The best martial arts studio in Virginia! I studied there for years and would still be there but…read moremoved too far away.

Don't waste your time Kung Fu doesn't work in a real life self defense situation especially Wing…read moreChun.

Let me start by saying that if I could give more than 5 stars to a place, this would be it. Shifu…read moreChris and his wife manage and instruct students in this family-owned dojo. Shifu (master in Chinese) Chris is an excellent teacher. He has been doing martial arts for almost his own life, and he is very knowledgeable. He had spent 13 years in China working with different masters. As a result, he is an expert in different styles of martial arts such as Chinese boxing, Kung fu Shaolin. Following his mission to keep Shaolin kung fu alive in the US, he started this dojo in VA. Currently, they offer two free sessions to let people experience the school before joining. I joined this class after participating in two free sessions. The environment and students in the dojo are great. Everybody is friendly and respects each other. From a covid standpoint, everybody wears a mask throughout the class, and there are sanitizers for both hands and equipment. Each session includes warmup, practicing the basics, form, partner work, and meditation at the end. Shifu Chris changes the structure of the class and always has new activities and challenges in each session. After two months of going to this class, I already feel really accomplished. I am able to do basic techniques and self-defense. It had even effects on my day-to-day life and helps me to be more focused. I recommend this class to whoever is looking for martial arts or even looking for a fun and effective workout class.

Wonderful experience, great exercise, friendly classmates. The sessions have everything I enjoy --…read morestretches, warm ups, boxing, defense, individual and partner work, meditation, some qi gong... lots of variety and progressive mental/physical challenges so you're never bored and always growing. I started this class three months ago feeling very out of shape -- and as a total beginner to martial arts. Now, I feel like I have energy enough for classes, plus I'm starting to hit the gym more too and feel less stressed during the work week. It's definitely the kind of work out that isn't a chore -- it's energizing. Come take the two free lessons and try it out for yourself to get hooked too. Shifu Chris and Weiwei, who assists, are patient, thoughtful teachers who care about culture, health, and overall wellbeing. Class is always a positive, welcoming environment.

On Tuesday (5/7), one of the school management (not the manager) approached me and asked me about…read morethe previous review I posted on Yelp. We had a conversation about the issues. And the school agreed to work on it and would try their best to communicate better in the future. On Sunday (5/12) the school manager invited me to meet and we had a conversation about the other issue. She apologized, explained the situations, and promised to do her best together with parents to make the school better. I appreciate all the efforts the school had made to solve these issues.

Like the focus on training by Shaolin monks from China, with careful attention to meditation and…read moremental aspects of practice. Sorry to say not many can hope to become as skilled as the monks, but the mental and physical journey toward expertise is no doubt beneficial. Thankfully the monks and management set outstanding examples.

IMAC is made up of the best coaches I know. It is a fairly new training center and as a result,…read morethere is a good teacher to student ratio. (Lot's of face time!) They always push me to improve. I not only get a solid workout, but I also learn lots of new material from martial arts. This not only exercises my body but also my mind as there are a variety of forms that I have been learning from this class. I have also learned a few tactical movements also. The environment is conducive to working out and we have a great little facility located by the NRA Museum/Range. IMAC also provides plenty of tools for working out such as a treadmill, jump ropes, kettlebells, barbells, pushup/pullup bars, elastic bands, a BOB, a grappling dummy, monster tire, and more. We usually have music to work out to also with a surround sound speaker system. It is a great place to work out. There is an excellent class for kids. And there are self-defense classes for the ladies! And more! There is a lot to love about this small Martial Arts school.

If you want authentic Wushu instruction like you would get in China, this is the place for you…read more Small, scrappy, and routinely produces some of the top competitors in the country. Not a belt factory, nor will they nickel-and-dime you with random fees and up sells.

From the owner: O-Mei offers a number of different programs to its members. Our primary focus is Contemporary Wushu…read moreand Taiji, but we believe in supplementing the training with a wide assortment of more traditional forms and training methods. We take pride in our coaching staff and their ability to cater to all types of people from the young energetic competitors to the older health oriented students. We have programs and classes for all ages and body types. Students can take unlimited classes and train with peers of the same experience level.

