Look, I'm not gonna feed you some polished origin story about having a dream since childhood. Truth is, I was tired of seeing gyms that looked good on Instagram but couldn't actually prepare you for real combat situations. After 15 years bouncing between dojos, MMA gyms, and underground fight clubs across Asia and North America, I'd seen what worked and what was just flashy nonsense.
Started Shadow Chronicle in a cramped 1,200 sq ft space on Granville with just some heavy bags, worn mats, and a vision. No fancy equipment at first - just raw training that got results. Word spread fast when people realized we weren't here to take cute workout selfies. We were here to build warriors.
Every fighter's got their shadow work - the stuff nobody sees. The early morning sessions, the mental battles, the bruises you hide. That's where real growth happens. We chronicle that journey, respect it, honor it. Your shadow work becomes your strength here.
Yeah, 2020 hit us hard like everyone else. But while other gyms were figuring out Zoom workouts, we doubled down. Moved to our current 4,500 sq ft facility and invested in proper combat training equipment. Added a dedicated HIIT zone, proper boxing ring, and enough heavy bags that nobody's waiting around.
Brought on three more coaches - all with legitimate fight backgrounds, not just fitness certifications. We're talking pro fighters, competitive martial artists, guys who've been in the trenches. They get what we're about because they've lived it.
What really blew my mind was watching the community form. People who walked in strangers became training partners, pushing each other past limits they didn't know they had. That's the thing about combat training - it strips away the BS real quick. You can't fake it when you're sparring or pushing through your fifth round of HIIT.
Seven years of evolution, one hell of a journey
No fluff, no filler. Just techniques that work when it counts. We test everything in real sparring conditions.
We won't promise you'll be a fighter in 30 days. But put in the work? You'll see real transformation.
Leave your ego at the door. Everyone here's working on something, pushing past something. We rise together.
"I've trained in dingy basements in Thailand, pristine dojos in Japan, and everything in between. What I learned is this - the best gyms aren't the ones with the fanciest equipment or the slickest marketing. They're the ones where people actually get better, where egos get checked, and where the work speaks louder than the words."
Seven years in, I'm still hands-on every day. You'll see me on the mats, holding pads, correcting form. This isn't some franchise operation where the owner's nowhere to be found. Shadow Chronicle is my life's work, and every person who walks through that door matters.
We've built something special here in Vancouver - a place where accountants train alongside amateur fighters, where students push lawyers to their limits, where your background doesn't matter but your effort does. That's the culture we protect fiercely.
Come see what we're about. First class is on us - but fair warning, we don't go easy.