I've been going to this gym for over two years now, when Arcana was still Fit MMA under Craig…read moreBrown. What started out as an "oh-let's-try-out-muay-thai" through a 20-class Groupon has since grown to become an irreplaceable part of my routine and lifestyle. Since my first muay thai class, I have made significant gains in technique and cardiovascular endurance, as well as in confidence-building and anger management (this is true!). Kru Jamie and Kru Sean have been very helpful in giving me instruction and advice in my progression and growth, advising me to take my blue shorts and even convincing me to do an exhibition match even when I did not think I was ready. In periods of stagnancy, they have not hesitated to push me to challenges that have not only helped me overcome the "rut", but have also taken me to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the muay thai art. I have also since started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is likewise an amazing program offered at this gym. Ron and Damien provide excellent instruction, with a dash of humor that helps keep the BJJ classes light in nature and quite enjoyable (but still a work out I assure you!). You seriously won't find a more stellar group of instructors and members anywhere else. From someone who doesn't have family in Ottawa, this gym has become somewhat of a second home to me. I could not be more grateful and I could not recommend it more!

Awesome work out and motivational instructors at Arcana. If you are looking for a work out and…read morelearn some kick ass ninja fighting skills, then look no further. I came here with the other yelpers and tried their introductory Mauy Thai class taught by Jamie. Special thanks for Jamie participating in the February Fit Club. The class was quite a work out. Jamie is a patient teacher and really helps his students understand the techniques that are shown. Not only does he demonstrate the techniques, he breaks them down and explains the importance of each movement. Arcana also has a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program taught by an incredible BJJ black belt, Damien. I've known Damien from another gym and he's the real deal. One of the best in the city. The matted area is quite spacious. The gym was clean and well kept.

Coach Doug is a coach dedicated to putting 100% into teaching his students about martial arts,…read morediscipline and respect. He highlights safety both for each student as well as being aware of the safety of their teammates. I've attended both the Brazilian jiu-jitsu & Muay Thai classes and would highly recommend both to anyone looking for a new place to train or something new to try!

This Thai-box (Muay-thai) gym is run by pros with professional, world class experience. This is an…read moreauthentic Thai-box gym in Ottawa, not a fitness studio. There are basically 2 levels here: beginners and intermediates and those who compete. The beginner classes focus on movement, endurance, striking and defence. The competitive class are amateur and professional athletes. They all help out and the atmosphere is very friendly. They also started to focus on youth development which makes Westside Muay Thai a great place for teenagers interested to learn this sport.

I've tried out most competitive kickboxing related gyms in Ottawa and love the martial arts…read morecommunity. I've been training at Westside Muaythai since 2015 and absolutely love it here. I've had previous experience in martial arts but never at a competition level. I now have pro fights in my experience and multiple amateur titles. I love the atmosphere and the dedication of everyone who works at and competes with the gym, but I also still enjoy the recreational/fundamentals classes to help me improve on my basics when I'm feeling burnt out and need a break from competition. I've seen a lot of people come in for a trial and then basically never miss a class. It's a great group of people and hands down the best instruction I've experienced throughout trying gyms in Ontario and North America. Definitely check it out! First week's free

This is the best martial arts you can find in Ottawa, and maybe in all of Canada. Yes, it takes…read morediscipline, so if you are not ready, don't waste the trainers time. However, if you are willing to learn, be disciplined and respect the teachers, then you will be a true warrior, not only on the outside but also on the inside!

Would give 0 star if I could I drove across Ottawa from…read moreOrleans to try out sambo class, after being invited for a trial by Tina over the phone, it was a quick pleasant conversation with Tina, all she told me was to come to try out class next week. Then I met with Sean at the office the following week, he asked some personal info and what program am I interested, then asked me how would I like to pay $49.99 right now, debt or credit. I was very shocked that I have to pay for the trial when it wasn't mentioned over the phone. He also insisted on letting me take Muay Thai courses and buy the gloves when I specifically mentioned I'm interested only in sambo. I didn't do the purchase, Sean then told me if I think it's expensive I just can't afford the program, I just can't afford martial art. which was very disrespectful and unprofessional. Sean appeared to me to be a very greedy person, all he asked for was money, he did not show me the facility, did not show me the coach, asked me money first before anything else.

