show your support for this new club. As of now, my video production company D-I-T-O Productions, will be video recording the bouts, so any boxers involved will be able to see their matches on YouTube, and request DVD copies.

Paul "The Brick" Brec

Stockyards Boxing and Fitness

I *Still* Just Want To Be A Boxer...Why Is This *Still* So Difficult, Damnit?!

OK, so the pain in the ass is getting worse. I think this is something that a simple Tylenol can not fix.
As much as I like and want to train with Richard at his new facility, I may not be able to.
He has posted his schedule for competitive boxing, and his training is Monday to Friday at 5 PM. OK, that's great. I'll just take time off work so I can train for an amateur sport.  I was looking around at some other boxing clubs, and they all seem to have a similar schedule. I don't know why boxing coaches have such wacko schedules? With every other sport, when do they train? Evenings and weekends. Why? Because people WORK.
I contacted Richard about his schedule, and he was very nice about it. He said that he was flexible with the schedule, and would have to see what will happen as he gets going. That is understandable as he is just starting his new business.
However, I was told the exact same thing at Kingsway, and they bitched every time I made a suggestion. Sometimes telling me, "You agreed to our schedule when you signed up with us, so we don't have to change anything".
So, forgive me if I am not going to jump on this. I might join Stockyards on a month-by-month basis right now. I would like to put the feelers out to see where this is going. Richard is not new to coaching boxing, but he is new to having his own business. I hope he understands the "rules" of operating a business. For example, customers are going to give feedback (complain), they are going to provide suggestions (complain). Big deal. That is what customers do. You can't take it personal, throw a tantrum and cancel service. I work for a major communications company, and do you have any idea how many people complain about their cell service? If we cancelled an account every time someone complained, we would not have any customers left.
Anyway, if I do decide to join Stockyards, I will not be overly-concerned about competition right now, anyway. If Richard wants me to join his team, I'd be happy to do so. However, right now I'd be happy just doing recreational boxing /open sparring just for the exercise.
Richard noted that he has never seen me spar, so he has no idea of my boxing abilities. Well, here is his chance. I would be more than happy to show him my abilities. All I ask, is for what I keep asking, keep me informed and don't pretend to care.
An update to my case against Kingsway: I have spoken with a lawyer and was informed that they are required to refund me for any unused services. They did, even though they called it a 'courtesy'. In addition to that, as they were misleading and did not provided the expected services, I can also try for a partial refund of what I have paid towards the monthly fees. I will be doing that. I am also going all out to expose the truth about Kingsway Boxing Club, and the behind-the-scenes stunts they pull. Seriously people, don't ever consider Kingsway.  Even their so-called "Fight Camp" is misleading. They advertise, "Take our Fight Camp and get your Amateur Boxing License," and a bunch of other things. Well, first of all, there is no such thing as an "Amateur Boxing License". You get certified through Boxing Ontario by sending in a form with $57...and voila, you are certified. You don't need a "Fight Camp". Secondly, I took "Fight Camp", and I don't have my "Amateur Boxing License"....because I have not yet sent the form!
Despite what you may hear, Kingsway Boxing is no where near what they are representing. Come to Stockyards instead.
Stockyards is not yet open, but you can drop in this week to have a look around and pre-register. Visit their website or Facebook for more info.

For information on Stockyards Boxing:
Stockyards Boxing and Fitness

Paul "Still Pissed Off" Brec

Heaven Help Me! I Just Want To Be A Boxer, Damnit!

