The Viking Academy is the go to place for Muay Thai, Brazilian Jujitsu, Boxing and MMA training…read more The Muay Thai instructor; Coach Larry has a great amount of striking knowledge and his classes are both a great workout and a great learning experience. Coach Steven has a wealth of knowledge in BJJ and MMA, learning from him has been a humbling and exciting experience. I have been training at Viking Academy since day 1 and I can tell you that it's more than just a workout. Larry and Steven have put together a great environment where people of all skill ranges can come learn, work hard and evolve. The Viking Academy also happens to be located in the best gym around; Mount Vernon Barbel, which is filled with the best strength and conditioning equipment. Whether your a seasoned fighter or a complete virgin to martial arts I would definitely recommend joing the Viking family.

Top notch Brazilian Jiu jitsu. Prof. Steven Williams is Renzo Gracie's youngest black belt and one…read moreof John Danaher's top students. He was also George St Pierre's principal sparring partner. He has incredibly deep BJJ knowledge and is absolutely an impresario when it comes to leg locks. I have been training in BJJ over 10 years in other schools and have been at Viking Academy for two months now. .. I wish I found this place a long time ago. If you want to really learn the game this is your place. Whether your interests are recreational or high level competition, you can't go wrong here!

Muay thai was something I wanted to learn but was lowkey a bit afraid. This gym is very beginner…read morefriendly and everyone here makes you feel welcomed immediately. People here are very respectful and mindful of others, which is really important. There are classes Monday-Saturday. Legit the best workout ever (I've done crossfit, powerlifting, hiit, yoga, etc). It works your core, your overall strength, upper body, lower body, and also your mind. The gym helped me make become better in other things too outside the gym (eating habits, running more, etc!!) They do other activities too - beach trips, conditioning in parks, etc!!

I'm beginning to find, as I get older, that experiences that have the ability to completely…read moretransform your life become more rare. When you are young, you are constantly trying and learning new things, figuring out for yourself what you love to do and eliminating those you don't. You start to find a passion for things like soccer or piano, and stick with them, loving to play. Then you grow up, responsibilities kick in, and time becomes more limited. Most of the time, I find myself trying to recreate the fun I had as a kid by re-experiencing situations with new people or joining an adult sports league with random people, which is not at all the same feeling you get from being on a real, dedicated team. The art of Muay Thai is one of the only sports or activities that has unexpectedly thrilled me in a way that is brand new, and leaves me craving more and more. The only other sport that does it for me is scuba diving. There are some similarities between the two: family, fear facing, fitness, and fun. 1. FAMILY: When you join 8 Venoms Muay Thai, you become a family. You are there to support and help each other. You may find that if you sign up for a free trial that you become addicted in more ways than one, to the class and to the people. Your new teammates will be the ones asking if they'll see you next class, and part of the reason you say yes is because you don't want to disappoint them, and it happens in that split second after they ask the question when their face is bright with pure joy from the class and the suspense for your answer. You can't make new friends like this in a typical gym atmosphere and you sure as hell will never find the strength of a family like 8 Venoms Muay Thai. 2. FEAR FACING: "Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt Muay Thai is a fighting sport. You will hit and get hit. 8 Venoms gets its name because Muay Thai is known as the Art of 8 Limbs: 2 fists, 2 elbows, 2 knees, and 2 shins. You will learn to use all of them. I'm a fear facer and a big believer in it. Do I get nervous? Yes. But that's the only way to get stronger. 3. FITNESS: One aspect of Muay Thai among many that you can't get from a regular gym is that it's both a mental and physical exercise. I consider myself a forever student. If I'm not constantly learning something new, I start to get bored. I never would have dreamed that discovering Muay Thai would have been the absolute best gift I could have given myself for my recent birthday (Thanks Skylar B. who turned me onto it). I have been to many gyms: oldschool average joe's gyms, giant gym chains, boxing gyms, etc. Before this class, I considered myself to be healthy, very active, and pretty athletic, but damn, did I get a wake up call. The class starts with jump roping... Who knew that jump roping could be so hard?! I thought I was going to die the first few times. My legs were sore as hell. I guess lifting just can't get you there. Then there's cardio, core, and flexibility, which is awesome. I'm not too too bad on the cardio and core front, but I def. struggle and need improvement. I honestly thought I was a flexible human until now...wooweee, not so much. I think part of the reason I have trouble doing certain skills sometimes is because my hips are not at all used to turning over in such a way while the balls of my feet do something else and my arm is outstretched at the same time. I swear, at the least, Muay Thai will keep my body from getting old and decrepit. Then there's the lessons on different Muay Thai skills and techniques: boxing, kicks, defense, etc, which is really... 4. FUN: Omg it's so much fun. Instructor Gian is extremely knowledgeable and cares about his students. His analogies and descriptions make everything really easy to understand. I partner with my sister sometimes and we have laughing fits. It's just fun to learn something new, practice it, and eventually get it right. I guess I should say it's funnier when you get it wrong and more rewarding when you get it right. I find myself even daydreaming about it, replaying skills I've learned in my head, and hoping that by thinking about it my body will react how I want it to (so far it doesn't, but I'm trying!). All skill levels are welcome. I am a giant newb right now. I hate it lol, and I'm determined to get better. There was a little kid in the class too and he could really hang with the rest of us. Then, there are also those who are really advanced. 8 Venoms is located in the FMA Center and the storefront is really deceiving. If you enter in the front, you go down the stairs and the place is huge. There's the front desk area, and a large viewing room, for anyone there who needs to wait. If you park in the back lot, you can enter that way and walk past the koi fish tank. The actual training space is very large with ample space to move around, and the 7:30 pm class times are also really convenient for me to make after work w/the option of the 1 class on Sat. Try it!

