Kickboxing and karate flourish at The Pitt

Martial Arts Canada shihan Mike Hill is the owner and head instructor of The Pitt in La Salette. 

Chris Abbott

Editor

Martial Arts Canada marked its 50th anniversary on June 7, and The Pitt – a MAC location in La Salette - joined the celebration.

“We kind of started in my garage,” said Shihan Mike Hill, owner and head instructor of The Pitt, recalling its earliest days. “We actually started in a squash court in Tillsonburg about 2011, then we did some work in my garage. I think we started moving stuff into The Pitt in the fall of 2014, and started in 2015.”

The Pitt’s new location at the La Salette Community Hall proved to be a winner.

“I started (The Pitt’s) kickboxing group first. Then the karate came a little bit later. It’s easy to start kickboxing, in a sense that it’s a real commitment for karate sometimes.

“I still have some students from that very first day,” he said. “Bobbi Ann Brady, for example. And the community of La Salette has always been great to me. They are welcoming and I know they are proud when something good has happened – when someone has won a medal. It does not matter if it’s gold, they are proud.”

The Pitt has small classes, he said, and they only advertise through word of mouth and social media.

“People contact me all the time, especially for their kids in karate. And a lot like to start kickboxing – there’s certain ages I’d like them to start, or at least have some basics in karate.”

Hill, who first started his training at MAC’s Tillsonburg location in 1999, won a world championship gold in 2017. At times, he also trained in Straffordville and Langton.

“Wherever I could find a class that would let me in,” he smiled. “I started when I was 35, and by the time I was doing anything serious, I was 40. I got my blackbelt when I was 41, so I guess I would have been considered ‘old’ at the time.”

Over the years, there have been changes in Martial Arts Canada. Locations have been added, some drop. New blackbelts have joined the MAC family.

“Some of the change is ‘life goes on.’ Sometimes life changes… but we still have a lot of locations. The Pitt’s going strong, but it’s nice to see all the other clubs doing well too.”

At the 50th anniversary celebration in Straffordville, Hill said he was able to meet the original MAC founder Jim Summers. And he learned more about Leo Loucks.

“It was entertaining and I learned a lot of the club’s history. Even today, I learned more history.”