The best fight gym in the Bay Area 100%. Elite and globally recognized. Amazing coaches. Tons of rich history. It doesn't get more prestigious than AKA. Worth the price. read more

Dropped in to a kickboxing class while visiting San Jose and was impressed. The lady working the front desk was friendly and provided me with the relevant facility info needed to not feel out of place. The conditioning done throughout the class prior to technique work was solid, and the coach leading the class even came around and showed attention to beginners and other drop ins, which is something I didn't expect to see considering how well known the school is as well as how many drop ins were present. I also got a chance to see some of the kids mma class sparring before my class. They've got some very sharp, technical and well conditioned youths there, and I won't be surprised if I see them on my television on Saturday nights over the next decade. read more

Coaches and students have a lot of ego problems. There is a specific woman at the front desk who normally answers the phone & works on the front who always acts disrespectful to not just me but others, not acknowledging you especially if you are new. You have to be part of their cool kids club. Made training personally not that fun. Favoritism was shown consistently through different coaches. Rushed classes. Facility is literally falling apart bathroom is terrible. Overall I wish I had a better experience I wanted to like this gym. read more

World class coaching! Friendly atmosphere. Very respectful staff. There is no place better than AKA specially for those that are in advanced level and would like to pursue martial arts as career. read more

American Kickboxing Academy - Kickboxing Near Me - San Jose, California

We're new to the program and we enrolled our kids in a kickboxing class here. On multiple occasions we experienced unwelcoming, disrespectful staff at the front desk. The customer service and interactions were very poor. Our kids enjoy kickboxing and their mentor is amazing, will monitor for the coming few weeks and withdraw if needed! read more

Join. Simple as that. I've been so fortunate to have been a member of this awesome gym for the past few months. I originally joined because I wanted to lose weight and get healthy. Then the classes, instructors, and members got me full on addicted. Unfortunately, I have to move away soon and will have to leave this sweet abode. Because of my soon departure, I've been touring other gyms in search for a suitable replacement and quite frankly, there is nothing else close to this AKA on Realm. First off, strictly on a consumer standpoint: This place delivers. You get what you pay for and after checking out rates for other gyms around the Bay and SoCal, I'm surprised to say the rate is MORE than reasonable. 27,000 sq ft, they fill this place up with an abundance amount of equipment for the members to use and I've been taking advantage of it. Now on a student standpoint: This place delivers. Quality instruction. You don't only get a sweat in classes, you learn top notch techniques in the field of study (Boxing, American Kickboxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing, MMA, Wrestling, BJJ). Joanna and Javier (the owners) have simply aimed for the best in regards to all they offer at their gym. I cannot stress how important it is to have such quality instructors, especially if you seriously want to learn the art. I've been a victim of past gyms that have advertised "kickboxing" or "muay thai" classes just to realize later that they're more interested in their fighters and all the other average joes are stuck to "cardio" classes. Poor suckers, none the wiser. Punch, Punch, Kick. Whoop di doo. And lastly, a great sense of community. For such a large gym, you may be afraid that it'll turn corporate and you'd get lost in the crowd. However, that's not the case. Joanna remembers EVERY SINGLE person's name and you can see that she cares. She cares so deeply about her gym, the quality it produces, the members and their wishes. She's there all day, everyday. And the members--we care. It's so easy to get to know everyone because no one comes here acting all pretentious. And you get to a point where you don't only care about your goals and progress but about the other members, too. You start to support each other. There's definitely no other gym like this one and I'm seriously grateful to have been a member. Now I'm depressed thinking of finding a semi-suitable replacement. It's like, once you've had filet mignon, it's kind of hard to go back to hamburger helper. I've been way too blessed for my own good. read more

