They keep it real. But really it's one of the Muay Thai schools that have really good instructors…read moreand curriculums. The class times and schedules are really good. And the prices are pretty acceptable. They also have punch cards instead of monthly if you are busy and there is no BS contract fee!! My personal favorite is the Sunday morning class for drills. Theres usually something different going on in that class. Plus there's a small window for open gym after that class time.

Outstanding Muay Thai gym!…read more I've been coming here for about a month now. I try to come every day for all the classes they offer. I'm obsessed with both Muay Thai and training here. The classes are intense, physically demanding (in a good way), and the instruction is top notch. There is always something exciting to learn and the coaches do a fantastic job getting the point across and making sure everyone is on the same page and up to speed. They care about your development and well-being and I never feel stupid for asking questions or speaking up if I don't understand something. I look forward to every day and every class. I want to give a shout-out to Shawn. He was been extremely patient with me (a newbie) and has shown tremendous courtesy, respect, and grace for someone new and trying to learn. He really knows his stuff and I'm impressed with his professionalism. I look forward to training here for a very long time. I found a good group of guys in this gym, both coaches and other trainees. Everyone seems to want to help one another. I am thoroughly impressed and glad I started coming here. Thank you Ambush Muay Thai for the opportunity to train here. Even though I have a long way to go I give it my all every time I show up. -Jason Otto

I've been here 11 months, and I have to say that my experience at AFKA has been life changing. As…read morea girl, there's nothing more empowering than being able to spar and ground-fight with the guys. I never had upper body strength, and now when I fly on planes, I have little trouble lifting my 40 lb bag into the overhead bin. I feel safer when walking alone. I know self-defense skills, and I have the strength to back it up. I was upset by reading Lauren's review, and I recall the day she tried our class. I'm not going to go on a tl;dr tirade, but basically, martial arts is not for everyone. It's a contact sport, and the conditioning for your body is different than other sports. Yes we do sit-ups. Yes we do light contact sparring. Yes we do groundfighting, and you may just groundfight someone twice your size! We are very combat focused. If you can't handle lots of abwork, then try one of the many other fitness options offered in Austin. Each of our instructors have years of experience in various martial arts. I have complete faith in them. They are in tune with what is correct and proper technique. Training goes nowhere if you are injured. However, I stress that martial arts training is different from other sports you may have tried.

I've been taking tai chi classes at Austin Kung-fu Academy for a year. Santanu Rahman is an…read moreinstructor with infinite patience, brilliant teaching strategies, and good humor. Santanu challenges and supports all students' growing abilities and always has a new idea for teaching that is individualized to each class and to each student. Santanu is a master of the martial arts and he is also a master of communicating steps to growing your own practice. In addition to regular class times, Santanu holds "office hours" to help students individually. Santanu is one of the best teachers of any subject I've experienced, and I've experienced a lot of teaching in pursuit of my doctoral degree. In classes for students new to tai chi, Santanu strips the tai chi moves from the overall form to give you a good gentle work out. After students are comfortable with the individual moves, Santanu puts the separate elements together into the first third of the Yang 37 form. Once students master the first part of the form, the workout beginers' class splits into an advanced class that learns the whole form. As the advanced class learns the final moves of the Yang 37 form, Santanu introduces individual elements using a broadsword and gradually unites those moves into the broadsword form. Finally, Santanu has created a series of videos that work with his teaching. If you look at a commercial tai chi video the instructor always faces you. When you try to move with the video instructor you have to move in the reverse direction to get into the correct positions. This mental reversal is confusing for beginners. To address this problem in Santanu's videos he is facing away from the student and looking toward a mirror. In this composition the student watching the video is in the right alignment with the teacher and can see both his front and back. Pros: Brilliant teacher who provides individual extra teaching and videos for outside practice. Cons: None

Over the last year of learning jiu jitsu at this gym, my kids and I have grown tremendously in our…read moreskill, fitness, mental well-being, and made friends with some amazing people. Gym - the mats are very clean and everyone is very methodical about being clean for others. Instructors - incredible instruction from a host of black belts who are humble, knowledgeable, and wanting to share the benefits of BJJ with anyone who wants to learn. Each has a different teaching style and experiences but all with the same goal helping others get better. Classmates and community - this is a gym of hard working people who are putting in the work to become a better version of themselves. Humble, intentional, focused and fun is the vibe in the classes. It's very welcoming to newcomers with free beginners classes. Kids - my kids have been attending and they have enjoyed learning how to move their bodies, have learned self discipline, and focus. They also have gained a confidence in knowing how to protect themselves. The coaching for the kids is professional and fun.

