I've been apart of the gym for quite some time, two years to be more specific. When I arrived, i took the trial class - If I remember that day specifically, i quickly rushed to the evening classes. The gym used to be a mechanic garage, next to it was a mom and pop shop. The gym was closed, nice mats and a partially built MMA cage. At the time, they had two heavy punching bags and matted walls to prevent injury. They also have ropes used to tie down ships that was positioned in a zig zag line on the ceiling. So without further interruptions of nostalgia, here is my Review of the Jungle Gym. As with all my reviews, I grade them from 1 through 5 stars. 1 being absolute horrible and five representing nothing but superior quality. Location/Gym - This gym opened up after moving from a smaller school when Justin Garcia was teaching on a Purple Belt/Brown Belt level. He was teaching Brazilian Jujitsu and at the time, those school was almost practically scarce in the Bronx. The new location was conveniently around less then a block from the 6 train line and 22x bus line that travels towards and from Fordham. The Gym, as described above, had a changing room and cubbies in the Mat area where you could place your belongings. We didn't have a Soda Machine til later, and also had a functioning shower and bathroom. They had a waiting area where the trophies and merchandise was placed. In the Mat area, you had one or two dumbbells and a set of Kettle Bells, jump rope and those latter spaced ropes you placed on the floor. They had several Title Muay Thai pads as well, but, no extra boxing gloves, shin guards, et cetera. After classes are done, the small locker room becomes crowded, since people are often training from an hour to two or three - with the extended classes, they would develop odor. It get's bad, you are just there smelling the sweaty no no parts of a man to no extent. Classes/Quality - So before as stated, this is primarily Brazilian Jujitsu focused school. I should have titled this differently, but, by reading you you would understand several implications. The classes were separated by, this time of my involvement, Morning/Adults, Afternoon/Children Classes, Evenings/Adults. For the Adults in the evenings, they were extra classes involved in the calendar. There was Grappling/Open Mat/Striking within a day of service. Each class, you may never have the same couch and often the owner of the School makes his appearance on the mat. For awhile, he was indeed teaching the class him, he would go over anywhere from two to three techniques a night for that particular class. Before that, you would do a quick warm up, a bit of jogging that lasted a few seconds, stretches to get the kinks out of your body. After learning the techniques and participating - They would often have the groups split into smaller groups, and spar for a bit. With specific rules that encourage the trainee in working that specific position. Three segments exist. Morning - Adults... Afternoons for the Children, and Evening's Adults. Evenings you'd get three separate classes, which all, require a specific monthly subscription under the annual contract. You may never really see the owner of the establishment teach and sometimes you will be graced by his beloved vulgar humor and, well, Alpha like primitive instincts who closes resembles a giant ape. After all, the schools logo is of a Gorilla, right? Striking Classes at the time, were not what I have expected. I was told i could take Boxing Lessons, and well, they weren't Boxing lessons. Although the cool thing was, they were actually Muay Thai, for awhile. Reggie and Omar Ahmed ended up leaving, because, Justin felt as if they didn't embody the school for what they wanted it to be. Reggie left for a better opportunity and well, Omar Ahmed from the Satin Gym, was never to be found. You could only find him in the Satin Gym located in Astoria, Queens. His instruction was amazing as a Muay Thai Instructor, kudos to him. A few key points. The owner of the Jungle Gym did create an atmosphere that he tailored for Business purposes. They will try to get you to purchase there gear, so, you might not have to go far and wide to purchase reasonably better gear with greater build quality. A word to the wise, people steal here. You could have the same gear you purchased, brand new, swiped with theirs and you'll never know. First and foremost, the Trainees... You will make decent human beings of friends, though, everyone has a specific narrative or agenda. Teachers, maybe one of them are friendly but the rest are just meat heads with Alpha Mentality. Be warned... Whatever you do please look over the contract, you have to know what you're getting yourself into. These classes can be expensive, and I'm sure, the rent is not cheap either " That we know of " The instructions are okay, Gym quality is actually better then most in the area. The owner can be deceptive so thread lightly. Overall JG gets 3 / 5 read more

nah yall tweaking gng. 200 a month if im not mistaken is crazy. it smells like sweat in that place. people cannot eat or drink even if they are not on the mats for some reason. read more

