I am a Blue Belt and I train Gracie JiuJitsu at KiCK Martial Arts in Kansas City. I had been away…read morefrom home for a week and ended up in Champaign, IL desperate for a JiuJitsu roll. CU Jiu Jitsu was NOT the only gym that I called, but they WERE the one who called me back! Coach Mike was super nice and welcomed me to come in and take a FREE trial class even though it was obvious I was not going to sign-up, and he even refused to allow me to pay for the class à la carte. Thank you, CU Jiu Jitsu! My experience was great! I was the odd man out as this gym focuses on sport jiujitsu whereas Gracie Jiujitsu is much more focused on the Self Defense aspect of Jiujitsu. At the time I only had the Gracie Combatives belt, which is an intermediate belt before Blue, earned before being introduced to rolling. Many of the students at CU Jiu Jitsu were curious about my odd-looking belt, and I was honored to tell them all about Gracie Jiu Jitsu, but this review is not about that. My visit to CU Jiu Jitsu happened towards the end of the pandemic and vaccinations were plentiful. The school continued to follow best practices limiting access to the facility and scanning temperatures upon entry. The head instructor, Professor James, greeted me. He was nice and welcoming. With paperwork behind us and a quick tour of the facility, away I went to the locker rooms. The locker room has showers and plenty of lockers. Don't forget to bring shower shoes so you don't contaminate the mats! The warm-up started on time. I think there were 12-15 people in the JiuJitsu class, with many of them staying for the wrestling class afterward. The warm-up was typical grappling school type of warm-up, but the instructor did have it written on a board and announced a goal of completing it in X minutes which added a nice challenge to it. After that, a couple of techniques were demonstrated and drilled. The class had many colored belts in it from Black to white. After the technique portion, we squeezed in a couple rounds of rolling. Thank you to my partners Kenny (Blue belt) and Coach Fabio (Brown Belt). This was my first time cross-training at another gym/school. I highly recommend it, and I recommend you checking out CU Jiu Jitsu if you are in the area. Thank you to all the Instructors and students who made my experience enjoyable and welcoming! Feedback: We cannot all be perfect all the time. This is constructive feedback and by no means do I have any grievance. With that said, I'm not sure how kid friendly the adult classes are. One student's children were doing what kids do. They were addressed as "{student}'s kids get off the rolled-up mats!" But I don't think the kids were used to being addressed that way, nor did they pickup on the fact that THEY were the ones playing on the rolled-up mats. So the command was shouted out a few more times before they got the hint. It was just a brief distraction that may have been unnecessary or handled differently.

Awesome instructors who are knowledgeable, great with kids, and offer several class options.read more

If you are seeking real Kung Fu, Jade Fortress is your answer. Not only does Shifu Demitri have…read moreShaolin lineage, he is very passionate about his teaching and really cares for his students. Jade Fortress is a true gift to us and I highly recommend that everyone reward themselves by joining and increasing their health and strength.

I first met Master Chen when he ran an after-school club for children at Dr. Howard Elementary…read moreSchool. I saw right away the kind of deep connection he could develop with his students. As a teacher, I appreciated the way he could motivate children to better themselves in kung-fu and in life. When my daughter became interested in martial arts I knew there was only one school for us. We signed up with Dragon Claw Academy and were very happy. I saw my daughter's confidence grow and she learned so much more than just kung-fu. Master Chen and his teachers are fantastic role-models for their students. I highly recommend DCA.

So... I found out about Dragon Claw through a CiSaves deal for kickboxing. I've attended 6 sessions…read moreso far under the guidance of Shifu Aaron Chen... and I couldn't be happier! Although the classes are early in the morning and tough, I've never had so much fun working out and sweating. He's very motivational, he makes us laugh, and he sends us on our way with inspirational messages for the day. Facility is clean, parking is good, and the price is affordable. I can also now roundhouse kick someone!

Good instructors. Master Namsoo Hyung is a great leader and a good person. He is reasonable and…read morefair. My 5 year old has been practicing here for the past 5 months and he has learned so much. Taekwondo gives structure and teaches respect and responsibility which is good for any age group.

I was worried that Taekwondo would make my angry son even more aggressive. Boy was I wrong!…read more Instead, HMD Academy helped him learn self-control and discipline. Plus it gave him a positive outlet for his restless energy that was starting to get him in trouble at school. After 2 years, he was so improved he was invited into the leadership program, and a few more years after that, into their year-long intensive internship to become an Instructor. I couldn't be more pleased with HMD Academy for giving my son the tools he needed for success. If you are looking for martial arts classes that are good for kids? This is the place for sure.

This school is good for kids classes because there aren't many Jiu Jitsu schools in town and they…read morehave good hours for their classes. When it comes to adults looking for classes, I would steer clear. The monthly fee is steep, and the instructor is a blue belt. To put that into perspective, Jack McVicker, who teaches Jiu Jitsu classes on Windsor in Champaign, has about 5-10 students coming to his classes that are better Jiu Jitsu practitioners than this instructor. To summarize: if you have a kid who wants to do martial arts, bring them here. If you are an adult looking to learn how to grapple/fight, go to McVicker's.

I'm a 38 year old women that started a couple weeks ago. This is my very first time ever in…read morelearning self defense. I'm enjoying the time that's spent on helping me understand the moves and why I'm doing the moves. This has been one of my biggest fears, "not being able to protect myself from an attacker." I believe this is a must class for anyone, young or small that needs to learn how to defend themselves. I'm not in this for sport but for reality. Thank you so much for offering this class!!!