I've been training with my father Anthony Silva since the age of 3. Looking back to my martial arts…read moredays I'm grateful to have made it to a black belt and I still have the knowledge and self control I was taught here at the dojo. Despite all the trophies I've won over the years for my hard work and dedication, I think the greatest reward was the gift I was given from my father to know how to protect and defend myself and be a strong young lady like I am today. I don't know any instructor to this day that has such a passion for martial arts and USA GOJU like my father does. Best martial arts school around by far!

Awesome place to train. Supportive and positive environment. Highly recommend for adults,…read morechildren, beginners and advanced practitioners. There is always room to grow. Great selection of classes and times. Two locations. Summer is around the corner. Start your training today!

I want to preface this with saying that I wrote this review in September of 2020, and have not…read moreedited it. It is in present tense. Things may have changed since then- I do not know. I've been with Thurston for a few years now, and I truly love the staff. The teachers are fantastic and I've learned so much from them. They push me in all the best ways and always make me want to do my best. The owners however, can be really concerning about money. They're great teachers, but they haven't treated me well in the past when I was in a position where I couldn't necessarily pay. The instance that immediately comes to mind is when the pandemic started in March. This was something that put all business owners in a bad situation, and so I don't begrudge them for having a difficult time of it, but the way they went about it was all wrong. They begin having online videos and one on one zoom lessons, which was fine, but they charged everyone the same price they charged for the regular in person classes. They also gave no compensation for the time in which there were no classes at all, and no financial help. When we said that we may have to cancel my lessons and join back once covid got less severe, they threatened to demote me back to white belt. Since they opened up their gym, they are training us in a way that is completely against covid guidelines. There are no masks, and everyone is within six feet of each other. And it's very easy to spread illness in a sweaty environment. The owners are greedy, and that definitely puts them in a different light to me than they used to be. That instance made me realize that they cared more about our money than my ability to defend myself, because if I'd been dropped back down to white, I'd be relearning techniques that I could do in my sleep, and nothing valuable would have come from the lessons. Not to mention, I payed a lot of money to be able to test up to where I am (yellow belt). I believe it was $75 dollars just to test, plus once I reached yellow I had to buy all the sparring equipment, which came up to around $200. Plus, the three years worth of training that I've paid for. So not only would they be taking away my rank, but they'd be taking away several thousands of dollars and considering them useless. I would also like to mention that when I told Joe, one of the owners, that I was leaving the dojo, he tried to intimidate and pressure me into staying, and interrogated me about my reasons for staying in a very demeaning and condescending way. When I went in today for my lesson, I was told that my membership cancellation was effective immediately, despite the fact that we had paid for the month of September and my membership renews in October. Following this, my father called him and told him he was going to write a bad review and tell his clients not to go to Thurston, and Joe responded with indirect threats, saying things like "you better not leave a bad review, I own a house near where you're moving." Which was not only incredibly unprofessional, was a terrifying thing to say, as now we don't even feel safe in our own town. Joe is cruel, and he treats people terribly. And from what I've seen of Alison, she has two sides. The sweet, kind teacher side, and the greedy, money hungry side. Another very big issue with Thurston is that they are not at all organized with the testing. There are three adult martial arts taught at Thurston- Krav Maga, Karate, and Ju Jitsu. (Well actually four, but unless I am mistaken, I don't believe kickboxing tests) It is extremely obvious that the owners care much more for the other two, and much less for Krav Maga. Which left me and the other Krav students at the short end of the stick. I've been there three years, and only been able to test twice. The second time (for my orange belt) I was very sick, and could not attend. They promised me they'd have a make up test, they never did. Meanwhile, I have friends in the Thurston Karate program who went up at least three levels (possibly more) in six months. Us Krav students are just an afterthought for when they remember that they have to test us. The other marital arts go up to black belt, Krav Maga only goes up to purple. They do not care. Basically, if you are considering going to Thurston, I wouldn't recommend it. I will say that the instructors are fantastic, and truly care about their students. I'm lucky to have gotten to train with both DeAndre and Adam. And they are also fantastic with kids, from what I've seen. But don't make the mistake of thinking that the owners will treat you like family. They may care about you, but in the end, it doesn't matter how they feel about you, because you are just a source of money to them.

