This review is long overdue. I found myself at Amherst College this summer and wanted to continue…read moretraining in jiu-jitsu. While I found other gyms nearby, I committed to NESF for a month. Training is entirely no-gi, Stacy was accommodating and very nice about me coming in to check out some of the other MMA classes. Bring cash and you will get a discount. Dave, the jiu-jitsu professor was a total badass - knows what he is doing and focuses on technique. He wants you to get it right and will push you and call you out if you are slacking off. From the skilled jiu-jitsu practitioner to the beginner, I highly recommend this gym. You will learn and improve your game. I trained with both beasts and beginners. It was a welcoming and positive environment. Training in no-gi has become my favorite was of training now. It's been 3 months training like that and my guitar-licking fingers are happy about it - Thanks NESF!! ProTip: there is a Valley Bike Station right outside the gym, easy to go in and out of the gym if you do not have a car and/or don't want to wait for a bus.

This is an excellent and professional school with highly skilled and all around great instructors…read more They know their stuff and are very good at helping both new and experienced their students develop their skills. They are quite welcoming and very reasonable with their pricing. Excellent gym for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, and MMA!

Once in a while you come across a place that just feels right, the energy, the vibe, the…read moreatmosphere, whatever you want to call it. Fugi, the instructor is one of the most sincerely humble individuals I have ever met considering the depth of knowledge in BJJ he has. The classes are small with ALOT of individual attention and correction. The price is very reasonable with none of those contracts that alot of places make you sign. I highly recommend S.S.S and feel anyone interested in BJJ should go and check it out. (You get a free week to try it out).

After moving 1600 miles from home finding a new little BJJ tribe was necessary. Having looked at a…read morefew other area gyms, this was the one we found which fit us perfectly (Mom and two kids). Good vibes, helpful people and a comfortable welcome back when we had to miss for a bit.

I am new here but love it already. I can tell my son is going to learn a lot physically and…read morementally. Very nice people here.

Highly recommend. My daughter is on the autism spectrum and has been doing TKD for almost a year…read more She's changed so much. The masters are amazing with the kids. They're great teachers and overall great people.

It's a small school. The classes are small. Each student gets close, loving, personal attention…read more The school is flexible, giving new students a chance to check it out before making a big commitment. I can't overstate what a positive impact Amherst Martial Arts has had on my 13-year-old son's life.

Amherst Martial Arts, a taekwondo school, is a really special space in Amherst. It has been…read moreoperating for more than 20 years, educating countless children, as well as hosting summer camps (taekwondo, swimming, and horseback riding). It's the complete program: philosophy, strength, forms, and practical application -- self defense and sparring. The strength of this program is not just in the excellent and serious instruction, but in the warmth of the community. The children are kind and supportive to each other, an attitude fostered by the teachers. The children and teens really form relationships with each other. The school is a labor of love for the instructors; they haven't raised their rates in years, because they want to keep it accessible. At some other places that I've seen, the programming aimed at kids can feel like a mill, processing lots of kids, keeping things fun but what are the kids actually learning? I've seen some kids' martial arts programs described as "belt factories" or "belt mills", where the belt tests are meaningless, and the kids aren't actually learning the forms, much less the philosophy and mental disciplines. No matter how skilled the adults are, they have to take teaching kids seriously -- not just as entertainment for the kids and babysitting for the kids. That is the opposite of Amherst Martial Arts, which feels like a cross between a school and a home -- the best kind of home, where everyone is working together, learning and improving and supporting each other. The kids have a lot of fun -- there are lots of opportunities for games and silliness -- but they also learn to buckle down, concentrate, try harder, improve. I've seen kids come in, too shy to kick at all, gain confidence just from the gentle, non-judgmental opportunity that comes again and again in a session, until they start finding their own ability to move and then start putting their all into it. This is huge for girls especially who may not have been given social encouragement or support to yell, kick, punch, roll, etc. The instructors are great at knowing how to relate to different kids at different levels: kids sometimes need gentle encouragement, sometimes sternness and seriousness, and often humor, and helping kids have fun AND then buckle down to focus and learn is a real art.

