I started BJJ in January, so I'm pretty new to all of this. What made my experience so special from…read morethe beginning was Professor Ulpiano. He always had a smile, always greeted me warmly, and from day one, I genuinely felt like I belonged. The tagline is "jiu-jitsu for everyone," and he truly lived that out. Sadly, he has passed, and I wanted to leave something here as a testament to who he was as a professor. His passion and dedication always showed. He once said, "The best professor is a professor that's happy to be there," and you felt that every single time he taught. If you're thinking about trying something new or stepping outside your comfort zone, I really do recommend this place. Professor Ulpiano made it more than a gym. He made it a community.

This is their new location in River Oaks. The most upscale Jiujitsu school I have been to. I met…read moreProfessor Ulpiano 5 years ago when I moved to Houston and started training at their Westchase location. I am now splitting my time between both schools. Professor Ulpiano is of the utmost professional and an amazing instructor. They offer many classes for those of you with a busy schedule. Come in and ask for him for a free session. He is the best.

I recommend the kids self defense classes. I was told Krav Maga and Jiu Jitsu were the more…read moreeffective programs, if self defense is the main focus. My son chose To do Krav Maga and the rates are very reasonable here, without having to sign a long term contract. They have classes for age groups 4-7 and 7-12. There is also a location in Bellaire where you can take classes with different days/times. We have gone to both locations for classes that best met our schedule. The instructor is great and we are happy our son is learning effective self defense techniques and respect, while having fun and getting exercise.

From the owner: Krav Maga is a self-defense system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and preferred by…read moreU.S. Military and Law Enforcement agencies. Krav Maga consists of a wide combination of techniques sourced from Aikido, Judo, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu, along with realistic fight training including weapons (stick, knife, and gun) and multiple attackers. Krav Maga is simplistic and instinct-derived, known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency and brutal counter-attacks. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld.

I enrolled my teenage daughter in this self defense class. After 5 weeks, her confidence and…read moreability to defend herself are high. I recommend this class for all women including teens. My daughters note is below: Very useful and enlightening! Brad is so sweet and knowledgeable. We learned useful fighting skills as well as how to take preventive measures.

My daughter attended a self-defense​ class taught by Brad. The class focused on youth safety and…read moreself-defense. My daughter, as well as the other class participants,​​ had an amazing and enlighting experience. We all worry about​ our children's safety. The afternoon-long​ training session helped arm our young children and teens with methods and actions that could be used if they are in danger. I would highly recommend C.O.B.R.A Self Defense Katy! Brad was excellent with the kids and communicated the subject matter brilliantly and effectively to a young audience.

This is a great place to keep fit and have fun! For a very reasonable monthly fee, you can do…read moreweightlifting, jiu jitsu, kickboxing, yoga, HIT and JKD. I'm in my late sixties and should have started training a long time ago. It's fun and a great way to keep healthy and fit. Great place and great people!

My son and I have been coming for years. It is due to the amazing trainers and teachers. One of the…read morefirst places I really felt at home.

Awesome school ....small classes and the instructor focuses on detail. It's one of the most quality…read moreschools in Houston. Perfect for learning self defense or fine tuning your skills.

Great place and great instructors! I went to Third Ward before my bjj tournament to ensure my…read moretechniques were par. The instructors were able to give me great advice and showed me proper etiquette while rolling. I was even able to use the teachings instantly during the tournament and ended up taking home 2nd place out of 18 people in my first bjj tournament! Bjj has changed my life and has made me more confident now more than ever.

I can't say enough great things about this gym. It deserves more than 5 stars. The coaches are…read morepatient yet tough. There is something for everyone, at every stage of life. I am amazed at my progress in just 2 months and am absolutely addicted to this place and the people. Junkyard Fitness is my home away from home. The members and staff are family. Lessons learned are life changing. So glad I made that phone call to Brandon!!!

This gym is absolutely amazing! Not only is the facility clean and the staff friendly, but this gym…read morehas something to accommodate for all ages. I signed my three children up and they can't get enough of it. The pricing is very reasonable and worth every penny. It is extremely important to me that my children learn how to protect and defend themselves. They have already learned so much and it hasn't even been a month! This is the only facility that offers wrestling in Montgomery, and being new to the area I am extremely satisfied and excited to watch my children grow. The owner offers a free week of classes before committing to anything, which was so awesome. You have to check this gym out!! You will not be disappointed.

