Fantastic academy with a very welcoming staff, owner, and students. Very organized and structured…read morewith a great emphasis on learning fundamentals first. Highly recommend Carters Academy of Self Defense for everyone of all ages.

I've been training with John Carter for over 4 years. Very family friendly environment. Excellent…read morecurriculum for self defense in all of the programs offered at the academy.

We checked out many karate schools, and this one is by far the best. The instructor "Mr. David"…read moreand his family take pride in teaching students self defense. The students learn to use common sense before self-defense, and he applies real world experiences to the classroom. My child is a very happy and confident young lady thanks to her training at Genova Family Karate.

This school teaches legit Jeet Kune Do straight from Sigung Bruce Lee through Guro Dan Inosanto…read more Sifu Mark and Steven are phenomenal instructors and I'm very happy to be training in their school.

Outstanding instructors. Outstanding facility. Child & family friendly. Clean training area with…read moreknowledgeable instructors who keep everything organized & orderly. Owner, Mark Mills, is on site & hands on. My grandkids have grown physically & mentally. Discipline & respect are learned & earned. Kudos to CMA

Sifu Saleem is one of the most knowledgeable masters of Kung Fu, to include Tai Chi and Qi Gong…read more He has been in business in the Columbia area since 1985 and has become very skilled and patient in helping with my physical and mental challenges as well as those of others. His Kung Fu students are amazing, and some have been in the school for about 20 years. Thoroughly recommend!

From the owner: Lam Tang has offered classes in martial arts & self-defense training to students from Lexington,…read moreWest Columbia, Irmo, Blythewood, Cayce, and Columbia for over 30 years. We are proud to be South Carolina's first Kung Fu and Tai Chi school. Lam Tang was established in 1985, in Columbia, South Carolina. We are dedicated to teaching traditional Chinese Martial Arts of Hung Gar Kung Fu, specializing in Tiger Crane Hung Ga and Hasayfu (Four Lower Tigers) Hung Kuen styles. We currently offer traditional Kung Fu styles, such as: Cantonese Style Hung Ga, Hasayfu Hung Kuen, and Tai-Chi-Chuan, which includes Yang Style, Wu Style, and Sun Style.

This is the best Jiu Jitsu school in the state of SC. I've trained at several schools over the…read morelast 20 years. Rigan Machado, Gerson Sanginitto, Henry Akins (Rickson Gracie's third black belt), Cindy Omatsu (the first woman outside of Brazil to earn her Black Belt in BJJ). The attraction for me is that this school is run and owned by a couple, two Black Belts, Danilo and Jessica Cherman. There aren't many women Black Belts in our area and to have the opportunity to train and learn from one was an opportunity I couldn't overlook. She is a legit accomplished, talented, loving, compassionate, fierce fighter. He is a brilliant knowledgeable grappler as well, recently winning double gold (his event and the open event) at the IBJJF Charleston Fall competition just a couple of weeks ago. The school has a mix of white belts from the Irmo area, and color belts from their school in Connecticut. They had a successful program in CT and a strong women's team. They've been open since January and in 10 months, less than a year, they won 1st place at the IBJJF Fall event in Charleston. This is an academy that anyone in the greater Columbia area should attend. If you're looking for a BJJ school, this one has it all - a great youth program, great adult classes, even a striking class. Classes are Monday through Saturday. I'm so grateful to have found this place, I could go on and on. A real gem of a BJJ school. Danilo and Jessica are great school owners and BJJ practitioners and instructors.

Amazing coaches! By far, the best Jiu Jitsu gym in the Columbia / Irmo / Lexington area. I've been…read morelearning Jiu Jitsu since 2012, moved around quite a bit due to my tenure in the Army, and have never had a Professor teach the way Professor Danilo teaches. He breaks the techniques down in ways that make it easier to grasp and understand. Jitsu Academy is truly a family environment also, my kids train also and have both made tremendous improvements with their techniques and game.

Five stars for sure. First, I love that they split their monthly cost into weekly payments. Very…read morehelpful for families on a budget. Second, our 8yr old son truly loves it here. The staff is very kind but appropriately firm. We have noticed such a positive difference in our son in the short few months that he has been here. He's less forgetful at home and has been taking more responsibility for himself. He's excited and motivated to go to every class. We look forward to spending many more years at Black Tiger.

