We are Squamish’s newest Martial Arts & Fitness studio. We value each student’s journey whether this is a hobby, a new way to build your community, a the start to your fitness journey, a break from life or your path to being a champion of the sport.
We are excited for our team to evolve with us as we grow. Come and join the competitions and team activities with us, cheer on your teammates, and join a kick-ass community in the Sea-to-Sky corridor. We know the feeling of joining a new gym, not knowing what to do and feeling a little lost. It can look intimidating and scary at first – but the first day is always the hardest. No matter when you join, whether it’s today, next month or next year, we will guide you every step of the way from the first time you step foot into the gym to reaching your goals.
Looking to get comfortable in the gym before coming to your first class? Book a 15-20 minute consultation, and one of our coaches will walk you through our gym, get you set up, and what to expect in class with a few quick techniques to get you comfortable and confident.
With more than 30 professional fights under his belt, Cole is an experienced Mixed Martial Artist having lived in Thailand, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Cole has trained with some of the sports’ best martial artists including James Kraus, Diego Sanchez, and UFC Flyweight Champion, Brandon Moreno.Cole is a BFL and UFC Veteran. Holding belts in MMA (5) and Muay Thai (3), Cole is also a black belt in BJJ and a green belt in Tae Kwon Do. Cole has been practising Martial Arts for more than 15 years and has been coaching for 10 where he has cornered fighters all around Canada, Thailand, USA and Japan.Cole’s coaching style is hands on and attentive. He believes in a calm and thoughtful approach when coaching but expects your full attention and a strong work ethic. Ask him about his Pokemon collection.
Candace, being the non-professional fighter that she is, enjoys watching from the sidelines and supporting Cole Smith's dream of streamlining his talent through coaching and building a gym. Working in the Brand Marketing industry, she brings her organizational and business savvy skills to build and manage the operational side of Roundhouse. On top of hitting pads and getting back into rolling, she enjoys a nice hot yoga sweat, hitting the weights and some Sunday pilates.Fave Food: Anything noodles, sushi and fried chicken
Jeri is our Women's Fitness Kickboxing Coach. Growing up, Jeri did not find herself heavily involved in sports until she later discovered Martial Arts as an adult. Stepping into something brand new can be very difficult but she was keen to find a healthy outlet. Getting into martial arts turned her life around as it created accountability over her health and body while encouraging her to develop great habits and start training almost everyday. Her passion for martial arts can be seen and felt instantly when you're in a room training with her. On her spare time she goes on adventure with Turkish (her giant goofball dog) and is always working on her beautiful art!Fave Food: Tacos
Tara is our Women’s Jiu Jitsu coach at RoundHouse. She started training Jiu Jitsu since 2016 in both Gi and No Gi after her son playfully put her in a rear-naked choke he learned from his own martial arts class. She fell in love with the sport instantly and has since changed her life. Since starting, she has competed and won different tournaments around the lower mainland. She's not only very passionate about Jiu Jitsu but about a healthy lifestyle overall. When she’s not living and breathing Jiu Jitsu, you can find her working on her calisthenics, working on her handstands hiking, playing squash, kayaking, and pretty much anything you can outdoors! Ask her about her short fiction.Fun Fact: Writes short fiction
Dave is the Boxing Coach at Roundhouse. Being a long-time fan of Mike Tyson after renting UFC 1 from the video store, his passion grew for the sport and after an injury to his knee, he had to find a way to stay in shape without much impact to his knee. That’s where he stumbled into boxing where he not only loves to throw hands but also learning the sweet science of it. He is excited to share his knowledge and develop people’s boxing skills and confidence. Ask him about podcasts and cars.
Fav Food: Tandoori Chicken
David is a holistic nutritionist (with a focus on sports nutrition and recovery), yoga instructor and a personal trainer utilising a blend of functional fitness training, mobility, yoga and recovery tools. Combining these various practices, he has built his own business to help optimise your lifestyle, nutrition and fitness. As a fitness trainer, he thought to push himself and give martial arts a go at RH after watching many UFC fights and is now completely hooked! His favourite class is MMA as it brings all the different components together. Outside of the gym, he teaches, runs, practices yoga, reads, the occasional mountaineering, cooking and watching the Great British Bakeoff!
Dan, hailing from Colorado and Florida, initially had no idea what jiu jitsu was and mistakenly thought it was a form of karate. His first encounter with martial arts came when his brother Nick brought him to a jiu jitsu class a few years ago. During that first session, Dan got thoroughly overpowered, sparking a deep need to understand what had just happened. This experience ignited his fascination, curiosity, and passion for jiu jitsu, setting him on a path of relentless learning and dedication to the sport. He loves the sport, as it “feels like playing chess with your body”. Some fun facts about Dan is he loves to workout, play chess and mountain bike.
Maddy has been passionate about sports from a young age, playing soccer throughout her childhood until a knee injury led her to discover kickboxing at 15. She quickly fell in love with the sport and the community that came with it. Her favorite discipline is Muay Thai, but she's also starting to enjoy wrestling. Maddy loves the constant challenge martial arts provides, always eager to learn new techniques across various disciplines. Outside the gym, she's an outdoor enthusiast—a jack of all trades who bikes, skis, hikes, and embraces the outdoors. In 2019, she was crowned the Canadian Junior National Champion in downhill mountain biking. Beyond sports, Maddy works as a film and TV makeup artist. In April 2024, she celebrated her first amateur Muay Thai victory and looks forward to exploring multiple disciplines in the future.
To provide a community – a place for you to always feel welcome at, an outlet for martial arts to give you anything that you need, to bring the mindset into any aspect of your life.
To us, Martial Arts is more than just hitting things and throwing punches. It is deeply rooted within our values, which are built upon hardwork, respect, honour, integrity and most importantly being there for your community, teammates and friends. Although this may look like an independent sport, we work together as a team and thrive together as a team. We encourage each other to do our best, work together as a team and help each other out when we can on and off the mats.
