Muay Thai

Not to be confused with either Western kickboxing or the current craze of "Tae Bo"-style cardio workouts, Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand with a history that dates back at least several hundred years.

The earliest records of Muay Thai's origins were lost when the Burmese army sacked the Thai capital of Ayuddhaya; however, it is known that it was used as a training method for the Thai armies by the 1500's. Over the following centuries it gradually evolved into a full contact ring sport, with the art becoming formally codified in the 1930's and adopting the rules currently used today. Modern Muay Thai is a sport of rounds, like Boxing, but competitors use all manner of punches, kicks, elbows and knees to defeat their opponents. Clinching is allowed, as well as hitting during a clinch. Kicking is often directed to the legs.

Although Muay Thai is an excellent choice for competition and street self-defense, students are by no means obligated to compete. Most students practice Muay Thai simply for the excellent workout that it provides; a very challenging combination of aerobic and anaerobic activity with wide-ranging benefits in endurance, strength, and flexibility.

SAW ( Submission Arts Wrestling )
 
Founded in the 1980s by legendary submission wrestler Hidetaka Aso, SAW is a Japanese hybrid style of grappling that incorporates all manner of throws, pins, and submission holds. SAW is primarily a no-gi system, with focus on groundwork and "chains" of chokes and joint locks. A popular sport onto itself with it's own unique set of competition rules, the SAW organization has affiliates worldwide and is partners with the popular MMA organization Pancrase.
 
   Grizzly Gym is proud to be the sole Canadian representative of SAW and it's fellow organization, The All-Japan Joint Technique Federation. At our main location, classes are taught by SAW 3rd Degree Black Belt and 2007 World Heavyweight Champion Shihan-Dai Mike Martelle. Interested students can also pursue competition and rank ( up to and including the title of Black Belt ), issued directly from Aso-Sensei in Japan.

Northern Shaolin

Believed by many to be the oldest of all martial arts, Shaolin derives its name from the Buddhist Temple in which it was said to have originated. Originally a means of training monks for fitness and for the defense of their beliefs, Shaolin eventually spread throughout the Chinese countryside and developed into a variety of different styles. Two of the earliest general categories were simply Northern and Southern Shaolin, the names reflecting the geographic area with which they were associated. Northern styles tended to emphasize kicking and leg techniques. The system we practice is Northern Shaolin.

Our system of Northern Shaolin consists of elementary techniques, or "postures", which form the basis of the 33 primary empty-handed techniques, which are called "seeds". These in turn are the basis of the "Forms", which are choreographed sequences of seeds. In addition to empty-handed techniques, Northern Shaolin also incorporates a variety of traditional weapons. There are six levels of certification available to the interested student, with the sixth being a Teacher's Certificate.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan

T'ai Chi Ch'uan, or "Grand Ultimate Fist" in English, is a martial art that originated in China during the 13th century. In recent times it has gained international notoriety as an attractive form of gentle exercise, characterized by it's slow and graceful movements. It is often described as "moving meditation", and is an excellent means of promoting stress reduction and overall physical health.

There are four major sub-styles of Tai Chi; ours, the Yang style, consists of 44 basic movements (called "seeds") as well as "The Long Form" - a choreographed sequence of the basic movements taking approximately 20 minutes to complete. There are also 4 shorter Forms.

In our system of Yang T'ai Chi, there are four levels of certification available to the interested student with the fourth being a Teacher's Certificate.