I got a groupon to try the drop in class…read more Not bad, very small and cozy gym area. I was abit confused when I walk in because the reception area and the gym area are neck to neck. It is extremely sweaty and hot in the gym if you don't mind. I went for Monday class, there is not really any structure on the fundamental teaching (although the class description says it is adult fundamental Muay Thai class). The fitness class is good, it is a circuit and plus the heat, you will sweat like a bucket, excellent warm up for the Muay Thai class. I have done Muay Thai before so I know the fundamentals but it might be confusing for someone who has never done it before. The students and the instructors are super nice and friendly. Overall it is very bang for the buck you paid for the groupon. I would go again just because I like the challenges.

If you're looking for a great mixed martial arts workout without sass or attitude, check out this…read morelocally owned studio. I take the Muay Thai kickboxing classes but Budo also offers Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kyokushin Karate, X-fit conditioning classes for fighters and a variety of kids classes. The studio owners and instructors are all trained in and are practitioners of their respective disciplines, so they pay attention to and help you correct your technique. The skill set in the kickboxing classes range from newbies to trained fighters, so it's not intimidating if you want to try it out for the first time nor is it too boring if you're a trained fighter. I've definitely noticed an increase in my confidence and my fitness levels. But above all, the instructors and fellow students have made me feel more badass, which speaks loads about how much fun you have training here.

The owner tried to assault me for parking in his company parking space. No big deal, I change…read moreparking spaces and give him a thumbs up and he chases me into Lordco getting right in my face (during the height of a global pandemic I should add) for "provoking him with a thumbs up". Lordco employees call him the parking lot tyrant. Someone has some deeply embedded issues.

Universal MMA has some of the greatest instructors on the planet. I've been to several gyms, but…read morethis facility simply KICKS ASS. Courses range from Jiu-Jitsu to Thai Boxing, and there are special packages for first time customers! It's good to see that Universal MMA caters A LOT to kids and females.

I signed up my son for the Taekwondo classes a while ago before the dojang opened this new…read morelocation. The dojang is very spacious and always kept clean. The masters and instructors are very helpful. The kids have fun. They gain self-confidence and discipline. Adult classes are great as well. We get a good workout, learn self-defense techniques and fun way to keep fit. Ask them for a free trial lesson.

AMAZING place to learn Tae Kwon Do and keep fit. My children have been students of Master Kook for…read moreyears, first at their North Shore location, and now at their beautiful, spacious, bright, new East Van location. They offer classes for all levels and all ages and do everything they can to make you comfortable. Head Instructor, Master Woo, is kind, patient, crazy-amazing at TKD and FUNNY...the kids all gravitate to him, but also respect him at the same time (I have kept my kids in line with the simple phrase "What would Master Woo say right now?"). He is so good at what he does: keeping his students (young and old) motivated, keeping classes fun and informative, and instilling core values of discipline and respect. How he keeps a class of 20-25 children in check is beyond me, but he does it! Another gem is Program Director, GRACE! She is so good at making you feel welcome and at-home. She always has a smile on her face (it lights up the entire room) and she is always ready to do what she can to make your experience a good one, including swapping pants with you when your own pants are too short, so you don't feel like a complete moron (ahem, that was ME) during class. This is just one example of the many, many, things that Grace does to show you that she cares and wants you to be comfortable when you train. Everyone here, not just Master Woo and Grace, are fantastic instructors, each bringing their own uniqueness to how they teach. Never a dull moment, lots of laughs, being in better shape and a new extended family is what you will get if you train here. Can't say enough about how amazing everyone is!

Such an awesome place to train. The instructors are fantastic and keep the kids engaged and the…read moreenvironment fun! Even the adults classes are great, really inclusive to all skills and fitness levels. They do their best to push you to achieve higher goals

My son is shy and has lack of confidence. He has been bullied by several kids in his middle school…read morefor a while, so I thought teaching him some kind of martial arts might help him boost his confidence. Hopefully he learns self-defense skills as well. I took my son to this school to register, and as soon as we walked in to check out the place my son was acting very uneasy and said he wanted to go home. A class was going on at the time and the place seems a bit disorganized. We went back to the car and I asked my son if he was ok, but he just wanted to go home. I went back in alone to ask some question about the program but no one seems to care that I was there... So we came home. Later I found out one of the bullies was there in the school wearing a black belt. My son was shocked and didn't want to learn martial arts anymore. I was very disappointed! A black belt in Port Moody Taekwondo school has been bullying my son. This school is not for my son and anyone who wants to learn respect and confidence!