If there were more stars that I could give this place, I would add them. One week later and there is a total transformation of my daughter. She is so much more confident, she loves the work-outs, she's making friends in her class, she looks forward to going, she has fun and the teacher is still really great about stopping and working on form with the kids. She's like a little sponge learning so fast. I'm just overwhelmed and impressed with AKA/her teacher, what they've done for us and how much progress that she's made. This is just the perfect fit! Update: As much as I love this gym, Joanna and Coach Wayne, some of the other children's coaches started doing exercises that involved choking. As a parent of little ones, it's outside my comfort zone and no longer a good fit for our family. Classes transitioned from instruction of MMA in the context of playground self defense (which was great), general exercise and games, to being targeted towards competition preparation. Make sure that meets your objective before signing up. read more

--Update to the TRX Class-- This class is now taught by Joe Escobar and he is beyond AWESOME! No boring day during the 4 days of the week he teaches. Constantly changing so your body doesn't plateau. He has added a bunch of new equipment to our TRX boot camp days, including the TRX rip trainer. I just can't find words to explain the awesomeness of his classes, PERIOD! I look forward to TRX every day. read more

I came down To San Jose for work for a week. I trained at AKA while I was here. AKA has awesome coaches and friendly training partners that accept you as soon as you walk in. I would train here everyday if I lived down in the area. I only did the Jui-Jitsu classes but I'm confident you can't go wrong with any of their classes. Thanks for allowing me to train with you guys for the week and see you next time I'm out of town for a week. read more

American Kickboxing Academy - Kickboxing Near Me - San Jose, California

This training facility is awesome! My 7 year old son and I have been coming here for the past 2 years. This is not like your typical gym with just cardio equipment, weights and a step aerobics class. You come here to train and learn how to defend yourself while getting a kick a$$ work out. All of the instructors are professional fighters that have years of experience in MMA fighting/training. AKA is home to many professional MMA fighters and champions. Besides the classes this facility also offers cardio equipment, weights, an outdoor lap pool, and 2 racquetball courts. Joanne and her staff are great. They are always willing to help you anyway they can. I especially like the fact that AKA is a family oriented training facility that is geared for the entire family with unlimited classes in the fighting style that you select. Some of the classes offered are: kickboxing, boxing, mu-thai, wrestling, jiu jitsu, TRX, Jump training, and personal one on one training. I give this place 5 stars. read more

American Kickboxing Academy - Kids MMA class in the Daniel Cormier (Google him) wrestling room. - Kickboxing Near Me - San Jose, California

Friendly staff and awesome equipment. One stop shop for all your fitness needs. Highly recommend.

Jan 8th 2014 5pm When I called to start with The front desk lady was rude didn't try at all to make me feel welcome, while on the phone with me she started and finished a conversation with someone there it felt like she forgot about me. If that was not bad enough when I got there she had no idea who I was and rude again. I gave the place a shot because I can walk there from my house even though this person was super rude. My teacher was awesome the class was super fun my classmates were nice people I'am happy I gave it a shot . I almost didn't though. I would never let that person answer the phone for my business after I got there I realized she was not just being rude to me she was rude to everyone. I would hate for this person to represent my company. read more

Been coming to train at A.K.A for years now and definitely like the technique they teach, they have many classes to choose from and even have a gym upstairs to which is perfect. This place is spacious and have qualified trainers . If your in the area definitely check out A.K.A. And if your looking to train get into shape or just get a workout in this is it read more

