Martial arts doesn’t just set kids up for success in the long term, it has a lifelong positive impact for many students. One child who learned these values very early in life was Colin Caissie.
He started in martial arts at 12, and he’s now spent the last 30 years in martial arts and 20 years passing along its virtues to other students as an instructor. Apex Martial Arts Academy is his latest endeavour; a multi-disciplinary studio in Guelph that offers martial arts classes, kickboxing and yoga.
“As a kid, I wasn’t super active and wasn’t very athletic,” Caissie said. “My parents wanted me to get into something active, and we tried some traditional sports, but they didn’t quite pan out. At the time, the Ninja Turtles were a big thing, so that was my big motivating factor. I told my parents I wanted to be a ninja.”
Unlike team sports, Caissie was driven to the independent nature of the sport of martial arts. Even at a young age, he had an entrepreneurial spirit and envisioned a day when he would operate his own dojo. He’s now the head instructor and general manager of Apex Martial Arts Academy.
While they cater to all ages and all skill levels, the bread and butter of Apex’s academy is their kids' program. Caissie designed a proprietary program that combines the focus and concentration of karate, but also teaches the practical aspects of self defence and combat from mixed martial arts.
“We’ve created a children’s program that goes above and beyond to use martial arts as a vehicle towards self improvement,” Caissie said. “Traditional martial arts have all the really good character-building traits innately built into the training. What we’ve done is taken that and brought it to the surface.”
Students can progress at their own pace while learning the foundational skills of the martial arts program. They start in beginner classes and graduate into more advanced levels, giving them the flexibility to visit as often or as little as they like with unlimited class access. It’s an open gym of sorts, which gives busy families flexible scheduling options.
Anyone can sign up for a one-week free trial at Apex Martial Arts Academy to experience the environment first-hand and to meet with the instructors. After that, students can sign up for a one-month, six-month or a twelve-month program to help them progress towards their goals.
Over the years, Caissie has heard from many students how his teachings helped them in real-life situations. One example was one of his former black belt students who used self defence against a bully at school. The student tapped into his martial arts skills to help defuse the situation, and the bully never bothered him again.
“In my mind, that’s the perfect culmination of what martial arts should ultimately do,” Caissie said. “The rest of his life, I bet that moment is going to resonate with him and it’s going to have an impact on him. For me, that was one of those ‘ah ha’ moments in my career when I go: ‘All this is worth it.’”
Whether it’s martial arts, kickboxing or yoga, Apex Martial Arts Academy caters to students of all skill levels. Sign up for a one-week trial to see if it’s right for you! Learn more at AMAA.ca.