Ten years of Okanagan martial arts training will be celebrated by Pacific Top Team this September.
The dojo started as a simple way to train for owners and passionate martial artists Sarah Draht and Jorden Reichenbach, and over a near decade Pacific Top Team has grown into a family-orientated dojo which the duo have been proud to operate in the Okanagan.
sa国际传媒淲e started it from nothing,sa国际传媒� Draht said. sa国际传媒淎nd it just grew and grew and people started to love it. Our goal was to target the family people and create a home away from home for people.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淢artial arts gives people a lot. People step onto the mat to learn something new and sometimes they donsa国际传媒檛 realize the journey that theysa国际传媒檙e starting on.sa国际传媒�
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While Draht specializes more on the jiu-jitsu trainingsa国际传媒攕he recently won gold at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Masters World Championshipssa国际传媒攕hesa国际传媒檚 seen a rise in local interest in martial arts with the growing popularity of MMA, the UFC and recognizable people in the industry such as Joe Rogan and Canadian martial artist Georges St-Pierre.
In a release from the provincial government earlier this week, B.C.sa国际传媒檚 athletic commission authorized and sanctioned professional kickboxing as an option for martial artists.
Kickboxing was previously recognized as an amateur sport where athletes would need to transition into MMA or leave the province in order to kickbox professionally. The sports sanction will increase athlete safety by integrating existing training practices and standardizing regulations.
sa国际传媒淭he B.C. Athletic Commission has been working toward the inclusion of professional kickboxing for quite some time,sa国际传媒� B.C.sa国际传媒檚 athletic commissioner Kelly Gilday said.
sa国际传媒淭he decision to allow professional kickboxing in B.C. as a subset of MMA is a significant step toward reducing the risk to fighters by allowing them to transition from amateur to professional in the sport they have trained in for years.sa国际传媒�
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Draht said the approved sanction will lead to more interest in the Okanagan and more people embracing the sport other than just for self-defence, but as a way of life.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 good for the mind and the body,sa国际传媒� she said.
sa国际传媒淎ll these layers of training move into lifestyles. Through martial arts, Isa国际传媒檝e seen people leave poor relationships, overcome addiction and do complete 180s in their lives.sa国际传媒�
In celebration of the growing sport and the growing dojo, Draht and the Pacific Top Team are hosting free workshops as a way to thank and celebrate Okanagan martial artists.
Self-defence, kids classes, womensa国际传媒檚 only classes and classes with head instructor and former world champion Adolfo Lozano will be free to the community at the 10th anniversary party on Sept. 21.
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