I myself, enjoy the jungle Gym. I thought its was a family , friendly place. I see it was all about money. Locking me into a contract! I was told one thing and another thing happened. Now I been training for the last 7 years at another Gym. Respect to all who studied the art and became disappointed by it read more

I trained at the gym for a little over a year, and it was an amazing experience. They truly take you in and treat you like family. Also if you put the work you will see results. if you need to freeze your membership and have no estimate time on how long you will be out for just cancel it. ( you cannot freeze the account ) it is now March 2020 and the owner refuses to cancel my membership which I requested to cancel back in November 2019. Since he refuses to cancel the membership, I went from owing $361 to now almost $1000. If you work hard for your money this is not the place for you!! Also the owner ignores my emails and the third party company is not able to do anything about it unless he gives the okay. read more

The Good matt space. The Instructor was a proficient in Brazilian sport Jiu-Jitsu. The accommodation smell was stink. However they have large fan in space. Location looks like the mechanic place. Main teacher is of good level Maybe he win inside the Pancrase game in Japan. This School is good for Bronx Mixed Martial arts fan, But i would avoid if i am serious of the development of the Sport Jiu-Jitsu. They try to sell me too many times. it is offensive to me the sales person was. (so sorry for my english ) Domo Arigato KS. read more

My is in the after school program, coaches are excellent with kids, they offer parents night out once a month. I would highly recommend.

The Jungle Gym is the definition of a Mixed Martial Arts Academy. Everyone here will be very helpful throughout your journey. This is a "no excuses" environment and list of good fighters. The jungle gym also has a very awesome kids program for them to become bullyproof!!! read more

Only come to Jungle Gym if you want Power. The problem for some people is that they are not willing to pay what it takes to attain that Power. The type of power that changes your life can only be attained through pressure. You pay for it with pressure. The Jungle Gym provides the path and a proven blue print so that you can have a strong mindset to be able to climb the ladder to your personal goals. Whether it's becoming a pro fighter or just fighting like one to losing weight and feeling awesome about yourself, the pressure that is experienced here is designed to make you a better you. Pressure to Power! - We Swear By It! See you on the mats! read more

I wish I could give 0 stars but the yelp system is still flawed, but I digress. I joined this gym about a month ago, really excited to find a kickboxing gym in The Bronx and help support my local community. When I initially signed up, I was met by a very friendly coach, who explained to me the program, and even though I wouldn't be able to take any kickboxing classes in the first two weeks (the classes I expressed initial interest in), the classes would be available to me after two weeks. Thinking this was just a precaution to make sure you were conditioned for more intense classes, I felt it was nice that the gym took time to make sure you were prepared for other classes and I signed up. Fast forward to two week laters to the same friendly coach telling me if i'd like to take the classes I was told would be available, that I'll have to pay an additional cost. Why was this not explained to me when I initially signed up? All I was told was about the payment options, I was not told for the other classes to be accessible I would have to sign up for another program all together. I also wasn't told that in order to take these classes there would be an additional fee. They deliberately waited to lock me into a contract to tell me that there would be more fees. That way when I canceled they would still get more money from me. When I talked to the manager and owner, they all said it was my fault due to my assumptions even though none of this was explained. It's sad that they were more than willing to work with me when I signed up and took my money, but after there were complications due to no communication on their part about additional fees, they weren't as friendly or willing to help. The manager even asked "can you not afford it or do you just not want to pay?". Wow. I'm very happy I will no longer be attending this gym. Even though I'll have to pay another $149 to break my contract, at least I won't have to be swindled out of more money in the future. So the $149 is actually an investment on my end. Save your money and look for a gym that is up front about their cost and has the same moral and ethical customer service they claim their gym was founded on. read more

The Jungle Gym - I've never been called an underachiever by a stranger, that type of judgement is usually reserved for family. - Martial Arts Near Me - Bronx, New York