OK, this whole boxing thing is getting to be a bit too dramatic, and is getting to be a real pain in the ass.
I am going to chalk up the Kingsway Disaster as experience, although I am no where near finished with them. I am going to talk to a lawyer to find out if I can request a refund based on the fact that they did not do their job properly, mislead me, and cancelled my contract without just cause. As mentioned before, simply requesting better service and suggesting a different way of doing things is not disrespectful. Also, you do not put someone into a competitive boxing program, and then say, "Just because you are in a competitive program, does not mean you will compete." That is not only misleading, but it discredits the whole program. What a dumb thing to say to someone. Don't pretend to care and lead someone down a path and lead them to believe something that is not true. That is one of the worst things you can do to someone. I mean, I totally understand that you can't start in a competitive program and expect to jump into the ring right away. No shit, Sherlock. At the same time, there are alternate options. Put people into the recreational program first, then move them to competition later, and you have to provide proper coaching to make sure that happens. That is why you are being paid. If you don't feel someone is ready, say that!
Oh, and I was also told that if I had paid more, I would have received better coaching. What?! Kingsway is already the most expensive boxing club in Toronto. They wanted me to "upgrade" to $125 a month! Yeah, sure. Anyone willing to pay $125 a month for a boxing coach really needs one, because you have been hit in the head one too many times. The average is $50.
I really don't feel bad at all about what happened a Kingsway. I don't feel I was wrong. I was paying a lot of money, more than average, and they were not meeting my expectations. They are just angry because they were trying to pull a "fast-one", and got caught. It is their loss.
Since then, I have been approached by other coaches, and I was interviewing them over the past couple of days. I am pleased to announce that starting in September, Richard Souce, former Canadian Professional Champion, will be my coach. He is opening up a new place very shortly, and it has been announced that Junmar Emon, formerly of Bloor Boxing, will be one of his assistants.
I was very impressed with what Richard was telling me on the phone, and the fact that Junmar will be helping him, is a big bonus. I know Junmar quite well, and I know that he will not screw around.
In the meantime, I am still training at Bloor Street Fitness. Although I sometimes complain about them, I really do like them. The staff are friendly, they are open 24 hours, and are only one block from my apartment. I just don't like what has been happening to the boxing program.
However, something interesting happened while I was there on Monday. One of the boxing trainers, I think there is only one left, came up to me while I was using the heavy bag, and started coaching me! Yeah, as a matter-of-fact, he went up to all the boxers, and started providing feedback. Just like that. We did not even have to ask. Yeah, the things that make you go "Hmmmmmmm...".
After, we were talking, and he wants to have more "real" boxing classes, with sparring classes. He also wants to see Bloor become certified by Boxing Ontario. Once that is done, Bloor will be able to offer a competitive boxing program. This is an interesting turn of events. Could the opening of Richard's gym have something to do with this?
However, as much as the staff at Bloor want the gym to become certified, the final decision is up to the owner. It costs money for a Boxing Ontario certification, and from what I have been seeing lately, I am not sure they are willing to put any more money into the boxing. At this point, I have decided to keep my membership at Bloor because of the convenience. As far as the Boxing Ontario certification goes, all I have to say about that is, "Show me the money".
I am looking forward to my new relationship with my new coaches at the new (not yet open) Stockyards Boxing Club. However, I have decided that this will be the absolute last time I change coaches. If Richard and Junmar can not help me, it will likely be "bye-bye boxing". I will admit that it will be a rough road to start. I have been programmed and de-programmed and re-programmed with so many different types of coaching, that I am really confused right now. It is easier to teach someone a sport when they don't know anything, as opposed to someone like me who has had 15,000 different coaches with different coaching techniques. I ask for patience. I will do my best, provided that I am provided constant feedback. Do not pretend to care. I have been through too much of that. Richard wants to create a new boxing team from scratch, and I am willing to help. I want to be part of it. Together, I think we can make it work. Just give me a fair chance, and be honest. I do not need another let-down.

Paul "Pissed-Off" Brec

For information on Stockyards Boxing:
Stockyards Boxing and Fitness

Canned from Kingsway !!!

