My kids have been going to UTC for approximately a year. Both my girls are in MMA. I just read a…read morenegative review and felt compelled to write something here. It is a family business which means there are kids, and an adorable dog. I love that about UTC. A family business knows how to treat another family. The lessons are wonderful. My kids have learned to defend themselves against bullies and are always smiling throughout the exercises. My youngest seems to really have blossomed as a fighter, which you would never guess to look at her. She is cute as a button, and a tiny thing with a lot of power. It can be a year contract for the cheapest overall plan and I understand that can be a deterrent but it holds you accountable. My kids are getting plenty of exercise despite the winter weather. There are month to month plans and I've never showed up to locked doors. I've been coming twice a week for a year, so I don't think this reviewer is credible. The owners exercise extraordinary kindness and guidance toward me and my girls. This place is a gem. Highly recommend.

Can't say enough about what this gym and the training here has to offer you and your inner self…read more You come here it will benefit your life in all aspects! Business, health, wealth, friends, family.

Best gym in the area 100% I would recommend this place to anybody that I know. These guys really…read moreknow their stuff.

This gym has been the best thing for my confidence that I've ever tried and I've tried a lot. Joey…read moreis an excellent teacher, he tells you the why behind everything that he teaches and you know it's good stuff not only because he's been in the game for over 20 years but because he still has a deep passion for it, something that you are going to have a tough time finding else where. Highly recommended to anyone who has a fears related to other people in any sense. After 6 months you will feel settled in yourself and confident in your ability to defend yourself. Free week trial, you have nothing to lose and confidence to gain.

Enough can't be said about BJJ Olympia. The culture of this place is incredible. It embraces a…read moretrue family environment from four year olds to elderly adults and everyone there in-between. I love how my five year old is pushed in his discipline and understanding while very clearly having fun along the way. Every single coach is incredible. From professor Robert, Joel, Chris, and many others - there is a humility among the top that leaks down into the rest of the gym. All of the upper belts are extremely helpful and no one holds an intimidating machismo attitude. Everyone should try jiujitsu and this is the place to do it!

great place to sharpen your skills! From being a hobbiest or a competitor you'll catch the best…read morerolls here!!

1) Yellowbot.com "Buyer Beware"…read more I was a member of this gym for almost 2 years. I took all of the different types of classes that were offered here- muay thai kickboxing, karate, and juijitsu. I even enrolled my two young children into their children's martial arts classes. For a long time I was very happy with this place, and can concur with the quality of the classes offered...however, the reason I definitely do not recommend this place to anyone, at least not to any women, is because of one of the owner's- Brian Johnson, who runs this business with his wife, Dani Johnson. Almost from the beginning of my membership here, I experienced what I felt was excessive and inappropriate attention from Brian Johnson. He made some advances towards me that made me uncomfortable and that were not reciprocated. He attempted to interfere with any interactions I had with other male members and/or instructors. He very loudly made false accusations towards me in an apparent effort to alienate me from other members. He openly spoke about other members private lives. When I did not reciprocate his apparent extramarital interest in me, he made up a false accusation against me and prematurely terminated my membership. When I attempted to speak with him about things, he threatened me with what he called a "dossier" that he had been apparently compiling against me. Brian Johnson is a former part-time, Tumwater, WA. police officer. Personally, I think it behooves anyone who encounters (former) law enforcement people to tread very carefully with them. Throughout my membership here, I almost always felt as though I were being avidly watched. While I truly learned a great deal of different martial arts, altogether, it was ultimately a very negative experience for me because of Brian Johnson's inappropriate behavior towards me. I strongly suggest whomever goes here to never leave any of their personal electronic devices unattended and to always lock up their belongings, which few if any members actually do, that I observed. Posted on February 25, 2025 & Last Modified March 06, 2025 Brian Johnson's Academy of Karate & Kickboxing Reviews 1) Yellowbot.com "Buyer Beware" Academy of Brian Johnson Karate & Fitness "Too bad I can't give you ZERO stars. Your customer service is crap. Your 6-month contract is a bullshit 7 month contract. You have inadequate facilities for women. You let people not in classes interrupt ongoing classes. You have no respect for the people who PAY you to go there. Your ignorance is unsurpassed. The fact that your unclean equipment gives people skin rashes is disgusting. It's..." -Ed McCormack 7/17/15. Yellowbot. "This is a very bad business. They are very unprofessional and not good with kids. They even have temper tantrums. You will be stuck paying on the contract for a year no matter how unhappy you are." -Yellowbot "Warning, do not sign the contract, they tell you false lies to get you to sign. This is a dirty business." -rateitall 5/30/2008 "Poor customer service, poor quality instruction, this business is in it for the money, it won't last long. It is a very negative environment. I would never recommend anyone signing your kids up here. What a waste of money. Prices are low, but you get even less of what you pay for." -rateitall. "Buyer Beware. This is a bad place for kids. There are a lot of scary people in there. It is a money hungry business." -Yellowpages. 4/7/2008 "Negative professionalism" -Natalie Martinez "This guy is completely unprofessional and likes to threaten people after assuming that they hang up on him." -James Dillman "My girlfriend attended the Academy of Brian Johnson and after the free week we decided to enroll her. It wasn't long before the older gray-haired instructors started staring at her and it made her extremely uncomfortable. Like licking their lis and putting out their tongues sort of thing. I've heard negative things about instructors there abusing their power to get with the people who go there so we decided to have her quit. On top of that the floors were very dirty with body hair on the ground and it smelled like stale socks. If you are a man maybe it's for you, they seemed to have a lot of people sparring and stuff, buit I'm not sure if the coaches are even qualified instructors in any shape or form. For a 7 time karate black belt master the owner didn't have any trophies, medals or belts of his own to speak of. Or any schooling or paperwork behind his credited instructors. Very suspect and a school that has a very sexual innuendo type thing going on. Very suspect. " -VerView, AntiPopThought, 1/16/2018