Carlos is an incredible coach with extensive experience fighting and coaching fighters and students…read moreof all levels. I have learned so much from studying under him. No matter what level you start at with Carlos, he makes you feel like you belong and helps you see your potential to become even better. Everybody at the gym is really positive and friendly. It's a beautiful training space too.

I am a woman that has trained under Carlos for about 6 years. I love his gym and the way he trains…read morehis students. He is a talented coach that puts his all into his fighters. I have NEVER felt disrespected as a woman in his gym, I was always treated as an equal. I think what he is trying to do for men's mental health is a must needed. The reason he does not want to coach women fighters is NOT because he is a "misogynist pig", the reason he has chosen not to train female fighters is because the strain that a human body is put under when preparing for a fight is very harsh. The process can affect our ability to carry a child in the future, it effects our periods and the constant hits to our bodies can affect our bones in a very negative way which we would especially feel after going through menopause. Women now days do have a lot of different "outlets", whereas men do not have as many "outlet" opportunities and definitely need them (just look at men's mental health). He has stated in many of his videos that he hates how in other gyms, women have been used solely as a "sale" for the gym by using photos of hot women, instead of just focusing on the fighters (be men or women). Carlos has the kindest sole for humans and has often trained people for free if they have not been able to pay. He has helped countless amounts of men from killing themselves by being there for them. He has given fighters an opportunity to fight and grow. He has done so much for the Muay thai community and has a gift for teaching it. His wording in his videos may be misleading of what he is trying to say and English is not his first language, but if you actually sit down with him and talk to him you may actually understand what he is really trying to say.

The people in the gym are fun and a nice environment. It's a nice bjj and Muay Thai gym. But I…read moredon't know if it's a good place to send your children

Family oriented, excellent training programs, immecapble work ethic and commitment to public…read moreservice. Great school that has helped me raise my son to become a better person.

This is a facility that emphasizes a great culture, providing real-deal training and a solid…read morefoundation of their respective combat sport. Super clean studio, both the team and gym members are all around friendly and respectful. 10/10 without a doubt

I have toned and lost so much weight faster than in any other dojo or gym. Really upped my…read morestrength, confidence, and skills. STigma free and safe clean place . This is the place to be! Love the culture, the people, the Professors, the Coaches! Highly recommed to all kids and adults.. Women especially

I may be bias beacuse this is my home school but I have visited plenty of BJJ school in the area…read moreand across the country. The people, the environment, and the no politics make this place a great place to train.

