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Having trained in several martial arts schools in New York, California, Dublin, Boston, and of course Kingston, I can without hesitation say that Martial Arts Planet has been the best run, most intense, fun, and rewarding experience.
I cannot recommend MAP enough. Training at MAP this year saved me in many ways. MAP got me in shape and made me feel healthy, happy, and strong. MAP provided a refuge and distraction from the stress and anxiety of work; the hectic life of a parent of two small children; the Winter Blues; and the pain from the recent loss of my father.
Sincere and Warm Thanks,
Anthony F. D'Elia
Associate Professor of History
Queen's University
GO SHOPPING! |
Purchase top-quality gear locally at our store in Kingston.
LEATHER BOXING GLOVES
LEATHER THAI PADS
and much, much more!
Clicking on the images below will open to our Affiliate Page at Fitness Anywhere. Purchasing TRX products via this link will not only guarantee you Fitness Anywhere's lowest price but will also support Martial Arts Planet. All proceeds from Affiliate sales go towards new equipment additions at our gym. Thank you!
2009 NEWS
Big, Big news for Fitness Buffs
We are aware that a good percentage of our clients come to us solely for the fitness benefits and with January just around the corner that is only going to increase! With that in mind, we have some exciting announcements. Some time ago we introduced what we feel is some of the best strength training available: our StrengthPLUS™ class. Up to this point, those classes were not available to those clients who were paying the reduced tuition to attend only UBfit™ Kickboxing classes. Well, no longer. We are now opening up these classes to any of our fitness UBfit™ clients. Not only that, but we will be adding a second StrengthPLUS™ class to our schedule, to give you even more choices!
But that is not all. We have long been aware of the benefits of being involved with a good yoga program. Unfortunately, yoga is a bit like martial arts in that, what goes on in the classes varies considerably from studio to studio. We are very happy to announce that our own Geoff Milburn, who himself is a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu student, will be piloting a yoga program at MAP. And yes, ANY student, including those paying only for fitness classes, may attend these new sessions.
The new, expanded class options will work like this:
- If you were previously paying for 3 UBfit™ classes per week, you may now attend up to three UBfit™, StrengthPLUS™ or Yoga classes! Any three, and it can vary from week to week. You decide what works for your energy level and your timetable.
- If you are on a basic instructional program, which allows you to attend up to three of any classes that we offer, you too can of course select any of the new classes as training sessions on your program.
- If you are one of the lucky ones who are on an unlimited program... woo hoo... more training times for you! Go crazy!
Please take advantage of these new training opportunities and let us help you to get in the best shape you have ever been. Your new health and fitness level will be our business card!!!
Lots of new Swag!
In our ongoing attempts to increase both the quality and quantity of services that we provide to our clients, and to the local martial artists at large, we will be working to expand the products that we stock in our gym's proshop. Many martial arts students and fans waste a considerable amount of extra money on shipping charges to order in specialty items from out of the city, or even worse, out of the country. Hopefully we will be able to save these shoppers some money by increasing our product base.
To begin, one thing that we get asked about time and time again is shorts. We can now happily say that yes, we are now stocking several brands MMA-style fight shorts and Muay Thai shorts for the Thai Boxers out there.
Also hot on the shelves are three brand-new shirt designs. In our humble opinion they rock!
Later this week we plan on continuing our expansion by adding items from the well-known Hayabusa brand. Their gear is attractive, high-quality and functional, a perfect addition to our gym because we think that we are also attractive, high-quality and functional! 
What a good-looking group!
Members can download a high-res copy of this awesome October 31st class pic!
Martial Arts Planet has new "Helmsmen!"
In 1987, MAP founder Mike Sweeney moved to Kingston and began teaching the martial arts. Joined by his wife Rebecca Sweeney over a decade ago, the two have helped to grow one of the most successful gyms in the country. Countless students have been trained under their tutelage, several of whom have gone on to make teaching the martial arts a profession of their own! As a couple who has invested the better part of their working lives helping others to move forward and achieve their goals, it is only fitting that they should now take their own advice. Late in 2010 the Sweeneys will be leaving on a new adventure, sailing to the Caribbean, a project that they have been working towards for some time.
So what then of MAP, their life's work? Many small business owners dream of leaving their company to their children, hoping that they will be able to carry on the legacy that their parents began. In the case of a Martial Arts school, the owner often looks to his/her top student in the hopes that he/she could fill that role. The Sweeneys were no different in this respect and when searching for someone to carry on their legacy, the one person at the top of the list was long-time student Christopher Wellstood. But just as MAP has thrived by being run by a two-person team, Chris will be joined as co-owner by Jamie Thomas, who himself is a student at MAP and also father to one of the gym's longest-term students, Matthew Thomas. While Chris undoubtably has top-level martial arts and coaching skills, Jamie brings to the table a business background which includes over 29 years in the banking and investment field! Together this makes a "killer team!"