I've been training Muay Thai/ kickboxing here for a little while now and I love every minute of it…read more Knowledgeable coaching staff and friendly people.

Sarah is spectacular. Her wisdom and knowledge is deep and I have gained so much in the short time…read moreI have known her. I cannot recommend her enough.

Sarah Hartman is the best trainer, coach, "counselor" you will ever find…read more I am a 62 year old female who just needed some workout help when I met Sarah. She was fabulous and with each session she was prepared and knew exactly what I needed to develop muscles and maintain a healthy body. She taught me "gym" skills I will never forget and confidence to work with weights and understand my body, showing me how to improve it. Little did I know that I was in need of a complete hip replacement at the time. While I waited for my surgery, she worked with me to keep my body strong and muscles toned so that my recovery would be the best possible. Six weeks after my surgery I returned back to Sarah (weaker, and unsure if I would ever be the same). Her training techniques and exercises were designed just for me and I became stronger and more confident. She understood how to correctly help me and not only manage my physical needs but also my mental fear of having a new hip. I am now able to walk better and use my left side (new hip) just as I do my right side. She is the best. I could go on and on about her expertise, fabulous people skills, outstanding knowledge of every exercise, weight, and technique to help her clients. I highly recommend Sarah to anyone, at any age, in any physical condition as a trainer and coach. You will not be disappointed!

I've trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with everyone in the area and am happy this place opened up. It's…read morethe only place I go to now. I go Mon. Wed. Fri. At 10am because that fits my schedule. This dojo has BJJ, wrestling, and no-gi classes that are great to be a well rounded grappler. If your into boxing, kickboxing/Muy Thai, I can tell you that they know what they are doing here! And thats saying a lot! I see men, women and children training here. Some people want to be pro cage fighters and some people just want to get a quality work out. Anyway you look at it you can't go wrong with this place!

From the owner: Group Classes and Private Instruction In- - Karate…read more- Muay Thai - Kickboxing - Cardio and Fitness

If you're looking to increase the intensity of your workouts - this is the place! It's tough, but…read moremoves fast and you will feel it. Pros: friendly snd encouraging staff, modify things for new people, excellent full body work out Cons: high pressure sales pitch, and it's too expensive and not a flexible membership. $125/month and sign up for a year. If they had a punch card or a month to month - it would be much more doable. But if you aren't working out 3x a week every month. It's just too expensive for what you're getting. If you weren't committing to a year up front - it would be better. If they had a 10 punch card option- that would be helpful- but I also don't want to pay for 100 punches at once. They need more flexible membership types.

