This is one of the best Brazilian Jiujitsu in the north east. The owners are some of the highest ranked black belts around. The rest of the instructors are very skilled and great teachers. This place is great for all levels of jiujitsu. You will feel safe and welcome to the balance family. read more

Balance Studios - Martial Arts Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Balance studios is a wonderfully inclusive environment. My whole family has trained for 15+ years at their various locations and have ALWAYS felt welcomed. The confidence we have received from training with balance is priceless! The instructors are professional, world class athletes that train all levels with courtesy and consideration. The best in the city in my opinion!! Try a class and make your own decision, you will not regret it! read more

I, as well as many others, have had bad experiences at this gym due to the owners' unprofessional behavior. This gym is yet another jiu jitsu gym that comes with a lot of drama and an unfortunate macho man culture which is not inclusive to women. It is important for women to feel welcomed in mixed martial arts!! This involves respecting a female student's criticisms of Balance's unorganized curriculum and unprofessional practices. After I expressed my opinion via a review on google, I was met with lies and multiple insults related to my character in the response from the owner made public on Google. I have said it once and I will say it again: look elsewhere. There are other gyms worthy of your money that have down to earth owners and a more welcoming student base. Furthermore, the owners at Balance are not involved enough at the Center City location which is one of the reasons I decided to switch gyms. I also wanted a school with a more organized curriculum and more female members. I truly wish I steered clear of Balance aside for the handful of wonderful students I met there during my 6 months of membership. read more

I finally decided to sit down and write a review for this place. I moved here from Canada three years ago for work, and I've been training here ever since. Since I've moved around so much, I've trained at a bunch of gyms over the years. I would say that this place is one of the best. If you've never stepped foot into a place like this before, you might be intimidated at first, but the atmosphere is very inclusive and welcoming. Most importantly, the people who train here have a great attitude, and come from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels. You'll be hard pressed to find the same caliber of teachers, students, and competitors anywhere else in Philadelphia. Also, all of the instructors are friendly, technically sound, and are awesome human beings. Props to Steve who teaches the morning classes! read more

Balance Studios - A small morning gi class at Balance after sparring! - Martial Arts Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This school has a newly expanded space that is clean and professional! So many other schools I've been to just feels messy and unorganized! This is truly a step above anywhere else you could train! read more

Balance is a great place with a welcoming atmosphere and incredible instructors. I go to the Center City and Fishtown locations and love them both. Center City location also just doubled its mat size, which is awesome. Phil, Rick and the whole team is super approachable. 10/10! read more

If you are looking for a place to launch your MMA career, learn self defense, or just get in shape, while meeting some friendly patient people this is the place to do it. The strength of this place is definitely Jiu Jitsu with about 80% of the classes being Gi or NoGi. However they do round things out with Judo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and MMA classes. The price range here is moderate and varies with the amount of classes you plan on taking. The best thing about this place is the people who train and teach here. There are no egos at this gym, no roided out meatheads trying to snap your neck off. Everyone here is understanding, patient and not judgemental. read more

Balance Studios - Balance Studios - Martial Arts Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The place is ok and the instructors are nice but the management is awful. I paid 6 months full in advance and due to circumstances I only attended 2 months. They refused to refund me . I asked them if they can reconsider it and all I got was a text back saying that this was stated in the contract. read more

AMAZING! Balance is the real deal. If you are looking for REAL, Authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there is NO OTHER place to go in Philadelphia / NJ. These guys are the highest ranking Gracie Black Belts. 3 & 4th Degree Black Belts... They train UFC Fighters, UFC & MMA Champions. Covers of Magazines, Featured on numerous TV programs and they even have their own MMA event. If that isn't enough, they have a world wide network of schools. Literally all over the US and overseas! But, the BEST part is how incredible they are as people. So VERY humble, so kind, so funny :) They are the BEST instructors ANYWHERE in this area (at the VERY least). My wife, my 11 year old daughter, my 4 & 1/2 year old son and I are all enrolled in school here at Balance... We have been members for over 5 years now (My son, for 6 months). I highly recommend Balance, Phil & Rick to ANYONE who wants to learn Martial Arts. *** If this isn't enough to convince you. GOOGLE Phil or Ricardo Migliarese or YouTube them. You will be blown away- read more

For Women! It can be scary to get into something like Brazilian jiu jitsu or muay thai kickboxing but rest assured this welcoming atmosphere will have you feeling encouraged. Everyone there wants to see you succeed. The more you come the better. The instructors are amazing! Helping you with any and all questions. Come. Have fun! Get confidence! Get strong! Get inspired! Get ready to have your mind blown with new and amazing new knowledge! Change your life for the better here! read more

Balance Studios - Memorial day. - Martial Arts Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