A diamond the in the rough, literally. in the middle of Westchester Ave in the Bronx, this place stands out from the rest of the martial arts gyms around. Justin, the owner, is a wealth of knowledge and will do anything for his members. I'm not exactly into Martial Arts, but my boyfriend has been a part of the jungle gym for 8 years, he and the other senior members make up a team that help breed some amazing fighters. I've been to some of the promotion parties and events that the gym throws... The Jungle Gym is not just about Brazilian jujitsu. Its about teaching life skills, and about being part of a big family. Its definitely something different. Their clientele is increasing by the minute, and its clear to see why. Check it out. read more

I guess people are waiting for magic to happen in a week. Overall the place is like any other MMA/BJJ school. You go there, you sweat, you practice, you learn. The coaches are all excellent and environment is really conducive to learning. They make you work hard but you also have to put in the effort. I love this place. And honestly it is worth the money, open 24hrs and the location is very accessible. read more

I'm a proud parent of a child attending The Jungle Gym. My son looks forward to coming here as much as possible. Its environment is very friendly and a great place for your child's social development. Plenty of adult classes. Depending on what your desires in the world of grappling or MMA is, this place has it all. I recommend this place if you just want to learn BJJ, if you want to go "balls out" or have your child develop into a well discipline martial artist. read more

If you want to be a great martial artist, they're are many good places. But if you want to be a great martial artist and a better person...I personally recommend Jungle Gym. read more

As much pain as I'm in after the workout I really love and look forward to my fighterella days. The atmosphere is of 'no excuses' and the coaches are just the right mix of nice and tough. If nothing else I've learned not to hate burpees lol totally recommend The Jungle Gym! read more

I will NOT recommend this place to anyone They advertise free trail lessons but you will only get if you pay for a full yr. in advance Certain things need improvement. My son was enjoying it. Some thing happened and I spoke my mind and the owner was there and he didn't like what I said and told me to remove my son. I asked if I would get a refund he said yes of what I didn't use. I left it alone and sat in my sons class. In the middle of class he came and pulled my son out of class and said he wasn't going to have him there. Mind you my son is 7 yrs old. This was the first time in 5 months that I was going there that the owner even approached me. read more

I was never informed about any contract signing. And when i canceled the class cause it was slightly over my budget. They had some company called member solution harass me. Now they put me in an collection agency to collect over 2,000. Funny this happened 6 months ago. How do i owe over 2,000? Not happy at all with them read more

Did one DAY of training Then they tried to hustle the shit outta me. I train with the Gracie's now

I'm writing this review as a Phys. Ed. teacher of 20 years, and a Judoka of 26 years. I have two points to make concerning The Jungle Gym: 1. The instruction is excellent. A lot of thought has been given concerning which skills are taught, and when. When a skill is taught, you often get a lot more than the name, a step by step demonstration, and a how to guide. Expect some history of the skill, tips on when it is most useful, and the range of body types that will make the skill easier to execute. The skill is demonstrated as much as needed, and ample time is given to practice with a partner. The instructor will walk around, and offer feedback, or tips, as you practice. How fast you learn varies, but that leads me to my second point. 2. The culture of this school is excellent. There is an expectation that you are committed to improving yourself. No one cares that you may be the weakest one there. What matters is that you want to become strong, and that you have the willingness to work for it. I have been with the school for a few years, and I've seen people come and go. If you want to get stronger, both mentally, and physically, you belong here, and you will improve. read more

Let's start with the smell when you walk in, the moldy smell almost made me sick. Then after an injury I needed to cancel and they would allow me to cancel but then still wanted to bill me. I was referred to 'Frank' who was as accessible as 'Sum Dum Goy' (fortune cookies king from Last Dragon). Wanting to bill me absorbent fees and never able to speak to the actual person. I was harassed so much I preferred to be in collections. I felt like it was some sort of racket. It was like a financial MMA move...twisting me into a pretzel. Jungle gym you can keep your trophies. I feel there are more financial and scheduling options out there...with better facilities. read more

The best instructor on the East Coast hands down.