The people below have pretty much covered it, but I still gotta shout my praises for the people and training at AKA. One of the owners, Joanna, knew my name after the first visit. Subsequently, each front desk attendant learned my name and always greets me when I walk in! It's like Norm at Cheers, for those of you who remember the show. Everyone who works here is super knowledgeable and genuinely friendly. Facilities: pure awesomeness. huge. plenty of places to do extra training while other classes are being conducted (if that's your thing). plenty of rooms for spacious classes. i never feel squished in class. And it's clean! Locker rooms (well the women's anyway...) are clean and spacious...there's a vanity mirror with those nice lights if you need to get ready after showering or something. Weights/Cardio area: lovely. plenty of things to have a complete workout. There's also a separate fitness room for cross-training types of things. Trainers: very cool and personable. super knowledgeable and use tact in instructing (meaning they never make anyone from a total beginner to those who know more feel ridiculous or inadequate). P.S. Bryan is very good and consistent at telling us which techniques will give us points or advantage in an actual fight. He tells us the vulnerable spots and how the techniques will affect an opponent. ***note - we are not practicing how to hurt people in the class...and if that' not your thing or purpose or taking classes...no worries. Just learn the movements as the instructors teach them :) And ALL the instructors give examples of the uses of the techniques by sharing experiences of their own or of other fighters. Other members: fantastic! It's easy to meet people, and I can honestly say that I haven't met a single member that is mean or someone with whom I can't chat. I realize AKA doesn't have control over attitudes, but somehow they attract people who are just plain cool! Owners: Javier and Joanna are awesome! They both recognize me and greet me. They do not view us regular people as secondary to the Pro's. And, Joanna is SUPER approachable. If you have a concern, just communicate it to her. Griping about it to others in the class probably won't change anything. But, Joanna moves into action FAST to address any issue or discuss any concerns. She is proactive and follows through with EVERYTHING. if you've read this far, YAY! I definitely want to help you all understand and hear/see how great this place is. Overall - a high recommendation for AKA. read more

I just recently joined AKA. I trained in capoeira and muay thai before and wasn't really sure what to expect other than I want to get better, fitter, faster, and more skillfull. I feel like I'm missing something and looking forward to have mentors to take me to the next level. I definitely got all of that and more. What I like the most is the coaches here focus a lot on techniques over speed and power. That has been a bad habit of mine, I rushed things and I got nervous/self conscious and started rushing through my combo with power (even with bad techniques). Once you master the techniques, then the coaches will put it together with speed and power. Also, the environment here is very positive, it helps calming my nerves a lot :). In the one month I train here, I definitely feel a lot of improvement. My passion is traditional Muay Thai and the 4:30 class with Jasper Tayaba is definitely what I'm most passionate the most. I love his class and style so much that I had to re-arrange my work schedule so that I don't miss his class. I also take boxing and kickboxing classes with Reece, Davin, Gabriel, and Gary. Reece taught me how to move properly, it's all is in the devil in the details. My footwork and my head movement definitely feel a lot more natural since I train with Reece. Davin puts together nice combo and very patient in explaining why certain things are done in certain ways. His conditioning is also top notch. Gary utilizes a blend of muay thai and more offensive oriented of dutch/north american style kickboxing. Gabriel is a very patient teacher and he really breaks it down on how to execute certain movements. A lof of Gabriel's combos stuck with me and I've been practicing it like crazy. I also pick up his clinching technique that I've never done in my training in Muay Thai (and of course it's very effective!) Each coach has different style and I feel very lucky to be able to train in top notch places like AKA. Sometimes you train or practice drills with very well knowns world champions or amazing fighters too, when the first time I did it, I had to get over my nervousness and self consicousness. yep, I got intimidated but also get inspired. I think this place is good for beginner as well as people who want to take it to the next level (want to fight or fighters who want to improve on techniques/correction). The instructors here are definitely positive and will work through your levels. The best part is also their schedule. They have classes every hour from 4:30 to 8:30,so you can train and still have your social life after the class. I will definitely update my review again in a few months. I am very sure I will improve by quite a lot by then. read more

I'll tell you why I love this gym: CONVENIENT SCHEDULES FOR CLASSES. There are classes every day except Sunday. Good pricing: Compared to other places I've been to, their pricing is very reasonable. Other places with similar pricing tend to limit the number of classes you can attend per week. Not here. You can get unlimited kickboxing/boxing/muay thai classes with convenient scheduling. There is also access to showers. Normally I go straight home (MH) to shower anyways, but if I'm going out to party in San Jose later in the evening I have the convenience of using the showers. They also have lockers. Variety of classes available: Just in case you like trying a variety of things. Also, the students and instructors come from all sorts of martial arts backgrounds, making it a haven for any martial arts enthusiast. read more