I was excited to start a new exercise program with I Love Kickboxing Tacoma. I signed up in August…read more2018 for a year long contract for $1595. Along the way, I need to stop due to personal reasons but continued to pay the monthly fees because that is what is signed up for. I went to class for 2 months only. I had just paid the last $145 for my agreement and when I called member solutions (their billing company) to cancel they said I still owed money for another month and I should contact my local studio to resolve. The response I received was: Thank you for reaching out to me here. I can see where the confusion is. Your TOTAL membership cost for the 12 month was $1740. You paid $145 of that in studio. The remaining $1595 as you see on the billing agreement is what you owed to the billing company. Your final payment of $145 on July 3rd will fulfill the $1595 owed to Member Solutions. This was never said or made clear when I signed up. The only contract I signed was one for $1595 and not for $1740. I feel like I got scammed. I know that I was scammed. If this is a policy they should make it clear and give you a copy of that. I have recommended ILK to a few friends; one did the Federal Way class. In the end, i am sickened by throwing this money away, but more so the scam. Stay clear

We loved our time here! And would have stayed if we hadn't moved. Mr. James and Ms. Tasha…read moreintroduced our daughter to the world of jiu jitsu and it's changed her life. She's learned a new realm of both discipline and fun, which prepared her well for where we are now and helped shape her into the young woman she is today. Thank you for your commitment to good instruction, a fun environment and for always pushing your students to improve!

I've been training BJJ for 7 years and the last 3 has been at Cat 5. Whether if you're a…read morerecreational BJJ athlete or a serious competitor this is the place to train The school has been growing due to Professor James has been making a lot of improvements at the gym. Professor James is very technical and is able to articulate his knowledge so it's easy to understand. Come stop by the gym and step up your ground game

2 kids, completely different personalities. Our oldest loves to try new sports, the youngest not so…read moremuch. Our oldest is a purple belt and has competed in a tournament in Tacoma and got first place in his form in his age. He continues to excel and learn. We set up 2 intro classes for our youngest, one on one with her and Sensei. She was excited after them, then we got to the group classes and she was scared and didn't want to do it. We kept at it and every time Sensei would ask her for help getting things to keep her active. FINALLY he got her to play a game and she fell in line right after with the rest of the kids!! She didn't even realize she was now doing things with the class but she did it!! I can't tel you how proud of herself she was when she got home and so were we (Mom, Dad, and big brother) but the way Sensei works with these kids is just mind blowing! I suggest Aspire Karate for anyone looking for another option to sports for their kids, or themselves. OSS

Sensei Trace is very skilled, has top notch pedagogy, and a great attitude towards all his students…read moreboth young and old. I recently got back into training since stopping 15 years ago and chose to join Aspire, and I look forward to learning more. Great Shotokan school.

These guys are awesome and family friendly. If you want to go harder and train w higher level…read morefighters they're here too.

You can't get any more real here!…read more Master Saohin has held the PABA Champion in 2 different weight classes. Muay Thai Champion in Bangla, Thailand as well as S1 Championship in Phuket Thailand. Master Saohin holds a combined Boxing and Muay Thai record of 88 fights with 70 wins, 47 knockouts, and 18 losses. Master Souhin has also fought for the WBA World Championship two times, WBO World Championship one time, and challenged many title holders of WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, WBF IBO, OPBF and fought Lumopine and Rajadomnern Champions in Thailand. Not all fighters make great coaches, but Master Saohin excels at both. He's taught in Thailand at Tiger Muay Thai, but also he taught Muay Thai and Muay Boran. His Muay Thai style is strongly influenced by his boxing, which I love. He's also a Muay Boran instructor. He just traveled back to Luktupfah Muay Thai and Muay Boran academy in Bangkok to renew his certifications. Anytime I train with him, I learn new things. He brings a different perspective to the sport and movement that is priceless. Besides being a really great instructor/teacher, he's also one of the kindest people I know. His heart does nothing but grow for Muay Thai. In his teaching and everything else, his love for the sport shines through in all of his actions.