I have experiences with other gyms, both as 'home' gyms and as a visitor. My focus is on Gi…read morejiu-jitsu and while the schedule here is geared more towards the No-gi side, the quality of instruction is very high. The classes I've attended the most are the morning classes Professor Davis definitely has a lot of high level moves and concepts but breaks it down so that it's scaffolded to all levels. He's literally said 'you can stop here if you're comfortable.' He's also very accessible, both as an instructor and just as a human being. There isn't a rigid formality here so if you have a question or are frankly, lost like I frequently am you can just stop and ask for help without being afraid of being 'that guy.' I had to pause due to surgery/recuperating and it was as easy pausing my billing and being told if I needed more time to just let them know. I'm looking forward to get back on the mats and start training again-where I'm definitely going to have to ask a lot of questions.

Hand down one of the best BJJ gyms I've been a part of. Very friendly environment and encouraging…read more Plus Professor Davis is a legend. He's excellent at breaking down moves and explaining how everything fits together. The facility is very nice as well. There's a shower and the mats are very clean too! Pro Tip: Come to the 7 am class. It's less crowded and the training partners are great. See you in the mat! 10/10 Gis

Still a solid 5star place for kids JiuJitsu!! My son has…read morebeen going to johns gym from past 4ish+ years, and we absolutely love it. As any other parents would want, we too wanted a best coach for our kid, and James is the coach for kids jiu jitsu, and we couldn't ask anyone else other than him to be our kids coach, he genuinely cares for each and every student, he's % unbiased, and somehow manages to give each and every kid his attention/time, he's very passionate and knowledgeable about what he teaches. Kylie is the one who sits at the front desk, she's super nice, friendly, welcoming and attentive. Overall, if you're looking for a jiu jitsu coaching for your kid, look no further, give it a try!!

Unexpected fee after cancellation + refund refused…read more We enrolled our son, Talen, at Johns Gym in Austin and withdrew/cancelled his membership in April as a result of a blood clot and condition that does not allow him to box anymore. After the cancellation, we were still charged an additional fee. We contacted the gym right away to request a refund, but we were told we missed the reimbursement/refund window, so a refund would not be provided. I understand businesses have policies, but this felt frustrating and unfair given that we had already withdrawn him. I'm leaving this review so other families clearly understand the billing and refund timelines before signing up. I'd appreciate the gym revisiting this situation and making it right.

Hey you! Well consider yourself lucky for you just came across a great place to learn BJJ, become…read morephysically fit, meet personal goals and find a gym family. Coach Lin cares about the whole person and wants your experience to be the best it can be. He works on the fundamentals, teaches applicable techniques and uses his sense of humor to run great classes. I've been to several gyms over the years but the thing I enjoy most about Sinister is that it is indeed family. Whether you are a beginner or high level, this is the place for you. I've been with Lin for years and I plan on being with him for many more. I'll see you soon!

This is a great place to train. The instruction is great and the gym is clean. Training partners…read moreare concerned about safety and there is a positive community in the group. There is something for all levels. I travel to Austin for work often and I always come by to learn and get some rolls in when I'm in town.

Finding a place where your child feels comfortable, supported, and excited to learn is…read morepriceless--and that's exactly what we found here! The instructors were so patient with him and gave him the space to open up while gently encouraging him along the way. Seeing the difference now is amazing--he looks forward to every class and comes home so proud of himself! What I love most is that they're not just teaching Tae Kwon Do. They're helping the kids build confidence, discipline, respect, focus, and good habits in such a positive and encouraging environment. The instructors truly care about the kids, and it shows in everything they do. We're so happy we found this place!

First the good:…read more Master Yang and Master Higgins are outstanding instructors! They obviously have a love for Tae Kwon Do and for teaching in general. You and/or your child will likely learn a lot under their teaching. They will dedicate time to you and/or your child to help you along in the process. Now, for the disappointing: When you sign up, it appears you are signing a contract, which is completely understandable. As it turns out, not only are you signing a contract, you are applying for a loan, which will go on your credit report. Keep this in mind, as signing up (unless you are paying cash for everything up front) will likely impact your credit report, as it did ours.

I signed Thing One up for a membership for his 15th birthday last month. I did this because like…read moremost schools during this time, students are not permitted to change out into athletic apparel during their physical education class because of the pandemic. This lack of changing clothing is also directly correlated to the lack of physical fitness in these classes. On the first visit on his birthday weekend, one of the instructors took her time to approach me and ask if the music was to loud for my son. I was both shocked and grateful. She asked as she reviewed my son's paperwork when I signed him up which indicated that my son has Asperger syndrome. A significant number of people with Asperger's Syndrome have been perceived to display either an over-sensitivity or an under-sensitivity to sensory stimuli. In my son's case, although he is a musician who plays multiple instruments, loud sounds are troublesome for him. Aside from this, the instructor also checked in on him to make sure that he was using proper technique. Aside from the service provided here, the gym is clean and is operated like a Cheers "where everybody knows your name". I am pleased thus far with the instructors, price point and the convenient class hours.

The BEST gym ever!!! Workouts are done in 45 minute increments and you easily burn 500+ calories…read moreper sessions. All the coaches are great and helpful, love coming here!! And you can't beat the prices they offer Update 07/14: just wanted to add that they're doing a bunch of safe protocols in regard to COVID-19! And that workouts are still awesome! Great stretching + some yoga infused exercises to help ease the soreness from the other intense workouts they put us through!!