I wanted to try something different for a workout routine. Now being a fan of the sport I started…read moreto look at MMA gyms that were around my area. I started to look online and read what I could find. A friend mentioned to me about Diaz Combat Sports. So, I looked up the gym and checked out their website, then looked on Yelp and checked out what people had to say. All the positive reviews and feed back is what sold me to go in person. After talking about it for some time, I made my way to the gym. I was greeted by one of the instructors, Logan, very welcoming and friendly. I asked him the questions I needed answered. I then signed up for my free class (Kick Boxing) The day of my free class I met the head instructor, Ryan Diaz. He already knew who I was, being the "new guy". He showed me where to warm up and wait till the class started. When the class did start, I was paired up with one of the other instructors, BP. Very down to earth guy. Very informative in his teachings and instructions. But also gave me an epic first class. I knew after that class I was going to be a regular. I have now been attending DCS for over a month now. It's been something that I'm glad I chose to do. I'm pretty much a regular for the morning and noon class which is taught by Ronnie, very helpful and knows his stuff. I've been paired up with him few times, he will work you!! His morning classes are the best way to start your day!! I also have to mention the students there. There have been so many times when they have been so helpful in giving pointers in techniques. No "meat head" attitudes. Everyone is willing to help and encourages you to improve. I can not stress how friendly an atmosphere it is at DCS. I look forward to the days I go and I would recommend this facility to anyone!! It is well worth it!!

PRO-TIP: Thursdays are cardio days! My friends and I didn't know that LOL I've never felt my heart…read morerace like that and I'm fairly active. I did a free trial beginner women's kickboxing class with my friends instructed by Kees. The boxing gloves are complimentary for session use, at least for the trial. The facilities are really nice and we had a good time. Despite the class being relatively small in size, another coach stepped in to help supervise everyone and give tips. The coaches do push and encourage you, especially when you're starting to slow down. I like the wide range of martial arts that they offer and I can tell they're top-notch. Would recommend checking it out!

I am a little confused about the review left by the first person . I was a student once (wish I…read morestill was , too little time)of Mestre Ecilsons, and had trained at this particular academy. Now I do agree, Mestre Ecilson is friendly, and helpful. And like the first person complained about the childish leap frog comment, on my first day training with Mestre Ecilson, he had us all act like an animal inside a circle. Ya I admit, kind of creeped me out. But as you progress in capoeira you learn that expression, and Style is at the core of it's dynamics. So if you can't Pretend to act like a cat, or bird in front of total strangers, how do do expect to pretend to kick someone, only to trip them up. Now regarding the instructors. I Trained in Karate before as well, and there was a variety of instructors. However, they all seemed to try and mirror the Sensie. They had no different style, and no personal identity. I had experienced a variety of personalities from the instructors at Ache Brasil some at first seemed bad, And to someone who doesn't have the guts to stick it out, will only see the glass half empty. The one important thing you should know about Capoeira is "style". You can be told how to do a move by the mestre, and be told it a different way by an instructor, and find that you can do it a different way yourself. You'll find in this mix, your own Style. And yes it is a dance school....no wait...it's a martial arts school.....no wait it's a games rooms.....No wait.....It's a a music school.....no...it's all of those. it's called capoeira. As for the singing, and Clapping. That can be one of the best parts. Haven't you ever heard the saying "cheering works". and besides, better learn the songs, cause if you don't, you may be in some trouble. There is meaning in the music. Oh, and the time late thing. OMG I take it this person hasn't done any other martial arts. It's a respect thing. First you give..... then you get. So to sum it up. If Capoeira is a drug, and Capoeira Ache Brasil was my dealer, I would be the person going to Capoeira Anonymous standing at the podium exclaiming"ya'll got to try this stuff right here". To get a better understanding Of Ache Brasil watch this clip( but ignore the Kung fu part) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oO3SYTXKyA

