I love this place! Please do not read the negative reviews from the other people, chuck the owner…read moreis a little eccentric with the adults, but he is awesome with the kids! Honestly that is all that matters! I don't feel like he cares about the money, so that is why he has these insane deals, but he honestly cares more about the kids and the art of karate. In a matter of two weeks, my sons attitude, self esteem, has shot up 100 percent. He also gives amazing parental advice, if you are open minded and can listen to him. He knows what he is talking about! He knows shotokan, he cares about teaching, and passionate about it, and with that the kids love him, respect him and wants to learn. There are no gimmicks, no contracts, chuck is straight up. The best part is that, you can drop the kids off and then head over next door for your own kick ass workout and mike seril fitness! Come try it, I am there, and I will tell you the truth! If you are looking for someone to help your kids gain self esteem, self respect, self discipline this is the place to bring them!

I can't comment on the effectiveness of this place in training aspiring martial artists. I have no…read moreinterest in martial arts, and I'm personally pretty okay with that. This review is mostly about how the guy who owns and operates this place is a complete and total unprofessional asshole with boundary issues. He pulled me, my brother and my boyfriend into his shop with a plea to "give us a flyer" so he could "promote his business." First off, if you'd like to promote your business, a great idea would be to replace the sign that says "CARPET OUTLET" with a sign that says, idk, "Whittier Shotokan Karate"? Shady shady. I seriously thought we were gonna get a pitch for carpet samples 'til we got handed fliers with a bunch of karate dudes on it. So his initial sales pitch was okay. Something about two months for a hundred bucks, with a free uniform. Whatever. We were gonna nod and be polite and leave, but he wouldn't let us. He targeted my brother, who lives in Whittier, and said "I guarantee you can lose 40 pounds." To me and my boyfriend, he said, "You don't need to lose weight. You don't need to lose weight. YOU need to lose weight." Uh, we didn't ask, dude. Crazy rude. He went on to tell us not to "run off" while he went to grab yet more fliers about another deal he has going. When he came back, I had an awkward smile on my face, because I was pissed. This was clearly turning into a hard-sell pitch, and I was feeling defensive of my bro. When this dude (whose name is, I guess, Chuck) saw the smile on my face, he started lecturing me. Seriously? He was all "What's with the smile on your face? You're smiling at me like something's funny. What do you think?" I told him I didn't think much. His attention got turned to my boyfriend, after I mentioned he had done martial arts. He was all "You don't have to tell me. I can tell." Buuuullshit. He spent like five minutes guessing the form he'd done, and asking unnecessary questions. It was seriously invasive and a waste of time. I finally sacked up and was gonna make the standard excuse-- "Oh it's really late (it was past 9pm) and we have to get back to Huntington Beach" but he cut me off and didn't even let me finish the sentence. He literally told me to stop, because my boyfriend "wasn't finished" and was still listening to him. If my boyfriend had said anything in the past solid minute, I might have agreed, but it was just Chuck talking about his "extensive history" in martial arts. So I corrected him, and said that we were, in fact finished. Chuck had the nerve to challenge me, speaking over me and completely ignoring what I'd said to say "She tells you when you're finished!?" Oh my god, fuck this guy. I've never heard anything so rude from ANYONE, much less a business owner who was trying to sell us some needless service. At this point I was definitely angry, but I had a smile glued on my face. I said goodnight and was trying to steer my guys out the door, but Chuck wasn't letting go and kept trying to engage them. He asked my boyfriend if he always lets women tell him what to do. When we finally got out the door, my boyfriend and I split up from my brother, and Chuck followed my brother out the door. My brother's not as ballsy as me. He's reluctant to be even the slightest bit rude to someone. So he was gonna stand there and listen to the pitch AGAIN even though he was being blatantly insulted. So I went over, and Chuck was telling him yet again that he needed to lose weight. I said, "He's fine. *Goodnight*" (for the fifth time!) and literally had to put myself between Chuck and the guys before he would let us leave. He even went as far to ask why I was being protective-- if I was his sister. I said yes. He asked if I was the big sister. I said "No, little." And that was it. Little sister is not to be fucked with.

Thank you Master V for your dedication to the martial arts! Brazilian jiujitsu, kickboxing, mma!…read more If you're in the area, this where you should be training

Where to begin.... I started with Master V. approximately 7 years ago or so when my son became…read moreinterested in martial arts. I enrolled him in the Tae Kwon Do class, from the very begining he started taking classes with Master V. I saw my son transforming himself into a more secure, confident young man. My son was very shy and wasnt into team sports, at the time he was 7 years old. As I began to notice all of the positive changes, I too wanted to get envolved so I decided to tak the adults class. It was the best investment I've ever made. It gave me the confidence, self esteem and the best work out ever. I highly recommend you to check the studio out you will not be dissapointed. My son is now a 15 y.o and he is very respectful, confident and organize young man. I am sure that being part of the martial arts family allowed him to become the young man he is today.There's classes for all ages, and if Tae Kwon Do is not the one for you he has a diverse studio that also offers kick boxing, mixed martial arts too. Thank you Master V. for not only being a such a great teacher but you became a true friend. I can't thank you enough for all the times you sat my son down and gave him the pep talks and ecouraged him to be better each day.

i've been doing jiu jitsu for about 8 years and have trained at a lot of gyms. plenty of them i…read morewouldn't go back to or send anyone to. tillis is the one i always recommend, and i don't even live in whittier. noah has built his life around this, and it shows. he wants his students to become better grapplers, but he cares even more about them becoming better people. kids and adults both get that from him. heart isn't something you can teach, but tillis has plenty of it. the community here is something i've rarely seen in my time in jiu jitsu. people actually look out for each other, on and off the mat. for women especially, this place matters. walking into a room full of people you're about to grapple with can be intimidating, and not every gym makes women feel safe or taken seriously. tillis does. there's a real women's team and women's only classes, not a token spot on the schedule, and you're treated like a training partner, not an exception. that's hard to find and worth a lot. whatever brings you to jiu jitsu, it's covered. getting in shape, learning to defend yourself, building confidence, blowing off steam after work, competing, or just finding your people. there's a kids program, a competition team that actually shows up and medals, and plenty of room for hobbyists who just want to train and go home. tillis is all encompassing and a really special place in the jiu jitsu community. if you're shopping around, take a class. you'll see it pretty quick.

