I was just going to leave a single star, but yelp won't let me escape without leaving a comment, so…read morehere goes...... I wasted 9 years as a student here. What did learn there????? This school has two types of students. The "talent".......... And "everyone else" Everyone else exists to keep the mortgage/bills paid so the instructor can have the luxury of playing with his star student. (He even admitted a couple of times that if he was rich he would only take elite students who could pass a ninja warrior style obstacle course, but he can't afford it so that's why he takes all students.) Also, when you do beg for support (if you can grab his attention long enough) you WILL be told "the details don't matter." Unless you have talent of course.......... Even if you show up for class 5 - 6 days a week, every week, including 2 times a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, AND attend all the extra Saturday seminars, (yes I took 7 classes a week - 8 any time there was a seminar) you only have value if you are talented. (*He has actually said that he will spend extra time going over all the little details *** yes, the details he told me "didn't matter" *** if the student is hard working **AND** talented.) By all means, if you are elite athlete-level talented, are able to learn something after being shown only once, or can completely and perfectly memorize an entire routine in an afternoon, (and therefore have value) this is the place for you...... However, if you struggle with any of these, even a little bit, (especially if you show any signs of a lack of natural talent) be prepared to be treated as an inconvenience and an afterthought. *****And if you call him out on the double standards and special treatment for certain students, you will be branded as difficult and disobedient. AND he will resort to personal attacks about your body and any health conditions you may be struggling with.***** So if you think you are talented enough for him to pay any real attention to you, OR you enjoy having every last shred of your self esteem completely destroyed, this is the place for you. Good luck.

This place is pretty awesome. Been doing Martial Arts since 1989 on and off; I wish I meet Narcyz…read more(aka: Sifu) 20 years sooner. I highly recommend Athletic Balance.

I had the privilege of training at Mass BJJ Acton for almost a year before I moved out to Los…read moreAngeles. Top-notch BJJ training environment for the gi and no-gi with very welcoming instructors and classmates! Nate and Scot were both phenomenal and lighthearted instructors that took their time to really explain techniques, positions, and their decision making process. The most defining characteristics that stuck out to me was how down-to-earth and goofy Nate and Scot were during all classes. It makes you feel at ease and relaxed. No ego at all. Don't get me wrong -- they will absolutely destroy you during the advanced classes, but it was fun having the chance to roll with both of them and feeling the huge difference in skill level. All the classmates there are friendly, too! If you go to the non-fundamental classes, you'll have a great time rolling with the upper belts. The competition team was fantastic with Luis and Josh leading the way. Competition training was always fun and intense, but never out of control. Special thank you to Luis and Josh for taking time out of their weekends to come coach during competitions! You'll have a solid competition team to go compete with. If you have the chance to learn from Pat and Nick during the weekend classes, I would highly recommend it! Learning from these two high level black belts is always a good time. If you get a chance to roll with them, even better! Be prepared to be effortlessly destroyed by them. Only has a couple chances to learn from Ed before I left, but he was awesome!! 10/10 would recommend this place. I miss this academy and everyone in it! You'll love going here -- trust me! Thank you to Nate, Scot, Pat, Luis, Josh, Ed and Nick!!!

I cannot rave enough about our experience to date. Nate and Sue are lovely humans and this is true…read moreof all of the teachers my kids have had in jujitsu and kickboxing. Shout out to Scott who patiently works with my kindergartener and can level with my middle schooler. This is truly a family-friendly environment where my kids eagerly show up to classes, are treated with respect and feel welcomed wholeheartedly. The adults have yet to find the courage to try classes so a more full review will follow.

Mr. (Matthew) Moncreaff is a wonderful teacher. Truly knowledgeable about so many different aspects…read moreof the martial arts and yoga, and on top of that an incredible teacher. Each class is different and challenges the students to expand beyond their comfort zone. My normal workout routine is to take a martial arts class followed by a yoga class. At the end of the night I feel refreshed, happy, and ready to go out and be the best version of myself. Training here is a truly rewarding experience, and I can honestly say that this school provides the highest quality instruction you can get anywhere in the area.

Acton is fortunate to have a real scholar of Yoga as well as Kenpo Karate. Matthew Moncreaff also…read moreteaches traditional Ashtanga Yoga at his studio. Kenpo karate and Ashtanga Yoga are both holistic systems - as Mr. Moncreaff teaches, Ashtanga has developed over millenia. The classes are as strenuous as you want them to be, and can be very easy and accommodating for a new student - and challenging for an advanced student. Both young and mature people are typically in the classes. Highly recommended - give Moncreaff yoga a try!

This karate school has been incredible for my son, who's almost six. He started at about age 4.5,…read moreand his focus has grown so much in the time we've been coming here. Sensei Peter always gets the kids focused, smiling, and pushing themselves to be better. Whenever my son seems to have a tough day, or his energy is low, Sensei, Lukas and Morgan get him engaged and trying the best he can. When he's had a good day, he comes out telling me he feels like a Superhero!! My son had a tough day at school a few weeks ago, and Lukas stayed after class with him, which was in theory to help him practice his blocking but really was more about shoring up his confidence and making him feel heard and seen. After seeing my boy feeling low on the drive over, and then seeing him transformed at the end of class, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to this amazing business. Thank you so much, Peter Pippos Karate Center. We are a loyal family for life and appreciate you so much as part of our family's community!