OAMA abruptly cancelled the Taekwondo program at the beginning of June. They failed to let anyone…read moreknow that it was shut down and why. They are refusing to refunding the unused portion of the year long membership stating that they are losing money if they provide refunds (YES REALLY!). This is in violation of the Ontario Consumer Protection Act. If you do decide to sign up, do month to month, and make sure you get the cancellation policy in writing. I will never trust these guys. There are many in the same situation.

If you want to train in martial arts this is the place. They run it as a full-time business so…read morethere are classes as early at 7 AM to accommodate all sorts of schedules. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai are what you get. Instructors are top notch and they have a fighter in the UFC. Lots of opportunity to travel and compete in New York, Hollywood, Brazil to name a few. But if you're not interested in competing that's not a problem. They have kids classes and some for those who are just interested in getting in shape. Students are great and a very friendly atmosphere

I keep finding myself back at N1 throughout the years, The staff has always been great, the…read moreinstructors will go over the drills in detail and will go around the class to point out and go over the specifics of the drill with you. I love the set up there, they have heavy bags through out the gym, there's a section of the gym where you can lift weights and a BJJ room. Been going there for years and there's a reason. The staff is fantastic and I have learned a lot there, the staff has been supportive in helping me reach my goals.

I trained at N1 for nearly a year before having to stop and it was a great experience. I walked…read moreinto the facility with no background in Muay Thai, or any other martial art experience except for a few karate lessons as a kid. By the time I left I'd learned a lot, met some great people, and found a new sport I love. The building is located in Little Italy and parking is limited to street parking or a large private lot that is right next door. The private lot charges $3 while street parking is free after 5:30. I found if I'd get there early I could get a spot on the street the majority of the time. The facility itself is very nice with two large rooms for classes, male and female locker rooms, showers, and a full size ring. For beginners they provide all equipment you need including gloves and pads but it might be worth buying a pair of wrist wraps when you sign up. The sign up procedure is very straight forward. Your first lesson is $20 and includes 20-30 minute one-on-one period with an instructor so you know the basics and can follow along with other level 1 students. After your first class, if you enjoyed it, you can pay month to month, or sign a six to twelve month contract. The longer contracts are cheaper on a per month basis and you get an additional discount if you prepay 6-12 months upfront. Plan on spending between $75 - $150 a month for unlimited Muay Thai, Boxing and BJJ classes depending on your contract length and any promotions they might have going on. All new students (that haven't studied Muay Thai elsewhere) start in level 1 and remain there for about 2-3 months until they have the fundamentals down and pass a proficiency check with the owner of the school. The classes themselves follow a basic pattern. You start off by skipping rope and doing situps for about 5-10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of shadow boxing. You shadow box in both a western and thai boxing stance and the Kru (instructor) will go around making corrections to your stance, punches, kicks, knees etc during this time. After the warm up is finish you'll pair up and do some various drills. Different instructors like to focus on different aspects which works great since you get to work on a variety of things on different days of the week. You general work in pairs doing various drills with thai and focus pads for 30 minutes. After that for the remaining 15 minutes you either do conditioning drills or maybe touch sparring. By the time class is over you'll be dripping with sweat and have a smile on your face. Class size varies widely and I couldn't figure out why. Some nights there might be 6 people others there might be 16. The instructors do a good job of keeping an eye on everyone regardless of size and they make sure to check in with you on just about every drill. When you're done level 1 classes you move on two level 2. Level 2 starts off the same way, skipping rope and occasionally shadow boxing but after that things start to change up. You are more likely to rotate partners throughout class and spar, or do complex drills. Everyone is expected to have a mouth guard, shin pads, and groin protector on for class as there is more contact between students than in the level 1 classes. While the level 1 classes were fun and did a great job of teaching the basic it was level 2 that i really loved. All of the instructors and fellow students are very helpful. There are no attitudes and everyone really wants everyone else to succeed and have fun. The instructors were all very approachable and willing to stay with students after class if you have any questions or need some help. They also offer private training, something I wish I'd taken advantage of when I was there. They also have Brazilian Ju Jiujitsu classes (gi and nogi) and western boxing. The BJJ classes were really fun but my enjoyment was hindered by my lack of flexibility. I'm sure it would have gotten easier had i gone to more than 10 classes but I was enjoying Muay Thai so much I always want to do that instead. The instructor, Pat, was really helpful in explaining the basics and since I was the only one in class with no previous grappling experience would often partner with me to help explain things better. Each class would include warm up, drills, and sparring and were always a good workout. They also have "competitive" muay thai classes specifically for people who want to enter amateur fights around Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto etc. I never attended any but from talking to people who did they focus much more on ring technique, and what to do in a bout. Most people who attend these classes also go to the level 2 or level 3 Muay Thai classes. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at N1, the instructors and fellow students were awesome and the quality of instruction was great. If I wasn't in and out of town so often these days I'd still be a member.

