The staff is amazing. They are helpful and understanding. I'm a adult going for myself and I feel more confident now. Thank you. read more

Premier Martial Arts - Practicing jump kicks - Martial Arts Near Me - Dover, Delaware

I see this place gets a lot of positive reviews and maybe it's great for kids, but if you're an adult I want to post a bit of a warning. It may not be a deal breaker for you, but it was for me. The "private lesson" seemed more like an opportunity to collect marketing data from me. Only 5 minutes of the "lesson" included showing me some punches. The rest was chatting about my reasons for coming to them, my background etc. It seemed useful but then what happened next didn't make sense. I had said multiple times in the private meeting that I didn't want to hit actual people, at least not right away, because I was in it for fitness first and self-defense was an added bonus. My own understanding of most martial arts is that you have to spend a while learning sequences/katas/forms before you touch others anyway. The owner did not disclose that sparring might happen on the first day. If she had, I might not have tried it, which was possibly the motivation for her staying quiet, but I don't know. My very first adult class I was doing complex kicking, blocking, and punching combos with a man that was over 100 pounds heavier than me. He was a beginner, too, but it still felt really wrong. I looked up online if this is normal for MMA gyms to throw beginners into sparring right away and many of them said no, but if you do, then you at least need protective gear. We had no gear. It was part of the introductory offer, to see if you liked it first, to not require you to buy gear. What seems more logical to me is that you have beginners in a separate class to learn combinations and technique without a real opponent and then if they still like it, then you can let them buy gear and sign up for real where sparring occurs. But what appears even more common in most martial arts schools is that you advance through a belt or two first before you're allowed to spar at all. I would have felt much more confident had it been more step-wise. Furthermore, the cost was equivalent to a car payment for only two days aw week (I can workout at a gym 7 days a week for 1/4 the cost), the sales are rather pushy, and they say they are a "family." I consider it to be a red flag when any business refers to themselves as a "family" because that merely serves to guilt people into staying against their own judgement. You don't have to pay thousands of dollars to be part of a family, so it's a poor analogy. I tried to turn them down politely but they kept going with adding on an extra week to make sure I gave it a fair shot because all classes are different, but I already don't trust them because they didn't disclose that I'd be fighting people on day 1, something I explicitly said I was not ready for. After 45 minutes of chatting, you'd think that would have been clear. read more

Premier martial arts is a very chill environment with very nice people in a very good place to learn how to defend yourself

My son has been a member since 2020! My son Dairieon loves being there and is on his way to getting his first degree Black Belt in June of 2024! He has learned to more independent, disciplined himself and dedicated to learning the forms, combos, and weapons. I am a committed parent on the Sidekicks Team and we love what we do! PMA is a great place for children learning to be part of a team and dedicated in learning self defense and life skills. He is also in the leadership class. The staff and owners are very nice and professional and hold the child accountable for their actions and earning their belts. I Love this place, PMA keep doing great things! Come on out and join us!! read more

Look no further, this is the place to train. We've been coming over 9 years and could not be happier!

My child attended Premier Martial Arts in Dover before Covid occurred restarted again in Feb. 2022. With that said the new owners and instructors took over about that time. Although my child has a hard time focusing I thought this would be a good program. My child has previously enjoyed the classes under Mr. Garcia and I expected a similar experience with Travis and the new owner/management. Even though I questioned some of the fee changes that occurred after they took over. Although the more experienced instructors were no longer there, Chris appeared to be doing a good job and was a positive influence to start off. It wasn't long before my sons natural hard headedness became an issue. Chris was unable to find a strategy that would motivate my child. There were several times we discussed quitting early on, but chose to stick it out because of the comradery my child was building with the other participants. Fast forward to today, belt testing has always focused on completing positive character worksheets and having teachers and parents approve the children's behavior in order to belt test. Although, my child did not test for two previous opportunities for which they were completely qualified to test for the next belt, not completing one of the character papers this time and was sufficient to deny them opportunity to test. In all honesty, my child has had the best past three to five months ever at the premier. What bothers me most, is after my child didn't test three months ago, Chris offered to test during a private lesson. (So it is known, you pay to test for each belt level now and also pay for private lessons. ) With all of that said, at this point, I've paid several hundred dollars to belt test and with meeting the requirements to test two previous times and not testing, to be denied testing this time felt hurtful and was my final straw with Chris, Travis and Premier MA Dover. And before anyone says your child didn't meet the requirements and shouldn't have tested, the requirements were the same for the previous two tests and they were able to test. Clearly there was some miscommunication between me, my child and Premier of which Travis agreed was not communicated properly. It appears more like the focus is on money and not the true development of values and character as described. I'm sure others will have different experiences, and I don't doubt other will continue to excel, but if your child has some difficulties, you may have trouble here. read more

im so glad we joined the PMA family when we did. it's amazing and the coach works super hard on training them the best that they can be

This is a fantastic place to learn martial arts for anyone interested in doing so. There is a fantastic master who is great at teaching his craft. Everyone there is so supportive and helpful. It is a great place to become a student. read more

Friendly staff, great workout. I signed up for the 6 week challenge and had a great first work out! The instructors are helpful and patient, but push you to get the best workout possible. I can't wait for my next class! read more