The environment and people in this gym is so organic, I have been coming to this gym well over a…read moreyear and never had a bad taste in my mouth. The coaches will take their time with you until you understand the concept. Noah Tillis really does make South Whittier a better place and I couldn't have been any more grateful for him and the community he built.

My son has learned so much in just the last four months of training. He looks forward to every…read moreclass, and we've seen his confidence grow tremendously both on and off the mats. Coach Art is incredible with kids. He takes the time to build genuine relationships not only with his students but with every family who walks through the doors. You can tell he truly loves what he does and is passionate about helping each child succeed. We are so grateful to have found this gym and highly recommend it to any family looking for a supportive, encouraging, and positive environment for their kids.

My boys 7/4 have been coming here for a couple months and they have grown and have gotten so good…read more The coach, Art, is amazing and has a ton of patients. It's impressive and all the kids love him. Definitely recommend if you want your kid to learn not just jiu jitsu but discipline and respect

Matadero Whittier is the best place to train BJJ, hands down…read more I have trained at multiple jiu jitsu gyms and none of them feel quite like this place. It's not overly strict and they don't gouge you for money. The culture is second to none. This is where I first truly developed an passion for jiu jitsu. Whether you're looking to compete, learn self-defense, exercise or try out a new hobby, Coach Ricky has a way of explaining BJJ concepts that just helps it click. They also have toddlers & kids classes. My 3 year old just started and is having a great time. It's great structure and character building for kids. Do yourself a favor and check this place out!

This is amazing and there are very welcoming and supportive they help with all needs and are…read moreamazing with the parents to.

Truly amazing gym! Been to a few different gyms and non compare to Lucas Leite La Habra. Both kids…read moreand adult classes are top tiers. So many black belts on the Mat, so many world champions. Kids class is always taught by black belts. Love the gym, love the people, love my coach Lucas Leite. Very humble and kind human being. If you want world class BJJ come to Lucas Leite La Habra.

I've been training here for over 2 years, and professor Lucas awarded me my blue belt…read more If you don't know who Lucas Leite is, google him. Check out his accomplishments. Check out who he has trained under, trained with, and trained up. There is a reason Lucas is such a popular and well known figure in the Brazilian Jiujitsu community. There is nobody harder working for his students than Lucas. But be warned: as nice and caring as Lucas is, he won't let you slack off. He won't let you cheat yourself. Which is why we love him. This gym is full of all types. We have competitors who have brought home world championship titles in Gi, no Gi, under all rule sets, and at all weight and belt levels. We also have those who, like me, don't focus on competing but are there more as "sport practitioners" who use it as a way to get in shape, learn something new, and push ourselves to be better. We have those there solely for weight loss and confidence building. We have those that take it for self defense, and others who train because it helps their mental health. The kids program is robust and extremely well run with daily classes, parents, come have your child get some confidence and burn off all their energy before bed. I pray I can train as long as physically able to under Lucas and beside my team mates here at Checkmat La Habra.

Great traditional Judo training here. Lots of kids and adults to train with. I dropped by…read more(formerly trained at Tenri in East LA) and it was great to see the instruction and emphasis on your nage komi. Looking forward to eventually bringing my kids once they're old enough, I think 5+ y/o in order to train there with the kids classes.

This is the place to be if you're in the area and interested in learning judo! I've been coming…read morehere for over a year and I can tell you every sensei here is committed to teach you the art of judo. Not only you'll be learning a great martial art/Olympic sport but you'll also be getting a great workout. Fees are extremely low ($20/month, plus $10/month community fee which goes toward the Southeast Japanese Community Center that the dojo is located at) because it is non profit unlike many of the martial schools that their only interest is your money. Here you will not be charged for belt promotion, new color belts etc. You earn your new color belts here by coming to practice regularly and practice hard!

My 6-year-old son has always had a hard time focusing and staying engaged, so I started looking for…read moreactivities that could help build his attention, confidence, and discipline. After researching local options on Yelp, I came across Taekwondo USA. Thankfully, Master Kim offers an introductory lesson at a great price that even includes a free uniform. From the very first lesson, both my son and I were hooked. We're now about a month in, and it has been a wonderful experience. Master Kim does an incredible job making each class fun while also teaching students the importance of paying attention, following instructions, and showing respect. I also want to recognize Master Jimmy, who has spent a great deal of time helping my son stay focused, follow directions, and continue improving. His patience and encouragement have made a real difference. The entire staff has been welcoming, supportive, and genuinely invested in the students' success. I'm excited to see my son continue to learn, grow, and build confidence under the guidance of Master Kim, Master Jimmy, and the rest of the team. Highly recommended!

Great spot in east whittier area. Located in a strip mall next to Smart and final. Master Kim and…read moreassociates working at the spot are very diligent with what they do. They take really good care of the kids they instruct. Very professional environment.