Where does this leave Mike and Rebecca? As their plans don't have them departing Kingston for some time to come, their involvement with MAP will continue as both as instructors and consultants for the gym's current owners.
Mike Sweeney, Chris Wellstood and Leo Santos
>>>HOT! As evidence of Chris and Jamie's commitment to continuing MAP's legacy of bringing world-class instructors to Kingston, they have already arranged to have BJJ phenom Leo Santos spend a week at our gym in November! Check out the seminar page for details.
Run for the Cure 2009
Team Martial Arts Planet once again came together to take part in the CIBC Run for the Cure which supports breast cancer research. It was a crappy day weather wise but we still all had a great time!
Back in full swing!
Now that the kids are back in school, attendance at MAP is ramping up. In fact, we have had a large influx of new men, women and children, which we love! The more the merrier. If you are looking to get involved with something new and exciting, or looking to take your training to the next level, give us a call: 613-547-2822.
A nice Thank You letter
This past Thursday was the final class for one of our good students Tony D'Elia. He is off to spend the next year or so in Italy, hopefully not gaining too much weight from all the great food and wine in the process. Before he left he wrote us this very nice testimonial letter which I thought would be nice to share. Thanks Tony! Keep in touch.
August 21, 2009
Dear Mike and Rebecca,
Thank you for a fabulous year of fitness and spiritual, mental, and physical growth in the martial arts! The two of you are superb teachers and your method is as effective as it is unusual - two BJJ Blackbelts in one small city, coteaching, demonstrating every technical move with precision and patience. Having trained in several martial arts schools in New York, California, Dublin, Boston, and of course Kingston, I can without hesitation say that Martial Arts Planet has been the best run, most intense, fun, and rewarding experience. The teachers are committed and professional in every respect. They are dedicated as much to the students as to the art. This shows in the quality and culture of the gym. Mike and Rebecca not only guide students by demonstrating moves and discussing techniques but let students test the moves on them as well as on the other students. They regularly spar with their students, not to beat them up (as often happens in some macho schools where the sensei feels he has to prove he's top dog by mercilessly pounding students) but to gently show the students their mistakes by testing them in controlled combat. The coaching is tough enough to keep you on track but sensitive to your own work ethic. Mike and Rebecca intuitively know your needs and goals, whether you want to work hard to become a professional or relax and enjoy the exercise and the company. Great teachers are always learning. Mike and Rebecca host fighters from all over the world, who come to MAP to teach two-seven day seminars. They train alongside their students under these martial arts superstars. This past year I participated in four seminars with Ju-Jitsu/MMA giants Leo Santos, Matt Thornton, Wagney Fabiano, and John Kavanagh, As a beginner I always felt welcomed at MAP.
In my training at MAP I did not met a single d#*k. This was very surprising since martial arts schools can be centers for insecurity and bullying - higher belts at other schools often do it so that they can beat up lower belts and feel superior. Higher belts are often arrogant and act like they are the greatest but without ever having to show why. I experienced this unpleasant atmosphere elsewhere. Even though there are belts at MAP the culture of the place is completely different because of the confidence of the instructors, who have nothing to prove and are humble, and the way the martial arts are taught. A central part of the learning experience at MAP is "aliveness" training. No matter what their level students work positions in live training exercises and spar freely. Sparing, fighting, keeps the martial art "honest," as I think Matt Thornton says. The instructors and the students roll with each other constantly. This has many benefits: it shows what works and what doesn't work (Bruce Lee). The only way to really learn a technique is to do it on a resisting opponent. Anyone can beat up a compliant body. This honest approach makes everyone humble. It cuts all the BS. Everyone fights differently and the learning is constant. Higher belts at MAP will coach beginners but will still take them seriously when sparing. The point at MAP is not to crush your opponent but to mutually grow and learn by experimenting, testing each other, and slowly becoming sensitive to leverage and body dynamics. This can only be done with a partner.
I cannot recommend MAP enough. Training at MAP this year saved me in many ways. MAP got me in shape and made me feel healthy, happy, and strong. MAP provided a refuge and distraction from the stress and anxiety of work; the hectic life of a parent of two small children; the Winter Blues; and the pain from the recent loss of my father.
Sincere and Warm Thanks,
Anthony F. D'Elia
Associate Professor of History
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
Summer Break
Martial Arts Planet will be closed for our annual summer break beginning Monday July 27th. We reopen with our full schedule of classes after the civic holiday on Tuesday August 4th. This break will allow both students and staff a chance to recharge their batteries. Rest assured though that we have LOTS of fun in the works for the remainder of the summer and the coming school year. Stay tuned for details!