There just aren't enough good things I can say about AKA! While I was living in San Jose it was one of my favorite places to be. Everyone here is so friendly and it had such a great family vibe to it. Joanna at the front desk is awesome and knew my name after my first workout here. I've enjoyed every class I've taken here which is almost all of them. Virginia will kick your butt in the TRX room. Such an amazing workout. The jump sport is a lot of fun. Not sure if it's still Joanna that teaches it but it's also a really good circuit workout. I started out first though in Muay Thai with Jasper who is absolutely amazing. When I left Thomas was teaching it and he really goes over proper technique. He would even occasionally warm up class with a fun game of indoor soccer! Patrick/Pirate upstairs in BJJ is great with his no go classes. He's good at breaking down technique to us newbies. Leandro is so funny and works you hard in gi class as well as the women's BJJ classes. All the instructors and coaches are great here actually. Davin in boxing, Reece in kickboxing. From the coaches to the fighters, and everyone coming to work out and train here...they're all so welcoming and friendly. Everyone is trying to just help each other out here!! I always looked forward to coming here after work! The facilities are pretty awesome too. Just go and check it out for yourself. I misssss this place dearly and wish I could've taken it with me when I moved back to SoCal. read more

Walked in to AKA yesterday and I was quite impressed by professionalism in the building I was overwhelmed with the kindness of the head coach and his family. Javier invited me inside and told me to look around I wanted to get to training immediately but I didn't know how the schedule worked. He invited me to try out a free class but I already know this is where my heart belongs. I can't wait to start and train with these guys. I want to be the best version of myself and I can work on this here. Remember one thing before starting your training. Nothing good ever grew in your comfort zone. read more

This is my second time here. Great place nice people who know how to push you to get results. Enough equipment and weights to get you in proper condition. Hit two classes and I'm dead, slowly building up my stamina and soaking up as much knowledge as I can. Definitely coming back for more. I think I'm addicted, thanks AKA! read more

American Kickboxing Academy - It's official! - Kickboxing Near Me - San Jose, California

Love this place! Best MMA gym I ever trained at. Very motivating to see professional MMA fighters such as Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Cain Velasquez, Khabib , and etc... train there. Joanne the owner and wife of head trainer is super nice and sweet. Kickboxing class led by Davin and Thomas is awesome. They are professional fighters themselves that train alongside the other fighters. They are very passionate about what they do. The Strength and Conditioning class led by Virginia Perez is challenging but super awesome. The class is twice a week on Monday and Wednesday from 6pm to 7pm. This class always kicks my ass. Virginia is extremely passionate and very knowledgeable as a trainer. Virginia is extremely motivating and dedicated to seeing all her students succeed in their physical fitness goals. Virginia likes to mix things up so every class is different and it never gets boring. If some workouts are too tough Virginia provides alternatives to each exercises that way you dont miss out. They have special workouts for holidays and birthdays. If you are looking into getting into shape then look no further. This class twice a week is only $59 per month which includes access to their gym. This is the best deal ever! Gym membership + 8 strength and conditioning classes for only $59 per month. Plus you get to see your favorite UFC fighters on a weekly basis... doesn't get any better than this! Come check it out!!! read more

I attended kickboxing lessons here briefly, and I thought it was pretty good. I was absolutely brand new to Kickboxing, and they were very welcoming to me on my first day. But they don't have classes with levels, it's just one single class, and everyone there is much much better than you. I found it super intimidating and not as much fun as if I was in a class with more people that were closer to my skill level. My instructors were very kind, but I felt behind. I've left now, and I'm pursuing other sports. Maybe I'll return to Kickboxing if I can find a place that actually has levels. read more

This place is amazing. It offers everything for your MMA needs, as well if you are just interested in losing some weight or maintaining fit long term/short term goals. I started since it pretty much opened and within 2months I have dropped 32 pounds. I also am there pretty much ALWAYS just ask the owners on that.! I love the ambiance and all it has to offer, the Staff/Trainers are really encouraging and supportive.. AKA is not only a gym it's like a second "Family". I highly encourage you to stop by and try a FREE session . "WARNING : You will be hooked and loving it as much as I do lol.. So come visit my home away from home and say Hi.. Hope to see you around..! Sincerely; Daniel S.. read more