This is the real deal! The instructors are knowledgeable and patient. The schedule is packed so no matter what my day looks like I can get a class in. I would definitely recommend people give it a shot. read more

I really enjoy the gym. I got a groupon. No upsale. I went and was able to use it. The staff is very professional friendly and informative, wich is very important for someone new at this like me. Every coach in every different class will push you and help you to transform your body find your strength and visualize your goals read more

Pro: good bjj instructors Nice bathrooms Cons: there's a contract which they don't even bother explaining to you. With said contract there is no freezing memberships even if you are injured and to cancel you need to pay 1/2 of your remaining contract. Insanely overpriced! They have a stupid level systems, first is fundamental which everyone takes, then there's mastery, warrior and warrior elite. So instead of earning your way through the levels, you just pay $50 extra each month with an additional 2 years on your contract, so if your taking warrior or warrior elite classes, well you're paying about $100-$150 more than you would if you trained anywhere else, and you'll be stuck there for about 4-7 years depending how fast they allow you to "progress". As someone who trained in boxing , Kyokushin and Muay Thai. I can say with confidants that their striking classes are taught horribly. They don't even allow students to do pad work until mastery classes and when they are in mastery or above, their technique aren't even corrected. They don't let their students roll in class until you pay for mastery class, which is weird and so far JGB is the only gym that does this. read more

I'm looking for a martial arts school in the Bronx so I checked out The Jungle Gym. From the reviews and the owner's nasty responses for sure I wouldn't bother with this school. No way. read more

I've inquired about this gym in the past, even going as far as visiting it...only to find that many of the "pushy, get in your wallet" claims are VERY TRUE. The facility in itself is nice considering its location...but prices of $250.00 and up A MONTH are pretty crazy, especially when they try to lock you into a 3-4 year contract...You are bombarded with this pressure to sign up, and in many ways it seems as if they have no concern about teaching you the art/sport of MMA or "welcoming you to their family" but actually are only concerned with your $10,000.00/ 3 YEAR investment and yes I do mean 10 thousand dollars!......that all being said, Ive heard from many of the members that once the dotted line is signed all you get is a cramped over crowded gym and rarely even see the owner/master that you're paying all this money to learn from. At any given time, there are soo many other people participating in this "47 day free trial"(which is anything but that) that the gym is filled with young kids who are barely out of middle school and don't know the first thing about MMA. In a nut shell my sheer opinion is that this gym does have a lot of potential, but has traveled very far in the wrong direction. The claims of "only wanting the STRONG/POWERFUL LEADERS that would NEVER QUIT!" in the Jungle Gym, seems to be a sneaky way of brain washing new potential members into joining. It makes them believe that THEY are the "strong leader" Jungle gym is looking for. Only to get them to sign a 36 month contract and have them realize its not for them... but by that time, its too late... read more

I am a manager of a group home for 20 boys, and was seeking a gym for them to attend and thought of this gym. I read the reviews, and that didn't bother me half as much as the owners response. To insult someone because they don't like your facility is so unprofessional! To tell a guy he needs to be a man and get a job, wow. No matter what a customers opinion may be, you as an owner should always keep it professional. Thanks for making my choice easier justin read more

I would not even give this place a one star. This place really sucks because I got FORCED in to signing the contract and I really did not want to sign. I wanted to leave because the place really sucks there wasn't much room. The place was like packed in without having any room to move. The place really did stink and someone could donate air fresher to this place. When I said I want more time to think if I should sign or not the guy said well you can't leave until you sign. I signed but it was not my signature because I really did not want to sign. So I would try to stay away from this place as much as possible. read more

They call you family but all they want is your money. They make you sign a contract that gives them permission to raid your bank account without your consent and you can't participate in some of the 45 minute classes if you don't have the gloves or shin guards (You have to buy the shin guards and gloves by the way which is pretty pricey.) The whole place is one big scam. read more

