I've been training here for about a month now and couldn't be happier. Coach is knowledgeable and…read moreinsightful and gives clear instruction. It's a great workout and a great martial art/combat sport.

I was in Philly for a couple weeks on a work trip and needed a place to train. I stopped in to the…read moregym and was pleasantly surprised. Coach John and his staff are very professional and friendly. The rest of the class was very welcoming. I highly recommend this gym!

This is one of the best Brazilian Jiujitsu in the north east. The owners are some of the highest…read moreranked black belts around. The rest of the instructors are very skilled and great teachers. This place is great for all levels of jiujitsu. You will feel safe and welcome to the balance family.

Balance studios is a wonderfully inclusive environment. My whole family has trained for 15+ years…read moreat their various locations and have ALWAYS felt welcomed. The confidence we have received from training with balance is priceless! The instructors are professional, world class athletes that train all levels with courtesy and consideration. The best in the city in my opinion!! Try a class and make your own decision, you will not regret it!

Can't help but to seriously learn here because the teachers seriously teach here…read more You will never be left with out knowledge and understanding of what you learn and why. Getting in shape abides here, a difference will be noticeable. If you really need to learn how to fight Muay thai, Ju Jitsu, and Krav Maga make it happen.

Avoid at all costs and sign nothing that comes from EFC. My kid didn't go here, but to Joe's…read moreprevious location. Once he's outed as a fraud and grifter, he packs up, changes business name, and moves. My story with this clown began normal enough. I had a special needs kid that showed an interest. Everything was cool for a few weeks. It went from Joe being there in person to being "on vacation" for weeks at a time. The instructors were a mix of people who were skilled and competent to men I don't really want around my kid. And eventually there was one instructor for almost 20 kids. My kid was yelled at multiple times because he wasn't doing what he was supposed to. However, he didn't receive ANY instruction. He was just being berated because Joe can't bothered to staff his supposed gym. Then comes the separation issue. We withdrew our kid because he wasn't literally not receiving instruction. I kept time on my phone. The final day it was 37 minutes without any direction. I tried contacting Joe multiple times about how unsatisfied I was with the unprofessional behavior. After notifying Joe we were done he threatened us with breach of contract. That's right. As soon as the money starts drying up he's Mr. Responsive. He even threatened my credit score. I received tons of emails from EFC, his hatchetman, to pay up or face consequences. Well, turns out Joe can't keep records, like most absentee business owners. He couldn't produce a signed contract, because I didn't sign one despite his insistence. He constantly needed more time to find it. And kept initiating charges on my credit card until I reported it as fraud. He eventually produced a document signed by someone other than me hoping to bully me into paying. I reported EFC as fraud to my credit card and my lawyer had to send Joe a strongly worded email to cut his fraud act out. He backed off eventually, and moved shortly thereafter. If I didn't have access to a lawyer, I would've been on the hook for hundreds of dollars, if not more. To Joe: you're a fraud. You prey upon people to sustain your lifestyle. You provide no real service or value. I think the term for that is parasite. I still have screenshots of all your texts where you threatened me with financial harm. Before you reply, my lawyer hates...what was it that he called people like you..."scum bags." Yea, scum bags. And he's up for another run at you and EFC. Get a real job. You're both a has been. You're a never were.

I found this gym on Reddit and it was well worth it. They are the only Jiu Jitsu dojo in the Philly…read morearea to do free open mats frequently and you can have the first week free. The first Friday of the month is also a time to drop in for free. I looked for so many dojos in Philly and this one was very welcoming. It's truly beautiful inside. Super clean. 2 showered. Many changing rooms. So much clothes and merch you can buy. Clean mats and nice people. It's right off the train about a block off the L. It's in a good neighborhood :) come through! I come for free often as a student who can't yet afford to pay for training. So this place helps me keep my bjj learning continuing for free. I love it here!

Josh and Angie Vogel are experienced jiu jitsu teachers, practitioners, and business owners. JJC is…read morea professionally run school that prides itself on quality instruction and a drama-free training environment. This is a particularly great space for women to train while feeling safe, seen, and 100% supported in their growth. Josh and Angie have a unique and effective teaching style, in which they spend a substantial amount of time dedicated to a theme and are very involved with providing individualized feedback to all students, regardless of rank. This works particularly well for my knowledge retention and ability to truly grasp a concept. The amenities and space (showers, towels, gorgeous natural light, plants, balcony, community area) are nice bonuses, though I would train in a pit in the ground if that's where the Vogel's were!

