Coach D'amon has amazing skills and great patience. Whether you have decades of experience in fighting arts or are a beginner, you will learn a lot from him in a short amount of time. read more

Austin Warrior Arts is a great place to build community and learn a wide variety of African and Afro-diasporic martial arts. We learn machete systems, capoeira, kickboxing, stick fighting, Sword & shield and more. I appreciate that we prioritize applications along with the cultural and playful aspects of the arts. This is a great place to cultivate discipline, focus, and fitness. read more

Super nice and knowledgeable. Trained my son and really stoked his interest in ancient fighting arts.

Da'Mon has wealth of knowledge, experience and skill and is a patient instructor that caters well to all abilities. He helps students focus on what they are most interested in, while challenging them to broaden their skills, and adapts lessons according to student needs (protecting injuries, neuro-diverse learning styles, skill levels, etc). read more

I have a difficult time reviewing this studio. Capoeira da Rua is a small group (they share studio space with other martial arts groups) that practices capoeira, a traditional Brazilian martial art. If you're not familiar, think back to the character Eddie from Tekken, the movie "Only the Strong," or that super cool fight scene in "The Protector" where Tony Jaa gets beat down by some dude (Lateef Crowder) swinging his legs everywhere. So to begin, you'll need to understand that capoeira is as much a dance and ritual as it is a martial art. Adapted from the fighting style of the people of Angola (a country in south central Africa), capoeira came about as a way for slaves in Brazil to learn to fight without being discovered. It is disguised as a dance, and thus, can be quite acrobatic and beautiful. Da'mon, the instructor, teaches capoeira da rua, a blend of the more traditional capoeira angola and the more modern (and acrobatic) capoeria regional. Or at least, he claims to - everything he taught in my brief time was straight angola. Let me get out of the way now that Da'mon is a very talented capoeirista - he's smooth, fast, and knows what he's doing. But man, he's a shitty teacher. Da'mon doesn't seem to understand that you need to provide guidance to new students beyond telling them to just follow along. When asked questions about foot placement or transitions from certain movements to others, his most common reply was "it doesn't matter" when it fact, it did matter quite a bit. So learning even the ginga, the most fundamental movement of capoeira, was more than difficult. Da'mon often liked to say that he didn't want to teach us how to play capoeira his way, but show us how to find our own way instead. Which at first was really appealing, and sounded super-cool (especially coming from a regimented, traditional martial arts background like I do), but in actuality turned out to be a crappy way to do things. He often skipped over or skimped on fundamentals, ignoring that half the class was unable to ginga with any competency, much less queixada or meia lua. It's on par with an English teacher telling you that she wants to teach you to write your own way, and then letting you figure out the alphabet for yourself. Class quality varied wildly, as did intensity and workout. There seemed to be no overriding lesson plan - activities were dictated, as best I could tell, by Da'mon's whims. On the class following my birthday, Da'mon had me play in my "birthday roda." Understand that playing the roda, even for a few minutes, is exhausting, and I had been attending class for a whopping two weeks (that's six classes total) at this point. For reasons unknown to me, immediately after class (an hour long workout), Da'mon had me start playing. And didn't allow me to stop, despite my requests for a break, for another hour and a half. As I lost stamina, I began reverting to my more traditional martial arts training and starting getting aggressive rather than playful. Rather than giving me a break or stepping in to tone things down, Da'mon met my aggression and raised the level. This was not a positive experience for me - beyond the minor injuries I received, I was furious. When asked, one of the other class members commented that she thought Da'mon enjoyed winning like that; this, despite Da'mons protests that the game was not about winning. When asked directly, he provided several ways to tone down a roda that had gotten too aggressive. None of which, notably, he utilized. As a result, my skull was literally dripping my own blood on the asphalt. Conclusion? If you're an experienced capoeirista, you can probably learn a lot from Da'mon. If you're a novice, give this place wide berth and find another group. Open disclaimer - I only attended class for a month during the instructor's "open house" invitation. read more

Austin Warrior Arts - Eeyore's Birthday 2006 - Martial Arts Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is a pretty cool class! I came to learn stage sword fighting, and I learned so much more. The instructor changes up the lessons often, one week/month we would be learning Egyptian style fighting, another time we would learn African style, or spear, or sword & shield, different types of swords (sabers, shotel, etc), take-downs, empty hands forms, etc. Da'Mon is very knowledgeable in every style of fighting, and it's always fun to learn something new each time. He also constantly pushes you to be better and no matter your experience, he always has great tips and new methods to improve yourself. I learned so much already, and the great thing is, alot of the lessons are transferable to real life combat, so I learned to defend myself with anything (with a stick, my hands, etc). read more

As a long time martial artist (I've done Tae Kwon Do, Aikido and Japanese jujitsu among others), I was initially very reluctant to try capoeira. It always seemed impractical as a fighting method, more of a dance than a martial art. However, as one of my friends started to get more interested in capoeira, and I decided to give it a try, and on the advice of another martial artist, I came to Capoeira da Rua. One of the things the most impressed me about the instructor, Da'mon, is his strong background in a wide variety of different styles of martial arts. He doesn't come solely from a background of Capoeira, so he understands and appreciates the art from a different point of view than many capoeiristas. He can effortlessly blend capoeira with other styles, showing how you can add hand strikes and take-downs to use Capoeira combatively. At the same time, he is also very familiar with the history and tradition of Capoeira, and tries to instill students with the idea that Capoeira is a game and must be played rather than fought. His style is not strictly angola or regional but rather a very deliberate blend of both. Again, coming from what are often seen as more "serious" martial arts, I really enjoyed the blend of applications of capoeira and the experience of playing rather than sparring. The students in the classes at this school are also extremely, extremely friendly and very welcoming to newcomers. I was almost taken aback when I first joined, as I was more familiar with a very stolid approach to martial arts where you come, you practice, and you leave. This school is much friendlier and more social than most, and many of the students are friends outside of class as well. The school also does demonstrations at schools and community centers which can be quite fun. Da'mon is also very attentive to the needs of newcomers, and makes sure to both get them up to speed and to challenge them when need be. For students who want more than just capoeira, Da'mon also teaches a striking class generally based around the 52-blocks/Jailhouse rock style, with other types of strikes from Dembe boxing, and with work on integrating this with take downs and kicks from capoeira. I really enjoy the striking class. He also teaches an African stick fighting class - I took this for a while, and I particularly enjoyed using a number of different weapons. He does an excellent job of linking the different classes, so that he will explain some of the open hand strikes in terms of stick fighting, or show the link between certain Capoeira moves and more orthodox striking techniques. At the time of writing, all of these classes were part of the same price, and you could attend as many of them as you like per week. It's a great deal, and you will learn a lot (and get into great shape!) read more

