Ive had quite a bit of experience in martial arts - mostly between karate and muay thai and I can't…read moresay I was impressed with the quality of instruction. There's clearly some very proficient people in class but they mainly stick to themselves; otherwise most people are beginners. Ill echo another review - instruction is almost non existant in the muay thai and boxing classes. I mean real, technique based instruction. Classes consist of find a partner, do combo on pads, switch, high rep burnout calisthenics and thats it. Not once in nearly a dozen classes did I even hit a heavy bag or thai pads. If you have experience, youll likely not improve, if anything you'll get worse. We were told to clinch and it didn't even seem like instructor knew how to do it; that or he just didn't care to really teach it. If youre a beginner, youre not going to learn the fine points of techniques. For example, it'll be demanded you slip or put pressure on or whatever but youre never shown how to refine and perfect techniques. Beginners are often expected to rely on being paired with more experienced people so they can show them what to do. In addition, my last class there was a terrible experience. Got paired up with the instructor for a "light, playful" round of sparing. No mouth guard or head gear and the instructor just cranked me nonstop. No lesson learned, no tips, no point - just left class with an awful migraine and never went back. Im fine with full contact as Ive actually fought before but don't ask for light, playful sparring and beat the life out of somebody and then offer no constructive criticism....especially from the instructor. No comments on the jiu-jitsu class but in my opinion, go elsewhere. Theres enough black belts in HRM these days. Nevermind that most have never seen the instructor roll or compete so it raises some questions. The diamond in the rough is the wrestling class. Finding an adult wrestling class that is fine with total beginners is nigh impossible. They bring in a different instructor for wrestling and the guy absolute class. He was super patient and gave extra help to myself and my partner as we were both beginners. If he ran his wrestling 2 to 3 times a week outside of 374 Id buy a year of coaching tomorrow.

I had some weird experiences with this club in late 2019, but one of the younger instructors in the…read morekickboxing class in particular. I don't know if they're still there (this was just pre-pandemic) and I can't check because he refused to tell me his name. He was abusive to the new students, and I tried talking to him several times just to get his attention off of other people he was being an asshole to. Some people are not meant to teach, but I would give some leeway if he were at least good at it. Without getting too much more specific, you shouldn't be paying every month to put up with some guys personality disorder. I did around 4 classes of this, and decided not to go back for more. Another thing that put me off was that everybody already had THEIR partner, and refused to work with anyone else. This was pretty frustrating and unwelcoming as a new member, and I just had to wait around awkwardly asking people if they wanted to work together. A few times I had to stand there until someone just showed up late. I think this speaks to club leadership. I'll speak more to that. I liked Rad (the head instructor). We had a few chats about cardio and GJJ after class. I was excited to keep coming back and try other classes because of him, but... after taking some kickboxing, It didn't seem like he was interested in being a leader at his own club. Just let people do whatever they wanted, and focused on pushing people for a burner workout. He usually spent class sitting down in the back, whispering with other instructors, and not really doing much to monitor or teach. I would repeat some of what the other reviewers here have said: He's very hands off, and just kind of shouts. Despite the website that preaches "self improvement goals, go at your own pace, we are a family". Most of my past martial arts experience is in an okinawan style of karate, but I've done some boxing and kickboxing before. This is probably part of why 374 struck me the wrong way so much: in karate respect is key, and so is club leadership. Partners were chosen randomly and intentionally mixed up at times. Every technique asked to be thrown is also thrown by the instructor (this was huge for us). Poor behaviour is discouraged, and you'd get kicked out the door for being an unreasonable ass. Going from that to a room full of cliquey students, one complete asshole of an instructor, and a leader that wasn't interested in leading, was jarring to say the least.

We are members of MAMBEC. Our children love the Before and After Programs as well as the summer…read morecamps, and so do we. We have read the recent comments from a disgruntled parent (Michelle Andrews) who appears to have grievances during the recent summer camps. According to our children the couples son was totally uncontrollable, exhibiting a sense of entitlement, likely on the spectrum. Their daughter also exhibited a sense of entitlement. We also read the response from MAMBEC to the grievances. It was obvious that MAMBEC was doing everything possible to support the boy having tantrums when he didn't get his own way. It is unfortunate that the parents didn't accept the MAMBEC advice that their son should have been in a camp for inclusion. Apparently MAMBEC even offered a refund and suggested the CHP camps which are inclusion based would be more appropriate for their son. It is sad that the parents of the uncontrollable boy would blame MAMBEC, one wonders what example they are setting for the boy that clearly needs professional help and support. It is also sad that the parents of the boy had no regard for the other 40 children in the camps. Thank you MAMBEC for providing a response, it speaks volumes about the parents of the troubled boy as well as the professionalism of MAMBEC.

My daughter is a 5 years , and a diverse kid used to attend their after-schoolol program. I…read morefully regret that I made that decision she was a victim of discrimination , intimidation retaliation, and abuse of power from the owners of this establishment. They have zero interest in what is best for your kids and have no qualifications, and if you say something, your kid will suffer the consequences. Very traumatic experience for our family, especially for my daughter . Wish I had done more research before enrolled my kid.

