I am 58 years old. I have been involved with martial arts since I was 8 years old. I have been to…read moremany schools over the years. I have been to some mediocre McDojo's and I have been taught by some of the best teachers in our area. I have to say that Pence Self Defense Academy is the best school that I have had the pleasure of attending. They have all the amenities that a good school should have but what separates them from their competitors is their uncompromising love of the art that they teach and the passion and dedication they have in passing the art along to the students. They love what they do and it shows. We have a lot of fun in the process of learning and the classes are open to everyone in a friendly and non judgemental environment. They offer anyone a free trial period. If you do not believe my review then try it out for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Great Academy for young and old ran by incredible martial artists my grandson is7 years old and it…read morewas the best thing for him .

I've been to probably 100 gyms in my life and was a long time 20 plus year, member of the West End…read moregym in Lowell. MK is nice, friendly, and most of all they push you to be better. MIke is a great guy and all the people there are extremely friendly and motivating. Couldn't ask for a better spot to get fit and feel good. Highly recommend all classes.

I'm really surprised that there are bad reviews of this gym. It's really open, not super-crowded,…read moreaffordable and far cleaner than a previous Boston-area "boutique" gym I used to belong to. No Jersey-shore wannabe "trainers" trying to sell their services while you try to work out. They offer a good variety of classes, and I don't feel too intimidated, as a woman, to participate. The customer service I've received has been very courteous and professional. I'm an adult, and read contracts before signing them, so I know that if I want to break the contract, I'll pay a fine. (This is a real contract, people and the gym has every right to require it as it is a real business.) Equipment is plentiful and well-maintained, there's always parking available, etc. If you are trying to train for pro- MMA or boxing, I don't understand why you couldn't do it here... you only get what you put in. Don't blame the gym, blame yourself. Also, yes; women, EVEN MOMS do use this gym. We make up 50% of the world's population, so yes, some of us will be at "your" gym. GTFO "gentlemen".

I live locally and always wondered what was in the white building behind the insurance agency…read more I did my introduction and history of BJJ with the extremely friendly Aaron. The following day I signed up, and have attended 3 more classes. Being new to BJJ I was nervous about joining a martial arts gym/academy. The members all went out of the way to introduce themselves and help with any questions I had. The staff are great, and genuinely have an interest in helping you improve. BJJ is a tough workout, but very rewarding. I highly encourage anyone local to come take a class. Or if you are just in Boston for a few days, it is 100% worth a visit.

The instruction is incredible. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Everyone is willing to help…read moreout and train, no matter age/size/skill level. Bernardo is a great instructor and his system feels solid and effective. Great gym and I couldn't be more happy to train here! In my opinion the best place in the Boston area to train, hands down.

The Self Defense is much more than a five star martial arts institute. My daughter has been…read moreinvolved with martial arts at The Self Defense Institute for over nine years and has enjoyed every minute. I have the highest respect for the wonderful and skilled schools instructors and their programs. Training at The Self Defense Institute has been been a positive influence in every aspect of my daughters life. The values of respect for family, striving for academic sucess and the actual self defense training have been invaluable to her. I could not possibly list all the ways that TSDI has positvely influenced her life, but through her years of training just to name a few, she has learned patience, compassion, self control, confidence and perserverance. She will carry these skills (as well as the memories of her friendships formed and her respect and gratefulness for her Shihans) with her always. I dont believe there is a better martial arts acadamy out there. Kudos to TSDI

From the owner: "Unleash your inner strength and cultivate self-confidence at The Self Defense Institute, a leading…read moremartial arts school in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Since 1999, we've empowered individuals of all ages, from 3 1/2 to 18 years and adults, with the skills and discipline to excel in martial arts and beyond."

My daughter has been attending the academy for about 5 years now. She has excelled and been…read moreprovided with not only Kung-Fu instruction, but discipline and educational topics are discussed. So not only is she keeping in shape physically, but mentally as well. The academy offers a trial class, which is how my daughter started. Give it shot!