My family has been attending BT for close to a year now and we have been having good results…read more Master Black is a good instructor and his training style holds to the 5 tenants of Taekwondo. I don't have other martial arts instruction to really compare to, but in comparison of outlets and activities for our kids and as a family as a whole, this is a very good one. While going to those trampoline parks may be fun to go to, there isn't a whole lot that you take away unless you only wanted a diversion that was one-time or sporadic. Attending BT gives you and your family the opportunity to build your physical health, a development of character, and it's also a great way for families to spend time together. If you're looking for only that one-time or sporadic participation, this isn't for that. Like if you go on a diet, your goal may involve loosing weight or eating more healthy. If you engage in weight-training, your goal may be to build more muscle mass. None of those things can be done just once or twice, you need to stick with it before any results are obtained. If you decide to attend BT, Master Black has entire months planned out to in advance to train and educate all of his students, kids, juveniles, and adults alike, in building themselves on those different levels. It doesn't require the commitment of the entire taekwondo lifestyle, but the benefits of physical and character development last beyond the class. No trampoline park can do that. What I would have liked better is the physical building. I need higher-intensity work-outs and more often than what BT provides, so I work out extra on the side for that. Another downside is that there are only a few adults who participate (many parents do come by, but only their kids attend). So the variety of styles and opponents to spar with is limited. I do like that Master Black has a wealth of knowledge and experience with Taekwondo. He is friendly and also good with kids too (he is also a father, so he has that insight as well). Many of the students have been attending for years, working their way even up to Black Belt. So I'd rate a 4.5-5 stars, most especially because my kids enjoy it so much.

I'm taking Tai Chi courses here, and the results have been wonderful. I'm more flexible, and my…read moreback pain is almost gone! The personal instruction is great.

Coach Kenn and Coach L are amazing. They are patient with the students and make sure they…read moreunderstand the cycle they are on for the week before moving on. They work with the students on an individual basis. My son has been going for 2 years and loves it!

Excellent facility! Staff is extremely knowledgeable and work with beginners well. They display…read morepatience and proper scaffolding for my 4 year old who is just getting started. They are putting my son in a good position to use self control and to focus on the task at hand. I appreciate what they are doing as an organization that is equipping the youth with discipline and hard work.

I have been a member since the business was Golds's Gym, then Mov Fitness. I assumed that the…read morechange to One Life Fitness would basically be another name change. Most of the changes that were announced have been completed and actually has transformed the gym from an average gym to a top tier facility. It seems like they have doubled the size of the facility just by adding tons of new machines, opening up the existing spaces, and organizing the area for maximum effiiciency. However, the continuing friendliness of the original Mov staff, plus the addition of many hard working people are what make it feel like a family gym. While I, most times, just accept how things are, I have always mentioned improvements that would contribute to my postive experience when I notice. The difference now (I assume due to Vicktoria's strong work ethic), is that when I mention something as One Life, the changes occur within days. And, I guess based on having people with foresight for customers, most things have improved before I even get concerned. While I miss my original trainer (Lindsay), my new trainer (Nick) and all the others seem to enjoy helping us reach our goals. Nick's field of study has been great for me trying to adapt to the issues with aging and how to address those in the proper training and correct preparation (for me the stretch sessions allow me to continue to workout while hip and back changes can slow progress). Finally, being greeted by Katherine, Victoria, and/or Christine (or whomever is at the front desk) each visit, just makes it feel like a family type gym vs a corporate chain. They help me start out my work out with a smile. To close, I'll give a little more praise. "Hardest working" goes to Victoria, and cleaning guy (sorry haveln't learned his name yet). They are never in one place for long. Always cheerful and make you feel that way goes to Katherine and Nenna. How can anyone be that cheerful all the time? While those are ones I call out as champions, I have had great experiences with most all the staff, and thats what makes the gym stand out. PS. While it is obvious the changes must be contributing to larger membership, my lunch time slot never seems to be an issue for access to the various equipment. Regards Joe

I'm at my wits end here. I've been a member for 4 years, first MUV now OneLife. Grateful for the…read morerenovations they put in, but they're promising that the turf area will be available "soon" and it's been almost a month. The gym is crowded, we're all working out on top of each other, and I'm about this close to moving on to a new gym that isn't full of empty promises. They kicked me off the turf area because it's not "ready yet" when all I was doing was a plank... but the trainers take their clients on it all the time. I don't like double standards. Is it closed and not available yet or not? Pick one.