I have been a part of Capoeira da Rua and have trained with Da'mon Stith since 2000 (so 9 years total). When I first started training with Da'mon, I was a freshman in college and it was a great outlet for reliving stress, staying physically fit, learning about Afro-Brazilian culture and making new friends. Overall, it has taught me self control and awareness (in my movements AND in my emotions). Nine years later I still look forward to going to class each week. Da'mon is patient with all students and meets each student at their level (if you don't believe me, watch one of his youth classes where he regularly teaches kids as young as 3 years old.. it's crazy!). Da'mon also balances his patience with challenging each student to grow and become a better capoerista. Now that I am a more experienced capoerista, Da'mon oftentimes has me and other older students assist him and other students in class. This has worked out really well for my development and has kept capoeira challenging and fun for me. He oftentimes splits the class up into subgroups (depending on people's levels) but he also has more and less experienced students work together. This is valuable because all students can learn from each other regardless of what level each individual is at. This is one thing that I really appreciate about Da'mon's class. Another valuable aspect of Da'mon's class is that he teaches capoeira movements for playing in the roda (which is more like playing chess and having a conversation using body movements) but he also teaches application classes in which we use pads, bags, and light sparring with each other to learn how to apply a lot of the capoeira movements in a real life situation. This is something that really makes Da'mon's class unique because other capoeira schools/classes I have been to don't teach you how to apply some of the movements in real life. When we end class, Da'mon always asks the class if there are any questions AND/OR feedback and this oftentimes leads to good discussions about different movements, the history of capoeira, and things that have worked/haven't worked in class. Da'mon has always been receptive and open to feedback from his students. After 9 years of being a part of the Capoeira da Rua family I plan on continuing to train with Da'mon and look forward to many more years. Oh, one more thing, capoeira da rua has a new addy: 8910 Research Blvd, Suite D-3 Austin, TX 78753 read more

I first came across Capoeira da Rua at a local festival giving an impromptu demonstration. Da Rua is a dynamic school of capoeiristas who practice a unique blend of Angola and Regional styles of Capoeira. Led by Da'Mon Stith, the school is comprised of students of all ages and backgrounds, whose focus is to bring awareness of this beautiful Afro-Brazilian Martial Arts Form to Austin and the surrounding community. Da Rua not only holds classes at its school location but is also involved in the Austin community at large, giving demonstrations at many cultural and non-profit events. Since April 2007, I've been a student of the school in both capoeira, and later, stickfighting. 2 1/2 years into my training, I'm still enjoying myself! Da'Mon is a superb instructor who is able to assess different students' skill levels and tailor instructions and drills accordingly. Each student comes with his/her own strengths and weaknesses but Da'Mon only highlights the strengths. He despises self-deprecating humor about one's weaknesses and instead, champions positive thinking. His classes have certainly given me more confidence in myself and in my abilities. Occasionally, I have pains in my back and knees but am always able to participate and benefit from every class. Da'Mon is a warm and caring individual who goes out of his way for all of his students, even to the point of giving students rides home when they don't have a car. Classes always begin with a basic outline of what Da'Mon plans to accomplish for that day but is modified depending on who attends class; by this I mean, if there are more advanced students, he covers more complex topics and vice versa if there is a greater number of novices. He generally begins with conditioning, which can consist of doing the ginga and mixing in kicking combinations, line drills of fundamental movements, etc. As he and the class gets energized, Da'Mon may be inspired to throw in a few fun surprises that push you toward your potential. As an instructor, he realizes that everyone's body type and skills are different. That being the case, he gives us general guidelines for essential aspects of playing, such as feet and hand placement, but never tells us "exactly" where to place them. As your skills develop, you will instinctively know where you need to be . . . or not be! Da'Mon always advocates developing as capoeiristas in our own right and never becoming a carbon copy of him. At the end of class, we always huddle up and have good discussions regarding technique, movements, history, rituals, etc. When the circle disperses, everyone shares hugs and/or handshakes before we leave for the evening. In my time at the school, he has never pushed anyone past his/her breaking point but instead, works everyone hard, up until we are given a breather. Isn't that what a good class is about? Being a martial art, scrapes and bruises occasionally occur. When this does happen, Da'Mon personally sees to that student and even calls to check on them later. Can't say that I know too many instructors who do that. As for kids, Da'Mon's level of patience and good-natured humor is the perfect blend. The kids' classes are so much fun to watch. They have so much energy, yet Da'Mon is able to match their levels and keep their attention. Many greet him with high fives and hugs after class. He is as encouraging with them as he is with us "big kids". I can't say enough about what his classes have done for me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Da Rua is a family - a very beautiful, tight-knit group of individuals from which I have drawn many close friendships. I look forward to each class as I wind down from what is usually a very challenging day. read more