Ontario Self Defence Centre & Raw Combat Toronto

Hands down the best Kung Fu and Raw Combat training Centre around and I love training here! Shifu Peter Boland is down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and his passion for legitimate self-protection training is what sets this Centre apart from all others. He encourages us to set our own personal goals and his classes are fun, challenging, and make you walk away feeling like you’ve made improvements in your training journey. Shifu has a knack of nudging people outside of their comfort zone so that you progress in your training. As a result of the “nudging”, which I needed, I train in both Wu Xin Kung Fu and Raw Combat, and would highly recommend training in either style to both men and women who want to learn how to protect themselves. As a woman, I was extremely nervous trying out this typically male-dominated activity; it took months before I was able to walk through the door to try a class. For any woman out there who is nervous about attending a class and feeling like they won’t be any good, please come and train with us. You will not find a better training family to surround yourself with. Shifu really cares about his students, and under his leadership, all black sashes and students work together to create a respectful, safe and enjoyable training environment. Shifu fosters a culture of camaraderie; there are no egos at the Centre, just the love of martial arts and the desire to train. Everyone joins for different reasons (learning self-protection skills, increasing one’s confidence, or improving one’s fitness level), but we are all here to train and support each other. Regardless of your physical ability, everyone at the Centre is patient and willing to break down the techniques step-by-step so that you get it. I love that the schedule offers multiple training opportunities, and each class includes a variety of warm ups, core strength exercises, conditioning drills, flexibility training, and partner work. We use kick shields, focus pads, gloves, arm and shin guards, heavy bags, weights, skipping ropes, battle ropes, and kettlebells. Shifu believes in a strong, technical foundation, and builds on this foundation as you advance through the different sash levels; what I love most about this Centre is that the focus is not on the colour of your sash, but in your ability to protect yourself and stay safe. Shifu has an incredible amount of martial arts skills and a vast knowledge base to draw upon concerning fitness and nutrition. He is also willing to share this knowledge, which is something I highly value. If you’re on the fence about joining, my advice is to come try a class as you will absolutely love it. I look forward to training with you!

My son has been attending the OSDC for about 3 years and my experience has been great. It has taught my son confidence, respect, and how to defend himself in real world situations. If I were looking for a good self defense place, I would definitely recommend the Ontario Self Defense Centre. It is a great place for people of all ages.

We’ve been here for almost 5 months. The experience has been great. My kids have learned a lot and love going. Would highly recommend it.

My daughter has been attending the OSDC for a year and her confidence has matured her organizational skills have improved. She enjoys her class along with her shifu. She has grown a lot and she looks forward to another successful year.

I go to the Ontario Self Defense Centre everyday of the week. I train in Wu Xin Kung Fu and Raw Combat. I really enjoy training at the Centre and I go as often as possible. Everyone at the Centre are very welcoming and kind to one another, and is always a positive atmosphere. At the end of the training sessions I leave feeling good and energized. I would recomend anyone comimg to train at the centre. It will help you with your fitness, nutrition, being confident with yourself, making you feel more safe, coordination skills, more aware of your surrounding, combat skills, weapon defense and your all around well being. I would also recomend training both Raw Combat and Wu Xin Kung Fu. It really does help you to become the best you can be.