Big rip off, stay away from this place. I was told that I have a 45 day window to cancel but when it came down to actually canceling there were a million stipulations, so basically they lied to my face about the cancelation policy. There are other more legit professional gyms in the area, you're better off going to one of those. read more

Great place, Nice teachers BUT, I found myself in a situation where I was not able to take my daughter anymore and tried to cancel and was not able to because I signed a contract for a year (I get it signed a contract). Now I try to cancel again and they tell me I have to give them 30 days notice. I just think it is a bit ridiculous and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. So before you sign up read the contract well because they do not work with you. It is all about the $$$$$. So now I'm stuck paying $200 for a month of jujitsu that she will never use. read more

It's a decent place small Mat size. The system for promotions and what not I don't agree with. Some of the BJJ is flawed there were a few instances that actual steps to certain techniques were left out or modified to accommodate the style they want to teach rather than the technique how it was originally developed. For the Bronx its one of the best places to go to for the Bronx MMA and BJJ Circuits but if your looking to develop into a world class fighter or grappler I'd search elsewhere immediately. read more

I enrolled my daughter into the school initially and through seeing how well she responded to the training as well as the instructors I gained a level of respect for this school. I started training here as well and would be lying if I said I am consistent but whenever i continue my training the knowledge gained is impressive and the instructors are helpful, the respect continues to stand. read more

Don't give them any credit card information. Their trial period is a scam, for what they charge, you're not allowed to use the showers (You can at Planet Fitness, Star Fitness; both that are close by), you'll find better instructors overall at Morris Park Boxing. I will say, staff is mostly on their game, and friendly as well as fellow students, but their administration/management is horrendous. read more

Listen this place was and used to be a great place to train. Do not even walk in cause the owner has changed his whole aspect on this gym to money money money. The senior belts that started from the beginning from the first place are not even here anymore, meaning they all had fall outs with Justin "hustle" Garcia either over money or over his fat ego. Loyalty is not respected here take your money and your time to renzos up by allerton or even Marcelo Garcia in the city where you'll get for 220 unlimited Bjj with out having to read the cult signs this place has all over the walls, oh mind you a Abu Dhabi champion not a first round tap out.. It is to expensive crazy prices for a bronx spot and way way to much drama from this school the good students drop like flies you'll be rolling one week with the fellow that might not be coming back anymore cause its probably over some money a damn shame..... Integrity lol yea right... read more

The 47 day free offer is fake and just a marketing ploy. The 100% satisfaction guarantee refund is also not to be trusted. I went in for one visit, signed some paperwork but did not complete the application because I wanted to check with my wife if she wanted our kids to do training there. She was not interested because the schedule did not work for my daughter and if my 5 year old son was to attend we would have to sign a waiver and could not watch his training, so if anything ever happened to him we would be responsible but would have no idea how he got hurt. I explained to the coach/receptionist that we will not sign up and now I am being asked to stop by and tell them in person I will not sign up or send a certified letter explaining why I won't sign up, even though I already told them. If I do not do this, they have threatened to bill me and enforce penalties. Well I did not attend for more than 1 day and I did not sign up, yet they boast about 47 days free and a 100% satisfaction guarantee? I do not recommend this place for families. This place is probably better for adults in training (maybe) but for children, it is obviously not their focus or priority. You can find much better places that are trustworthy, with more integrity, honor and respect. Martial Arts USA in castle hill for example, is 100 times better and more professional. read more

I would have given them zero stars but Yelp won't allow me to. Awful awful awful awful gym! They say they are a family but that's sooooooo far from the truth. They are all a bunch of money hungry individuals. All they care about is MONEY! They will kill you with kindness when you first walk in and once they have you locked into a contract they do not care about you. They charge almost $200 to cancel membership. They are not even worth that! Justin is the fakest person on this earth! The name of the gym should be the The Money Gym because they get you for your money and you don't get anything from it. Seriously people, RUN! You'll regret you ever walked in. My son hated it too. Honestly think They are the worst experience I ever had. Really shady business. I understand it's a business and you have to make a living but hustling people out of their money is despicable! I joined a new martial arts gym and they truly are a family and very willing to work with you. About the same price as this fake gym but it's worth the money unlike jungle gym. SO glad I don't have anything to do with them anymore. Ye ye justin, please say something, I see how rude you are with other people when they call you and your gym out. Go for it. read more