Great gym. Even though its a gym with a lot of name recognition, they make it accessible for people of different budgets like in their groupons, and web discounts. Before they had all that, I emailled Joanna, the C-owner, and told her I couldn't afford the regular monthly price as a student who comutes 3 hours everyday. She offered me a great package plan! The gym: Its large and several classes overlapping to pick and choose from boxing, Muay thai, no gi and gi bjj. For a serious martial artist its like being a kid in a candy store! read more

Great Gym. It offers a variety of different MMA classes as well as weights and cardio equipment. The staff is super friendly and really help you learn good technique. The pros that train you are very professional and are there to make sure you all of your goals are met. If that is losing weight you will, if you are wanting to learn how to do things correctly you will. I'm 40 and this has been the BEST gym I have ever been a part of. This is also a great place for kids. I have my 6 year old who has been doing a mix of MMA and Wrestling for the last 2 years. This has been super beneficial for the other sports he plays. Great great experience. read more

WOW! Due to my job I have traveled through out all of California and have visited as many MMA gyms as I could. I have visited quite a few gyms as I must hop around for my job, and all I can say is that AKA is the best MMA gym I have visited. They truly make champions, they are no joke, they don't dilly dally, they are the real deal. They're schedule is jampacked with classes to choose from, a class every hour! Yes a 1 hour class will leave you huffin and puffin. Do 2 classes in a row, I dare you.....They have so many training rooms and classes full of people in every room I was like, this is MMA HEAVEN! If you are a beginner or advanced fighter, this is the place to be, period. read more

American Kickboxing Academy - Kickboxing Near Me - San Jose, California

Moved yo SJ from NY where its hard to find decent gym. First thought its some gym like UFC where u have brand andbthats it, but i was so wrong. Amazing coaches that will look for individuals and correct them. Younalso get great spiring of friendship and a team. Going to classes with a pleasure. Mike and Eric, you guys are awesome read more

Facility - huge space!! MMA cage, TRX room, kickboxing room, jujitsu upstairs along with additional exercise equipment. women and men's locker rooms with shower facility. Photos of MMA fighters adorn the walls (somewhat intimidating, but you can feel the pride and the positive energy) Staff - extremely friendly. Instructors - encouraging and they'll push you. Members - always encouraging. some more competitive than others, but they were easy on the beginners. I've only taking the kickboxing and TRX classes. When you walk into the gym, you are greeted with a friendly smile, most of the time its Joanne who is the co-owner of the gym along with her husband. The classes definitely will give you a great workout. I felt out of coordinated in the kickboxing class because its a wide mix of levels. It makes it somewhat difficult for the instructors to cater to such a gap. Regardless though, the instructors were patient with a newb like me. The TRX class was a better fit for me as it didn't require the footwork and hand coordination; however its still a hard class which has me sweating in no time. read more

That's the place where Champions are Built! I was a little bit shy when I get there, I was thinking it's like a camp gym full of a pro fighters, but when I get there I realized that this is an academy for usual people who wants to learn how to defend themselves, some of them are there for learn something new, some to stay in shape and few of them are there for chasing their's dream to become a world champions. Big thanks to American Kickboxing Academy for having me as a guest, you guys are great and you will stay great. read more

My daughter takes a class here & she absolutely loves it! They have professional fighters teaching the classes which is exciting. They offer tons of classes for kids & adults. I will warn you that there is no AC so be prepared to be in the halls of hell on hot days. read more

Very professional yet humble environment. They help bring out the best and beast inside

I'm reviewing AKA based off the youth classes for my 9 year old son. He has taken the Jiu Jitsu classes when he was 7 and loved them but due to my schedule I couldn't keep up with it. Fast forward to now, and he is in the kickboxing/mma class and absolutely loves them! First off, all the youth coaches are OUTSTANDING! The main coach for the class is Wayne and he is great with the kids. He is firm but is there for them and all the kids love and respect him. Coach Felix and Justin are equally as amazing with the kids. The kids form a good relationship with these coaches from what I can see. Now for the best part; as far as for me and my son. He's grades have improved! No joke. He likes to attend the 4pm class, being that he gets out of school at 2:15 he knows I will not take him unless his homework is done. Now my son wasn't to bad with homework before but let me tell you, it's amazing to see my son be so excited to do his homework and get it done right so he can make HIS 4pm class( A class that he also works hard in for an hour straight). My son is more confident in himself now. This class has made him a stronger person; physically, emotionally, and mentally. Best money I've ever spent! Thank you to all the coaches and staff over there! read more

