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Originally posted by Insomniac
Frank's gym looks pretty tight. I was at a fight card on Saturday, I think four of his fighters were on it. They have good skills and are in good shape.

I train at Arashi Do, which I like a lot. It's a good group of people. I picked them because it's a friendly gym and also has Brazialian Jiu Jitsu. The have a location on the Northside (Yellowhead and 127st I think) where the kickboxing students are pretty green, and one on the south side (99st & 46 ave) where there are good kickboxers. The problem is we train 8-10pm, which is pretty damn late at night.

I've trained with a guy that claims he's the kickboxing trainer at Panther's, and well, based on his skills, I wouldn't recommend that place. They do have some good boxers though.

Cougars is really good for boxing. They are dirt cheap since they are non profit, but I wouldn't recommend going there unless your intention is to fight. Otherwise, they won't want to waste time on you.

Your only other alterative is National Kicboxing which is at 167st and Stony Plain Road. It is not a very friendly place to train, the instructor is a bit of a loon. The gym has a very high turnaround, which sucks. I was there for a while, until a bunch of us jumped ship to train elsewhere (messy situation).

In summary:

Frank Lees is probably the best for pure kickboxing. I say that because of their fighters and the central location. Arashi Do is good if you are willing to travel to the south side, or if you want to try other things like wrestling/bjj (you can do that at either location). Either gym will probaly let you take a free class or two to check it out. I would strongly recommend taking or watching a class at the places you're considering, and then make up your mind.

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