My son, David, who is six did this camp x3 weeks this summer and loved loved loved it! Lots of…read moregirls there, too. He was a bit young for one of the weeks but Brad (the owner/manager/teacher) kept a special eye on him..so I think would be still a great fit as he gets older and will definitely go back next summer! Very clean, variety of activities, kind helpers, and safe!

The studio is spotless and well-equipped and the tae kwon do instructors are excellent. My 4 year…read moreold son loves the Tiny Texans class and looks forward to it every week.

There are so many places to train in the area but none that we have encountered have been so…read moreexceptional for the youth. Our 3 children ages 14 (115lbs), 12 (70lbs) and 10 (50lbs) have tons of partners including highly skilled partners to train with which historically has been a challenge to say the least. Professor Bruno and all of the Coaches provide a very structured class where discipline, respect and good behavior is expected and they have an amazing way of pushing them through adversity. The advanced youth classes are also 75 mins long which is huge and not the norm anywhere else that I have seen. This means plenty of time for technique and plenty of time for live rolls. The Adult classes have also been exceptional and I can only speak for the Tuesday and Thursday afternoon classes but they are an amazing group to train with and are all super welcoming. My Wife and I have been leveling up quickly thanks to great instruction and partners. This place is a 10 out of 10 in a very saturated BJJ area. If you have a young highly skilled child and they are not currently being challenged, don't have enough partners or their class is short and full of games, this may indeed be the change you have been looking for!

My two sons have been enrolled in the Peak Performance after school and Soul Fighters BJJ program…read moresince August 2017. We have have seen a great improvement in their behavior and performance both at home and school. The values we instill at home of manners, self respect, respect for others, self confidence, self improvement, and accountability are all reinforced at Peak as well as all of their various athletic programs. In fact, I have enjoyed their involvement in the Soul Fighters BJJ program so much that I have recently enrolled as well. The connection I will build with my sons through BJJ will be a fundamental block upon which our relationship stands and evolves as they age and grow into their individual personalities. I couldn't be happier with the prospect of such a bright future.

My daughter started at HK Taekwondo as a Tiger (5 years old) and over the last five years has…read moreearned her Red Belt. HK Taekwondo has been the one to take her through this entire journey so close to reaching the top. HK Taekwondo is probably the best experience I've not only had with a martial arts studio, is has been and still remains one of the best family owned businesses I've ever had experiences with. Master Kim and his Teachers are firm, consistent, teach discipline but not through aggression or anger rather sternness and firmness at a level the child can comprehend and understand. I believe this is why over the last five years, I have seen other kids also grow up in the same program. If you want to start this journey as adult or with your child I very much highly recommend this school. PS - I also know this school follows guidelines and teaching standards for a path to the Olympics.

Most of the high reviews are from years ago…read more Master Kim, the owner, is missing and rarely interacts with students. The instructors are hit or miss. If you get one of the 2 that actually teach they have different approaches that contradict each other. A 3rd teacher is a student that has no business teaching. He has no leadership ability and the students have no respect for him. At one point in 2022 their main instructor at the time went on vacation and then was out sick for an extended time. During that time, the owner, master Kim was still no where to be found and the classes were taught by students. When the instructor came back most of the classes were a disobedient mess. No one was prepared for that round of testing so they had the students repeat the previous test since they went 2 months without learning anything. When you look at the calendar it is packed with classes, but that is not up to date. They teach multiple experience levels at the same time in a relatively tiny studio. There is no common space, for parents, gear, backpacks or shoes. Just a narrow walkway with a row of benches right off the mat. Students get close enough to hit spectators. Kids are stacked too close to each other and run into each other while practicing forms. There is so much confusion about which class is at each time, you almost always end up with lower belts in the advanced class. They take 30 minutes to warmup, split into groups, maybe do 5-10 minutes of Taekwondo, and then spend the last 15 minutes of class playing a kids game like tag or jump rope. The week before each test they realize how under prepared most students are and suddenly get serious. They need everyone to sign up for the test because it is a revenue generator. You get to the test, where master Kim makes an appearance. His rambling and confusing comments drag the event beyond the expected time, usually running an hour late for 1 hour time blocks. The test devolves into him referring to everyone as "you" since he doesn't know any of his students names. He starts teaching a class during the test. It is really more judgement on the poor quality of instructors rather than the students trying to pass. The parents sit there asking themselves where this level of instruction has been the prior 3 months. Ultimately the students try multiple times, take breaks to have 1 on 1 training sessions before they try again. Eventually after enough attempts most of them pass. I wrote this review while sitting at a belt test, watching multiple students fail even though they required a testing form to be signed in advance by an instructor, acknowledging they were ready. Master Kim determines if the kids pass the test, but the instructors somehow have no idea what his standards are. In the weeks leading up to the test, us and other families were requesting help on specific aspects of the test but the help provided by the instructor (who is actually a student on the performance team) was minimal and provided no constructive feedback. Over half of the students failed and the owner told those families that he would personally guarantee to work with them for 2 weeks and they would retest and pass. From Friday to Tuesday master Kim forgot about the promise he made. It turned into assigning a different instructor to work with them which turned into students (who were not instructors or black belts) working with the kids for about 15 minutes in one of the classes. The most frustrating part of the re-test was an instructor telling the kids if they worked "this hard" before the original test they would have passed the first time. Absolutely disconnected, if the instructors were consistent every class, rather than just the week before a test, their students would have actually been prepared. But keep letting the kids run around playing tag with pool noodles.