By far the worst customer service! Anthony the Manager there was very rude and was very unprofessional! After asking to speak to the owner numerous times he antagonized me over and over again on the phone to the point that he was creating me to be hostile and even laughed on the phone. This happened a month ago and til this day the situation has not been resolved. Having a close family member die and having to move unexpectedly to another state the last thought in my mind was keeping with jungle gym. Non the less they sent reminder emails to my son who is a minor with billing follow ups however i'm not sure how many minors really keep up with billing inquires. They never sent me a direct email nor did they have it on file, no mail or a phone call which they also did not have on file. However, the collections company they hired was able to reach out to me. So in my experience their customer service is terrible and why is it so hard to reach the owner? Last I heard he wasn't God! That alone tells me that for a small business that they do not value there customers and as far as Anthony he needs to be trained or better yet fired. He needs to learn how to speak to people without being demeaning. People have unexpected things that life just throws at you and you cannot control so for future customers just remember this place is all about money. They do not care about the kids that attend nor the adults and with being unorganized with peoples information makes me think cannot be trusted with personal financial information either. read more

At one point I really loved this place , was willing to stay as long as I could , a decade if I could , I was in jungle gym for almost 2 years , the training is amazing , instructors are top notch , I found out after renewing my contract in 2014 that I had a condition in my knees that will require surgery and about 6 months of rehab , I couldn't compete any longer , I did not want to go through with the surgery yet because I'm a full time college student and need to work , I went to them directly and told them that I needed to cancel my membership due to serval reasons , they told me they will try to give me 3 months breathing space but nobody got back to me or called me , I went on to get medical records about the condition in my knees and forward it to a gentlemen name Frank , who I believe is in charge of cancellation procedure , he replied to me stating to sent what I had , after that he never replied to me for almost 7 months and I sent countless emails and didn't replied to none , nor told me my medical records wasn't good enough to get me out my contract , I was still getting charged every month after I plead for help but nobody cared , I called the company that manages the money and they told me call the school directly , I called the school and they told me to talk to frank , and Frank ignores me and gives me no options or even offers me the option I have on my contract of a buyout , it's really heartbreaking due to how much I loved this place and wanted to grow with them , even with my busy schedule I made the effort to come as much as I could and was willing to take 3 months off from school and work to at some point to devote my time to the school to get better at any cost before hearing about my condition , I really looked up to the head of the school and was moved by his speeches , remembered one about him saying that if ever we feel like we can't be here anymore to speak to them but nobody obviously cared for my well being , I hoping after my rehab I can complete again , I will find it difficult to return to jungle gym after the way i was treated read more

bought a groupon 2 try it out walked in initially very pleasing atmosphere felt unintimidated n welcomed. set my schedule 4 first class striking. 45 minutes was fun punching around but no bags on site. no1 had told me i needed gloves luckily som1 lent me some. had a nice sweat n had some feedback from instructor. after class i hit the fan but was rushed out 2 sit in a private room where the instructors mission was to pressure me into signing a 1 year contract commitment at 200 dollars. the price is standard if u want BBJ and boxing classes.i noticed occassionally some of the instructors curse but nothing crazy but i guess it comes down to who the instructor is. sometimes all it takes is just one guy to give a plave a bad name. i felt very unease n i coulnt understand the pressure to sign. well i seriously wanted 2 continued but cuz i noticed all they want from u is a 1 year contract i realized that place wasnt for me. i decided not 2 continue w my groupon classes as i know they r gonna continue harassing me about it. i cant speak on the instructors fighting experience. i wished the place was bigger with more equipment though. i dont wanna pay that kind of money for now. ive looked around there is no cheap way. this experience was w one specific instructor i dont want ppl to think that i had issues w everyone there. i actually felt good and enjoy it. read more