This place is really great. They are consistently highly ranked and after visiting, I see why. I went for self defense classes and found them to be dedicated to helping me get what I wanted. I attended a first session that happened to be fairly advanced. They followed up with me afterward and I told them that I was looking for something different, so they invited me to try another class the next week, and offered to work with me individually before the class too. I was so impressed by that personal touch, as well as how knowledgable and dynamic all the teachers are. I would absolutely recommend this place. Unfortunately I am unable to commit at this time because they charge by the month, not by class, and they want a 6 month commitment for self defense (which makes sense, to make you learn it well). Because I travel for work and am not in town all the time, it doesn't make sense financially, but if I were around and really wanted to get into it, it would be a great deal: for the flat fee, you can attend as many classes as you want. It's a great community of people there, and I really do hope to have the opportunity to take classes there if my situation changes. read more

I train in South Jersey at a Balance affiliate school. I work nights and on days when my academy does not hold day classes I like to make the 45min drive to Philly to supplement and enhance my regular training. I try to do this once a week and I feel it was really helped me improve with BJJ. The instructors are super helpful, knowledgeable and very welcoming to visitors. Its great to have so many training partners with unique styles that help make one's game much more diverse. Everyone is really cool and laid back but take BJJ very serious when it comes time. There is a drop in fee but I really dont mind at all since it is quality training and you are sure to gain something from every visit!! Only reason for 4 stars was the parking situation. Very limited free street parking(2hr) and metered parking(2hr), but there is a parking lot which will run you $10 for 2hrs. Wish I was local and would just bike to training!! read more

Tomorrow will be my last "official" training day at Balance; perhaps just for a year while I finish my clinical rotations in Bucks County, or perhaps forever. In either case, I will miss this place more than anything I have been involved with in the city of Philadelphia for the past 10 years. I happened upon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after my sister was killed and I think it actually saved my life. I knew nothing about BJJ, the UFC, MMA, muay thai, or judo before I began here. Literally after my first class I remember thinking that it was the first time in 6 months that I hadn't compulsively thought about my sister being gone. So, I kept coming back. When someone you love passes away, you lose 2 people; the deceased and yourself. Without knowing it, my training partners at this gym slowly helped me find the happy, strong girl that I once was. For that, I will always be grateful. This will always be the place that helped me out of my depression, the place I learned to be comfortable in my own skin without wearing makeup, and of course- the place where I fell in love with BJJ. Now, my training has evolved over the years and the landscape of my friendships have as well. At this point in my life, most of my best friends and people I respect have all tried (um... successfully) to choke me or break my limbs. My point is, no matter who you are, what your goals are, or what is happening in your life, this place has something for you. If you are looking for high level training or down to earth people willing to work with you, then this should be your new home gym!! I love Balance ! read more

The sign at the front entrance really captures the spirit of this place: "Please leave your shoes and ego at the door." This is an amazing place to learn BJJ. As a beginner, I was impressed with how much time instructors spend on learning techniques. Each of the instructors are eager to help and encourage you to ask questions. I have never felt like I was asking a "dumb" question here. This is very different from the previous place I learned BJJ, in which people are thrown into rolling and drills with more experienced people on day one. Although this is a great way to get into shape, it was frustrating and lead to a number of preventable injuries. Balance has a very different approach to beginning instruction: They focus on technique and foundation. I found my time in this class very useful, as it allowed to figure out a few basic things that have resurfaced in the advanced class. The social environment is also a plus: Everyone who trains here--from the casual person to seasoned MMA fighters--are very down-to-earth and humble. Like most gyms, Balance has a social scene off the mats. Often, you can find people sitting around, rolling, and sharing information about BJJ and other martial arts. This makes for a great place to learn and develop as a martial artist. Lastly, one thing that is also great about this place: They have a very flexible schedule. The advanced class has multiple sessions per day, which makes it easy to fit a great BJJ workout into a busy schedule. In general, if you're interested in a great and fun place to learn BJJ, Balance is your place. read more

I trained here for 9 months about a year ago. I didn't fully appreciate the quality of instruction and sparring partners until I left Philadelphia and looked for a BJJ school elsewhere. First, Balance offers a ton of classes, so you if you have free time, there's likely to be a class offered. Second, the students and instructors are great - no ego, happy to answer specific questions, and roll with a beginner like me. Third, they offer a few quality non-BJJ classes, including Judo, Muay Thai, and wrestling takedowns; throw in the plentiful no-gi BJJ classes and they're most of the way to a solid MMA gym, while excelling at classical BJJ in a way that MMA gyms never do. Fourth, there are a lot of students, including a lot of purple, brown, and black belts, so you're always going to have someone around who can challenge you. Finally, the beginner program is well organized and transitions nicely into the full program, which is also well organized. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that after I got injured at the studio and had to take a year off on doctor's orders, they kept billing me for several months after my repeated complaints. read more

