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    Santa Barbara Dojo

    4.9 (72 reviews)
    Closed 12:30 pm - 8:30 PM
    Updated 1 week ago

    Santa Barbara Dojo Photos

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    Front entrance of Santa Barbara Dojo
    Malia P.

    I'm so grateful for SB Dojo's knowledgeable trainers who go above and beyond to help people like me achieve fitness and nutritional goals! The SB Dojo community is welcoming and supportive and the workouts are fun and effective. I just completed the 6 week challenge and I lost 5% body fat which equated to 11.5 pounds of actual fat. Sheesh, that definitely exceeded my expectations for a short 6 week timeframe! That said - even though I saw results quickly - I'm not looking for a 'quick fix' and the SB Dojo trainers have helped me to orient results around making long term, sustainable lifestyle changes. In addition to losing body fat, I've also noticed my lower back pain (which had been persistent since the birth of my 2nd child 3 years ago) is gone. My core is stronger than it's been since I had my first child 6 years ago, which has helped me maintain better posture and get more restful sleep. My body feels stronger and with increased mobility and energy, I'm better equipped to be a busy, active and fun Mom. Thank you SB Dojo!

    KUT

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    2 years ago

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    Austin C.

    You are so welcome!

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    Austin C.

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    1 year ago

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    Austin C.

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    3 years ago

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    Austin C.

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    Austin C.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Very welcoming place to learn to kickbox. Highly recommend. Instructor Mel guides you through - encouraging you to challenge yourself.

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    Austin C.

    Thank you!!!

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    2 years ago

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    Austin C.

    Thank you for the great review, sir!

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    3 years ago

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    Austin C.

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    3 years ago

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    Austin C.

    Come back to town for a visit! Can't wait to have you back.

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    Austin C.

    Thank you so much for the review, Adam! You're awesome.

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    Austin C.

    Thanks, Sonia! See you on the mat soon. :)

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Santa Barbara Dojo

    Review Highlights - Santa Barbara Dojo

    While I got my black belt a long time ago, I go to MAFF's kickboxing classes at least 2/week to stay in shape.

    Mentioned in 22 reviews

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    Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing - Santa Barbara Martial arts

    Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing

    4.7(92 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    While visiting Santa Barbara for a week, I was fortunate enough to train at Paragon's main location…read moreand it lived up to its legendary reputation. I had the honor of taking a class with Franjinha himself, as well as one with James. Both are phenomenal instructors who teach with incredible clarity and precision. You can tell they have a deep understanding of the art. I enjoyed the more intimate classes at noon. It created a great "good vibes" atmosphere where it was easy to connect with training partners. Everyone was super friendly and eager to roll. The training was challenging and technical. It's an amazing place to learn and grow your jiu-jitsu, and I felt very welcomed as a visitor. Can't wait to come back on my next trip!

    I don't know how else to say it, but this gym has changed my life for the better! I even sought out…read morea new job to make sure I could pay the membership--worth every penny. I started out kickboxing, and have now trained jiu jitsu for the last two years. The sport is amazing, especially for women in regards to self defense and self confidence. And the instructors are dedicated, extremely proficient, patient, motivating, and fun. As a few others have noted in their reviews--Paragon becomes family! If you've been on the fence about trying boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, or jiu jitsu (GREAT kids' classes for anti-bullying!), start a trial today. You won't regret it--believe me!

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    Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing - Kids Boxing classes

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    Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing - Kids Boxing Santa Barbara

    Kids Boxing Santa Barbara

    Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing - Womens Self Defense workshop

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    Womens Self Defense workshop

    Valhalla Martial Arts, Kickboxing And Fitness

    Valhalla Martial Arts, Kickboxing And Fitness

    4.2(28 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    Man this place is special. Not only is coach mike a Great fighter and teacher but also a great guy!…read moreWhether you are just getting started or a veteran this place is great. expect to find a community here, a lot of guys are there often some every day and it shows. Go in trust coach, give it your all, enjoy every moment, and you will not regret any of it. Ps. Jiu jitsu guys 10th Planet santa barbara trains there goated school and goated team.