Mestre Eclilson and his wife and daughter (the people who started the school) are very nice and…read moreprofessional and any classes taken with the Mestre or his Daughter will undoubtedly improve your skills. However most of the other instructors are not very friendly and act like you are joining their fan club instead of trying to learn a sport/martial art. The instructors often bring the entire class to a halt and have them stand around whilst the instructor drones on about how poorly the students are doing instead of just doing more teaching/exercises. Each instructor seems to asks you to do the moves in a slightly different way and complain that you aren't doing it right. It's impossible to fuse the contradictory information and you may start to feel like they are just enjoying the power trip. There also seems to be a lot of young children at the school 10-12 years old. The instructors do not take the older students into account and make you do stupid duck duck goose exercises where you have to jump over a 10 year old's back and dive through their legs embarrassingly. You cannot skip these exercises or you will be told you cannot continue the class. The classes don't start on time which doesn't respect the paying students yet if you show up 5 minutes late they won't let you in the class. You pay about 10$ a class and can be told that you cannot participate. Also unexpected is that this is really more like a dance school, there are a lot of makulele steps you'll have to learn (regardless of if you are interested or not.). 30% of the class is singing and hand clapping so be prepared for that. You can also only do 1 novice class without having to buy the 90$ white jump suit with pants that only cover half of your butt which is ridiculous considering how often you are expected to bend over in this sport/martial art/dance. And they don't seem to respect belts from other schools. Great for young kids, or young girls that want to be hit on by the overly shirtless instructors, but if you are a dude in your twenties trying to learn/improve a martial art you may want to try another school. The photos for this group are misleading they all look smiling and friendly but in my experience they are mostly pricks. Good luck.

For the past almost 3 months my son has been attending the four to six class. I have quite a few…read morethoughts on how awesome this place is and why, The caveat being that it relates to being a parent of a kid who attends. We watch from the car though! Also, given the below, I really believe that it's important. You know that I'm writing this on my own accord. I've never been asked to write a review, positive or otherwise. I'm just really happy with my experience and was very disappointed with the rating on Yelp. They deserve more than that The first thing I'd like to say is that the coaches are all awesome with the kids. When you walk into the gym they all greet the kids excitedly, when there's an accidental head but or a finger stepped on, they are there so quickly and are so skilled at turning the bad experience good with high fives, validation, and care. They took several introductory sessions before he joined the class to have a few short sessions with him and build his confidence. This was great because on his first day he walked in knowing Coach Brandon. Speaking of confidence, the program that they have for the kids that works them through merit badges has been really awesome for my son. We just made it through the first discipline series and the conversations that we had with our four and a half year old about what each stage meant were amazing and as parents we were super happy to see him thinking about what it meant to have a goal and then executing on it, for example. Is it the cheapest activity for my kid? No. But the value extends beyond that one class a week. And I'm so happy that we took the plunge. Oh, and everyone is very, very communicative about his progress and they are flexible when you need a makeup class so you don't miss out on the valuable time. I don't get that out of a lot of other things.. like soccer... Or preschool, haha. Haven't had a single negative thing to on, it hasn't ever been like pulling teeth to get him there. It's five stars all around.

So we originally signed up our girls (7 years old) last Spring. It took a bit for the girls to get…read moreinto a rhythm but soon they felt at home. Instructors were professional and great with the kids. Great way to in-still discipline and confidence for young kids. Kabir and the rest of his staff were great to deal with. We would have continued but with the new school year and other activities we were just spread to thin to continue for now. Highly recommend this place and the way its packed with participants, clearly shows a strong following. Would have scored it higher but will save that when we go back and sign up again in the future. Manj & Susan M.

Fabulous place to learn martial arts with knowledgeable and positive staff. My son has attended for…read moremany years and it has helped him grow in confidence as well as strength. Highly recommend.