Clean Shower available…read more Cubby's for belongings 2 changing rooms Well vented Awesome instructors and people Dope community

Jonny's GRS is:…read more People Ambience Service/Food/Drink Capoeira, capoeira, we are like star crossed lovers, always yearning to be together, yet somehow never getting around to it. ! People, Professor Aranha is hands down, an AMAZING capoeira person. He is not only dedicated, but some might say single minded in his purpose - to convey and teach the happiness, fun, and discipline/dance that is capoeira! He is also a former classmate and close friend of mine. About Capoiera, it's great, it's fun, it's like breakdancing! It's also a GREAT core and lower back workout. If you can last the warm up, which is not only just a warm up, but some really hard work as well, you'll be practicing kicks, cartwheels, trips, and all sorts of great moves. I love it. At heart I will always be a capoeriesta, though I may not be part of the roda often enough. There are times when you find something that really clicks with you as a person - and capoeira is that for me. Will it be that for you too? Who knows...your first class is free, so you have nothing to lose!! Jonny's rating system People: 5 of 5 - the group and the instructor Ambience: Locations are great, if a little cramped at times. 4 out of 5 Service: 5 of 5 - Aranha is great and patient, while demonstrating what a true capoerista can become. Much love to my family up there, which I would love to see more, and will be eventually moving back to! - J

I had heard of Capoeira, always imagined as something I could never do or something I should ve…read morepicked when I was much younger. One day by chance, I saw 2 people doing capoeira at a street event of the Center (an awesome place by the way) , who were students of Bill Stark (Tucano), it looked so fun and beautiful I wanted to try it myself at his school. The philosophy of the school is to make capoeira accessible to everyone, and this really shows when you go to their classes. Everyone I have met in class is very welcoming, friendly, has a really good atitude on their own work as well as helping others. The energy and inspiration you get off them is really high. I d never done Yoga, I had just been trying to keep in shape with gym and tennis sometimes, I have been doing 2 and a half months of Capoeira at CAQ, I can now do stuff I could never imagine myself doing and I feel stronger than ever, and this is only the beginning... Tucano is a very nice, friendly, inspiring guy. His capoeira is awesome and knows how to feed knowledge on his students. Once you got the most basic things right, he works on the details, one by one, making the move/sequence you are working on more challenging at every step. If you are a more advanced student, he still does this, there is always room for improvement in Capoeira!. He also talks about strategy at the games and gives you very constructive feedback when he sees something wrong. The place where we train is really nice and conveniently located at Lower Haight. Lots of classes - Mon-Fri 8-9AM , Mon-Thu 6:30-7:30, and a weekly roda (really a lot of bang for your buck) . First week is 18 bucks for you to try it out, then $135 a month. Join us!

Capoeira with Tucano at The Center is awesome! I've taken several classes there now, and have…read morenothing but great things to say. I'm a black belt in a Japanese martial arts, and a teacher in that practice as well, so I can say with great confidence that Tucano's class is a great blend of workout, theory, and play. As a beginner capoeira student, I really liked his pacing, though I've seen Tucano take on a mixed class of advanced and new students, and the more advanced students had a blast, too. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for mental, physical or spiritual exercise.

I visited SFJI from Kentucky to take in a class while I was in the Bay Area on business. It was an…read moreexcellent class, with friendly, knowledgeable instructors and students. I enjoyed the experience so much that I will make a point to return the next time I'm in the area. If you are looking for a challenging, fun judo class in SF, look no further than SFJI.

We love SF Judo Institute! My son (now 8 yrs old) has been doing both Judo & Jiu Jitsu here for the…read morelast year or so. We have been super impressed with the quality of the instructors in both sports. There is a bright, positive vibe, and the instructors are all warm and friendly and make it fun while also knowing how to skillfully move the kids past their perceived limitations, fostering strength and resilience. My husband trained Judo for many years and was thrilled to find such a great place. Thank you!

I've known Ray, the owner of this dojo for years. Due to some knee/back problems I've been out for…read morea while. Ray is a patient and kind sensei. Aikido and Brazilian Jujitsu are offered here. The dojo is also in a nice area around the Duboce area/Castro. Totally recommend this dojo for new and experienced martial artists. Thank you Ray for sharing your wisdom!

Maru Dojo is my dream dojo! They offer Aikido, Eskabo Daan (Filipino Martial Arts), Brazilian…read moreJiu-jitsu, Judo, and Yoga. It's a beautiful studio as well as the cleanest dojo in San Francisco. Since it's centrally located in the City, it's perfect for stopping by to de-stress after working in the Financial District and before heading home to cook dinner. It's a great deal compared to the costs of other martial arts studios. Plus, there's plenty of free street parking nearby which was a real factor for me in choosing a dojo. Aikido is my first love that I learned in college. After too many years of taking a break from Aikido, I finally decided to get back into it now that my kids are older. Sensei Ray is so patient and really good at explaining the technical details and reasons behind each movement. He's a 4th degree black belt in Aikido and been training since 1988. He makes sure everyone is practicing safety in class. All my classmates are super nice and share a passion for the art. I also like that there are other women in the class, so I'm not the only one. There's great energy in the place and lots of natural light. Maru Dojo is totally awesome because they also teach Eskabo Daan Escrima on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Escrima is not just stick-fighting. We also train with knives & swords and learn grappling, boxing, and empty-hand techniques. I really like how Sensei points out the similarities between Aikido and Filipino Martial Arts. Plus the dojo is located in the Castro and closer to my neighborhood in the Excelsior (where more Pinoys like me reside). Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is really fun to learn as well because most fights end up on the ground. I also appreciate that they have separate dressing rooms for men and women. I can't wait to try the yoga classes as well.

