I started attending Tukong Martial Arts this past summer and have been training for about four…read moremonths now. I wasn't sure what to expect coming in, but since the very first day, all the instructors, as well as my fellow student peers have been incredibly welcoming and encouraging. The school holds itself and its instruction to a high standard. It is evident that all the instructors at the school have a true passion for martial arts, and I thoroughly enjoy Master Ali's style of teaching. As an avid learner, the instructors' enthusiasm and expertise make it easy to not only learn something new every class, but also enjoy the training as well! There is so much knowledge and room for growth in Tukong - whether you're looking for self-defense techniques, weapons work, or philosophical teachings you can find it all here at the dojang. If you're looking to not only grow as a martial artist, but also join a family of warriors, I highly recommend trying out Tukong Martial Arts!

The quality of leadership at Tukong Austin is exceptional! Master Ali is a brilliant teacher of…read moreall ages and truly cares for all of his students. He wholeheartedly embodies the heart and art of this unique and effective martial art form. I enjoy learning from all of the teachers at this school; they are very knowledgeable and friendly. I would describe all of the classes as positive, focused, challenging, and fun. Completely new to martial arts, I've been regularly attending classes at Tukong Austin for about 7 months now. Honestly, it has changed my life in a significant way! I've noticed a continual growth in myself in physical and mental strength, confidence, discipline, respect, focus, and of course martial arts/self-defense skills. If you let it, this school will gently mold you and challenge you to be a better you! I highly recommend this school!

Had a friend recommend this academy to me. As someone fairly new to BJJ, this is a great academy to…read morelearn. The higher belts are all welcoming and incredibly instructional. They'll still smash you when you roll, but they'll let you work in various positions and learn. Technique instruction is also solid and the coach provides a lot of feedback during drilling. Would definitely recommend this academy to anyone in the Austin area

Best gym in Austin. Laid back, friendly, and a very technical room. Great kids program as well.read more

I fully admit this review is being written in my honeymoon period of getting into the gym. But…read morehere goes anyway. Two weeks ago, I was out running errands and saw the sign for Tactical Arts Academy. I also saw that it was almost exactly halfway between my office and home. So, I went to their website to see what they could do for me -- someone who's never been able to commit to exercise and who hasn't ever been able to find a fitness program they could tolerate enough. Leslie replied to my web inquiry quickly and we met the next day to discuss my situation. I told him my big fear was that I am massively out of shape. He explained that's why I was there. We discussed CrossFit and how the workouts can be scaled to meet someone's level. I decided to give it a try. My first three sessions have been one-on-one to learn how to do CrossFit safely. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sore. Ibuprofen can fix that. But after each session, I come away feeling that I've accomplished something. Here's what I can tell you though. Leslie and Sergio, the two instructors, are beyond supportive. I feel encouraged and like I'm making headway. They're patient with newbies like me. And there's virtually no pressure. You're encouraged and pushed, but it's not boot camp. There's no drill instructor yelling at you. It's more like being mentored. And it's pushing me into fitness. There's no pressure to buy stuff. There's no long term contracts either. And heck, the gym is climate controlled and out of the elements so weather isn't an excuse. They offer CrossFit classes both at lunch and after work. Martial arts and self defense are in the evening if that's something you want to pursue as well. For once, I honestly feel I can keep up a commitment to being fit. If that keeps up, I'm going to have to ask Yelp for a one time exception to allow for a six star review.

I made sure to wait before writing a review to make sure it wasn't just the "i'm getting back in…read moreshape" craze of starting at a new gym. I've been working out here for the strength training classes since March, and it's been simply amazing. Bottom line up front: I've made amazing improvements in skill and strength and have lost around 18 lbs so far. TAA didn't do all of that, but Leslie and Sergio make this place a fun and engaging environment where you can achieve realistic goals. It's a great space with an open floor plan. The format of the work outs take off a lot of the pressure of trying to squeeze a bunch of work into an hour. Everyone who works out there is just like you: just trying to get back in shape - not some yelling raging meat head. I highly recommend Tactical Arts Academy for anyone who is looking for a low stress workout to get into their weekly routine.

Great gym and coaches. Been going off and on for a few months now and there's a great sense of…read morecommunity and clear instruction. Would recommend to anyone looking for a solid MMA gym in Austin.

Solid team and trainers with a a few active competitors/fighters. Female owned as well.read more

Great place to start your learning in martial arts or pick up where you left off. Awesome community…read moreand terrific teaching!