Great place for all levels ! A lot of fun and you will not regret trying it out. A real sense of…read morecommunity.

Big fan. Ive been taking classes for 6 months and love it. Krav and boxing have been great for my…read morefootwork and it shows in all of my other sports (skiing tennis pickle). Also great to know some self defense. I'm 62 and there's a nice crew of participant who all help each other. I see a lot of kids during the afternoons and they love it too. Staff is positive friendly and professional.

RESPONSE TO BUSINESS REPLY IN ANOTHER REVIEW. I'm keeping…read morethis anonymous, as this business has a history of harassing former students, and although I'm not sure if they've ever done it over what I'll discuss in this review, I don't want to risk it. A small disclaimer that I am not a current student, so it's possible that things have changed. Highly unlikely, but still possible. There are many issues with Steve Sohn's gym, not the least of which is Krav Maga itself. This is not an effective self defense form in the slightest. If you need to tell your partner to stand differently or use their other hand in order to for you to complete the technique, it's not a good technique. And most of the techniques are not good. The "choke from the front one hand pluck" defense is tragic. It involves "plucking" the attacker's hand from your throat. If that were possible for most people, no one would feel the need to learn self defense. The instructors at this gym refuse to acknowledge that size, sex, and age DO matter, and that things that are possible for 6'0 men may very well not be for 5'5 women. This refusal is dangerous. The last thing any woman needs is to be delusional about whether she can protect herself. Krav Maga is marketed as the most effective form of self defense for anyone and everyone, but it's actually the complete opposite. If you are anyone who isn't a man who is over 6'0 and in excellent shape, Krav Maga techniques will not help you. From the outside looking in, Krav Maga looks very impressive. Very cinematic. But life is not cinema. Do Muay Thai or BJJ. You can likely do both for a fraction of what you'd pay at this place, and learn something valuable in the process. Now on to the more touchy part. This is a shady operation. I've heard/seen other stories about their sketchy money antics, but I'm not here to talk about that. The main instructor has an odd view of women. He seems simultaneously amused and angered by them, and will disproportionately and relentlessly use them in unnecessary demonstrations of techniques. He doesn't fully respect when they tap out. If he stops at all, he stops for 30 seconds and then continues whatever it was he was doing. Tapping out is sacred. Once someone taps, you stop. It doesn't matter how you feel about it. You stop. Not him, though. I have pictures on my phone of bruises that were caused by him not respecting when I tapped out. He spends a lot of time making sure everyone in the room hears him get verbal consent to touch someone's ankle or wrist, saying he doesn't want to "catch an accusation". A small amount of that would be understandable, but it's unbelievable. Why talk about it so much? I counted one class how many times, and in a 1 hour class, it was 11 times. Why? The owner is very, VERY friendly with young, single women. Not as friendly with older, married ones. He is overly handsy with the women, and will pass flirtatious comments to them as well, despite being an elderly man with a wife and family. Weird. It comes down to this: A Krav Maga student is vulnerable. The intricate techniques are useless in a real situation. Maybe the weapon defense ones work, but the hand to hand combat ones do not. If you don't want to listen to this review or your own common sense, look it up. Look on YouTube, martial arts forums, social media. ANYWHERE. It's not real, and making people believe they're in a position to protect themselves and their families when they very much are not is neglectful at best, but based on their history with stealing money from former students, it's probably more manipulation than neglect. Don't allow yourself to fall for it. I would LOVE to see a fight between a student from this place and a student from any MMA gym anywhere. Maybe that's what it would take to convince Krav students that they're wasting their time and money. Don't come here. Especially not if you're a woman. There's a reason very few of the women that start there stay there, and it's not because it's "too hard". Other dojos and gyms in Westchester have a significantly higher female student retention rate than this one. But even if you're a man, why waste your time?