Well, I don't know how to say this, but I have been kicked off of the Kingsway boxing team.
I was not happy with the quality of coaching, and I made the mistake of bringing my concern to the coaches. Apparently, nobody is allowed to express an opinion there. My main concern was lack of feedback.  Is it not a coaches job to provide feedback to the athletes? Yeah, I thought so too, but that is not how they feel at Kingsway. Asking for feedback there results in a sarcastic answer, and being told I am being disrespectful. How paying for coaching, not getting it, and then asking for it, is being disrespectful?
I had been there for eight months, and was apparently told that I would eventually be allowed to compete again, but I never saw any signs of that ever happening. Then I was told, "Just because you are in a competitive boxing program does not mean you are going to compete"...Huh? That does not even begin to make sense. What the hell else is the purpose of a competitive boxing program?
The feeling I have been getting for a while is that I don't think the coaches were taking me seriously. They were leading me down a path, and pretending to care, but really didn't. They were just waiting for the right moment to boot me, and they found it.
This is just another let-down, and I have to say I am very disappointed. I have put a lot of effort into this.
All I want is for a boxing coach to take me seriously, and give me a chance. I don't see why that is such a difficult request to fill?
Please, any boxing coach in the Toronto area willing to take me seriously. I will work very hard, and do my absolute best for you.  All I ask is to be honest with me, and give me a reasonable chance.

Coaches please respond. Serious inquiries only.

Body...Head...Body...Head...Smuck! Ow! I'm So Confused!

I have been away, so I have not been updating the blog. I will have to say that I did keep up with my training, along with a lot of walking.
Since I have returned to Toronto, I have still been visiting both gyms on a regular basis albeit on a "summer schedule".
I feel that my boxing skills are better than ever, and I have had two more open sparring matches since returning. I have also been doing a lot of soft sparring at both Kingsway and Bloor.
Usually, Thursday is open sparring at Kingsway. Last Thursday I sparred the coach. There are advantages and disadvantages to that. The advantage is you learn a lot. The disadvantage, the coach does not in any way feel sorry for you.
Well, sure enough, he nailed me four times in the solar plexus. Yeah, you'd think that after the first time I would have learned something.  Well, what ended up happening is that I had a bruise there. Do you have any idea what that feels like? The solar plexus is where all the nerves from the stomach, rectum and bowels are collected before going back to the spine. They are very close to the surface, and are therefore very sensitive.
I had an extreme stomach cramp for four days! Yeah, it was not the most pleasant thing in the world.
This past Thursday, I did sparring with four of my teammates. Easier? No, not really.
For the most part, even during open sparring, my team usually go fairly easy on each other. After all, it is just for practice. However, open sparring (full-contact) does help you prepare for competition. Think about it, when you are competing, your opponent is not exactly going to be love-tapping you. May as well get used to the hard hits in the gym.
Chris. Yes, I spoke about Chris before. He is one of the ones who does not let-up during open sparring. He always hits full-power.
Chris is a really big guy. He could pass for a professional wrestler. What is also important here is that he is also in my weightclass now. How this happened, I don't know, but I will discuss it a bit later.
The coach insisted I do one round with Chris. I knew he would clobber me, but there must have been a good reason the coach wanted this to happen.
I am not stupid. I remembered last-week's disaster, and was not going to let it happen again. I adjusted my boxing stance, so I am more at an angle. My stomach is now farther from my opponent, and thus, harder to reach. I now drop my left slightly so I can use my elbow as defense. This is a completely new tactic for me, so I was really not used to using it. My main focus was on protecting my body.
Well, it did not take long at all for Chris to notice my weak defense: My head! He ended up nailing me twice in a row. Both sides! How did that happen? All I hear is the coach yelling at me, "Paul, where's your defense?!" Yeah, well if you really must know, its down around my solar plexus where it will be staying right now, thank you very much.
The shots to the head really did not bother me. A seasoned boxer can shake that off quite easily. However, shots to the body are harder to shake, and can cause mush more damage, longer, and will really tire you quickly. This is one reason why good boxing coaches focus on body attacks.
That being said, a punch to the head is a point against you, and can cause you to loose, if it doesn't just knock you right onto your ass.
OK, so now that I have the body defense done, I have to find a way to get the left up to defend my noggin. Something to work on this week.
Now back to my issue about weight. In the spring, I was at the 89 kg class. I had been there for a long time. Then, for some reason, I began to creep up. I am now officially at 93 kg.  That means that in five months, I gained 4 kg, or 10 pounds! I know it is not fat. It is definitely not that. I don't know what happened, but I am now in a bad spot, because I am now at the low end of the Super-Heavyweight class. This is very bad, as now I can be matched with any man from 91 kg and up. Meaning, up to...whatever.
My coach is always going on about not increasing to a higher class, and I really tried not to. Now, I have to do everything I can to get below 91 kg. It will be a challenge, but something to work toward.

