Intro : I have been part of many gyms throughout years of Jiu Jitsu training…read more I have trained under Rafael Formiga from Soul Fighters in Danbury, CT. Roberto Abreu "Cyborg" from Fight Sports in Miami, FL. Steve Ficca from Odin's in Las Vegas, NV And eventually I moved to Dallas and joined Marcelo Garcia. Teaching ( a bit about the Instructors) : Rob Ables: After getting a free lesson under Rob Ables, I decided to sign up immediately. I did not need to visit other gyms. The way he teaches is definitely incredible and refreshing to see. He is a true master. He cares about the students and will make sure to show you variations based on your age, body type, limitations, etc. He understands not every student is the same. Not all of us have the same goals in life. I have met many gym owners who usually are great competitors, but lack in the teaching department. Rob Ables is a master, a teacher, a coach. He has taught me many valuable lessons, and often times they were just slight modifications to things I was doing that made a world of difference. I have never seen a more selfless coach, he has never turned me down or any other student when we ask him to show us something after class is over. Not only him but the other coaches there are absolutely amazing. Dan Butterfield is also a treasure filled with wisdom. Inside and outside of the mats, he's compassionate, wise and extremely good at the gentle. art of Jiu Jitsu. He's a father figure to many. He's always glad to help and assist students. Kevin : he's a new coach that started teaching just before I moved away from Dallas , but his classes are absolutely fun and he has no ego. He will spar with lower belts and let us test ourselves. Being that he's very competent at Jiu-Jitsu, it's great to have someone at his level allow us to practice. School Philosophy: The Marcelo Garcia philosophy is basically to rely on technique above all else. We are taught to maintain our competence, respect and integrity once we step away from the mats as well. Training Partners: They are absolutely great. I have never had issues with anyone that had been coming to the school for a while. All my partners were respectful, took great care of me, had great awareness and are not "out to get you", they quickly became true friends. It was pretty comforting to find such a great school with really down to earth, respectful partners. They also have a plethora of seasoned competitors that will definitely push you if you so choose, it's definitely good to push yourself against the very high skilled active competitors here. I always learned something new every time I rolled with them. Conclusion : This is as 5 stars of a Jiu Jitsu school as it gets. Everything about the school is great and I'm very thankful to having been a part of this academy for roughly 2 years. I dearly miss it and have no doubts anyone who cares about good jiu Jitsu will love it here.

Rarely am I inclined to post a review on a place that I frequent. After all there is a lot at…read morestake with posting an honest review; if people realize the exceptional quality of instruction and the feeling of family and support then more and more prospective students will show up. What happens then is unknown; a bigger jiu-jitsu "family" , more friends, and training partners to improve my bjj game? Who knows? So I must choose my words carefully... here it goes... Marcelo Garcia Dallas is simply the bast place to train in Dallas TX. It is not uncommon to see instructors from other schools coming in to catch a lesson from Rob. The cadre of instructors is more than capable of covering a wide range of bjj styles, from old school to the new school with leg and ankle attacks. I am constantly impressed with all the different approaches the students have. It is easy to find a favorite training partner in any class and the owner does a great job of encouraging a sense of family. If you can judge the quality of an instructor by his/ her students then MGD instructors are "top shelf". Oh, they even have a "Ladies only" class taught by the toughest women on planet earth. There an honest review.

Started coming here a couple years back & the moment I stepped foot inside this gym & saw how Sosa…read morewas working with his students, I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I was never sure about what martial art i wanted to go for, but somehow Muay Thai came around & I fell in love with the art right away. Anyways, awesome place if you're seeking for a real one on one, hands on experience in becoming a true Muay Thai warrior.

I had been practicing Muay Thai for 2 yrs when I moved to the Irving area. Naturally one of the…read morefirst things I did once I settled down was to look up the best and closest Muay Thai gyms. Aiki Muay Thai was one of the closest so I decided to take the trial class. On arriving at the gym for my trial class, I noticed they kept the place clean. They had the usual gear available, Thai pads, body shields, spare gloves, clean wraps etc. They also had heavy bags, a speed bag and a boxing ring. There was a mix of people who were welcoming and willing to help out if I had any issues or questions. The Khru had a wealth of information to share and a keen sense of awareness of what was going on in his class. I trained at the gym for the next year before I had to relocate to another state. The classes were usually run by Khru John who brings an extensive experience in the martial arts that he shares with the class. The classes were well structured from warmups to working on techniques which he eventually tied together with combination strikes and defense. What I especially liked was that Khru John instills a respect for Muay Thai in all his students. Young and old, we all walk away with more respect and discipline. Khru John is a true martial artist who treats his members like family and gives us the tools to grow regardless of your experience level. All together I have trained at 6 different gyms under 8 different Khrus. Hands down Aiki Muay Thai gave me the best learning experience, workout and comradely. I would highly recommend Aiki Muay Thai.

After some prior communication to come in, we drove up from Austin expecting to do a drop-in class…read moreat 12pm today(Friday). Professor Jeff greeted us soon after we came in while he was in a private lesson with a few students. He had some unfortunate news as "All levels" doesn't include children...and my kid is a small 8 year old. I should have clarified and not have assumed anything. But Professor was extremely generous and offered my kid to sit in the adult class which was quickly turned down by the Professor running that class. And without hesitation Prof. Jeff had one of his younger orange belt coach help instead. She went over some fundamentals and also helped with techniques that needed tweaking for better results. The enthusiastic coach, Emi(sp?), was amazing with our little guy. Out weighted and sized but Mateo learned so much from her excellent communication, easy to understand style of teaching, and physically demanding sparing! We can easily see that the bar is set high in this school. If we lived here, we'd be a part of this team! Thank you Professor Jeff, Coach Emi, and Gracie One!!!

