A Brief History

As a young man, John boxed amateurly for several years. During this time, he also spent countless hours bodybuilding at the gym. It was in his third year as an under-graduate at university when he came to the realization that he could not continue to get punched in the head and, at the same time, pursue his academic goals and do well with his studies. What was next?

Interesting enough, his journey into the martial arts began in a tattoo parlor.  Although many of you have never darkened the door, there are a few of us who have. They truly are sub-cultures unto their own. John then pursued a black belt in karate (Japanese), followed by a gold sash in wing chun kung fu (Chinese). He then designed, developed, and began teaching his own system called JAMAS.

The School – 2002-2009

So fast forward to today. After nearly 20 years teaching the JAMAS system John has recently become officially certified as personal trainer. JAMAS continues to evolve. His energy and enthusiasm has been rekindled. His goal continues to be to help people to achieve their own goals.

Whether it be weight loss, weight gain, strength, cardio conditioning, spiritual enlightenment, chi development, martial arts skills and knowledge, self-defense, or simply feeling good about yourself: together with his instructors, John can certainly help you to achieve your goals.

No Tattoo Yet!

As he stared at the wall and leafed through the books of possible tattoo designs, he thought to himself, “I don’t want a design that someone else has,” “I will design one myself!”  But then he began to wonder what achievement would be worthy of a “cool” tattoo?   Then he got the brainwave, “A Black Belt”.  “That’s right, I’ll wait until I am a black belt and then I will get a tattoo symbolic of such a great achievement. “

Several years later, black belt in hand, John found himself still debating the merits of a tattoo.  He is still debating today.  Why then did his black belt not trigger the green light?  Because he had focused on the accomplishment and not the journey.  The sober realization came to him half way through his training: “If I keep on learning, I will be covered in tattoos!”

A black belt is a recognition of achievement and a mark of excellence but it is just the beginning.  Staying aware of the journey and not the destination is a difficult lesson in life.  Keep reminding yourself to “relish the moment”.   Stop and take the time to smell the roses.

Logo

The acronym JAMAS stands for “John Affleck’s Martial Arts System”.   In the logo, the Yin and Yang symbol is red and white – a Canadian concept as opposed to the typical colors (black and white / red and white) used for Taoism and Daoism. The dots have been replaced with the Chinese characters for Wing Chun. The dragon, represents everything outside of that which includes boxing, karate, and of course, personal training.