Kickboxers sweat, jump, hit their way into great shape

Business Report Correspondent

LAFAYETTE ? Working as a one-two punch duo, husband and wife Garrett and Lynn Fisher have established their own family martial-arts fitness center in Lafayette called Dragonfire Black Belt Academy.

“This is American karate,” Garrett Fisher said. “It’s comfortable, it’s fun, non-intimidating, yet you can learn a valuable, sophisticated and devastating martial art at the same time. You can have fun, relieve stress and feel good about yourself.”

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The Fishers agree that karate is used to build self-esteem and self-confidence. Younger students learn respect, self-discipline and self-control, and they get into shape.

Garrett, the primary instructor, has combined karate with his dual bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education to create a unique and healthy kickboxing class and workout called Executive Fitness Kickboxing.

“It’s a class that is modeled after a professional Muay Thai kickboxer’s workout. As far as I know, we are the only people in the area that offer it,” Lynn Fisher said.

Executive Fitness Kickboxing is basically a fitness class, according to Fisher. Students start out shadow boxing, then they skip rope and do some warm ups. Then they put gloves on and work the bags, doing different combinations based on instruction from the coach. “We do boxing rounds and then, at the end, they do some floor, abs, glut work and then stretching.”

The class is aimed at busy professionals because it takes only an hour to complete a full workout, but any adult can take the class. The Fishers also offer one-on-one personal training for busy executives who want to come in and work out at specific times.

“It’s pretty much one-of-a-kind,” Garrett Fisher said. “It starts off with basic warm up drills, and then you go to work on the bags. It doesn’t cross the line of cardio. It’s fitness kickboxing. I have a private version that I’m going to start marketing now for VPs and executives whose time is really limited. It will be more on a private basis, no more than three people.”

Dragonfire member Lena Jantz likes the classes. “I think it’s great,” she said. “It’s just a different type of exercise than your regular aerobic routine. I use it as an outlet for anything that is going on in my work-related or personal life. You can just look at those bags and feel in control and punch them. Anybody that’s into an aerobic-type workout would like what the class has to offer.”

Classes are offered Monday through Saturday. A Little Dragons class is offered for children ages 4 to 7; Karate Kids, ages 7 to 13. There are two adult classes, Cardio Kickbox Colorado and Executive Fitness Kickboxing. The 3,075-square-foot facility at 305 Waneka Parkway consists of one large workout room with 12-foot ceilings.

The facility offers a free, 30-day trial period for the Executive Fitness Kickboxing class. When patrons decide to try it, they purchase a kit that contains boxing gloves, a jump rope, wraps and a tote bag, all for $75. After the trial period, they pay $79 each month, which entitles them to the fitness kickboxing class and the cardio-kickboxing class, which is similar to a taebo workout.

“We want to help people become healthier and more sure of themselves,” Lynn Garrett said. “Our classes help build confidence. It shows people that they can do something they did not think they could do.”