I want to give a review as a student from both the past and the present at this establishment. My…read moreexperience with Master Martial Arts and Master Sam Um has been nothing short of incredible. I originally started practicing Taekwondo here when I was much younger, early through late middle school. I was always engaged in every aspect of the class: Master Um makes an unbelievable effort to ensure every student of his is properly trained and gets individual attention throughout the class time to heighten their skills. When I reached highschool, I stopped after achieving a red belt due to my schedule not fitting, but had always wanted to go back and continue training because the classes were so fun and useful. Now, at age 21 and a full time student in college, I have returned to train in TaekwonYusul. From my understanding, "Taekwon" means "striking" and "Yusul" means grappling. Master Um has created a new hybrid of the traditional martial arts (Taekwondo, Gonkwon Yusul, Brazillian Ju Jitsu, Judo) labeled TaekwonYusul to emphasize it's heightened practicality over other single-focus arts. This is hands-down one of the most effective and useful martial arts I've discovered through my years of experience, and incorporates techniques from other martial arts that just WORK. I would say that TaekwonYusul is more of a taditional style mixed martial art, which gives it an advantage over most other options. The classes are structured, we spar with padding and safety equipment every class, and you will 100% be accomadated to whatever skill level you start at. With my Taekwondo background helping in the striking areas, I was surprised by how quickly I was finding myself retaining grappling techniques. All of the other students are wonderful and very helpful, often offering to teach you more in depth technique if you seem to be having a hard time grasping any concepts. I was very surprised to learn that TaekwonYusul hasn't been proffessionally recognized as a new martial art, but I have no doubt that in a few years this will be practiced by gyms accross the world. As for Master Um, he is one of the best teachers and coaches I've had throughout my life, always attentive and eager to teach and ready to demonstrate a technique the moment you have a question. His credibility is unbelieveable, having over 40 years of experience with martial arts and winning many competitions for Taekwondo in his youth. He's trained over 5,000 students, and that figure is from when I was a kid. I just want to say that if you read this whole thing, please consider joining. It might be the most exciting and engaging thing you get to look forward to going to after school or work. Thank you Master Um, I look forward to continuing my training. Thanks for reading, Yelp!

I am constantly blown away at the community that has developed at Shaolin Do of Austin! The Masters…read morehave gone out of their way to provide a wide array of online classes so that we can all continue to learn our Kung Fu and Tai Chi, and I know that they have more in the works. If you are looking for a place to learn martial arts, get in shape, or just meet some amazing people then this is the spot for you!

A welcoming and friendly environment. Inclusive to beginners & advanced levels. Kids & adults.read more

I have been training at Austin Kickboxing Academy since may or June of 2025 and this gym has helped…read moreme in so many ways. I am in the best shape of my life from training hard and in a better place mentally. It's a very friendly environment and the classes are very intense, everyone is very encouraging and they push you to become stronger and work hard. All of the coaches here are very skilled and nice people, they personally assist you throughout the class to help you understand the correct form and it's really helpful. To anyone thinking about joining just come take the free trial class like I did and see if it's for you!

My son has been going to Austin Kickboxing Academy for about a year and a half now and has learned…read moreso much. I love that every class is different, great exercise and builds his confidence. The coaches are so patient, encouraging and available to help throughout the classes.

Coach D'amon has amazing skills and great patience. Whether you have decades of experience in…read morefighting arts or are a beginner, you will learn a lot from him in a short amount of time.

Austin Warrior Arts is a great place to build community and learn a wide variety of African and…read moreAfro-diasporic martial arts. We learn machete systems, capoeira, kickboxing, stick fighting, Sword & shield and more. I appreciate that we prioritize applications along with the cultural and playful aspects of the arts. This is a great place to cultivate discipline, focus, and fitness.