My husband, son and I have recently started taking Jiu Jitsu at Therien Jiu Jitsu And Kickboxing…read more We just finished our first week and couldn't have asked for a better experience. Everyone there has been so helpful and knowledgeable!

I would like to start by informing you that this company does not only offer access to circuit…read moretraining but also operates as a martial arts center. However, I've faced several issues with this company, and I do not recommend them. They make unauthorized pre-authorized withdrawals, and even if you repeatedly ask them to stop, they continue doing so. GOOD LUCK trying to get someone to respond to you. Secondly, the schedule is completely absurd, offering access only at ridiculous hours. They promised to extend the hours, but after a year, the schedule still showed "two time slots coming soon," which NEVER happened. Thirdly, after repeatedly running into problems with their already limited schedule, I also noticed there's no staff present during operating hours. The cost is $167 per month, and you're only allowed access three times a week--once at noon, and the rest either at 5:30 AM or 6:30 PM. Three times a week. This is an exorbitant price, paired with a lack of staff and blatant lies from the owners. To top it off, despite requesting three times to cancel my membership, I asked for a refund for the last month because they closed the doors without any notice. NO refund was issued, and this seems like another scam. GO TO A RELIABLE GYM WITH FLEXIBLE HOURS AND HONEST MANAGEMENT. Avoid this place at all costs

I signed up for the six-week challenge which also included access to kickboxing classes. First,…read moreabout the marketing gimmick, I paid a chunk of money and the idea is that if I made my goal (25 pounds or 6% body fat), I would get the money back. Consider me a happy customer! I lost 27 pounds through diet and exercise. At no point did I ever feel that the coaches didn't want me to succeed. On the contrary, they were our biggest cheerleaders and really pushed us to make our goal. I met many people who entered the gym through the challenge and remained on, purchasing a membership after their challenge was complete. They stayed on because they really felt valued and like part of a family. Some of them even started getting trained as instructors themselves. The classes were a good size (only a few were a little crowded, but some were only myself and a few others). I understand that they are adding classes and locations as they expand. The exercises were basically high-intensity interval training. I could hardly do 5 push-ups at the start and was so winded during the first week, but I saw myself making steady improvement. Again, coach Kristina was awesome. She showed us all the proper form and modifications, both to make the exercises more challenging or if one had an exercise. Included in the six-week challenge was a diet component. I found the diet to be appropriately difficult, yet something I can stick with after my program is now complete. It is basically a protein, carb and veggie for breakfast and lunch, and a protein, fat and veggie for dinner, in various portion sizes depending on your weight and goal. No alcohol or any processed sugars. I found it was easiest to make simple meals of meat or fish and a salad, but they also provided a cookbook with meal suggestions through their facebook group, and a "what to do at restaurants" guide that I found very helpful. Finally, the facebook group and response of our coach was amazing and active. It quickly became one of my most active facebook groups, with people posting pictures, recipes, encouragement, etc. Also, it was comforting to know that I could reach Kristina at any time through the messaging app - I heard that someone called her at three in the morning after falling off the wagon! she was amazing. I am very thankful to Kristina and the people at K2 who helped me form new habits and reach my fitness goal.

I've trained in various martial arts for over 20 years, almost 10 of those in Taijiquan. I started…read moretraining with Eduardo during the COVID lockdown - originally only through Zoom, and even remotely, his corrections made my posture and my practice jump to a whole new level I could not have attained before. His in-person classes are meditative and a good internal workout at the same time, the way taijiquan should be. His attention to his students is laser-focused, and his hands-on corrections are frankly surgical. Eduardo has trained under the Chen family - the creators of Taijiquan - and this clearly shows in the calibre of his teaching. He has deep knowledge of Chinese medicine and philosophy, which is not common for the average Taijiquan teacher. His instruction is of the highest calibre to be found in Ottawa, and his fees are incredibly reasonable for the level of his teaching. If you are considering training in Taijiquan in the NCR, you owe it to yourself to check out his school.

From the owner: Tai Chi School in Ottawa, Ontario. We bridge the gap between the traditional Tai Chi teachings…read morewhich we keep and prize, and the need for objective and straightforward explanations. All fitness levels are welcome.