I have had one 10 year old attend Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing classes here and one 11 year old…read morecurrently attending all classes here for over a year. My son is a high functioning autistic that was initially interested is martial arts, but is not physically strong. Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the perfect style for him and Professor Trey has had experience teaching special needs students. My son was very excited and enthusiastic for nearly a year and moved up in belt rank before he lost interest. All of the coaches were understanding of his way of learning and self expression and made the lessons understandable even for him. I think he was attending to make his dad happy and I had no problem not wanting to go anymore. He did learn a lot for self defense. By that time my daughter was completely fascinated with what her brother had been going about and took his place as a student. She is about four months in and has tried every class that is offered. She enjoys the technical qualities of Jiu Jitsu, but also likes the real world aspects of the no gi classes. She also likes the Judo incorporated into the takedowns classes and especially appreciates how kickboxing rounds out what is missing from a complete MMA education. I think she will be practicing all of these for many years. I hope she can stay with Gracie United for a long time. They treat you like family and encourage the students the same way. I recommend this school and trust all of the teachers, coaches , and professors with my children. That should say plenty.

I was visiting Slidell / New Orleans while on vacation. I looked up their school online and found…read morethe schedule with ease. The adult BJJ class started on time. The instructor, Shawn, greeted me with a smile. The atmosphere is laid back. The instruction is clear. And everyone treats each other with respect. We took a group photo, and they invited me to come back. I recommend anyone traveling to Slidell to visit this school and train.

This place is amazing!!! I have two kiddos enrolled at JFK, and one of them is on the autism…read morespectrum. It is so difficult for families to find extramural activities for kids with ASD, and Ms. Dicks has created an environment that is not only safe but allows these kids to thrive. Kids are taught martial arts, self-confidence, self-discipline, and self-defense. There is even a sensory class offered, specifically tailored to kids on the spectrum. I can't say enough about how Ms. Dicks has positively impacted my family, except to say that as parents, we were so impressed that we decided to become students too!

My son started here about two months ago as a beginner and is preparing for his first belt…read morepromotion. The small class size makes for a great learning environment. Not only is this school helping my son with his karate skills but he is showing improvements in socializing with his peers, which is something he struggles with.

I was in town visiting from Dallas and dropped in for three classes with Tori. He worked as hard…read moreand he had very good technique.

My 16 year old son has been training at this gym for almost 4 years, we pay $100 a month for him to…read morebe able to go there. I have always been happy to have him go there. I thought the people there cared about him. I have highly recommended this gym to countless people over the years. Unfortunately, we had to cancel his membership because the owner, Tory - a professional boxer - decided it would be ok to threaten to get in the ring with my son and "go a few rounds" with him. Not in an effort to teach or guide my son but simply because as my son was in a sparring match he didn't hear a command that Tory gave him. I am beyond disappointed.

I have been looking for a martial arts studio for my 6 yr old for a while. As soon as I came in and…read moretalked with the instructors, they let my son try it out for a day. He loved it and the instructor was great at taking his time and explaining everything. They don't hit you with prices as soon as you come in, they don't yell at the students and they make it fun! This is a great family martial arts studio and not a supermarket dojo. I definitely recommend this to anyone with kids and or adults who are interested in learning martial arts.

Let's get this out of the way. Freedom Fitness is hands down the best small gym in the area…read more What it is: A family owned gym that offers all the equipment you can expect from a big gym, but in a little package. There are two rooms, the main cardio/large weight equipment room and another room with all the extra goodies like kettle bells, TRX bands, battle ropes, etc. What I love the most about this gym is that it is never crowded. I have never waited for a machine or a set of weights. I have actually been the only person in the gym numerous times. They also have classes which are held in the little room. They have a strength training type of class with the owner, Jay. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it has a cult following. They also have Spinning now, which I am a big fan of. They have two different teachers, and convienent times (morning or night). Both teachers are excellent. What it isn't: This is not your big box, crowded gym where there are 100's of people sweating all over each other. If you have experienced one of those, you know what that entails. Those big gyms have perks (child care, big class schedule, fancy locker rooms), but they come at a price (literally and figuratively!) Freedom Fitness is a welcoming place for people of all types of workout phases. You have grandma strolling on the treadmill in her khaki pants, to the big body builder types pushing 400 pounds on the chest press, and everyone in between. The owners are a nice family who know you by name. The gym is super clean, and everything is always in perfect working order. The only con - there is a pizza place next door! =)

This is a wonderful facility that is clean and welcoming. It is small in size but actually has…read moreeverything you need to get a great workout. There is an open room for rope exercise and there is even a shower/changing room. For the price you simply cannot beat this place. Last and most importantly is the family that owns this place..... they are very kind, courteous, respectful and all around the nicest people I have ever dealt with. I'm in my second year as a member here and look forward to many years to come!

When I was a 12 years old I trained to Light Green Belt in Isshinryu Karate at Michael Storms…read moreHammondlocation, and it was a great experience and I learned so much. Four years later, I joined a dojo instructed by one of Michael storm's students, also an A.J. Advincula student, and trained there for several thousand hours. Anyway, Michael Storms and all of his associated black belts who trained under Sensie Advincula are A+ class act people. I love all of them and just want to say if you've never trained in any martial arts, or even if you think you are very good, you should join Michael Storms' dojo. He knows what he's doing, and he's a veteran of the Marine Corps too. thanks.

If this is the same Mike Storms who trained me when I was 12 years old, he is an Ex-Marine and by…read morethe time I learned what he taught at YELLOW BELT I already knew everything I needed to defeat Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belts, which I can do ONE HANDED to this day.

Great place for kids and adults to learn self defense, build confidence and instill discipline!…read moreSuch a tight nit family within this organization.

I hired a personal trainer to add some variety to my workouts and some muscles to my body. He's…read morehuge and scary and he is going to kick my ass four times a week. Yay! He told me to go here and get some protein to help with the muscle building process. This store has lots of protien powders, drinks, vitamins and supplements. The guy working here was a sweetheart and helped me chose some protein powder that is really yummy. Prices are a little on the steep side, but there is a check-in offer for 20% off any item in the store. Happy exercising!

This place rocks...if you want to be big and sexy, this place will help you get there....i mean,…read morelook at me! DUH!