Great concept, very unethical business practices. I wish I could have stayed as it seems it would…read morehave been a great way to get in shape and join a community, but it's not worth it. They'll start you off with $180/month but have a clause in the contract that gives them the right to charge you $1000/month without your consent. That is ridiculous! I called to get this situation rectified and to get this clause out of the contact (that I didn't even know I was signing--they generate a signature to contracts without your consent), but the owner never responded. I guess he was hoping he'd get away with it!! Shameful!!! Also, it's ALL locations that are owned by the same guy. Not just the Sandy Springs location. AVOID THEM ALL!!!

This place is a hidden gem…read more First off all, it really is hidden. If you don't know to look for it, you'll drive right past. Once you turn into the parking lot, the gym is down a hidden stairway on the left. As a member, you have a choice to sign up for boxing, strength & conditioning, Muay Thai, kickboxing, or jiu jitsu classes. The trainers push you hard, in the best way. By and large, they move around the room keeping an eye on everyone...making form corrections and gently encouraging to push yourself further. They are accepting of members of all shapes and sizes, and seem to take in consideration the physical and strength abilities of each individual. There is a great variety of DBs, KBs, BBs, and cardio machines (much bought in the past year) to use on your own and on your own timetable, if you choose. You also have the option to take classes at any of the other five locations, for added variety. The Sandy Springs location has the added bonus of having a dry sauna for post-workout "cooldown". The truth is that I have gym at home with much of the equipment found here, but I will never be able to get the results I get by coming to this gym. Having a trainer (most have been there several years) to push you past your preconceived limits is priceless. Add to that a great group of other participants (all on various journeys of their own) to offer additional encouraging words or fist bumps. I feel that the monthly fee is pricey, but I believe it's still in line with what most other gyms of this type charge. And the fact that they have continued to purchase new equipment (small and large), shows that they are willing to continuously invest in what they have to offer. Ultimately, Team Octopus - Sandy Springs has become a home-away-from-home. I, regularly, look forward to seeing the trainers and my new friends there...and to seeing the physical and mental limits that I'm able to push (or be pushed) past. After some soul-searching, I decided recently that there was no better investment than my physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and purchased a lifetime membership. T.O. may not become as integral part of your life, but it just might. Give it a chance, it might change your life.

My daughter has been going to Life martial arts since September and she loves it, the instructor…read moreis great with the kids and her confidence is through the roof.

We took my daughter to the free lessons they give to suck you in...your kid gets individual…read moreattention, and in our case, apparently we attended at a time where the classes were not that crowded so it looked good. They make you sign a 6 month contract, I shouldn't have done it, that was a big red flag, but stupid me I did...but I told them I may be moving in a couple of months and they said I could cancel the contract if I moved at least 25 miles away. Well, the weekday class we took my daughter to was a hot mess. The second class we took her to, there were 26 kids. They say its a 30 minute lesson, but by the time they take attendance and "herd the kids", the lesson actually ends up being about 20 minutes of actual instruction. No place for the parents to sit, I had to sit on the floor. Well, my daughter stopped going, and knowing I signed the contract, I did nothing. After we signed the lease for our new place, I went in to cancel the contract. We signed the lease for our new place in Suwanee (this place is in Sandy Springs), so I took my lease documents and printed out Googlemaps to show the mileage between the two places, and attached that just in case. My lease at the new place started on the 7th of the month, and the owner insisted I would have to pay for the entire month regardless. I didn't budge, told him he already got a months worth of pay from me since I was no longer bringing my daughter to the cluster___ , and that I would gladly pay for up to the 7th. He didn't want to do it. Eventually he agreed, but said he would need to check the mileage between Suwanee and the center. REALLY?! Great customer service!! Good thing I printed out the map! Anyways, I think the instructors are great, and could probably do a lot more if the classes weren't overflowing. Those 6:30pm classes, there is no space to move, and the instructors have a hard time controlling the class. The contract is BS and I think that is a horrible thing to do to parents of six year olds because guess what, young kids change their minds! If you decide to sign your kid up, know you are stuck for a minimum of six months, and make sure you can attend the 4:30 classes...the evening ones are useless.

After trying several other combat/martial arts systems -- I found Jeremy at IKMA. This was what I…read morewas looking for. No nonsense, intelligent self defense. Private lessons and group classes as part of the experience. Cool uniform. Worth every penny.

Great location ,the sensei (instructor)is the best , real professional and knowledgeable!! Also…read moregreat group of people to train with from all age groups and over all really great location highly recommended!!! Check them out

Came in for thanksgiving, everyone was super nice, gave me hard rolls, and they were able to get…read morethe waiver done for me quickly after I walked in the door. Not only the men but the women were just as much of a challenge. Obviously great leadership for everyone.

