Mario Fit

Taking the first steps to improving your health and fitness can be a challenge on your own. At Mario Fit, owner and head instructor Mario-Marian Schiopu uses his array of skills and experience to help clients find new ways of taking care of themselves. His training in martial arts, self-defence, fitness and nutrition allow him to offer nutritional consultations and teach classes in karate and self-defence at Coal Harbour, West End and Hillcrest Community Community Centres and to students in Vancouver and Lower Mainland high schools.

An energetic and inspired teacher, Mario takes time to share his wealth of experience with students. Throughout his upbringing in Romania, he practiced different forms of martial arts including krav maga, judo and karate. Mario went on to become the Romanian national champion in mixed martial arts karate Shotokan-Fudokan from 1980 to 1988. He has coached children and adults in Romania Italy, Israel, the US and Canada.

When he moved to Canada in 1995, Mario decided to focus less on the competition scene and more on general well-being and fitness. “When I came here, I saw that people wanted fitness and I thought to myself: I have this experience right? I've trained with a whole bunch of different people and styles, why don't I start something new?”

Mario co-founded the Vancouver programs, Youth Empowered Self-Defence and Vancouver Martial Arts Academy. Presently, his classes include a fusion of techniques from the various disciplines with which he is familiar. For example, in a Mario Fit self-defence class, there will be elements of traditional and sport karate, combined with kickboxing, krav maga and other types of martial arts, to make kids fit, aware and confident for life.