If you're coming through KC, I highly recommend stopping in at Gracie Humaita. My brother and I…read morestopped in and rolled with Nick, Chuck, and Ben. Nice guys, great challenge, and were very welcoming. If we have opportunity, we'll be back in a heartbeat. Recommended!

Very good communication, they didn't spam us but kept us informed. This is the place we chose to…read moretry and they are so professional with the kids. It really seems like a nice place. Thanks for giving our kids confidence to go out and be good humans.

I cannot say enough good things about this Krav Maga facility. I was visiting for a month and only…read morepaid for a month which they allowed and then went to all the classes that I could and soaked up so much incredible knowledge that will be so helpful. I knew I needed to get better at basic hand to hand combat and take down skills for a self-defense situation and this program and instructors were all incredible. After taking this class I definitely want to get punching gloves & gloves and continue the skills in the future. I highly recommend anyone to join and Try them out.

My son has attended Self-Defense Global since he was 4 and he's now a kindergartener. In addition…read moreto the physical benefits, he's learned self-discipline, respect for himself and others, the ability to concentrate, to listen, and to follow directions. Eric, the owner, is great at talking to and working with all ages of kids, coming from all different places. I highly recommend Self-Defense Global KC. (They also have birthday parties there, which was a huge hit with my son and his friends.)

Took my first bag class here at 6:15 and Zach was more than accommodating! This is such a cool gym…read morewith an old school feel and Zach couldn't have done a better job of making me feel welcome and teaching me how to hit the different bags. This is definitely worth it for the workout alone and everyone should try it at least once. I hope to make time to do a month membership, and the bonus to that is they don't do contracts. Wish more places like this were around! Keep up the great work!

Sweet Z's Gym is a great place to learn how to box and spar. Coach Zach is a great teacher and the…read morewhole crew is like family! If you want to learn self defense while sweating yourself silly, check out Seeet Z's Gym!

Prompt email response for drop in. Matt was very nice and welcoming, he even offered to let me…read moreborrow a Gi if I needed one. Overall great instruction and sparring - friendly group no overly aggressive individuals. -leo

I trained at this school for nearly two years and while starting out things seemed fine my…read moreexperience became more and more negative. One of the first "red flags" if you will was the lack of personal attention from instructors. Being a smaller woman, ~125 lbs, there were moves that I wouldn't understand, would have difficulty doing, or needed some extra assistance just in general to be frank. There is a higher-ranking woman at the gym, but I always felt as though I was given the cold-shoulder while other women were treated with a more amicable attitude. Next, during a class we were doing a king of the hill style drill with wrestling takedowns. (Side note I wrestled in high school and was well versed in the drill we were doing) Next thing you know I'm on my back, broken nose, and concussed with the male responsible not only not saying sorry but also annoyed that I was crying. The only person who said anything was my now husband, who they ended up kicking out citing this situation as one of the reasons. I ended up having to stop training for at least a week and when I got back nothing was said about my concussion/ broken nose. The male responsible continues to train there to this day and to my knowledge was never reprimanded for his actions. The final red flag was someone who was one of my main training partners when I started there because of his similarity in size. I began helping out with kids class around a couple months after I started and he began helping out a few months after that. Neither of us taught the class we were both just assistants. During a class, while the kids were doing a drill, I mentioned to him "Hey, maybe if you held them a bit higher they wouldn't hit their elbow." He proceeded to smile, tell me he knew what he was doing, and to not correct him again. After the kids were done and everyone was allowed to get water, he physically stopped me from getting off the mat and told me to apologize. Shocked I kind of laughed and asked "What?" He then told me to apologize and told me to never question him again and that he knew what he was doing. Stepping in front of me each time I tried to step around him. (Mind you that no one helping out has any authority over the other and we are all just assisting the instructor with the kids). I was unnerved by this situation but chose not to mention it because I assumed he was having a bad day... To my dismay I continue to hear his words "a lower belt shouldn't question his authority" from men and women that I've never met. When mentioning this to the owners of the gym nothing was done. I've since been banned, the reason being "tension" and the fact that this male is allowed to now teach the kids, and some adult classes. I would not recommend this gym, not for women, not for anyone with PTSD who might suffer from triggers in physical situations (because one of the owners will brush you aside and tell others that "it's fine [she] just cries"), not for anyone who is on the smaller scale. I hoped for so much more from a gym I heard highly about and instead received a broken nose, concussion, slander, and belittlement. If you choose to train there, good luck.