I dropped in to train at The Void mid December and had a great experience from start to finish. One…read moreof the ladies training there (the amazing Lex) actually beat me at a jiu jitsu tournament. We hit it off while competing and became friends through that experience, which says a lot about the kind of supportive, women-forward culture that exists at The Void. When I shared that I was looking for a new school, she invited me to come try out. On my first day, Mars (the owner) gave me a full walkthrough of the facility. The school is located inside a larger facility that includes showers, a full workout gym, a sauna, and more. The fact that The Void members have access to all of these amenities honestly blew my mind. All of the perks, along with the schedule and membership details, are clearly laid out on their website. I also really appreciated that there is no contract and that pricing is very affordable, especially for downtown Austin. I tried MMA sparring, jiu jitsu, and kickboxing. Jiu jitsu is primarily no gi, but you can bring a gi if you want. Every coach I interacted with was knowledgeable, respectful, and patient. Any time I had concerns around safety or technique, they listened and offered modifications when needed. As a woman training in combat sports, this made me feel genuinely respected and well taken care of. On the MMA and kickboxing side, it's worth noting that they have heavy bags in house. The kickboxing classes (led by Christian) also had a strong women presence which I loved. There is no uniform requirement for any of the classes, so you have a lot of flexibility with what to wear. I recommend wearing comfortable clothing and bringing gloves and shin pads if it's your first time. They also have a in house videographer and photographer who captures amazing photos and videos. You can check out his work on Instagram at @donpablo.arw !! I live up north in the suburbs about 30 to 40 minutes away so if it were not for the distance, I would have signed up in a heartbeat. I made a lot of friends in the short time I spent at The Void, and that really speaks to the training environment and culture they have built. The location itself is great with plenty of parking. There is cold water available, a vending machine nearby, and very clean bathrooms. Mars was communicative, and since I tried out during a weird time with the holidays, I was especially grateful for their generosity in allowing me to train through the end of the month. The Void also hosts free community events, such as the upcoming Couple's Self Defense Date Night. All of their information can be found on their website or Instagram at @thevoidmartialarts. I highly recommend The Void to anyone interested in jiu jitsu or MMA in the downtown Austin area!

Well over a decade I have been coming here and definitely one of my favorite gyms to train at in…read morethe world! When I'm in Austin this is the only gym I've trained in or will! Bart is a true martial artist and student of the game and all the students here are lucky to have such an amazing instructor! Ask him about pool training!!! *side note Bart is an amazing drummer!

I've been going to this school for about three years, since the "bad old days." (just kidding)…read more So they just moved out of the room they were renting at the AACC, the one where you had to be careful not to crash into the glass display cases and the kids would track dirt on the floor so during class your shoes couldn't grip. The new location is fantastic! Easily triple the amount of room we had at the AACC and we don't have to worry about banging into anything breakable now. The ceiling is much higher so I don't worry so much about hitting it when I practice staff forms. There are also now stretch bars along the back wall and storage for all the things we didn't use to be able to have before: kick shields, targets, etc. And now that we're not on the tile anymore its a lot less intimidating to practice jumping techniques and break falls in the advanced and contemporary classes. The instruction is still the same as always. The material comes from Shi Xing Ying, a Shaolin Temple trained monk who now lives in Houston. The Austin school is taught by his student, Scott Pettengill, and Austin students who visit Houston can attend class there with the monk at no extra charge. I've mainly focused on the Contemporary Wushu they teach there. The only other game in town for Contemporary Wushu, I think, is David Scott's school and the UT Wushu club if you're a student there. Chris Tong (studied under Jeff Bolts, Madame Wang Jurong, and the monk Shi Xing Ying) is the contemporary wushu coach at ISWCATX and for the UT wushu club. If you come and take traditional classes he's a steal at just $30 in addition to the regular tuition, but if you take only the contemporary classes the rates are still more than competitive (especially considering how few people teach true contemporary) with everything else out there. His classes are still fairly small, I guess because they start later--around 7pm-- which makes it even more of a bargain since they end up almost being private lessons. Although I guess if I write this and it sounds inviting then maybe they won't be so small and then if I want a private I'd actually have to pay for it...but the more the merrier? I used to feel like such a klutz as a kid, I was a terrible basketball player, but I've developed so much more balance and coordination since taking Kung Fu, especially the contemporary class. I'm always spent and exhausted by the end of class. Its a great workout in a relaxed atmosphere from instructors whose pedigree can't be questioned.

My kid has been attending this school for a few months and we've been really happy. The instructors…read moreare very good and actually give out quality instructions. We tried another school before and the instructor never spent much time helping the kids who weren't doing certain forms or movements right how to do them properly. The instructors here will work with a student one-on-one if they see that the kid is struggling with something. They are patient but ask the kids for their efforts. They are strict with the kids (no goofing off!) but are friendly and fun at the same time. It's a very low key operation at a reasonable price. The instructor/student ratio can vary but most of the time it's 3-5 students per instructor.