If you want to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for self defense this is a great place. If you want to…read morecompete, I'm not as sure. Went here for about two years, one in the kids class and then in the adults class when I was 15. I was going three times a week for about 4-5 months, and routinely brought up wanting to do a tournament. Maybe it was just a busy time for Coach, but he was pretty vague on what to focus on for my first tournament, and just said show up to class which I did. I signed up for the tournament, told Coach I'd be there, and he didn't even give me extra training the week leading up to it. I get to the tournament, the weigh in goes fine, but Coach was no where to be seen. Even during both of my matches, he wasn't there like the other coaches were. During the actual rounds, I held out for the whole time limit both times, but once it went past my wrestling knowledge I was a fish out water since we never sparred as intensely as an actual match. If you want to learn self defense and don't care about competition, go here for a few years and then learn Muay Thai. Also, in class, very few people treated me like an adult cause I was 15, which sounds like a valid reason why they wouldn't, but every paying customer deserves respect.

Guy meager is a great coach always helpful and pushes us past our limits this is a great gym to…read morework out at

Joining Mezger Martial Arts has been one the smartest choices I made. I joined the 6 week challenge…read moreand let me say that I actually seen quick results that I for sure would have not seen if I would of stuck with my LA fitness membership. Audrey and Guy do this for a living and you can see the passion they have in transforming people. I started with a weight of 198 and lost 17lbs. Drop a body fat percentage of 6.7! And by the last day left with a 3.8 muscle gain!! Would definitely recommend not only because you meet cool people and see results but you will learn self defense and how to have more self-control. Guy and Audrey thanks for this life changing experience!! If you want results and can tolerate pain don't think about it join this gym!!

I go to the 7:30-9pm classes. I get in a solid workout and learn self-defense. The style here is a…read moremix of martial arts, particularly Tai Quan Do and Jujutsu (kicking, punching, and grappling on the ground). The night classes are light. Class is usually 4-6 people, sometimes more sometimes less. It's good because I get 1 on 1 time with the master instructor. Respectful people here.

This is a great dojo! I'm an adult student and one of my kids goes here too. The instructors are…read moreengaging, encouraging, and really skilled. I practiced martial arts as a youth with an excellent instructor but then took 30 years off! I came back as a beginner after seeing my son in class and realizing this is a wonderful gym/dojo. Also, the pricing is very reasonable and the workouts are great. Check it out and you will be glad you did.

Wonderful instructor, definitely patient and got my inner beast to come out. I feel strong and all…read morethanks to him! My entire family did a self defense class; it was awesome. I would definitely recommend.

I started taking classes here in Jan 2009. I was 38 and out of shape. One of the black belts said…read morewhen asking if I could handle classes and the art, "Well, I'm older and out of shape and I'm doing it". I haven't looked back since. I live in Rockwall, so it's a little of a drive, but well worth it considering the instructor. A little research online will reveal Keith Gorham knows his stuff and is well known in the Kenpo community. From personal experience, I find classes with Keith to be very rewarding. He is very patient and willing to teach anyone regardless of age or ability. He has been teaching Kenpo for many years and it shows. I feel very fortunate to be within driving distance of his dojo as it is very exciting to be learning Kenpo, especially from someone such as Keith. If you are considering taking martial arts, you can't go wrong with Texas Kenpo Karate.

Going to Dallas Capoeira is one of the best choices you'll ever make joining a community in the…read moreDallas area. You'll not only get stronger and witness yourself do things you never imagined yourself to do, you'll also further the life of a passed down beautiful culture. I'd say joining this community will probably make you live longer. The friendships you build, the fitness and crazy movements that become you, the rhythm you learn, the music you make... Capoeira is an art that you can continuously be a part of. No matter your age or ability you can play and/or contribute in Capoeira. All of this to say, this impression comes from my experience with Abs, Sebastion, and all the other instructors and capoeiristas at Dallas Capoeira. Definitely take a chance and check it out. It's a great time.

My son has been going to Dallas Capoeira for over 2 years. He is almost 10 and I can't express how…read moregrateful I am that he has this in his life. The training is rigorous yet accessible. Somehow Sombra and the leaders in this community manage to train at their high level (amazing to watch!) while inviting the younger participants and newer folks to participate, grow and be challenged at their level. By the end of the class, everyone seems to walk out more joyful than when they came in. They are exhausted in a good way. So many times, I hear people talking about being able to do something they previously thought they were not capable of. Sombra is an experienced, kind, patient teacher. He creates a fun, lively atmosphere. Sombra and the other leaders in the group are impressive in their athleticism and intellect (they will nerd out if you ask them to ;)). I've watched everyone grow in their practice over the years. It's a great community.

I've never been to a place like this before, where everyone treats you like family. I was very…read moreworried about putting my son in classes but all my worries went away when I saw everyone in action. The instructors have so much patience and are so fun with the kids. I've never seen so many people care for kids the way they do as if they were their own...it's definitely a safe place. They also teach my son discipline and get him the exercise he needs while making it fun. Definitely check this place out!

I just landed in Dallas for a work conference. I had been looking for a place to train while I was…read morein town. Had a blast dropping in at the noon Thursday class. Lots of guys training, and everyone was very welcoming. Professor Martins treated me just like one of his students and I appreciated the hospitality. The guys were all really good, from blue to black. Speaks volumes about the level of instruction from Professor Martins! Will be back soon!