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FightClub founder and trainer Emmanuel Manolakakis is set to host Movement & Breath Foundations workshop at Michael Garron Hospital on Sunday, Aug. 16. Photo: submitted.<\/p>\nFightClub founder and trainer Emmanuel Manolakakis is set to host Movement & Breath Foundations workshop at Michael Garron Hospital on Sunday, Aug. 16. Photo: submitted.<\/p>\n
By MATTHEW STEPHENS<\/p>\n
With its depiction of gratuitous violence and sworn secrecy, the widely popular 1999 film Fight Club cemented in our brains that \u201cthe first rule of fight club is to never talk about fight club.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Emmanuel Manolakakis, founder of FightClub Toronto at 401 Donlands Ave., runs an operation that\u2019s a far cry from the secretive basement brawls of the \u201990s film starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.<\/p>\n
In fact, his school takes a more tranquil approach to the intricacies of martial arts, focusing instead on the mind and body over power and brute force. And on Sunday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., he\u2019s bringing that tranquility to Michael Garron Hospital for a fundraising workshop focused on the core pillars of any physical activity: movement and breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith my style of training, I introduce people to the way I see athletics,\u201d said Manolakakis in an interview with Beach Metro Community News. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to make it complicated; it can be very simple. There\u2019s beautiful complexity in simplicity.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an emphasis on breathing patterns and hyper-focused, thoughtful movements, Manolakakis helps students tap into \u201csomething fundamental that is essential to taking care of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it as something like brushing your teeth; you need to take care of them the same way you fundamentally take care of your body,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
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Flyer for FightClub Toronto\u2019s Movement and Breath Foundations workshop slated for Sunday, Aug. 16 at Michael Garron Hospital. Photo submitted.<\/p>\n
Manolakakis\u2019 training regimen is heavily influenced by systema martial arts, a Russian martial art focused on close-combat, breathing, and relaxation. For Sunday\u2019s workshop, he will be focusing on body scanning, breathing cycles, and tension-releasing mobility flows.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much more than just martial arts,\u201d said Manolakakis. \u201cFor many people that have been doing it for a while, it\u2019s completely meditative, but you first have to come to terms with yourself before understanding its intended purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to the training process of FightClub, Manolakakis said the most challenging opponent one can face off against is themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s always the premise of martial arts. First, you have to learn how to fight yourself, and then you can learn how to fight other people,\u201d said Manolakakis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I say fight yourself, I mean our laziness, our complacency, our procrastination. We as humans have this tendency to take the easiest route, which can be right or wrong depending on the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an East Toronto resident for over 30 years, Manolakakis said hosting the fundraiser at Michael Garron Hospital is his way of showing his appreciation for the years of service provided to him and his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at Michael Garron Hospital, it\u2019s really small, but the community it serves is so big,\u201d Manolakakis explained. \u201cI\u2019ve been there so many times over the years with my kids and it\u2019s an amazing hospital, so this is a good way to give back to it.\u201d<\/p>\n