The kung fu is great and my kid has learned much, I hope more adults learn about thisread more

I started training with Ron when I was in HS and what a family this has grown into. There are…read morehundreds of people representing ffc and that's no surprise. Ronaldo is a technical master of the art and its a great way to get into great shape. All the coaches at fenix are great people. Any age shape or size can benefit greatly from bjj not only physically but mentally from this!

I've been training BJJ for 14 years and have been at "Fenix" for the last 4 years. The school has…read moregreat instructors, students and training atmosphere. I've trained and visited several schools and I put Fenix right up there with any of them. The head Instructor, Coach Ron is a great instructor who not only gives great technical instruction, his leadership is second to none. As far as the students go, you will meet a lot of great people at Fenix.

Rising Storm Training Academy is a wonderful place for kids to learn the art of Martial Arts. Newly…read moreopened and offering great session times for working parents! Nathan, the head instructor and owner, has a real skill for teaching and engaging kids that can lose focus. The rates are very reasonable to. He offeres a free introductory lesson to try out. My son is having a super time and learning the art so quickly directly because of Nathans teaching.

From the owner: We are a full time Martial Art School…read more Offering professional instruction in Rising Storm Kempo Karate. This program teaches traditional techniques along with kid safe awareness. A big draw to our Academy is the fact that we incorporate ground defenses in our training as well. This is taught through fun and exciting exercises for kids, teens, and adults. The instructor was also nominated into the World Martial Art Federation 2010 Hall Of Fame for "Outstanding Youth Instruction."

High Quality Masters at Tiger An's. Master Cyndie and Master Kim are respectful, caring instructors…read morewho run professional structured classes.

I wrote them a review on facebook along with a lot of back and fourth messages on their facebook…read morepage. Now they have blocked me. I just find it hilarious they blocked me. The master even asked her sister to write a review it seems like after I wrote a 1 star review. She doesnt even attend the dojang. So I ended up writing a comment on her post on Billerica mom's page where she advertise her business and now she erased that and took comment option off her posts. Wow........... I *****DO NOT!!!****recommend Tiger Ans to anyone. My daughter has joined here ever since they opened. Past 2 years have been great. One evening I dropped off my daughter to her class and I went outside to make some phone calls while she was in class. After 45 mins I went back inside to see my daughter sitting looking miserable. I asked what happened and the master told me she got hurt before the class even started. So I asked them why they didn't call me but their reason was because they had to teach the class and they thought she would get better. There are 2 Masters and any of them couldn't call me because they had to teach the class. I guess class is more important then a child being hurt. I felt so bad for my daughter sitting there so miserable for almost 1 hr just holding her wrist up. This doesn't make sense to me and this is very unprofessional. It is common sense to call the parent of a child if the child gets hurt to let them know, especially when the child is young. I called my daughters pediatrician and they told me to come in first thing in the morning next day. Next day I spent 12 hrs total in 3 different hospitals, my daughter had to be put under because she had a broken displaced bone. I am not blaming Tiger Ahns that my daughter got hurt. Everyone can get hurt anywhere anytime but I am very disappointed in the way they handle this situation. It was very poor and unprofessional. When I asked the master what if this happened to her daughter how she would feel about it and her response to me was that similar situation has happened to her daughter and she never recieved a phone call from that school. Both Masters were completely different after this situation. Oh I forgot to mention, when I asked to see the video recording, they told me that their cameras were not working therefore there is no recording. I can go on and on about how they have responded to this matter but I will end it here since it's already long. I wouldn't want to send my child here ever again and do not recommend here to anyone else. I just think it's common sense as a person/teacher whoever you are to call the child's parent if they are hurt to let the parent know. Replying to your comment: Why was I not given a call when my daughter got hurt? She was only 6 years old, what would she know? When I compared her two wrist that wrist was very swollen. Also there is only 5 mins between classes. She was early probably like 2 mins. It's funny that you keep mentioning that it happened during outside class time. Once a child enters your dojang, you should be caring about your student and stop mentioning it happened during outside class time which probably was like 2 mins before. You are the one who tells to get up and practice. You as a Master (there are two Masters) should have been more responsible and not made my daughter sit there for 45 mins holding her wrist. I have told this story many times to many other people who have asked what happened and they all reacted the same way. Please stop giving excuses.