Balance is a great place with awesome teachers. It was a bit intimidating at first, having such close contact with strangers in sweaty gis. However the atmosphere at Balance helped a lot, between the amazing teachers at Balance and the great camaraderie between the students. As a girl, having a great women's group at Balance made me feel safe too. We have an awesome group of women who train at Balance regularly. And I met my penguin at Balance, I consider her one of my best friends, without Balance we never would have met!!! read more

I've been "balanced" with this crew well before yelp an fb so this is a late review but I say with quite a slab of fondness...Balance has been a home since I arrived and still is. Even tho I've been on hiatus for some time from the mat, Balance is always there. When life shifts in different directions, no matter what path I'm on, what side I favor, what direction going...my balance is always there. read more

I'm completely new to jiu-jitsu and have no background in anything like it, so I was fairly nervous when I showed up for my trial class. A few weeks in, I can't recommend this place highly enough! Training here, you can have a lot of fun, learn a lot, and meet some great people. Each basics instructor has his own style, but all of them are patient and supportive. The focus is on learning and honing the techniques, and they've made a point of avoiding overly aggressive, just-want-to-learn-to-snap-limbs types. The result is a student base every bit as friendly and helpful as the instructors. Everyone from the newest white belts on up genuinely seems to share a goal of learning, improving, and helping others do the same. You can always count on your partner to help you work out the steps in that new move, making the experience challenging but rarely frustrating. The flexible schedule (beginner classes are offered six days a week) are great for people looking for an after work activity. The price is moderate, and the quality of the environment makes it a great overall value. read more

Great jiu jitsu and culture. Balance has three schools in the city and all the classes are taught by experienced black belts.

Great teachers, lessons and community. If you want to learn Jiu Jitsu...Balance!

I'm grateful that I was introduced to Jiu Jitsu at Balance Studios. It's a privilege to learn from Phil and Rick Migliarese and to experience their level of knowledge (and also that of their students -- Josh is a great and patient teacher!). I highly recommend you stop by to learn as I try to do whenever I'm in Philly -- regardless of your preferred style, Phil and Rick without a doubt have something to teach you. read more

Hands down best place to train mixed martial arts in Philly. Although its known worldwide for its Brazilian jiu jitsu, other arts are definitely trained here. The owners Phil and Rick are the nicest guys in the world and have classes all day so it should fit in everyone's schedule...just stop in. read more

Out of towner just around for the day, and had a chance to get some Jiu Jitsu instruction to feed this new addiction of mine. Thanks to the instructors for making me feel at home and welcome here! I got to take a Gracie 101 class that included some self defense application of the art to add to my background in the sporting aspects. Friendly instructors and students who clearly have a passion for sharing this wonderful art. I will be back next time I visit Philedelphia! read more

Love this place!!! The instructors here are really great patient and care about what they are teaching. I felt comfortable and very welcomed, but more importantly I felt empowered after just one visit! I recommend this place to anyone wanting to learn self-defense, discipline and or even get in shape. I am trying out the free trial and hope to officially become a member. read more

After my first intro jiu jitsu class this past week at Balance, I was thoroughly impressed in many ways. As a female and a beginner, trying out a sport like jiu jitsu can be intimidating, but the staff at Balance made me feel at home from the moment I walked through the door. Extremely knowledgable staff, a family-like atmosphere, and students who are eager to learn and help each other, set this school apart from the rest. There's a reason why this school is ranked so highly, and I look forward to learning as much as I can as a new student at Balance. I would highly recommend Balance studios to anyone interested in physically and mentally challenging themselves. read more

Wow, what a super cool school. I was visiting Philadelphia and they completely welcomed me in, no fuss. I didn't even bring a gi, and everyone I rolled with was more than happy to go no-gi with me. Several black belts on the mat at once, which is always a plus. Definitely check this place out and sign up! read more

I am not from Philly, I actually live about twelve hours away, however when I am on the road I always try to find gyms to train in because I really love jiu jitsu. Phil and Ricardo run an incredibly solid gyml the guys were positive and the instruction was superior. I really look forward to visiting this place again sometime. read more

Balance has become my home away from home. The quality of instruction and the people that go here are amazing- I love the lack of ego and the willingness from others to help you out of you need it. Phil and Rick Migliarese and Josh and Drew Vogel are incredible instructors and great people! In addition to top notch BJJ instruction, their Muay Thai, Judo and MMA is wonderful as well for a fully rounded program. I love Balance! read more

The best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Philadelphia and would have to be in the conversation for among the best in the Nation. Extremely inviting and friendly atmosphere. Phil and Rick are at the cutting edge of their craft and do an outstanding job of passing on to their students what Relson Gracie and the rest of the Gracie Family passed on to them. Despite having many students, Rick and Phil take the time to get to know all of their students individually which I find quite impressive. Josh and Drew are also incredible instructors along with the rest of the black belts. When I first stepped in there, I was completely taken back by the number of purple, brown, and black belts on the mats who have stuck with this place for years. That was all I needed to see. I have ben training here for about 9 months now and I hope to stick around for many years to come! read more