Boxing is the western form of self-defense. Even eastern fighters recognize its value, however. Bruce Lee himself understood the tremendous power of a boxer's punch, and when he created Jeet Kun Do over 50% of his technique was adopted from boxing.

As a teenager I never excelled in group sports. I was inclined toward more personal challenges. I was fascinated with Oriental Martial Arts at the time. After enrolling in Tae Kwon Do class, it didn't take me long to become bored and disillusioned. The real-life training, at least in US, resembled little of what I saw in the movies.

In my first "point tournament" I made my opponent bleed as the result of a punch. I was disqualified. The opponent himself complained about the bleeding. It didn't make sense to me. I thought Martial Arts were the art of combat. Soon after that, I transitioned to kickboxing. It was much more of what I was looking for, actual combat. After participating in competitions and observing kickboxing events, it became apparent to me that most knock-outs were the result of a punch rather than a kick. I was always better with my hands than feet anyway, so I decided to take up boxing so that I could become a better kickboxer. This was the end of my kickboxing career, and the beginning of a new passion, boxing.

The transition was far more difficult than I anticipated. In boxing the distance between combatants is shorter. I had to relearn everything, from foot work and better hand skills to how to take a punch. I was fortunate to train under several world class trainers. I learned all I could, and am still learning (I believe you never stop). Boxing became my passion. I had my last bout at the age of 37. I am now 48, but I still get in the ring and spar. My goal this year was to participate in a World championship Ring Side Tournament. However, I had hip replacement surgery 8 months prior to the event, and my body was not able to adapt to the intensity of training. I still plan to do it next year.

13 years ago, I became involved in training "white collar boxers": professional men and women who wanted to gain the benefits of rigorous boxing training and learn boxing skills without the risk of being injured during "battle". Most of my personal and group training is dedicated toward this goal. I take my work seriously. I don't want just to get people fit. I want them to learn the art of boxing while they do it! I train "white collar boxers" the same as I do professional boxers, with proper form, defensive and offensive skills, and conditioning.

The time I invested in kickboxing did not go to waste. I continue to offer personal and group training for kickboxing enthusiasts. I developed my own training system which stresses good hand skills with functional kicks which could actually be used by an average person.

I began Slava Boxing to share my passion for boxing and kickboxing with others and to help them experience the satisfaction and self-confidence that is a result of this training. It is also my hope that my work will help to foster a respect for the art and science of self-defense among my students and their families.