This is a great place the people are friendly and great they let me come time to time on a cheep…read moreprice and the teacher are chill every one they all deserve cookies

I've been going to this place for exactly one year and boy it has been an amazing place to be in! I…read moredid have reallllly epic pictures and reviews before but Yelp had deleted the previous page (the business owner consolidated the pages for all Elite branches and deactivated them so the owner can manage them 'officially'), and I have to start from scratch. Let me just say this is my background: -- I learned Muay Thai when I was in middle school but it only lasted 3 months since it was only a summer thing my parents wanted my siblings and I to do. -- In college, I took a cardio kickboxing class for 1 semester and I thought it was pretty nice but not a lot of self-defence (none at all actually!). It was taught by a really exuberant and energetic trainer and she (I believe to this day) still teaches cheerleading. Yes. My fitness instructor in college was a cheerleader coach as well!!! -- Lastly, I played college sports, so I had my coach along with my fitness trainer. They taught us how to train well and eat well. However, no self-defense discipline. Now, to the review: I ran across Elite MMA by accident since I was interested in doing martial arts again but I really needed the motivation to go to the mats. My type of work does not allow a lot of flexibility and it involves working at night, therefore, I'm usually tired by the time I get on, or lacked a lot of sleep, or I'm pretty much starving since my sleep/meal schedule is always changing. I am very good at reading people well (it's part of my occupation) and I must say I have never met such a personable Coaches like Robert and Julian. 1) They are very passionate about their students and their wellbeing --- if I ever had kids of my own in the future, I would feel comfortable having these guys train them on how to roll. I also watch Robert with his own kid, and I must say he loves him to death --- note to parents: if a man cannot manage his household in a loving way, how can you expect him to care for yours? 2) They are very active in BJJ and encourages ALL of us to continue training all year long. Robert and Julian also compete so they continuously learn new things and teach us new moves. This leads to the next topic: 3) The Coaches train us to roll SAFELY! This is very important to me since I am familiar of other gyms/fitness centres that do not care about your personal well-being, (and dare I say it!?), just want your money! If I can tell that they're pressuring me to join them, I'll just refuse their offer since my health is more important than being out of the job. 4) Accountability. When you're missing for more than 1 week, they send you an email to see how you're doing. If Robert has your mobile number, he'll make sure to check that you're ok. If I'm having difficulty going to class because of work or I'm ill, all I need to do is let them know and it will put Robert and Julian at ease :-D 5) They have monthly events going on all the time. There are competitions and belt promotions going on. Families enjoy it and are having a blast. You should check out their "Lock-ins!" There are pizza, movies, and fun games for the kids! 6) Lastly, I can't thank Robert and Julian and the rest of the guys and gals for their friendships. They promote healthy relationships in this branch of Elite (I am not sure how the other branches are like). Going to a BJJ gym like Elite is worth it if you can always look forward to meeting your classmates there. Bonus: They also have cardio kick boxing! I have not done that myself (I would but it's just overkill for me on top of what I have on my plate!) Overall, check them out and have fun! Coach Robert and Julian, (and pretty much all the guys/gals/teens) will make you feel at home. I have never regretted ever joining them and I will sorely miss them. I learned to be disciplined and to be able to take care of myself in all situations :-D

I've been wanting to do boxing for the longest time, but due to finances and hesitation, I put it…read moreoff until this year. I first tried out a different gym, but I did not like the atmosphere of the gym. I called Elite MMA and scheduled a free trial and it was a great experience. For anyone who is hesitant about getting into MMA, please sign up for a free trial and come to the classes. Everyone here from the staff to the members are nice and helpful, they will work with you to get you better. At first, I only wanted to do kickboxing, but I've falling in love with BJJ after trying it. The great thing about Elite is they offer many different classes throughout the week so you can fit them in your schedule. Come on by, Elite is welcoming gym, and egos are left at the door. We are all here to help each other. FYI, I've been training here for 4 months.

Honestly it was supposed to be my first visit today.... And to be honest was excited to add to my…read morecurrent routine. The reception lady was super nice and gave good info but the gym itself just sucks to be honest. I scheduled my first class today at 5:30 am. In my head, class should start at 5:30 am. Issue number one was when I booked it I was told I would get a confirmation text about my visit. Nothing! I checked my email. Nothing! So I still show up. She said be there 5-10 mins early I get that at 5:22 am. The whole gym is closed and no one there. I wait a bit because I used to work at a gym and I know sometimes people can be late. Guess what?! A white car pulls up. I'm like cool another student. Nope! Some white man who looked like he just got out of bed and gets out of his car. Does he greet me? Does he say he give me a moment let me get the gym set up? Nope! Just looks pissed off he's up super early and looks miserable and looks like he just rolled out of bed. Honestly I waited another 4-5 mins seeing if he would kind of get out of hiding. Nope just never saw him again. Saw the gym lights on. Didn't even see him unlock the door. Went missing for quite sometime. So I just left. This was supposed to be my first class visit and it completely was not what I was expecting. I'm pretty active already. Today I was going to rest more after slowly getting over something I caught from Labor Day weekend and was excited to try something to as a workout. But this place really is a disappointment.