My next scheduled match: [TBA]

My current division and class: Master's Novice 93 kg [Super-Heavyweight]

My current record (Kingsway): 0 - 0 - 0  //0  (4 Open Sparring)

 Paul "The Brick" Brec

The Gloves Are Coming Off !

This is one of the huge boxing gloves that used to be outside the entrance to Bloor Boxing and Fitness, now called Bloor Fitness.
I have discussed this location's decline in boxing facilities. However, it now looks like they want to wipe boxing completely away. The last time I was in, they had removed the giant boxing gloves from out front, a once signature fixture of the Junction area.
I have been hearing complaints from other members that use the "boxing facilities" of Bloor Fitness, that the former boxing gym is rapidly going down hill. I have noticed it, too. Since, the owner moved his office upstairs, he watches that area like a hawk, and will apparently come out and lecture you if he sees something he does not like. As a result, more users of the boxing area are now going "after hours" to avoid Paul's lectures. Since I always go after Paul leaves, I have not experienced any of his "lectures", so I can not fairly comment on it.
I have to say that Paul needs to be really careful how he handles his boxing clients. Since a few members, such as myself, use the boxing area exclusively. If he does not start looking after it, he will lose members.
In an interesting turn of events, a former employee of Bloor Fitness is building a new Boxing and Fitness not to far from Bloor Fitness. Since this former Bloor employee is a boxing coach, I imagine there will be more emphasis on the boxing.
Could it be possible that this person is quite aware of what is happening at Bloor Fitness, and is trying to draw clients away? It is quite possible this could happen.
Oooo...Drama ! Stay tuned to "The Boxing Blog". Same Boxing Time...Same Boxing Channel.

My next scheduled match: [TBA]

My current division and class: Master's Novice 93 kg [Super-Heavyweight]

My current record (Kingsway): 0 - 0 - 0  //0  (2 Open Sparring)

 Paul "The Brick" Brec

Bloor Boxing Has Decided To Become A Film Studio !

Well, this is just like my life. Right now, I am only going to Bloor Boxing on Mondays. So, of course this is the day a freaking film crew decided to work in there.
This is one of my top-10 Peeves. You need to decide if you are going to be a gym or a film studio. You can't do both. It is really pissing me off. Kingsway did that a few weeks ago as well. They brought in a film crew, and kicked out all of the members. It may not sound like that big of a deal, but it happens frequently. 
Anyway, this huge crew of about 10 people, director, camera people, actors, and whomever started to file into my space!  They started dropping craploads of gear all over the place, and they dropped their stupid scrips and runsheets all over the ring.
It was getting kind of crowded, which wasn't too bad, until...

Script, runsheet and clapboard.

The director had the nerve to turn off my radio! He did not even ask. That really pissed me off.
I said to him, "Stop turning off my radio", and he said, "Well, we are rolling soon"."We are renting this place."
So? You don't have any manners? I don't give a rat's big red fat patootee who you are or who you thing you are, or what the 'F' you are renting. Don't you have any manners?
I told him, "I don't care. I am paying to train here." Then he said, "When will you be finished?"
I was actually ready to leave, but because he was being an ass, I decided to stay longer. "In about 20 minutes.", I said.
I think he got the message. You are in a boxing gym, buddy. It is not a good idea to piss off the ones who train in there.
I took my sweet time, and made him wait. In the meantime, I took a peek at the script. All I saw was "HOOKER #1:" and "HOOKER #2:" What kind of movie is this?
Don't get me wrong. I am a photographer too. However, I do my best not to interfere with other people. Also, if you want to film, either rent the location at a time when it is not busy. After midnight, for example. Even better, Toronto has about 85,000 film studios. Rent one of those.
OK, that's my rant for now.

My next scheduled match: [TBA]

My current division and class: Master's Novice 92 kg [Super-Heavyweight]

My current record (Kingsway): 0 - 0 - 0  //0  (2 Open Sparring)

Paul "The Comeback Kid" /  Paul "The Brick" Brec