I was extremely displeased going in the woman at the front was extremely unhelpful and rude. Wasn't offered a tour just basically yeah go a head look around I'm lazy. And when I came back from my self tour I had to ask her the rates and how it worked. Horrible customer service I won't be joining and that's a bummer was looking forward to it. They need better front desk staff customer service is everything read more

This is an amazing gym for all ages and skill levels. The coaches are world-class!

Best place to get in shape. Whether you're looking to just lose some weight, train for competitions, or aspire to start a career in MMA. This is the place to go. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. read more

Number one gym in the world, period! Great instructors and facility regardless of your level or experience. Community feel, great for families and kids. This is my 3rd year and I'm addicted looking forward to getting my 6 year old in classes this summer. Also really neat to see all the top UFC walking through there on the daily basis! JoAnna at the front desk is always super warm and cordial, and will get you signed up! Check it out! read more

Great facility- very accommodating and professional staff. I stopped-by and they let me train with no prior knowledge of my arriving- gave me my first lesson free- the other "drop-ins" I paid we're very reasonable considering the reputation and the level of facility AKA offers. No "meat-head" vibe or attitudes that sometimes can accompany an MMA gym. Both the staff as well as the other class participants made me feel very welcome. I would definitely recommend them to anyone- beginner or advanced practitioner- I hope to return soon (this gym might even factor into where my new wife and I move!) read more

This gym is amazing! Its huge and they offer so many classes!! I love to stay in shape and the conditioning class here taught by Virginia is amazing! I've gone through many different workout programs and there is no one like her! She pushes you to do your best and makes it fun at the same time! I look forward to every single class! If your ready for a kick ass workout class than you need to try it!!! Be ready to sweat! read more

What can I say about the new AKA location? Only that it was some of the best training I've ever experienced in my life. This place is awesome. After moving back to San Jose for the summer once school had ended, I decided I wanted to train MMA once again. Unfortunately I first signed up for classes at Body Architecture MMA. I won't go into too much detail since the owner of "bamma" might hunt me down and castrate me in my sleep. Lets just say I was very disappointed in that gym and didn't want to waste my precious time there. I trained at AKA previously and after hearing about the new location I decided to check it out. When I first walked in I met Joanna and Marisa who gave me a tour of the gym. The gym is HUGE and has more than one room for different classes. It really is world class and the nicest gym I've seen. Joanna knew I was only there for the summer and helped me pick a plan that was right for me. The classes are not only UNLIMITED, but the instructors are also very knowledgeable. TheY even added a wrestling class with Olympian DANIEL CORMIER!! It doesn't get much better than that. Each instructor is always willing to help and push you when you need it. I can't say enough good things about DAVIN, GARY, REESE, GABRIEL, RON, PIRATE, and TONY. I'm now in the best shape of my life and I improved in all areas during my time here. AKA definitely has a family type atmosphere and everyone is very supportive once you get to know them. I feel very privileged to have one of the most well known and respected gyms in my hometown. Whether you want to train for fitness, self defense, or just for fun, AKA is THE place to be if you live in San Jose. Don't wasted you hard earned money and time at a smaller less established gym that won't give you the type of training you can get at AKA. AKA is affordable and hands down the best place in San Jose to train. Much love! read more

This is an amazing gym, its giant and fairly new, so all the excercise machines, bags and mat rooms are all brand new. Everyone there is nice and help ful, coach- Johnson,Carrasco,Keslar,Clark and now world class wrestler Daniel.Cormier offer top level instruction for people of all levels. There schedules are very flexible, and the family plan is a great way to save money and train with people you know. read more

This is a Champions farm. No two ways about it. Family / team style atmosphere and amazing place to visit.