Dropped in for a Saturday BJJ open mat. Very welcoming group of great people. Awesome spot to train!read more

Was coerced into signing up for muay Thai under false pretenses, told if its not for me after the…read morefirst class, I'd get a full refund. Worker used his own financial difficulties to develop rapport only to scam me, an autistic person, out of 700 plus when I realized the classes were too much for me after finishing the first and only class. Do not trust them. They do not care about anything other than money and once they have it, they will go back on their word and make your life hell trying to resolve it and you will wish you had never signed up.

Hello, I have been a member of this gym for over 20 years…read more Many times, I have told people EVERYWHERE that this is the best gym in the world because of it's variety and amount of equipment and space. I have left reviews on the internet to this effect. I would like to continue this sentiment, but I just cannot anymore. I recently took a long break from the gym after renewing my membership (I think in September or November of 2025). The main reason is the music played on the PA system. It is HORRIBLE and WAY TOO LOUD. It is like a bad nightclub with crappy inappropriate music that serves more to distract and drain energy. It is so loud that I can't even bring headphones and enjoy my own music without turning them up so loud I nearly go deaf to drown out the terribly loud crap music in this gym. Not everyone that works out in a gym wants nightclub type "thump thump" or crappy pop music. SOME PEOPLE WANT NO MUSIC AT ALL SO THEY CAN CONCENTRATE AND BE IN THEIR OWN THOUGHTS. It also causes people's conversations to be overly loud and obnoxious. The TYPE of music in this gym is disgusting and in poor taste. The volume is so bad that people wearing headphones complain that it is too loud. I have seen people who graduate from ear buds to noise resistant "can" type headphones in this gym just to drown out the music in this gym. I have voiced my distaste and annoyance about this to the staff and owners many times and I seem to be disregarded, which I find HIGHLY DISRESPECTFUL for someone who has been paying for year-long memberships for over 20 years. I have become so desperate I even offered to pay for the Sirius XM membership if you would just shut it off and you laughed at me WHEN I WAS DEADLY SERIOUS. This is how bad it is. Not a single person there wants to hear this music and especially at this volume. IF I WANTED A NIGHT CLUB, I WOULD GO TO A NIGHT CLUB. IF I WANTED AEROBICS MUSIC FOR A DANCE CLASS I WOULD GO TO AN AEROBICS DANCE CLASS. I COME TO THIS GYM TO LIFT WEIGHTS/WORKOUT, NOT DANCE AROUND LIKE AN IDIOT! It just tells me that you don't care about your customers/members and disregard anything they desire. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, READ THE DAMNED ROOM! EVERYONE IN THAT GYM IS WEARING HEADPHONES. EVEN THE CLEANING CREW WEARS HEADPHONES! READ THE ROOM! TURN OFF THE DAMNED MUSIC! Clearly this is impossible for you to understand and don't care. I live next door to this gym, but I will seriously pay more or walk many blocks to go to a gym that listens to their customers and doesn't force feed them crappy clubby teenage shit-pop music when everyone is wearing headphones trying to avoid it. READ THE DAMNED ROOM!!!

This place is so bare bones that I'd rather make-do with my dumbbell set and bench at home. Don't…read moreget me wrong, they've got equipment to spare, but no towels, no soap or shampoo in the showers, no overnight lockers available, one water fountain (serving 4 floors), and they choose to clean the toilet/shower area during business hours without any announcement, just hanging a sign that says closed for cleaning. I walked in, changed my shirt, and I gave my notice to cancel my membership. The woman tramping around cleaning when I wanted to take my shower and dress was the last straw. I will have to rearrange things a bit in my apartment (it will be tight), but I will have a 15 second trip to the "gym", will be able to listen to my choice of music out loud, will have plenty of fresh water right at hand, and will enjoy a leisurely, private shower afterwards. If home exercise doesn't work out, there's a Planet Fitness not far away. I can't imagine it being lower-grade than this place, and it costs half as much to be a member.

We were traveling though and decided to stop here for a class. The instructor Mike Shorty was…read moreawesome. The techniques he taught were articulated very well. He and everyone else at the gym were very welcoming and even gave us tips on what we should do while in town. This is a great gym and if you're looking for a good place to learn jiu jitsu, I recommend you stop by and try a class.

Shorty's BJJ has been an amazing experience. We tried out at least 3 different gyms in the area…read morebefore joining this gym. It was BY FAR the best gym we have ever joined. It has a community feel to it, and it's not uncommon for us to grab a beer with the students and instructors. Mike has been wonderful from the start to end. He cares about all his students and has a phenomenal understanding of BJJ. Brittany has taught us a lot from a woman's perspective(woman's class on Sunday is ) This gym is NOT a bunch of agro dudes out to rip off each other's head, but this gym DOES have talented hard working competitors and practitioners. If competing is not your thing it's also just fun to learn BJJ as a workout and make friends. We are moving and not looking forward to find another gym and will be coming back to visit when we can.