In 1975, Jacques Patenaude opened Patenaude Martial Arts in Ottawa. He was the first instructor in Canada to teach Bruce Lee's style. The Gatineau academy opened its doors in 1997.
Fifty years later the mission hasn't moved an inch: help people from 8 to 70 get stronger, physically and mentally, through mixed martial arts.
What's taught here doesn't exist anywhere else in the region: a blend of traditional kung fu, kickboxing and an approach to MMA sharpened by fifty years of practice and coaching. It's also why the wall is full.
- 1975
Jacques Patenaude opens the academy in Ottawa, the first instructor in Canada teaching Bruce Lee's style.
- 1997
The Gatineau academy opens at 306 Notre-Dame Street.
- Today
Two UFC fighters, a Lethwei world champion, more than 30 amateur champions, and a wall of over 40 belts.
Sifu Patrick Marcil
At your first class, he is probably the one welcoming you. Sifu Patrick Marcil leads the Gatineau academy, alongside his team of instructors, including Christine Patenaude on Warrior Fitness.
His floor speaks for him. UFC fighters Marc-André Barriault and Julien Leblanc train here, with 5× Lethwei world champion Dave Leduc, PFL finalist Alain Majorique and Isaac Blais, next to people who started from zero a month ago.
His way of running the room fits in one sentence: everyone is welcome, from complete beginner to professional fighter. Same floor, same standard, your pace.
« We build champions in the ring, the cage, and in life. »
Sifu Patrick Marcil
40+
Belts. One dojo.
Every belt on that wall was won by someone who started with a first class, the exact one you can book today. More amateur and professional champions produced than any other academy in Gatineau-Ottawa.
What has not changed
Fifty years on, the mission has not moved: help people of every age get stronger, physically and mentally.