I can't say more positive things about PPKC! Sensei Pippos is engaging, supremely knowledgeable in…read morehis craft and clearly enjoys working with kids. The staff members are always willing to help a child refocus his/her energies to ensure success with the movements. I'm also particularly impressed with Nicole's management of the after-school program as well as the general office management. Love this place.

We started my 5yr old son at DMA about 2 months ago and our daughter will start in the fall. So far…read morewe have really enjoyed being a part of the DMA studio. I love that Shihon Dan focuses as much on life lessons as he does on Karate. He does a great job talking to younger children about powerful topics such as honesty, respect & perseverance. We are new to Karate as a family but it's not something I can see us giving up any time soon. If you are looking to get your child into martial arts I highly recommend the DMA studios.

Other karate classes for young children that I've seen are mostly games, running around, with a few…read moresloppy kicks here and there. DMA teaches REAL karate from day one, and still manages to be just as fun for the kids without sacrificing learning actual self defense. Don't waste your time and money on schools that don't really teach your children much of anything. DMA is the best, hands down. You'll never find a more patient, capable, and FUN instructor than Shihan Dan!

Awesome awesome awesome. We couldn't be more pleased with EFK. Wonderful senseis that are great…read morewith kids of all abilities (and energy levels ;) . They take learning, focus, and physical & mental discipline very seriously even for their youngest students, yet there's genuine heart involved (and fun!) to balance it all out. Just a great, great dojo.

I am a student of Tosoku Martial Arts; it's difficult to imagine how one could "review" a dojo or…read moremartial arts school accurately without having invested time and effort into learning and training within it. That said, I have been a student of Aikido for more than a decade throughout New England and New York, and my consideration of Mark (-sensei) and of Tosoku is within the context that training, much of which was under a number of incredible teachers. Roughly 4 years ago, I stepped away Aikido to explore other martial styles -- western boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Sanda/Sanshou (Chinese Kickboxing). After moving to Stow, I decided to drop in on Mark's classes in response to a sign in the window of the local Karate school. Cross-training left me skeptical about some of the elements of Aikido, and I was not certain that I wanted to pick it back up full time. That was nearly 2 years ago, and I've gone to almost every class since. One of the things that is difficult to convey to a potential student of a martial arts school is whether or not the art as practiced is authentic. Mark is the "real thing": he is a direct student of one of the founder's students, trained for a number of years in Japan, and holds an advanced black belt. What is unique about Tosoku, however, is Mark's willingness to make space for Aikido to grow based on the changes that modern MMA-style training has introduced to martial arts in general. That said, this is also very much a friendly, relaxed, beginner-friendly atmosphere: there is no posturing, no ego, and safety is paramount both on and off the mat. Currently run out of the Stow Karate space, Tosoku represents the best of both traditional and evolutionary Aikido, and is a rare find in central MA.

From the owner: Come learn the modern Japanese martial art of aikido right here in Stow, MA. Mark Hatfield has…read moretrained for over five years in Japan, has been involved in aikido for more than 20, and has taught classes on three continents. Check out a short clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhY0lVYlFdA&feature=g-upl The goals of Tosoku Martial Arts are to constantly improve the effectiveness of our training and techniques, and to stay up-to-date in the martial arts landscape, while honoring the philosophy that makes aikido unique. Some of the things students get from training: Fun Self-defense Fitness Anger management Assertiveness Self-confidence

We love Achieve! Master Parks, Master Parent, Master Waddell, Mr. Kenny, and all of the staff are…read moreamazing with their students. They are patient and encouraging, offer great 1:1 support even when classes are large, and always make it fun. My 6 year old loves going. In the past year he has been going, he has improved his strength, confidence, patience, and focus. Can't say enough good things.

This is a review for their birthday parties. We were gifted a birthday package to Achieve Taekwondo…read moreand knew nothing about it prior. The staff was incredibly engaging and patient with nearly twenty 8 year olds. The kids were eager to learn and listen to the activities during the party, which I think speaks to the staff connecting with the kids. There was a ton of variety for the kids to do. The studio is very clean. Plenty of room for the kids to eat snacks and cake as well as a viewing section for the parents who wanted to stay and watch. Our birthday girl loved the cutting of the cake with a saber. After cake, staff set up an ultimate obstacle course for the kids to get out even more energy! While this location is a bit far for us, I learned they are opening up a Concord location in June and I will definitely be signing up my girls for classes.

Of the locations near me (this one, Nagog Park in Acton, Clinton and Maynard), this one ranks near…read morethe top. It's larger than it looks from the parking lot as it's longer than it is wide but i feel things are tightly packed inside compared to bigger locations like Clinton and Nagog Park. It's ok for me since i use mostly free weights and some nautilus machines. Plus i go really late at night. So the tight feeling isn't a problem when there's practically nobody there. Dumbbells go up to 100 lb which is great. Plenty of squat and bench combo stations. They even have a Smith machine which my home gym in Clinton is lacking. There is a solid leg press machine but i wish they also had a hack squat machine as well. The equipment all seem fairly new and in good condition. The bathrooms are one of the highlights of this location, especially the shower stalls. They are the most spacious of the locations near me and super fancy with tiles on the walls. None of the other locations are that fancy

This is the best option to stay fit in the Acton/ Maynard area. Very clean and never smells like a…read moregym. Folks are friendly, both staff and other members. Temparture is perfect every time of year and their equipment is all in good shape. HIGHLY recommend their trainers, the session packages are reasonable and their trainers are great humans that take pride in having a positive impact on your life. Sean is best :) If you ever run into an issue or have a monies question Judy is always willing to help.