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26 saturday may 4 2002 economist suntribune s photorob alary kelly punzo aerobics coordinator at fit city in newmarket leads a class in punches and jabs during a cardio boxing session cardio classes pack martial arts experts concerned about quality of boxing instruction by amy west staff writer cardio kickboxing and boxing workouts provide an alternative to the monotony of stairmasters and stationary bikes by combining martial arts kicking techniques and various boxing punches the result is a sport that has participants raving but has many martial arts experts con cerned made popular by billy blanks hometraining videos the sports success may be attributed to the expedient and visible results kickboxing burns between 700 and 1000 calories an hour as opposed to the 300 to 400 calories burned by the average hourlong step aerobics class while burning calories and breaking a sweat boxers are gain ing selfconfidence a particularly appealing aspect to women i like to go running early in the morning before i go to work said jenna quinn of thornhill i start ed incorporating cardio boxing into my workout routine because my mom was always worrying about me being out by myself she wanted me to know how to defend myself and i wanted something that would help me stay fit without having to lift weights or use a bunch of equipment the feeling of empowerment of being able to defend them selves is a common sideeffect of boxing workouts said kelly punzo aerobics coordinator for fit city in newmarket punching is something most women are not comfortable doing growing up we are taught not to hit not to fight kelly punzo aerobics coordinator fit city punching is something most women are not comfortable doing ms punzo said growing up we are taught not to hit not to fight taking these classes teaches women how to throw punches and feel positive about it but tim wakefield owner of villaris self defence centre in aurora is concerned cardio box ing and kickboxing classes are cre ating a false sense of security among participants especially women the mindset associated with defending yourself from attack is completely different than the mindset used in these classes he said when facing an attacker are you really going to remember something you learned bouncing around to music and hitting pads another problem with these classes wakefield said is the lack of qualified instructors people who teach martial arts have been at it a long time said mr wakefield a 20year veteran of the sport now you have aerobics instructors teaching people how to kick and throw punches without the proper training or capability to correct students mistakes this creates a huge potential for injury if not performed properly kick boxing can result in hyper-extend- see qualified page 27 vent offers shoulder to cry on by carolyn barry special to the erabanner at first she is hesitate to talk with others about what is on her mind small wonder because what is on her mind is what she does to make herself feel better she wants to talk about cutting herself with a knife she is sitting in a room with seven strangers drawn together by one common need to talk she turns to a young mother and asks if her child is teething yet within minutes the topic switches to self- harm others listen offer advice and a shoulder to cry on thats the purpose of a new counselling group in newmarket called vent with the supportive elements involved we hope we provide an environment where teens feel free to speak about what they feel like aimed at teenagers and young adults vent operated by young adults and funded by the united way was started in midmarch by kati murray and jenny haggart in con junction with the canadian mental health association and positive connections in york region with the supportive elements involved we hope we provide an environment where teens feel free to speak about what they feel like ms haggart said from 6 to 9 every wednesday night those who feel the need to talk are welcome to join others at the newmarket kinsmen club hall at the corner of main and water streets discussions range from teenage pregnancy to selfharm suicide drugs alcohol sex and more on the very first night vent start ed 11 young people arrived even having one person out is the see support page 27 ijbw3 h jr art show sale may 9 to 11 original paintings of local scenes heritage themes and faraway places soe pafotsr at wwwpiphercom 10 am to7pm 505th7l 33 sgj2 8s6ce mri on itw south side of 7 across from markville mall