(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Inside a Des Plaines gym, kids of all ages and sizes are learning confidence, strength and how to defend themselves.
"Line it up everybody. This isn't your first day, let's do it," yells Steve Linder, founder of LifeTough Kids Boxing Club.
Linder leads a class of more than 30 children. LifeTough Kids was born out of his own childhood experiences.
"I used to get bullied when I was young for being fat. I was kind of lost. I was fat and I didn't have anyone I could look up to, I didn't have anyone who believed in me. I got beat up a lot. It wasn't until I started wrestling -- that kind of changed the path of my life. I grew confident and I was able to use my size toward defending myself."
The program began in 2014 after he and his daughter were working out at a local gym.
"I noticed some kids watching us. The owner of the gym asked me to work with young people, teach them boxing and self-defense, and it kind of grew out of that."
Now, he has 120 children in his classes with a 300-person waiting list.
LifeTough Kids BoxingWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Once a week, volunteer coaches help kids aged 5 to 16 with life skills and physical and mental strength.
"All of our coaches are volunteers. We don't get paid for this," Linder said. "We are all former first-responders, a lot of cops, a lot of firemen, a couple feds. We do it at this boxing gym. It's a great space."
Gianna O'Neill is a Junior at Loyola Academy. She began LifeTough Kids in 8th grade.
"At first I didn't want to do this, but then I quickly fell in love with it," she recalls. "The coaches teach you physical strength, mental toughness, and the values they emphasize are foundational for a successful future."
O'Neill's mother, Lea, says the classes have made all the difference for Gianna.
"She's really blossomed over the years because of this class," said O'Neill, who heard about the class from another family.
"I've seen the transformation in her. Their motto has always been 'Hard work pays off.' She's applied it to her everyday life at home, to her schooling and to her friendships. There are positive male influences. They give her the feedback she needs. It's all about 'This is what you need to do better.'"
LifeTough Kids BoxingWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Another student, 12-year-old Benadetto Modica, started boxing in the 5th grade.
"I really didn't have the confidence I do now. I used to be scared to go to school, I had panic attacks, but now that I've been in this program, I go to school happy and confident," Modica said.
Linder says they see kids from all walks of life and never turn away families in need.
"A lot of these kids, they don't have a mom or they don't have a dad, they come from divorced families. We have a ton of first-responder families, maybe mom or dad have been killed in the line of duty. We offer them classes for life. No one gets turned away for financial reasons. We never want to turn away a kid."
In 6 short years, the program has grown exponentially.
"These kids know it's a serious class. We're tough, we don't take any BS, we hold them accountable. It's like kids' boot camp. If they don't wear their uniform, they come in late, they have to do extra calisthenics."
Linder said he's created something he wishes he had as a kid.
LifeTough Kids BoxingWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
LifeTough Kids also offers child-safety classes, complete with mock abductions.
"We put kids in those bad situations so they get the muscle memory, so they know how to react if someone tries to grab them. We hammer into them that they have to be aware of their surroundings, run, yell, tell."
Molly Stipanov, 11, said she's already used the training in real life.
"I was walking to school one day and a guy across the street tried calling me over. He started following me," she said. "I knew that it was not a very good situation, so I started screaming and running."
"It was a pit in my stomach when she told me about this but I was also relieved that she was in this program because without the knowledge about what to do, she might have froze up and something terrible may have happened," said Molly's father, Chris Stipanov, who is also a Life Tough coach.
LifeTough Kids offers six levels of instruction and holds an annual Fight Night in December.
LifeTough BoxingWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
The program is about much more than boxing, he said -- it's about life lessons that will stay with them forever.
"It's the confidence that they gain. We also teach kids about safety, we talk about bullying, we have experts come in and talk about vaping and sexual topics. Our role-playing scenarios are key to keeping children safe, teaching them self-defense. It's called boxing, but it's about kids gaining confidence and self-esteem. I am who I needed as a kid. Life is tough and that's why we are called that. No one is going to hand you anything."