US Wushu Academy has been around since the late '80s, founded by a husband-and-wife team, Coach Pei…read moreand Coach Guifeng. Both are super famous and highly-respected and -regarded in the martial arts. The academy offers wushu, sanshou free style fighting/self defense, Chen-style taiji, and Yang-style taiji classes. I've always been curious about taiji, so it was such a treat to attend a demo class and presentation of Coach Pei! He is extremely personable, hilarious with a wonderful sense of humor, has a soothing and calming demeanor, super knowledgeable, and really a master of his field. He is a patient teacher, and he really gives the background knowledge and history of the arts, showing connections and the relationships. We learned how to find our center, walk the 'correct way,' and breathe deeply. A total educational experience! I can't wait to check out more of his classes!!! +ask for Coach Pei! :D +wushu, sanshou, and taiji class offerings +family-owned and -operated +another location in Gaithersburg

I have been taking tai chi classes here for about 6 months. This is definitely a good school with…read moredetailed instruction.

Look no further for a better school to learn Wushu. With various international competitions and…read moreaccolades under his belt, Stephon Morton is already very well-known in the Wushu community. Outside of competition, however, Stephon has found his true calling as a beloved teacher and father figure to his young students. They say that only the great ones pass on their knowledge to the next generation. Stephon is the perfect representation of that sentiment, truly embodying the warrior spirit.

From the owner: Northern Virgina Wushu Academy is a professional martial arts center that teaches contemporary and…read moretraditional wushu styles along with weapons, health qigong and tai-chi. At NOVA Wushu, our primary focus is on the development of the student, either concerning personal growth or physical exercise.

Update after 4 months: My initial feelings have been confirmed. This is a great place to learn…read moretaiji and qigong. They teach stuff that many other teachers either never knew or keep to themselves. I can feel the difference in my body and see the changes in other new students as they settle into practice. This is a practical, no BS approach, and if you're serious about learning real tai chi, not just pretty arm-waving, this is the place.

From the owner: Qi Elements Center For Taijiquan & Qigong is a Herndon, VA Martial Arts school that offers both…read moreprivate and group instruction. If you are looking for self defense or physical fitness, we can help you.

I'm sitting in a hotel room bored out of my mind. What else to do but review my old kung fu place?…read more Well that kills 5 minutes...what else can I do? I took kung fu here for almost 7 years. Being in high school, it fit my schedule to practice on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I started with praying mantis, moving onto hung gar forms and tai chi. The instructor is extremely patient and speaks English, Vietnamese, and Mandarin (I think). He also teaches weapons forms and basic sparring.

I used to love this location (Fairfax) of Kaize . However, recent changes have made me decide to…read morepull my kids out and go to a different location. My kids are in the youngest age group (under 7). They used to be taught by adult Sempais, and I could see them gaining skills, self control, respect, etc. But this location recently changed to allowing older kids to serve as Sempais and run the class. These kids don't have any experience with teaching children - they're still children themselves. The focus of classes has shifted from learning skills to just "conditioning" - running, sit-ups, push-ups, etc. And these child instructors just don't have the self-control to serve as instructors. At the end of most classes, the Sensei/Sempai ends with a fun game to conclude on a fun note. But recently, the child Sempai leading a dodgeball-type game got carried away and way too competitive and was throwing the ball full force into little kids' faces. I saw a 4 yr old get slammed in the face (by the Sempai) so hard she fell down. And the Sempai appeared to like it and continued to throw full full force at other 4, 5, and 6 year olds. That was the breaking point for me. The other Kaizen locations are good, and we'll stick to those ones.

I am enrolled in the Muay Thai program here at Fairfax Karate. It is a great program and I am in…read moremuch better shape than I was before. I may even consider taking an amateur fight. Najim, the coach is great. He is very technical in his instructions but still very understanding that it takes time to learn the techniques. Plus he has a strong competitive record: Multiple Sabaki (full contact Enshin Competition) wins and multiple Muay Thai Titles. It should be noted that some of the techniques are modified compared to pure Muay Thai to more of a Dutch style of Muay Thai. The classes run one hour, with about 10 minutes of warm up and stretching, about 40 minutes of technique training, and then about 10 minutes of calisthenics at the end. The varieties of techniques vary class to class ranging from the very basics to sparring for the more experience students. Also available are: Children and Adult Karate - I don't know a ton about these but have seen Najim coaching the children's classes and the kids seem to be learning alot of good techniques and still having a ton of fun. Also Enshin Karate, being a combination of kickboxing and Judo, does teach many techniques that are very real world usable should the students need them in an actual self defense situation. Gracie Jiu Jitsu - These classes are taught by Toney Waldecker, a blackbelt under Relson Gracie, son of Helio Gracie - the inventor of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. I don't know a lot about these classes either but Toney seems to be a very good trainer and Relson visits the dojo a few times a year it seems.