I've attended several Taekwondo schools as a child on the east coast (one of which being your…read morestereotypical "McDojo"). A year and a half ago, it was time to finally introduce my then 6 year old son to Taekwondo and decided to join The Way Martial Arts Center after a great trial class experience. I have been extremely impressed with everything The Way has to offer, from the great facility to the instructors who are just amazing with the kids! They make classes fun and engaging, while also teaching respect, integrity, discipline and confidence, which has done wonders for my child. They also offer teen and adult classes which motivated me to get back into it! The thing I love most about The Way is the community that Master Nini has built amongst the students and their families. From student summer camps and parents night out events to birthday parties, family classes and dojang fantasy football leagues, this is NOT a common "McDojo"... It's a place to grow physically and mentally, learn how to live with a positive "black belt attitude", and to meet amazing people who want to see you succeed, whatever your goals are! "A family that kicks together, sticks together!" http://thewaymartialartscenter.com/

From the owner: We are dedicated to building a safer and stronger community. Kids, teens and adults train here in…read moreour traditional martial arts program for weight loss, self defense , confidence , and many other reasons. Try out a free class and see if it’s the right fit for your family. The energy is great

Really great and professional program! The instructors Dylan and Jeff are highly skilled and…read moreprofessional. They take the time to make sure I grasp all the concepts before moving on. Overall great experience with the training sessions I have had here and look forward to continuing with them!

The instructors were super nice, very informative, and incredibly patient. We all had a great time…read morebut also feel like we gained the knowledge and tools to defend ourselves! This class is incredibly empowering! I feel so much safer when I am by myself and I am going to insist that all my friends and family take his class so they too can feel protected!

Marcie is a fantastic teacher! She not only made me feel comfortable, she made me feel like a…read morebadass! GREAT PLACE!! GREAT TEACHER! GREAT FUN!

From the owner: Self Discovery Self Defense is a one-of-a-kind self-defense and self-discovery experience that…read morecombines the principles of martial arts training with an awareness of how our minds work. We can help you create freedom from whatever is holding you back and teach you how to move past your fear into a confident and peaceful way of being. We offer a variety of services ranging from private and group lessons (including self defense, ground work, and weapons defenses) to team building and empowerment events for small businesses. When you're ready, get in touch.

I didn't have a great experience at this Krav Maga class. The instructor didn't introduce himself…read moreor the structure of the class and went straight into training, which felt unwelcoming, especially as a beginner. New students were immediately paired with much more experienced people without any guidance, which made it hard to keep up and honestly a bit discouraging. The teaching style made me feel more confused than supported, and at times I felt talked down to rather than coached. Overall, it wasn't a good first impression and didn't feel beginner-friendly.

Don't give this man your credit card number. He can't be trusted with it. I gave him my credit card…read morenumber, and after I stopped taking classes with him he started charging me without letting me know. I asked for a refund, he acknowledged what had happened, but he ignored my repeated requests. So that tells you what you need to know about how far you can trust the business owner. Attached is a screen cap of the text chat where he acknowledged the error & offered to send a check, but in the months since then he has ignored me. Instead of sending me a check, he lied about remembering that I wanted to take more classes from him. PS: Within hours of my posting this review, they contacted me and have now made good on the erroneous charges. It took 18 months from when I first emailed them to getting a check. Good luck.

Enough can't be said about BJJ Olympia. The culture of this place is incredible. It embraces a…read moretrue family environment from four year olds to elderly adults and everyone there in-between. I love how my five year old is pushed in his discipline and understanding while very clearly having fun along the way. Every single coach is incredible. From professor Robert, Joel, Chris, and many others - there is a humility among the top that leaks down into the rest of the gym. All of the upper belts are extremely helpful and no one holds an intimidating machismo attitude. Everyone should try jiujitsu and this is the place to do it!

great place to sharpen your skills! From being a hobbiest or a competitor you'll catch the best…read morerolls here!!

Coach Jake Furney has been my son's BJJ coach for almost a year now and my son loves it! I asked my…read moreson to stick with a physical activity for a few times a week and he decided to do BJJ and it was a choice that he really is proud that he stuck with. Coach Jake has been such a positive influence on my son and makes training fun, explains the art well, and most of all is VERY patient with his students. This is a rare trait to find and I'm happy to say that I hope he sticks around long enough for my son to keep advancing in his belt classes. I highly recommend taking MMA classes with this gym, due to the professionalism, patience, and discipline that it offers. We lucked out with finding such a great gym to train in! Thank you Coach Jake and Coach Charlie! You guys are great!

I walked into Charlie's in June 2015 having never done any kickboxing. I was a skinny 37-year old…read morewoman looking for a good workout. I am so glad I went in that first day. I continue working out there 2-3 times per week. The staff and other students have been incredibly welcoming and encouraging since my first day. I have seen visible changes in my body and am much stronger with better endurance. I cannot recommend Charlie's highly enough.

Zach helped me realize that my instincts are not going to be useful in a dangerous situation, and…read morethis type of training is critical to prepare me. He is a great teacher with experience to back it up. I appreciate his sensitivity to the content and trauma-informed approach. I walked away with multiple defensive tools to utilize in different situations and feel relieved and safer with this knowledge.

