I was worried when moving from Los Angeles to the Washington DC area that I wouldn't be able to…read morefind a good Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school for myself and my two kids. I am thankful that I found the Yamasaki Springfield location. I tried out several different schools in the area and finally settled on Yamasaki because it felt like the perfect fit between the kids and adults programs. My kids train both judo and jiu jitsu at the school and both programs are great. Coach Mo is a great judo coach and they have a dozen or so black belts able to assist the kids classes on a regular basis. My son's take downs and standup have improved dramatically since training judo there. Professor Neto does a great job teaching both the kids classes and the adults class. The kids classes are the perfect balance of discipline and fun. Neto explains the various techniques with an extremely high level of detail and thoroughness. The adult classes have a good mix of beginners and advanced students. There are several black belts that attend class and can lead the class if Neto is away. The academy is air conditioned and comfortable in the summer months and Neto is a stickler keeping the mats clean.

My son has been coming here for over a year now and without a doubt has been a great experience for…read morehim. The facility is clean and the instructors are professional and very experienced. Most importantly they make it fun for a 7-year old. Another big plus is the number of senseis available per student. The small ratio gives a more in-depth teaching per student which at times may be required. Overall a great place to train and grow! Looking forward to seeing my son advance! Enjoy.

We joined the Elite M.A. Center with both of our children. Their instructors are great!…read moreOne child got injured, and due to long-term travel, I wanted to cancel her membership. They were hesitant and wanted me to continue paying the monthly fee until we returned, offering to use the credit towards our future payments instead. I kept my son enrolled, but when he missed one of his two sessions, I kindly asked if he could attend three times the following week to make up for it. My son loves his classes! However, they declined my request. Their customer service is very poor, and I wish they were more understanding regarding injuries or when children are ill and miss classes. I would not recommend them.

We celebrated my son's 7th Birthday at the Burke Elite M.A. and his friends had a lot of fun, and…read morecouldn't have been any happier. Mr. Chris and the other member of the staff are great with kids, and can strike a balance of being serious and at the same time fun which is a hard combination to strike. Great facility with great compassionate staff. Highly recommend it. .

Took my 5- and 8-year-old to Six Blades Jiu Jitsu Nova for a free trial. The environment is…read moreno-nonsense and clearly built around serious training-- which as an Army veteran is something I personally respect and felt at home in, especially given the military-style banter. That said, I didn't find the tone ideal for younger kids. There was language and phrasing ("kick his ass!") that I didn't feel was appropriate for children, and I was disappointed by comments made toward boys being beaten by girls ("You'll walk home if you lose to a girl")--not exactly the message I want either of my kids internalizing. The instructors are absolutely skilled and committed, but they treat the kids like mini adults, which may work for some families, but not ours. We ended up going with another gym that's more youth-focused, closer to home, and offers more affordable memberships with military and family discounts. I think Six Blades would be great for adult students or older teens looking for high-level instruction, but it just wasn't the right fit for our young kids. Edited for further context: For further context, what the owner describes as "jovial" banter included quotes from coaches during the kids' training session: * "Kick his ass!" * "Whoop his ass!" * "You better not lose to a girl!" * "If you lose to a girl, you're walking home!" * "Pay attention, dammit!" "Banter" implies the kids could respond with witty comebacks--but what would they realistically say to grown men in a position of authority? They simply complied. That said, I truly appreciate the owner's openness to constructive feedback. It makes me feel more confident in my decision as a parent. For now, we'll stick with the more "budget" and kid-friendly option -- at least until my children are old enough to clap back at demeaning and misogynistic comments with confidence and humor that comes with maturity.

My son has been training at Six Blades three times a week for seven months. He's had the best…read moreexperience! The instructors are extremely skilled at jiu-jitsu and are natural teachers. The kids children's classes are full of super sweet kids and friendly parents. The community is very welcoming and I'm so grateful to have found it.

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.

I recently joined Andrew Gause's Martial Arts, after several years away from a dojang. I grew up…read morepracticing Taekwondo, and I got to compete at a certain level in forms and sparring, so it had always been a fundamental part of my life. Going back to practice was, therefore, a significant decision for me, and the fantastic staff at Master Andrew's school have made it very easy to feel welcomed and integrated in their family. Classes are varied, never the same, and they help me so much to relieve stress from my working day at the office. In just a few weeks, I can feel I am back in shape, and have regained my passion for martial arts. Every week, lessons include basics, forms, sparring, self-defense and physical fitness, so there is no space for boredom or repetition. Facilities are immaculate, and equipment is all high end and new. The Taekwondo curriculum is very well organized, and allows every student to remain engaged and make progress. For me, however, the main differentiating factor of the school is the incredibly knowledgeable and skilled masters, as well as the dedicated and supportive instructors. They instill a strong sense of discipline, respect and seek for excellence which I feel very identified with. Having been in the world of Taekwondo for over 25 years, I can definitely say that I would recommend joining Andrew Gause's Martial Arts to my family and friends.

My grandson goes and enjoys his Karate classes. The trainers are really devoted and experts in…read moreteaching. They focus on every single child which is such a motivation for not only children but the parents too. I enjoy watching his class as the teachers are experts in teaching. I would definitely recommend my friends and family.

Don't waste your time. I've quit while signing up for the trial class. The owner is paranoid about…read morecovid and shows irrational hostility towards new members. This is the only gym in the neighborhood that makes you QUARANTINE for 14 days just to start your trial class. You are not allowed to drop in, have to make 48 hour prior appointment for a class because of covid. It's 2022. Even our government doesn't have restrictions anymore. Why are they being paranoid? Their website said I can provide a negative result to take the class faster so I told them I'm willing to provide negative test result. Then the management literally replied with a threat saying "we will ban you if you show up before 14 days." Then they sent me another email saying they won't accept me as a member and etc while I was writing this review. How do you expect to teach people martial arts when you are this paranoid, rude, and irrational? I've been to few local gyms here but this is by far the worst experience just by contacting them. Glad I didn't even waste my time attending here.

