Laws brings 9Round fitness concept to Farragut
Melody J. Laws is bringing 9Round 30 Min. Kickbox Fitness, a new fitness concept, to Farragut.
“I think it will give another option for fitness [to Farragut residents],” Laws said. “It will be a time-saver, it will help people reach their fitness goals and it will be very competitive, cost-wise.”
Laws, the 9Round franchise owner, is hoping to open the new fitness center at 139 West End Ave., in West End Center in early June.
“We hope to be open before school is out,” she added.
Laws said she is bringing the center to Farragut because “there is nothing else like it here and we thought this would be a good place to start and hopefully grow.”
“Our goal is about 10 to 12 clubs in Knoxville,” said Jack Butturini, Laws’ boyfriend and 9Rounds manager. “We think this was the right place to start.”
9Round uses kickboxing methods with circuit training to give participants a full-body workout that is fast and effective, she said.
“The workouts change daily, so you never get bored, and there are no class times,” Laws said. “A trainer is always included … sweat therapy.”
“One of the unique parts is you actually have a trainer on the floor every class, so you are not paying that $45 to $75 an hour for a personal trainer,” Butturini said.
“Our members will get access to an online nutrition portal,” Laws said, adding there are meal plans and access to a world-renowned nutrition specialist.
Clients do not have to have any experience in kickboxing, and they are not competing with other clients, Butturini said.
“We’re not training kickboxers; we are just using kickboxing techniques,” Laws added.
Laws got interested in the franchise because it doesn’t require classes. She previously had taken kickboxing, but if she got out of work late she missed her workout. Then, she said, Butturini found a 9Round location in Hardin Valley on Facebook.
“The guy who created this [fitness concept], Shannon Hudson, is an old martial arts friend of mine,” he said. “Now, they’re over 500 other franchise locations in the country. It’s a very unique idea.
“We liked it so much that she bought a franchise,” Butturini added.
“It’s a really good workout,” Laws said. “It’s a time saver because it’s only 30 minutes, and because there are no class times — I can come when I want. I don’t have to miss anything because it’s always there.
“It keeps me in shape and I get to bring something good to people who want to get fit or stay fit,” she added.
Butturini, who taught martial arts for about 34 years, said Laws was one of his first students. The two reconnected a year ago on Facebook.
“We both liked the punching and kicking but we were a little too old to get punched and kicked anymore,” he said and laughed. With 9Round, he said a participant gets the stress relief without getting kicked in the face.
“Get fit, not hit,” Laws added.
They plan to open the center from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and 3 to 8 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays. 9Round is scheduled to be closed Sundays.