If you train BJJ, and are in Kansas City, do yourself a favor and go get a class here. The…read morehospitality was incredible and the training fierce. I'm incredibly thankful I dropped in. High quality instruction by true professionals from the pinnacle of the MMA world. Don't be surprised to see pros in class from the UFC, Bellator, Invicta, etc. I highly recommend it. Get some. Oss!

From the owner: Ignite Jiu Jitsu and MMA Academy is Kansas City's leading adult and kids Mixed Martial Arts,…read moreBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Fitness Kickboxing training facility.

What a cool place. Every Tuesday Tina gives free self defense classes for women. Now I'm not…read moresayin' I'll ever be in the situation to use these types of skills, no, not me. I don't like danger. I don't want no part of it. BUT....you never know. So I decided to start attending self defense classes. They are on the same night as a kid's martial art's class. I'm fascinated with self defense, and items that could be nearly lethal. It seems I'm also fascinated with projectile weapons, this I understand. Small self defense weapons you can carry on your key chains, as long as you know how to use them are also worth having. Tina sells the items at Dragon Family. And Tina teaches you ways to use them. So that feeds my fascination with these kind of things. Last night I learned how to use a kubaton. Now I know I've no reason to buy a kubaton, but if someone came up to me in a parking lot and I was holding it, I'd go straight for the groin, or better yet the eyes. I really like this place. Her martial arts class last night with the kids seemed to be a great way for them to achieve some type of focus, and something to work for, which would be a new orange belt. It's also an excellent skill. Glad I found this place. Tina empowers women. Nothing wrong with that. Girl Power!

I have been in attendance and studying under Sifu Bryan for more than a year now and honestly it…read morehas changed my life. I've always wanted to learn the art of Jeet Kune Do, ever since having been influenced philosophically by Bruce Lee in my late teens and now I am finally dedicated to this practice. Sifu has a direct lineage to Bruce Lee and it shows and that is important. He's a patient instructor and listens. It's a good time to be in KC area if you want to learn Jeet Kune Do because I think it's the only place you can learn it around here, let alone by a teacher who has been taught by one of Bruce Lee's students. There aren't many in the world. Though I used to live too far away, I finally moved close enough to Dragon Family to attend, and attend I have. There are day and night classes that both work with my varying schedule, allowing me to train on some nights and some days. I have 2 kids in different classes there, too. What we are taught revolves around the 4 different eras of JKD, including some Wing Chun. The classes are varied, with the necessary openness to question and discuss this scientific art. It was important to me that the teachers guide me but don't shackle me, as that would be quite the opposite to how I feel Bruce Lee developed this martial art in the first place. No way as way right? We even get homework assignments if we want. And after some time, you have the option to really develop through controlled sparring. I've also met good people there that are also on the same martial art path, which is pretty badass and gives variety in discussion and the ability to grow together and offer different insights. All in all, my only gripe is that I wish some classes were longer, like 4 hour sessions but I understand why that's not feasible. I'd also like weight training classes for beginners based on Bruce Lee's philosophy on physical development with workout equipment, and weights. But this is personal trainer stuff, not exactly martial arts. And I can do this outside of the kwoon. It is a martial arts center after all, not a boxing gym.

AKKA Blue Springs is one of the best martial arts dojo's in the area. Mr Busker is the schools…read moreowner and has a rank of 5th degree black belt. He has such a wonderful passion for the art. He has many assistant instructor that carry that same passion. My grandson started 41/2 years ago at the age of 61/2 and earned his junior black belt at age 11. He has learned many skills and wonderful attributes to carry with him through his life's journey. To earn a black belt he had to be discipline, patience and persistent. Learning to defend yourself during a confrontation is a wonderful skill but learning to walk away with confidence is a great skill to have in life. Blue Springs Akka and Mr. Busker will teach and cultivate these skills in a martial arts student. Many Thanks to a wonderful school.

AKKA is a fantastic karate school for kids and adults. The instructors keep the kids engaged while…read moreinstilling honesty, courtesy, respect and discipline. This isn't a one year and your a black belt type of school. You earn your respective rank through retention of katas and techniques....not how fast you can become a black belt. Give Blue Springs AKKA a try! You will NOT be disappointed!!