I've been a member of the AKC since 2000. Very reputable dojo. It was established in 1969! It's…read morethe oldest martial art dojo in Atlantic Canada. Great youth and adult classes. Lots of fun for all ages. People join karate for different reasons of course. Most join to focus on self-defence. Some, especially youth members, love the optional sport tournament aspect of karate. Others join for having a fun extracurricular activity that keeps them active. Regardless what you're there for though, the club follows the traditional karate teachings and curriculum of Sensei Shane Higashi, 9th dan, of the Canadian Chito-Ryu Karate-Do Association for all its students. Chito-Ryu is the style taught here. It was created by the Okinawan karate master Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose. Chitose, a medical doctor, was a master of two old styles of karate from Okinawa. He noticed over the years that some movements and techniques wore out the body resulting in damaged knees and other joints, bad backs, etc. He blended the best aspects of the two styles he knew, applied his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, and created Chito-Ryu. When practiced properly, Chito-Ryu strengthens the body over time and is a very effective form of self-defence. The best aspect of the AKC though? The camaraderie. You make new friends here and everyone is supporting one another in learning karate. In addition to the strong karate program taught, that camaraderie is probably one of the main reasons the club has been in existence for over 45 years!

My wife trained in Karate years ago, and now our whole family has joined this club. We train with…read morethe children's class (more like a family class now), and also the adult classes. The instructors are fantastic and do great work with the kids (age 4 and 6), and they do a great job teaching to the level and ability of everyone in the class. There are free trial classes, which we took advantage of to make sure the kids wanted to continue, and the uniforms were included with a six month membership. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to either start or re-start training in Karate.

If you are into martial art you should try this style under Sifu Mark Withers. Friendly atmosphere…read moregreat teaching!

From the owner: A martial arts academy dedicated to the progressive development and promotion of the Wing Chun Kung…read moreFu system, which is considered to be one of the most effective and efficient self defence systems in the world. The NSWCKFA is proud to be affiliated with the United Kingdom Wing Chun Kung Fu Association which was formed in 1985 by Master James Sinclair and is one of the most respected Wing Chun groups in the world.

The instructors are fantastic with our 5 year old son. Our son has become more self-disciplined and…read moreconfident in himself and loves coming here. He recently received his fist stripe, yellow, and is working on his green stripe now. I highly recommend Macleods Martial Arts.

From the owner: At MacLeod's Martial Arts Academy we offer programs for children and adult ages. Our fitness,…read morestrength, cardio, flexibility training is done in a fun and safe environment. Anyone with limited abilities will be provided with an adapted program. Taekwon-Do is a great way to exercise, create friendships, increase your confidence, learn self defense, have lots of fun and much more. We welcome everyone from ages 5+. Our club offers internationally qualified instructors who have up to date background checks completed.

Sifu Warren is a great teacher and a humble man. Classes are well organized and a very good…read moreworkout. I always enjoyed the training when I traveled to Halifax. 300 km each way, but well worth the time.

A great neighbourhood gym. When I first started coming here I didn't think they had enough cardio…read moreequipment - because that's my fall back - but once I became a regular I realized that's just not why people go to Fitness Fx. Whatever machine I'm interested in is usually available immediately or within 20 minutes. It's a very friendly place, and things are generally tidy and ready to use. I do find that depending on the time of day there are some folks who forget the "please don't drop your weights and scare the jittery among us" rule, and clang their weights pretty hard on the ground. That said, the management have responded well to this kind of problem and promised to remind repeat-offenders to control their dumbells lest they bounce on someone's toes and cause a more serious injury than a simple pulled hamstring. The rates are really reasonable, and they've been good lately at updating their class schedule too. ETA: Within hours of writing my review I went to get some exercise and found new cardio machines all set up! Well done, guys :)

No such thing as too muscular at this gym! But don't be intimidated. They are nice super hero…read morelooking people. I love going to Fitness Fx. If only for the fact that I am an average, skinny, 5'10 male. And a lot of the guys who go to this gym are professional body builder's! Its great to walk up to them lifting eighty pounds or more with one arm and I'm there with my nice and light fifteen or twenty pounds. I try to stare them down but they simply laugh at me. This gym boasts "a full stock of dumbbells ranging from 3 all the way up to 160 lbs." This is very true. I never find myself waiting for a dumbbell set because someone is using it. They have enough for everyone. And they are improving! they have added what they call a "cardio theatre." In other words, they have more cardio equipment. There is an open space concept which has its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that everyone can see you while you are working out. But in my opinion, just get some confidence and remind yourself that no matter what body type you are, you rock! Then rock it out! The staff are very friendly and extremely helpful. If you start talking to them you find out right away that you feel part of a team or a family. They are there to support you. It feels more like a team or family first and a business second. Which is very important to me. They also have a juice bar and a lot of televisions so you can watch Oprah while on the cardio machines. Their prices are the same as most other gym's. Not very expensive but not quite cheap. In my opinion, you definitely are getting a good price. With the addition of new, on site tanning beds they are showing that they are keeping up with the competition at a steady pace. Fitness Fx has been one of my favorite gyms for all of the above reasons. But perhaps the reason why I give it a fourth star is because they are improving with new equipment, more programs and store renovations without increasing the price of their membership. One of the most admirable things I have seen a gym do in a long time! And I definitely took notice. So stop sitting around, reading my reviews and head for the gym! Afterwards get a protein shake and go back to reading my reviews. :)