I'm a beginner to BJJ and tried out various gyms around me in South Austin. As a woman and a…read morebeginner, the BJJ scene can be intimidating. Gracie Humaitá was BY FAR the friendliest and most accessible to beginners & women. They have free beginner classes twice/week (they even let you borrow gis!) so you can try out the sport with no commitment and learn the basics in a very safe environment (vs some other gyms where they put me into regular classes with very little instruction). The instructors are all incredibly nice and great teachers, and most of the beginner classes have other black or colored belts who walk around answering questions and helping you on the moves. Paulo, the head instructor, is also very friendly, inclusive, and promotes a great culture at the gym. After about a month doing beginners classes, I signed up for the membership, bought my own gi, and am thrilled to continue my BJJ journey! If it weren't for finding Gracie Humaitá, I likely would have quit after a couple classes at any of the other gyms I tried out. This gym, instruction, and community has been incredible, and I hope anyone who's on the fence gives them a try!

Judo - it's the art of folding clothes perfectly... ...while…read morethe people are still in them. This is a great opportunity for you and your kids. I have been bringing my daughter here and she has learned a lot and enjoys every single session. I now have started my second daughter and again so much fun for her especially with this being new for her in the grappling arts. The instructors are very patient and that is the biggest thing, you want to be in a place where they actually care about the growth of your child and your child having fun. Almost every time that they have a kids class they even play a game for them so I really like the commitment to fun.

Great local non-profit judo club open to all from beginners to competitors - friendly Austin-style…read morevibe!

It been a while since I have visited, but the memory of how our class was conducted set a precedent…read moreof how I view other kwoon operations today. I also base my appreciation of the kwoons sifu/student interaction of exceptional attention to detail. Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect. You Will Be Intrenched In Perfect Practice I Am Positive.

I've been in Kung fu si I was 5 so I really love it my fist two years I was scared but then I just…read morenoticed that there was no reason to be scared kung fu helped me a lot

I am constantly blown away at the community that has developed at Shaolin Do of Austin! The Masters…read morehave gone out of their way to provide a wide array of online classes so that we can all continue to learn our Kung Fu and Tai Chi, and I know that they have more in the works. If you are looking for a place to learn martial arts, get in shape, or just meet some amazing people then this is the spot for you!

A welcoming and friendly environment. Inclusive to beginners & advanced levels. Kids & adults.read more

We visited Gracie Jui Jitsu for their self defense webinar. It was a bit far from me but when the…read morehighway is finished going there may be smoother. It's a large facility and everyone was super nice. I learned so much in just 3 hours. They have combative jui jitsu and the women empowered program. It seems like a really nice place to take classes and become part of a community

My pre-teen has been taking classes here for a couple of months. It's been a great environment for…read morehim to develop new skills and to make new friends. The coaches are firm, but kind and friendly. They do a great job of instructing the kids on life skills and jiu-jitsu. When researching jiu-jitsu studios, this seemed like the best fit for us. No stress of competition or sparring for points. (We have friends in another state that travel the world for Jiu-Jitsu competitions, and they pointed us in this direction after telling them what we were hoping for). Lots of positive reinforcement for the kids to get them coming back and getting more stripes on their belt. Very happy with our experience here! One downside: the parking situation can get a bit hairy. The lower lot in front of the front door is usually full, and space is quite tight, making it hard to turn around. There's an upper level lot behind the building, and then another lot further up the drive. They have some spots that are "Do Not Park" (blocks warehouse garage doors) or Accessible Parking, so thought it LOOKS like there's still spots to park, there actually aren't.

I absolutely love to train all of the martial arts this amazing dojo offers and the people are…read moreoutstanding and is overall an amazing place to train!

Small, makeshift warehouse place that looks like was put together with very low budget. After…read moreinquiring for info and a dojo tour, was put in contact with Angela, who started becoming pushy on having me give personal info to sign waivers and enroll even though I had asked just to briefly spectate a class, to the point of being rude with unprofessional tone. This interaction was enough for me to know to take my business elsewhere where they have professional establishment and staff. Don't waste your time UPDATE: To put The cherry on top, the staff have threatened to post "screenshots" of the texts exchange along with security stills of me during my visit as some sort of retaliation for the review. If this doesn't tell you the nature of this establishment and its people nothing else will.