Leonardo Nogueira is an amazing head instructor who takes care of the rest of the instructor staff…read more(also amazing) and students. They have a new facility located on 5290 Roswell Rd Ste A170 Sandy Springs, GA 30342. The facility is state-of-the-art with 3 brand new fuji mat areas and an expanded class schedule offering NoGi 6 days a week! Definitely a great place whether you are looking to train Gi or Nogi, no matter your age or gender. HIGHLY recommend.

If you wanna learn Tai Chi techniques come try out Kaikudo Martial Arts Academy. Sensei Michael…read moreIssa is a wonderful instructor and a wonderful group of people in the class. I would definitely recommend.

I've been through several states, as I've moved for work. Every place I stop, I look for martial…read morearts for the kids. This is one of the best places I've ever seen for kids martial arts. They take technique seriously, which I've really never seen before in kids martial arts (since I was in kids martial arts 30 years ago). Refreshing. Unique. Excellent. I am very pleased.

This is an amazing studio for both children and adults. If you have children and are interested in…read moregetting them started in a karate program this is the best place for them. The instructors and staff are amazing and genuinely care about all the students. As an adult student there, I have been attending the classes for a few years and can tell you that the classes are just as challenging today as when I started. Not only can you join the Black Belt Club, but there are cardio classes strictly geared for those of you who are looking for all around fitness without the "belt commitment". If you are interested in challenging yourself with martial arts or just a different form of exercise visiting this studio would definitely be worth your time. BTW, I don't believe yoga is offered here any more, but Gracie Jiu-jitsu, spinning, and personal training programs are available.

I would NEVER recommend this place to another parent…read more My son was seriously injured while in their care after another child struck him in the eye with a stick. And to be clear, this did not even happen during karate instruction. The children were outside playing when this happened. After my son was injured, he went to an adult and told them he had been hurt. Despite that, I was never called. No one notified me that my child had suffered an eye injury. No one contacted me and told me that I needed to come get him or have him medically evaluated. There was not even an incident report provided to me. I found out how bad it was when I arrived to pick him up. My child was crying, had his head down, was visibly injured and was struggling to open his eye. As a mother, it is infuriating to know that my child looked like that while under the care of adults and no one thought it was important enough to CALL ME. I had to take him for medical treatment, where he was diagnosed with an eye injury that required continued medical follow-up over the following months. Eye injuries can have serious consequences when they are not evaluated and properly treated, and I am grateful that I took his condition seriously when the people responsible for him apparently did not. Then I was left with the medical expenses. I ultimately had to hire an attorney simply trying to hold someone accountable for what happened to my child. That process was made even more difficult because of issues surrounding insurance coverage. Meanwhile, there was never a meaningful effort from this business to take responsibility, assist with the medical expenses or make this right. What makes this even harder to accept is that I have continued seeing the individual associated with this business picking children up from my son's former elementary school. After everything my child went through, I have never received the level of remorse, concern or accountability that I would expect from someone entrusted with children. And the effects did not end when his eye healed. Time has passed, and my son STILL does not want to do karate again. Something he once participated in has now become associated in his mind with being hurt and with how that experience was handled. As his mother, that is something I cannot simply overlook. Children can get hurt. Accidents happen. That is not even the most disturbing part of this experience. The unacceptable part is a child suffering a significant eye injury while in your care, telling an adult that he is hurt, and his parent STILL not receiving a phone call. The unacceptable part is having no proper incident documentation waiting for that parent. The unacceptable part is leaving a family to deal with months of medical follow-up, medical expenses and legal action while showing so little accountability afterward. A business caring for children should understand that supervision, emergency response, documentation and immediate communication with parents are not optional. My son's safety was placed in their hands, and based on what my family experienced, I deeply regret ever trusting this place with him. Parents deserve to know this before deciding where to leave their children. This place was horrible to my family, and I cannot recommend it under any circumstances.

My jump into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was an anti-climatic one: I needed a new hobby, saw their "30 Days…read moreFree" sign while driving by one day, then literally made a sharp turn in to register. Jiu-Jitsu ended up literally changing my life. I've always had an interest in martial arts but BJJ evolved me in ways I couldn't have imagined. For about 20 months before I started at 4.0, I was a lazy sack who planted myself in front of Netflix every night. Walking upstairs was a chore. I was *embarrassingly* inactive. After training under the coaches at 4.0 Martial Arts for a year, I *won* the Silver medal in my very first Newbreed Brazilian Jiu-JItsu tournament. I had NEVER, ever played sports in my entire life so this blew my mind. Coach Daren (as well as Coach Charles, Edward, and Aaron) helped me realize and discover my athletic side. I would not have been able to win that tournament without them. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be intense but it is incredibly fun. Not only has it helped me lose weight and become more athletic, I am also much more positive, outgoing, and confident. I was incredibly lucky to have found this gym first. PROS: - Very friendly, chill atmosphere. In most cases, I would have been really intimidated by how athletic everyone was when I started ... but they are a rare combo of passionate and laid-back. If you want a place full of meathead douchebros, 4.0 isn't for you. Everyone is nice and encouraging here. - Coaches with talent AND teaching skills! Up on the top shelf at the gym, you'll see a truckload of trophies and competition belts and awards from Daren. All of the coaches are amazing grapplers but they are also great at solidifying concepts in your head. - Great support network! No matter what your intentions are behind BJJ, they will support and encourage you. They will not dilute their efforts with you even if you choose never to compete. They are always there to answer questions! I'll send off videos of myself during a match asking for feedback and I get a long, detailed critique almost immediately. Now, if you ARE planning to compete, be prepared to get your ass handed to ya .. they will make sure you're well prepped .. LOL CONS: - Bring back Friday classes! :) I also think a no-gi class would be fun too. If you've been playing with the idea of taking up a martial art, I cannot recommend Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 4.0 Martial Arts enough. As one Shia La-Beouf stated, "DOOO ITTT!"