A message to Average Joe
If you are a world-class athlete, can bench press 550 lbs. or can complete an Ironman without breaking a sweat, you can probably stop reading this now. This article, and perhaps even our gym, likely isn't for you. If however you are one of the masses, an "Average Joe," there is something you perhaps need to hear.
The mainstream media has been hard at work portraying everyone who trains in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a 25 year old bad ass with big muscles, a shaved head and can only be found wearing tight-fitting T-shirts adorned with plenty of skull graphics. While I'll admit that many of the competitive fighters that you see on TV do fit this persona, they certainly aren't all that way. Let's use our very own Brazilian Jiu-jitsu coach Wagnney Fabiano as an example. Undefeated in both the IFL and WEC, Wagnney is without exaggeration one of the best lightweights on the planet! At heart though Wagnney is a family man who in no way fits that stereotypical "fighter" image that media is trying to sell you. Why bother bringing this up? I do so because by selling that "bad ass" image, we are driving away the very people who could really benefit from live, functional training! The "Average Joes" of the world, the people that our gym, Martial Arts Planet really caters to, are the ones who need this. Whether for fitness, stress relief or on another level, self-defense, there is as much a place for the 45-55 year old desk-jockey or soccer mom to train as there is some young guy with competitive aspirations.
One of our biggest pet peeves over the years has been hearing about how people in desperate need of proper fitness coaching felt that they needed to "get in shape" before joining our gym. This type of thinking is akin to feeling that you need to have a degree before beginning University, or that you need to eat before heading off to a restaurant. Come on guys and gals, it just isn't so! If you are one of those "Average Joes," or "Average Janes" sitting on the sidelines, I implore you to ignore the media and get involved. Choose your gym wisely as there certainly are those that want to perpetuate the media's aforementioned image. Martial Arts Planet just isn't one of them.
Huge New Contest!
The nice weather is finally upon us and as such, those with a 'green thumb' are busy planting their gardens. The seeds that are sown today will later bloom as pretty flowers or tasty produce.
We too are looking to plant some seeds but instead of growing a garden we are looking to grow our gym, and we want YOUR help!
For the next 4 weeks, we will be running one of the biggest referral contests we have ever had. Here is how it will work...
For each friend (or family member) that you refer, you will receive 1 ballot to be entered into a draw for a FREE 6-MONTH UNLIMITED-CLASSES MEMBERSHIP!!!
Even if you are not the super lucky winner of the grand prize, we will be showing our thanks by giving EVERY student who refers someone a FREE month's upgrade to Unlimited Classes.
The contest begins Monday May 11th and runs until Thursday June 11th. Get busy... that prize is waiting for you to win it!
Community and Justice Services class visits MAP
On April 16th we were happy to have a class of just under 30 college students join us at MAP for some hands-on training in dealing with combative subjects. The Community and Justices Services class trip was organized by Michael Allison, a student at our gym. It was a fun class and everyone left sweaty and smiling! Thanks Mike!
Now even more training opportunities!
Beginning later this month (April 20 to be exact) we will be expanding our daytime class offerings to include a noon-hour session each weekday we are open. This is a perfect chance for the shift workers among us to get in some excellent training during the day. Contact us for more info on our new daytime classes, or the dozens of evening sessions we offer.
MAP Proshop Special!
Warm weather is coming and you know you'll be working up a healthy sweat in our classes. So unless you enjoy doing laundry every day having a few extra training shirts will almost be a necessity. In celebration of the nice weather, we now have on sale our custom MAP rashguards. Yes, buy one shirt for the regular price of 64.95 and receive a second for HALF PRICE! Buy two for yourself or split the deal with a buddy. Either way it works. This offer will end without notice so take advantage of it now!
Get StrengthPLUS™ just like on The Biggest Loser!
Sale!!!
Drop into our school's proshop this week and pick up a pair of top-quality Revgear® boxing gloves at a Super Price!
- 16 oz. Leather gloves - Reg. 109.95 - Sale Price: 94.95
- 14 oz. Leather gloves - Reg. 109.95 - Sale Price: 94.95
- 12 oz. Leather gloves - Reg. 109.95 - Sale Price: 94.95
Extra Special...
- 10 oz. Leather gloves - Reg. 109.95 - Sale Price: 84.95
Sale Ends Saturday, February 7, 2009.
Join the fun: Strength PLUS™
Check out the News Archive links to the left to read up on past years' happenings! There are lots of cool photos to view too!