Our son has been a student at AKKA since this summer and we couldn't be happier. The discipline…read moretaught in class has even helped us at home with behavioral issues. Pete and his instructors are wonderful! We have been so impressed how they show the students same level of respect that is expected of them. Long term, I can see this program giving our son confidence and skills that will last a lifetime.

My son has been a student at AKKA in Hanson for a year now. It was the best choice we could have…read moremade for him. He has grown as a person in this past year. He has demonstrated leaderships skills, learned how important it is to take care of his body, self control/discipline, confidence and focus. He has learned how to set goals for himself and work hard until he reaches that goal. His instructors are amazing! Pete, Andrew and his instructors in training are all focused on the best for these kids. The attention to detail and the encouragement they are able to give to each student is remarkable.

All they do is fool around. Pretty good dojo, but that's the only pro. You barely actually learn…read morekarate, instead of learning karate you just talk about animals. GET SERIOUS!( Also belt system in trash.

Amazing program with an incredible staff that are all highly trained and certified. Best thing we…read moreever did for our son!!

Lauzon mma is a top notch facility. I walked in there with zero mixed martial arts experience and…read morethe experience has been great. Everyone from top to bottom is extremely helpful and wants to see you succeed.

Learn from the best, get fit and confident. Amazing staff and trainers with high quality training…read morefrom expert trainers.

If you are looking for Karate lessons for your kid - above 4 yo- this is an amazing place! Master…read moreBrown is a great teacher and there is a very positive atmosphere. Located next to 3A. I also like the fact that you can come when you want once you signed up (Mon-Thur and Sat) so if you miss a day you can compensate the next one!

I have been training with Sifu Stanley Jue for about a year and a half. I trained for a few years…read morein a different lineage of Wing Chun . I also have over 30 years of involvement with the arts and have black belts in Karate and Ju Jitsu ( 1rst degree and 6th degree respectively, plus some other stuff. Having been around for a while, one develops a knack for determining if someone is the real deal. I have trained with some amazing high level martial artists. Sifu Stanley may perhaps be at the highest level I have ever trained with. He is also an awesome guy. The training is now semi private with much individual attention.

Sifu Jue has been my Sifu for many years. I feel very fortunate to have found him. I'm a senior (Gu…read moreLao) Wing Chun student and I've practiced continuous sparring here for many years. If I had to defend myself, I could. For me, Wing Chun and continuous sparring are practical, useful, interesting, and effective. Sifu Jue teaches authentic, traditional kung fu in the traditional Chinese way ~ the way Kung Fu classes were taught in China past and present, and integrates his own method. This school is not a franchised business or part of an organization with a standardized curriculum. Having practiced Wing Chun under 2 previous teachers, I can say that Sifu Jue understands Wing Chun very well, is an excellent practitioner, and is an effective teacher with an ability to teach anyone. Over the years I've witnessed many people in his class develop into surprisingly good fighters. Sifu Jue knows many things but is a modest instructor. Everyone is comfortable learning here. As with anything, if you commit yourself you will continue to improve. Note: I chose to learn Kung Fu because I knew it offered something additional that modern fighting arts do not. There are the tangible benefits of self~defense, strength, and fitness, that come with training of any kind, but kung fu offers much more.

Absolutely the most welcoming and fun folks here....if you are apprehensive about taking that first…read morestep, don't be! This is a fantastic place to start for ANY experience level. I have taken classes alongside much more experienced folks and never once felt out of place. It truly is a very unique and positive vibe at Pound # Fit!

The facility is small and smelly. The classes are honestly quite boring. The entire operation is…read morelack-luster. They seem to have a good following, so that says something, by my family was just not impressed. I would say that if you are on the fence about coming here, don't.

Had never been here before, but just held my son's birthday party here for about 15 kids- it was a…read moreblast!!! They covered EVERYTHING- we just brought the cake. The kids had so much fun, the staff was great with them and super nice. Parents and kids all left impressed!

From the owner: ATA is dedicated to keeping it's instructors up on the latest training and skills to teach the…read morecurriculum in fun, fast pace to keep the classes exciting.