My kids have been training with Coach Daren for several years. He has such a great rapport with the…read morekids and really keeps them excited about learning and growing; and not just in their jiu jitsu but in their academics and other activities as well. The kids work for their belts, and it's a huge accomplishment to go up a rank which I really appreciate. But it's not just for kids! I started training with the 4.0 crew a couple of years ago and am now taking the fitness classes as well. Between Coach Daren and Coach Charles there is so much expertise and they both have a great teaching style that I really like. In jiu jitsu understanding why things work and all of the details is a very important aspect and they do a great job imparting that knowledge. I love training at 4.0, the guys there aren't just "people at the gym," they are friends. I recently started the fitness classes and I really like them too! At 4.0 there is a huge focus on form and doing things right. You get pushed hard, but not to the point of injury. I know several people who have started crossfit-style workouts only to injure themselves weeks later so I really appreciate the attention to detail.

Both of my children have been boing to Yongsa since they opened in 2015. I was simply hoping for…read morebasic self defense for my daughter, but we quickly fell in love with the high quality instruction and the care and support they show each child. Both of my kids have achieved their black belts and my daughter is a state champion! Yongsa knows they have a great product and they don't lock you into a contract or charge belt testing fees. They don't need to!

From the owner: Karate for Kids, Adult Taekwondo, Mixed Martial Artsread more

Great with kids. Has zipline! His staff are extremely polite and helpful and the kids luv them all…read more We had bday here and it was great. He has a nice bday program for kids. Not too formal. U go thru practice runs. Zipline. Dance and big screen shows. Only thing is i think like 15 kids. Gotta eat cake in small area though. Oh. He cuts cake with huge samarai sword. Overall nice owner. His wife and kid and dog there too to help. Hehe. Oh he is brazilian jujitsu trained and teaches that. So if u want ur kid to learn takedowns and real self defense stuff. This is it.

Master Cho and his staff are awesome! They help to teach self control and discipline.read more

I've grown up with a lot of martial arts in my life. Judo and shotokan were my first two systems…read moretaught from father to my brother and me from kindergarten before studying a few other systems as a teenager. From all my training, I have seen many kinds of teaching, but two systems have stood out; one is our system here and the other was a very traditional southern kung fu kwoon. For me, the traditional path is best. These systems of martial arts were developed over centuries. In a world of sports fighting, we often forget the "martial" aspect. These systems were developed by oppressed people for self defense from outsiders who had conquered their lands with large militaries, like Okinawa. The systems in the dojo blend beautifully together. Both systems extend from Okinawa over hundreds of years. These systems were developed from roots that existed before our country. The techniques have been tested across sundry generations. They work. The system is also developed to teach martial skills - the ability to defend yourself - without the need for you to hurt yourself sparring with lots of people. The systems work. Come try out the dojo. Moeller Sensei will introduce you to everyone. It's a welcoming environment for everyone, no judgment. If you're looking for a Cobra Kai kind of dojo (great series on Netflix) then this is NOT it. This is about thoughtful development of skills that meet your abilities and then the work to increase those abilities. It's excellent. You will develop. You will progress, and progression is earned on merit. There are no testing fees or anything like this. Moeller Sensei does not run the school to make money; he has a full time job. Moeller Sensei runs the school for his love of sharing two traditional systems of karate. Come join us for a class.

Atlanta's Traditional Okinawan Karatedo Dojo; Sensei's love of the martial arts is readily…read moreapparent, and no matter what the challenges are, he always finds a way to spark curiosity in each student, which I find only in the greatest teachers. The kids classes are energized and playful, with a strong sense of respect for one's teammates and learning. I'm deeply impressed with Sensei's care of every single student that's ever trained here, whether it was for 2 months or 20 years. Many parents have said they see an incredible kindness in our dojo not found in others they've practiced at. I would say Sensei Moeller embodies what it truly means to be a martial artist. His teaching style provides a very practical and fundamental way for each student to find the ability to achieve the same for themselves.  Sensei welcomes new students try a class or two before joining. Normal workout clothes are fine. We have students that range in age from 5 years old to 81.