    I came to Valhalla as a student in May of 2021, and am forced to leave this negative review due to…read morewhat I believe to be Mike MacDonald's abuse of the SB community and his students. The intent of this review is to leave my impression of his gym as a person who has trained at multiple gyms; I believe Mike has purposefully incurred brain damage on new students for the purpose of exacting personal revenge on them for perceived slights. I also believe that he takes efforts to evade sanctioning bodies designed to keep people who train in martial arts safe. Anyone who comes to train at Valhalla should be aware of what I believe to be Mike's views on accountability and there are photos below as evidence for my claims. I was training at Valhalla in 2021 when a new student visiting from outside the country came to the gym in October 2021 who argued with Mike about how much money he should pay to train at Valhalla. I was told by Valhalla administrators that this "low ball" attempt from the student was something that Coach Mike was not happy with. This student was very new to the sport and I believe that Coach Mike was aware that he was not skilled enough to compete in any kind of sparring tournament. Despite this, Mike allowed this new student to compete in an unsanctioned sparring tournament that occurs often at Valhalla. This student was paired up against one of Mike's star pupils, and was knocked out three times within a couple of minutes. This new student was so inexperienced, he did not even know to ask someone to be his cornerman for this event. All of this potentially because he "lowballed" Mike; This is not how new students should be treated. In the days following the tournament, I reached out to an administrator at Valhalla (Roxanna Bina) to get the contact information for this student who had taken so much damage. I was the only person to reach out to this student after the tournament to ensure he was okay. This was just one example; other examples include holding one night tournaments where some competitors will compete in multiple fights without an actual doctor present, as well as 200 lbs men being paired against much smaller women in sparring tournaments where knockouts are commonplace. Mike continues to hold this tournament without matchmakers, without medical personnel, and continues to evade letters from the CA State Athletic Commission regarding the nature of his tournament. When I told Valhalla administrators that they should have the sign up sheet for the tournament include a "cornerman" checklist so that they could make sure every single person in the competition had someone with them, I was told that this would make the tournament seem more "official" and that this would invite further scrutiny from the CA Athletic Commission. This backwards logic ultimately doesn't serve the best interests of the people competing in the tournament. There are bodies like the IKF that hold tournaments with registered nurses, multiple judges and matchmakers, and in general have some official accountability. I believe that Mike doesn't want to make the monetary investment to do these things, and would prefer to have free reign over the entire process. As someone who has trained at multiple MMA gyms, I would advise people to look into other gyms in the area for sparring purposes. I believe that Mike views new students as cannon fodder to give easy experience to his more experienced pupils and believes himself to be above the law. I believe that he will continue to allow the safety and well being of his students to take a back seat to his pride and lack of willingness to make the monetary investment to ensure that sparring tournaments held at Valhalla are safe and fair. I believe that he will remove anyone from the gym who tries to bring this to his attention. I will be contacting the CA State Athletic Commission with these same concerns and hope that they will hold him accountable for his actions. If you want to train martial arts in SB, I believe that you can do better than being taken advantage of by Mike MacDonald.

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    Valhalla Martial Arts, Kickboxing And Fitness - MMA Training

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    Valhalla Martial Arts, Kickboxing And Fitness
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    Santa Barbara Krav Maga Family Self Defense Center - Pedro, calling the shots

    Santa Barbara Krav Maga Family Self Defense Center

    4.9(34 reviews)
    7.8 mi

    Bottom Line: This is a great gym with people who actually care…read more This review is for the kids classes only as I have no knowledge of the other classes. We tried to get our son interesting or excited about a variety of group sports as well as individual sports. He just had zero interest in any of it. Something about this place has captured his attention and imagination and now he talks about it, looks forward to going and excels on a daily basis. Whereas in the past it was a struggle to get him ready to leave to go do something, he's ready to be out the door in a moment for Krav classes. As a parent it's SUCH a hard line to walk, the line between fun and discipline. This place does an amazing job allowing the kids to actually be kids but at the same time provides them with a level of discipline you would expect from a Martial Arts facility as well as instilling a work ethic. On top of that they also have fun kid events like a Halloween gathering and I've heard rumblings of a Nerf war. If you're looking for a place to go to learn some amazing self defense techniques or even a little community of people who look out for each other, this is a great place to start. I have learned a ton just from watching the kids go at it. Highly recommended.

    Took a self defense class with a group of friends. The head of this organization is engaging,…read moreinquisitive, and a great teacher. The class was informative and I learned a lot. Highly recommend!!

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    Santa Barbara Krav Maga Family Self Defense Center
    Santa Barbara Krav Maga Family Self Defense Center - SBKM Working

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    SB Krav Maga

    Santa Barbara Dojo - kickboxing - Updated May 2026

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