I just had my first class, and I absolutely loved it. Kru Carlos and Instructor Jeff were very…read morewelcoming. I am not the most athletic person, but the atmosphere of the class and the energy of the instructors made me feel like I absolutely did not want to give up when I was tired- which happened pretty quickly . I have never felt the motivation to push myself to the degree that I felt tonight. If you are having any doubts, don't! Go ahead and sign up for a class. You won't regret it.

My 5 yr old has been going to LBE, South Run for almost a year now and we have been very happy with…read morehis progress. Taking classes has given him a sense of confidence that we greatly appreciate. We originally signed him up with the hope of helping him learn to listen and get his wiggles out. Mission accomplished. He is becoming a better listener and also loves learning new stretches and activities. He really enjoys his time at the dojo and looks up to all of his instructors (who are all kind and knowledgeable). A huge perk for us was that they offer a free birthday party, which allows you 90 mins of games, TKD, and eating. All you have to do is bring the food and decorate. They have instructors there to ensure that your child and the party group will have a blast. My kid had such a great time and all of his friends did as well! They even let them break boards at the end for an awesome photo op. Highly recommend TKD here at LBE!!! Also, they have an afterschool/before school care program. I can't speak about the program yet since my kid won't be going until this Fall, but I appreciate the flexibility of the program! You can do as little as 1 day per week or more. This is great for parents who do not need to have a full week of afterschool/before school care. Mike has been great to work with and is very prompt with questions. Again, highly recommend!

Had our daughters 4th birthday here! Special shouts out to Miss Catie, Mister Tan, Sarafina, and…read moreanother younger gentleman for all their support in orchestrating the games and making this an unforgettable and seamless party for our daughter and all our guests. We appreciated their support and hard work and dedication, every family that came as our guests left with only nice things to say about the cleanliness and helpfulness of the staff. A HUGE thank you to LBE for allowing us to use their space and be treated as family. We highly recommend any parent to have their kid's birthday party here. Our kids came home exhausted from all the exciting activities and games they learned and shared with their guests/friends. Well worth it!

Coaches with huge egos. Do you want to learn jiu jitsu or join a cult ? They like to yell at their…read morestudents and make cringe jokes. Honestly any other gym has been a better experience than this one. The coaches have favorites and won't progress you if he doesn't like you.

Nothing fancy, pretty basic, some equipment, and a decent amount of room for their different MMA…read moreclasses (including two large matted areas for you to flip on, be pushed on, and fight/dance it up!) If you're unsure about it all, breathe in, breathe out, and woosaa - 1st timers get 2 free weeks of whichever class they want to pop into. Try them all if you want. They even have classes for kids. I once knew nothing about the many different forms of martial arts and I honestly have nothing to compare Fairfax Jiu Jitsu to, but I strongly believe it is the people who can make or break any kind of establishment. Needless to say, it is everyone here, from Dave (one of the managers) to the students in the [I'm not telling you what I took!] class, that make this place amazing. Classes will challenge you, you will learn, and you'll enjoy it all. I think I found my 2nd family. Try it out, let them know you saw my review, and that you're ready for some ass kickery!

The quality of instruction, as outstanding as it is, is secondary to the quality of character of…read morethe family that teach there. Their consistent emotional investment in their students' development as whole people, not just martial artists, speaks to the sincerity of their efforts. There is an intentional culture of excellence throughout the school that is supported by encouragement tailored to the age and development of the students. Both of our children have been with the school for several years, even through covid and having to relocate. While we miss the luxury of training in person, the instructors went to great lengths to continue classes online, and have transitioned to a hybrid model with great success. We enthusiastically endorse Yong In, and would encourage anyone interested in training to take the time to meet the Lee family in person and let them prove us right.

(dictated by Sebastian who is 7 years old)…read more Fun before class because there're balls. And fun class. Good teacher because he teaches new stuff sometimes. I like it with two languages.

So far best gym chain in the DMV right now without having to go to the extreme side of the scale…read moreand pay for what may as well be a private "club". Onelife gyms expanded to purchase a lot of locations of other region gyms and in doing so their styles differ a bit between gym - which may be jarring for some. But you don't have to notice if you get the cheaper membership with fewer gym choices. Classes are good and offer varied options, but you may have to hunt for which gym works for your time schedule as getting to one on time is a chore with our traffic. Including all the basics you may need and more, like child care optional extras for the families that need it. At this pace this is set to be a good gym for you for the next ten years easily.

I've been coming to this OneLife Fitness location for quite some time and have always had a good…read moreexperience... until today. I came in for my regular workout around 8:00 PM and started a warm-up on a machine in the personal training area. I understand that this area is prioritized for personal training between 6 AM and 7:30 PM, but at that time (8pm)there wasn't anyone using this specific machine. I even asked another member nearby, who confirmed he was not using it. A trainer with tag name under Michael L approached me in a very aggressive and confrontational manner. I had my headphones on and barely heard him yelling out, but before I could even respond, he walked up and pretty much forcefully pulled the machine cord and told me to leave this machine because he claimed to be using it for his trainee. What made the situation worse was that even the trainees he was working with appeared uncomfortable, and another member who witnessed the interaction told me not to mind him and kindly offered me his machine instead. This was a very disappointing experience and not the level of professionalism I expect from someone representing this gym. I hope management addresses this, as it reflects poorly on an otherwise good facility.