Tom Gillis, FTS Inc. President and Chief Instructor
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out our website. As President of FTS Inc. it’s my mission to touch as many lives as I can through our services and programs. I am passionate that martial arts has the ability to change lives and I’ve seen it not only in my own life but daily in the lives of my students and customers.
My journey in martial arts started when I was 5 years old. I can remember being obsessed with the ninja movies at the time and thought it was amazing what the men and women on the big screen could do and accomplish. Unfortunately my official induction into martial arts didn’t come until 9 years later at the age of 16. At that time I decided I wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement and coincidentally the first martial arts school opened in the small community where I lived. Shortly after I attended Mount Royal College and successfully completed a diploma in Law Enforcement followed by an Applied Degree in Justice Studies. All the while training in martial arts and pursuing my dream of working in Law Enforcement.
In 2004 I was hired by the Alberta Sheriffs Department and after seeing what kind of training was being offered to law enforcement opened Foothills Training Services to serve the men and women who protect our communities and keep us safe.
As my career progressed I was tasked with several duties that revolved around training recruits and in-service officers due to my background in Martial Arts and Ninjutsu.
I left the Sheriffs Department in November of 2010 as a Sergeant in order to operate Foothills Training Services full time.
To date I have touched thousands of lives and have students as far away as Hong Kong, Australia, and Mongolia. I have successfully completed nearly 60 instructor programs in the area of law enforcement training, currently hold a 3rd degree black belt in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu awarded to me by Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi, and hold rank in several other martial arts including WTF Tae Kwon Do and Arnis de Cadena.
I personally oversee all class curriculum and program delivery to ensure the highest quality of training and information to our students and customers and I know that Foothills Training Services has something to offer everyone regardless of occupation, gender, ethnicity, religion, experience, or fitness level.
I am confident that our programs will far exceed your expectations. 100% of my focus is on martial arts development, in myself and my students. I am personally accessible to my students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Come see why law enforcement agencies, security companies, corporations, and individuals all access our programs and why leaders in the combat arts community have endorsed me and recommend my programs and services.
~ Tom Gillis
“Tom provides a full service training delivery. He cares for the student, their mission and their department as a whole. This is unique for he brings all views to the point for the ulitmate training delivery. Student success is the key. A young lion in the criminal justice training industry.” - William Harvey Chief of Police at Ephrata Police Department
“Tom Gillis has an extensive background in the martial arts. He has perfected the skills needed to teach others in different facets of training. If you are looking for professional training, I recommend Tom Gillis.” - Larry Smith President/Chief Instructor at LS Enterprises
Coach Scott Morton, Instructor and Coach MMA and Grappling
My martial arts adventure has been one of self discovery, understanding and patience all things I try to incorporate into my classes and impart on my students. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to train Karate, Judo, and BJJ before focusing my training on No-Gi Grappling. I can remember the first time I watched a No-Gi grappling match I thought to myself this is what I want to do, this is what I want to train. I spent the next few years after watching that match training and developing when and wherever I could from Rocky Mountain House to Fort McMurray and several spots in between. I am now excited to have an opportunity to share what I’ve learned.
“Position before submission”, “Keep things tight” and “Protect yourself and your partner” – These are some of the first principals that are taught in Grappling and you may from time to time hear me repeat them in class. While a lot of the principals I teach were passed down to me by my instructors some of the principals explored during class are student discoveries. I was encouraged by my instructors to be creativity and to explore grappling this is something I encourage in my students as well. Teaching is a passion of mine. To teach is to learn and I believe that you can learn something from everyone and every situation this is one of the foundations of my teaching.
Thank you for visiting the Foothills Training Services website and I hope to see you in class!
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” - Henry Ford
~ Scott Morton