These guys are the real deal…read more One of the things I like most about Combat Krav Maga is that there are no egos and no need to prove anything. You have people from all walks of life and different ages training together, and after spending some time here, you quickly realize how much knowledge and experience is in the room. Joel and the team focus on practical, real-world self-defense. The training is challenging, welcoming, and very different from a lot of martial arts schools that focus more on looking impressive than being effective. What really impressed me was seeing how skilled everyone is. There are a lot of experienced people training here, and it's a reminder that experience, technique, and good instruction matter far more than appearances. If you're thinking about learning self-defense, come visit, watch a class, and talk to the people here. You'll quickly see why so many students stay for years. Highly recommend. These guys are the real deal.

Tried out the women self defense class. Very informative. Instructor was very patient and showed us…read moremany practical useful techniques. Will definitely come back to learn more

To start off, I have been training here for several years (going on my 4th I think...well we all…read morelose track of time so I'm not even sure now...) regularly and with great enthusiasm (ha! always wanted to work that into a sentence). I will try to view it as objectively as possible because no one wants a biased review, am I right? The first thing you should know is that capoeira is not simple to get into: it is an art form and like all art form it requires time dedication and the mindset of self refinement in all aspects. Capoeira, as much as it is a martial art is a philosophy and a way of life. But that should not scare away those with a casual mindset. The beauty of capoeira is that it is not like all other martial arts: it is incredibly fun your first time and, 3 years later speaking from experience it is still just as fun. This establishment in question is very nice: compact in the sense of a martial arts academy allowing for a great deal of attention from the master himself Mestre Urubu Malandro (one of the more quirky and funnier guys you'll ever meet). If you've ever been to any sort of group training exercise, you'll know the importance of one on one. Mestre Urubu's great attention to detail yet noninvasive method of instruction allows his students, beginner to veteran, to explore the movements and find their own styles while keeping in mind the training itself. The workout itself is very core intensive with a balance of a total body workout: you'll be doing squats and rolling around on the ground. Of course not on your back, silly, but you will find that your arms and legs become a very important aspect in almost all of the movements learned: from balancing to weight transfer, you will use all of your limbs. Kicks utilize center of gravity and requires a fair amount of balance and grace that you will indeed learn. Where the culture comes in and where capoeira is separated from almost all forms of martial arts is the music. At the end of class we often form a roda (or circle) where we each in turn play a "game" if you will with each other: working with the sound of the berimbau (the principle music instrument) to create flow to the game and playing in time with the drum to keep our rhythm. All of this, though said with somewhat too many words, is still not enough to describe what this experience is like. It is something that really must be experienced first hand to even fathom a guess as to what it means but that's really the beauty of it: you are able to decide how best to interpret it! But I'm not going to get too philosophical about it. Capoeira welcomes all and excludes none: come and enjoy a bit of Brazilian culture and if you find that you enjoy it, definitely go with your gut feeling and stick around: you won't regret it for a second.

I recommend coming to class with a water bottle and definitely think about the day after you come…read moreto class, because you will be sore! Mestre Urubu divides the class into levels so beginners will be taken care of either by him or other experienced players. People are super friendly, but that doesn't mean they will be laughing all the time, when they are sweating, be sure to be aware and perhaps get hit :) You'll learn a few Portuguese terms and come out of class in good spirits. Always recommended!!! Takes dedication though. Each day is different in the class, sometimes easy, sometimes hard. But unfortunately my first capoeira class was hard and had a hard time walking up and down the stairs, but believe me it was a good hurt--a great workout.

Keep up the excellent work! I had a great experience and truly appreciate the quality and service…read more If you're into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I highly recommend checking out their BJJ Gis and grappling dummies. Please support this business and recommend it to your friends as well. Visit Sarmetron at www.sarmetron.com!

Interesting studio with many returning members. I took several No Gi classes on Wednesdays and…read moreFridays. I was new to jiu jitsu and from my experience it was geared towards those who are more experienced. Not as much attention and care for newer people as the experienced people. Coach Yukito is friendly, patient and provides kind feedback. Coach Flora less so.

I'm so glad to have found Soko Joshi. It is such a joy to be in the class and learn from sensei…read moreWilina.

I have been with this judo club for a year and the sensei / teacher (Wilina) and her students have…read morebeen truly welcoming, kind and knowledgeable. Unlike other judo dojos that are geared primarily around competitions and only teach a few techniques very well, this dojo is focused on giving instructions on all of the techniques so you get to learn a lot more than at any other place. Practice is conducted in a way that is respectful and unlikely to lead to injury. They also allow potential students to sit in on a few classes to learn what judo is all about before enrolling. Wilina and the other black belt students who help out are all volunteers and they're doing this to pass on the judo tradition that was started by Keiko Fukuda (who used to be the highest ranking woman in judo globally). You can tell that they truly care about the practice of judo, each other, as well as all incoming new students. I would highly recommend enrolling if there's interest!