training at Florida Jack's?

Hey, has anyone trained at this place? If so, how much does it cost per month? Would you reccomend it?

I want to continue to learn how to box. I trained earlier this year at Atlas, but now I'm thinking of joining Sully's. It's a little out of the way, but it's cheap and offers a more north american style.

Markffd,

Whenever I am in Toronto and training fighters I use Florida Jack's facility. Its a good facilty.
I have seen Sully's fighters compete however and they seem very competitive. I was impressed with their boxing skill levels.

Shawn Tompkins

cool, thanks for the info Shawn.

Florida Jack's in definitely closer and easier for me to get to, but it's all a matter of cost for me. I'm a student, I don't have an endless supply of cash. I know Sully's charges something like $40/month - which is very reasonable. I'll have to see how much Florida Jack asks.

I trained at Florida Jack's for awhile. There were some good
aspects, but some horrible ones too. The prices were pretty
bad (can't remember any exact figures), the facility was pretty
shotty (i.e. leaking roof all over the workout room), and the
equipment was, in some cases, pretty bad (gloves with
stuffing flying out all over the place). I also thought the
training methods of Florida Jack himself (though I don't think
he teaches there much) were pretty bad/dangerous. I was
thrown right into sparring without training, or any idea of how
to properly box or defend myself and I got the shit knocked
out of me and a pretty bad concussion. All that Jack was
doing was yelling (to the guy who was in the ring with me)
"Come on, hit him harder!". No concern for the safety of the
people involved. A bunch of people were there just to get in
shape, no interest in boxing competitvely or really the sport
aspect of it at all, Jack didn't care: "Everybody has to spar."

What I did like about the place though was the other trainer
they had in there, a guy by the name of Humberto Alvarez.
Extremely knowledgable and a great coach who really
stressed the fundamentals and took a lot of one-on-one time
with people to do pad work and other drills. I don't know if
he's there anymore, but he was a big asset to that place.

Overall, I guess it's worth checking out, just as long as you
know what you're getting into. If Shawn likes it obviously that
tells you that they've gotta have merrit, but for me personally,
as a beginner, Jack's was not a great fit. I know a couple of
people who feel the same way and joined up with other gyms
as a result.

interesting points Jon. Just out of interest which boxing school did you end up training in? after Florida.. I mean.

if you are a chick and just want to stay in shape...florida jack's may not be that bad.

if you want to learn to box though i'd go to sully's...



cheers

mark, almost every month you come on here and ask
about another boxing school. Why don't you just call
the school's and ask them what their fee's are and
what kind of training they give to new students, etc?
Easiest way.

BTW, my friend Frank Bullard does private coaching at
Florida Jack's.

Florida Jacks is expensive because they cater to the
well-off, take a look at their location for starters;
Yonge and Bloor is an expensive area of town. They
do privates only as far as I'm aware.

All the other schools are probably cheaper, ie;
Sullys, KO King, Bloor Street Boxing Club, Champions,
Atlas, Cabbagetown, Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, etc.

ok fine, I didn't mean to ruin your day.

The location is amazing, and I guess that's why it's so
exspensive, but for the price they charge they should really
offer better equipment and improve the facility.


cabbagetown is a great place and not expensive. The coaching in top notch, and they never throw you in the ring with an experienced fighter. You need to clear with the Ontario amatuer boxing commission first... plus get a full physical.