A great environment to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Whether it's competition you are looking for or…read moreyou would just like to have fun trying something new. Team Link is the place to go!

i have been student here for about 10 years now and the best thing that i did to my career is to…read morestart training with the team link , the best of the best ! always send my family and friends and highly recommend it

I never thought I'd get into a martial art. This is no ordinary martial art, and this is no…read moreordinary dojo. I live down the street from Aikido of Amherst, and hadn't even thought to check it out, but one day, after I had vowed to myself I would do something to get more exercise in my life, a friend told me that he goes to this dojo. He doesn't just go, I realized, he drives 45 minutes, to get to *this* dojo that I can walk to. ...So I had to check it out. First I looked up Aikido, and I was amazed at what I learned. This practice has a unique and solid spiritual foundation. Yes, it is an extremely powerful defensive art, but the movements and methods do not cultivate violence within the psyche. This is how I think of it, anyway. As a life-long yogi, I know the power of postures and movements to effect the psyche. I take that part very seriously, actually. I won't say a lot about the roots of Aikido, you can look it up. I will just say that I can't imagine a defensive art more in line with my personal values; both in theory and in the daily physical practice. Long story short: I went, and I'm hooked. Hooked for life on Aikido, and so grateful to have this dojo to call my home dojo. Sensei Heath Atchley is wonderful--attentive, kind, and skilled--and the dojo environment he has fostered is truly special. It is a warm environment with friendly, sincere people, who welcome newcomers and enjoy both the art and the comradery.

First of all, a disclaimer of sorts ... I am one of the long time students of Sensei Louis…read moreJumonville. I have been training with him for over 10 years and have been enjoying every minute of it. Louis Sensei is an incredible teacher. He is very detailed, yet sees the big picture. Sensei also finds time to spend with his students, during, before or after class to improve one's technique. In addition, students, including myself, also have more senior students to provide others with guidance. Hikari Dojo provides a very supportive, safe, and friendly environment to train and make good friends. Hikari Dojo has a beautiful space conveniently near freeway access. The mats are quite comfortable and clean. We have classes 5-6 days a week, allowing folks with challenging work schedules like me, to enjoy class when one can. Lastly, in choosing aikido as a martial art over others: I have briefly practiced Judo and Tai Chi in the past, but Aikido is one that moves with me as I change through the years. I started practicing aikido as physical exercise, but through the years, as my body and psyche changed, I found that aikido is still as relevant. Hikari Dojo is a very traditional Japanese dojo - which means that your spiritual growth is equally important. Through the years, with aikido's help, I connect and hear myself better, and I also connect and hear others better ... but I still have a long way to go. Aikido is a journey, not a destination, as life itself should be. - Jem S-W

Here's my disclaimer: I started in martial arts in April of…read more2001 with Jumonville Sensei, and I remain with him to this day. I plan to stay with him as long as we both can still train, because the teaching he imparts is, quite simply, extraordinary. I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting and training with Aikido instructors from around the world. We are, after all, a Community of dedicated individuals. There are some truly amazing Senseis out there, and I would never wish to compare. I will, however, say that at Hikari Dojo, we learn in a way that is traditional yet progressive, disciplined but fun, and group-oriented while remaining very personalized. It's about as Yen and Yang as you can get! For me personally, the benefits of Aikido have been tremendous. I'm no "spring chicken," but I am more flexible and in better shape than I was 10 years ago, mentally as well as physically. I should also mention that the kid's class is wonderful. I am constantly amazed at how much fun they have while learning the beautiful movements, building confidence and developing the fundamentals of self-defense. If you've managed to read this far, you should probably consider coming in to check it out. You're obviously interested in getting into a martial art. This just might be the one for you. Who knows? You just might be my new favorite training partner! I look forward to seeing you on the mat. Tim P

The U.S. Taekwondo Center has really been a life saver for me. They are responsible, helpful and…read morewonderful to my 7 year old son. They are also open on most days the schools close, which is a real stress reliever. They also do homework, provide a snack and teach the kids Taekwondo twice a week. Master Lee, Master Ben and Master Kyle are the best!