Zach was an amazing teacher! My daughters both took the class with me, age 16 and 8. They learned a…read morelot, and as a mom, I feel better knowing they have some knowledge of self defense. It was a bonding experience for us and a good way to approach a difficult subject on how they can stay safe and aware. Zach was kind and relatable, making us feel instantly at ease. He did the perfect teaching technique where we listen to what he has to say first, then he shows us an example, and then we try it ourselves. We practiced a good amount of time on each move so that we could absorb it. He infused a little humor into the class and kept it interesting. We felt very powerful and prepared by the end of it, which was truly a relief and an accomplishment. I highly recommend this experience! My daughters and I still talk about it and practice what we learned. - Renda Palo

Great introductory course for those that want to be more aware and practice hands on skills. Two…read morehours was the perfect amount of time for this course. The class started right into some hands on stuff...bring a water bottle it can be a workout! The practice sessions really made me more aware of the areas I need to improve in. I'm ready for level 2!

I have been attending NOVA Self Defense regularly for the past three months. Saturday mornings are…read morenow one of my favorite parts of my week! Evan and the assistant instructors are very good about giving constructive, targeted feedback. I feel that I have learned a lot of new things and had plenty of opportunity to fine-tune the basics, which has helped me build up my strength. In class, we learn to protect ourselves and fight back. When we learn new techniques, Evan breaks down the psychological aspects before moving into the how-to, enabling a full understanding of the why you are learning this. The real-life scenarios continue to be a helpful, and above all, safe way for me to try out what I've learned. Some of the other reviews have mentioned the work out at the end of class. This is no joke. The workout is the best! We do circuit training with some combative stuff thrown in, like palm strikes, elbows, and knife-dodging. Evan encourages you and will even work out with you. I'm not even a fitness freak (ugghhh I hate the gym), but this workout rocks. For those who are feeling iffy about the class and the amount of combat that takes place, please be assured that Evan always encourages you to find a way out of a physical altercation. This is an attitude that I have always appreciated because at the end of the day, I'm a lover, not a fighter. This class is just teaching you what you can do if you are left with no choice or caught off guard.

I really enjoyed Joanne's 6-week self defense class for women and highly recommend it! I…read moreappreciated that it was more than just the physical moves, but also how to verbally set boundaries (like saying no without apologizing!), and red flags to look for. Some of the info was a refresher, some brand new. I also appreciated that alternative moves were suggested, like for folks with bad knees, or the guidance for a woman using a cane. Everyone can benefit from this class! To answer the questions most people asked me: The class is kept to a small size, about 12 people. It's only for women, trans, and non-binary; no men. Folks in the class ranged from teen to 60s--I loved seeing mothers and daughters taking the class together. About half of the physical practice involved a punching bag dummy, and the other half involved hands-on practice with classmates, which was necessary, helpful, but also a bit awkward at times. But, I got over it, and got a lot out of it.

I loved taking Joanne's class. Each week, I learned something new! While the physical moves were…read moregreat to have under my belt, the cerebral lessons were just as helpful (i.e grooming behaviors, setting boundaries, how to say no). We had a small group so class was more conversational and we could ask questions anytime. I highly recommend Joanne's class if you're thinking about brushing up on your self defense skills or are not sure where to start! I now feel more confident out in the world after taking this course. Thank you for all that you do!

Phantom BJJ is the place I picked my love of jiujitsu back up again and it was a blessing I decided…read moreto go. However, I did leave for a reason. For those who don't know, Jiujitsu is an art of self defense that is definitely more practical for real-life situations. It involves fighting from the ground, taking people down, and actually doing submissions such as arm bars or chokes. It's similar to wrestling, but not quite as intense. The environment: Phantom has a mediumish sized gym, and honestly it's enough. The kids class tended to be extremely crowded and it was a push for space sometimes, though. There is a lobby as well, two dressing rooms, two bathrooms, and a cubby area to stash your things. The staff: The coaches are literally some of the most amazing people I've ever met. They're encouraging, practical, and care a lot about each person who steps foot into Phantom. However, after I quit (partly because of health issues, partly because they no longer had a womens class), the main coach sent degrading comments that were extremely rude and unprofessional to try to guilt me back into going to jiujitsu. It may have come from a caring place, but I am extremely offended - I stopped going to Phantom mostly because there was no womens class, and therefore no class I felt comfortable in. Another thing I didn't like was that the coaches often favored the male fighters. It took a friend of mine over three years to get her blue belt and the coach still complained about her missing classes (the only ones she missed were because of womens issues she couldn't help). Meanwhile, the boys are often given more credit, recognition, and belt promotions. Though I was at the same skill level as many of them, I watched them get promoted while I and many of my female friends were looked over. Here, I'll throw out a shoutout to one of the most amazing female coaches there: Simone, who has definitely been overlooked a lot and overcome a lot. She ran women's classes until they were shut down and was extremely supportive and always so kind! Classes: Last I went, they didn't have a womens' class, which is definitely a downside and the reason I quit. Jiujitsu is a very physical sport and as a woman, I will not fight with men. They used to have the womens' program, but ended up shutting it down with no explanation. They do have an adults class, kids class, and pandas class (the really little kids class!). They're open every day of the week, with different varieties of classes (gi or no gi, and a striking class for the kids). Competing opportunities: Phantom competes in two main Washington state tournaments: The Revolution (at the Puyallup Fair grounds) and Proving Grounds (at Green River). They have competition classes for both the kids and adults interested in competing or already regularly competing. Final thoughts: I'd recommend Phantom to anyone who's interested in starting jiujitsu, wants to get back into doing it, or is a seasoned fighter already. The community there is incredible. However, I would not recommend Phantom to any women because there is no women's program and the coaches often favor the males who go there. A lot of women who go there don't get enough credit or recognition for their strength and skill.

Contact the owners through Facebook and they were helpful and informative. For an women getting…read moreinto the sport I choose this place because they have a women's class on Tuesday and Thursday from about 7-9pm - Shannon is an excellent instructor but there are other instructors that help that are awesome! I am enjoying the community, the sport, being more aware of self defense and have really liked being a part of this group.