I was hesitant at first because I dislike drama, but I feel like this gym needs to be held…read moreaccountable, and this is the only way I can do it. I started bringing my 5- and 7-year-olds here for just under a year. They loved it; they made friends; my daughter competed in and won a huge tournament. I had truly thought I had found a treasure for my kids to grow in. My children are young, and the instructors here will encourage you, as a parent, to help your kids follow instructions and practice the techniques they are teaching. I had been doing this with my daughter and son every time we went; it was completely acceptable and encouraged. This is where everything went horribly wrong.....My daughter was practicing drills with a young boy I had known for quite some time. She was using the sweep technique incorrectly, so I quickly got on the floor with her and said, "Grab his collar or sleeves." Stop grabbing the back of his head. I got up and went back to my seat, as I had so many times before. I did not speak to this boy or even look at him; I only communicated with my daughter. For some reason, whatever I said to my daughter upset this boy; his mom became irate, and they stormed out of the gym. I got a call a few days later from 2 of the main coaches: "Jesse, we watched the video, and you did nothing wrong, but you can't come back to the gym. They also have cameras that prove everything I am saying. But because this boy is now disturbed by what I did and has a mother full of vitriol and hatred, their solution is to kick me out of the gym for doing exactly what they told me to do. I am the only one who can drive my kids to practice; they can no longer do jujitsu here. If you have kids and want to get them involved in Jujitsu, avoid this place at ALL COSTS. I imagine they will respond to this and try to defend themselves, but it's all bullshit, and I have proof. I will not forget this. And if the "mother" reads this, I hope you feel better about yourself. I hope hurting my children helps you and your child feel better, truly I do, at least you get something out of it, right? You should be so proud of yourself. What a great mother. Read less

Great gym. A great space to try out jiu-jitsu whether you're a seasoned veteran or a nervous…read morenewcomer.

Bellingham MMA is not your stereotypical gym! It's the most welcoming and inclusive gym I have been…read moretoo. Seeing a pride flag hanging among the world flags is a huge thing for us openingly gay athletes in a sport that has a lot of bias. I am proud to be part of a Gym family that is also a safe space and embraces diversity as we learn to ground and pound!

From the owner: You don't have to be a fighter to train like one. We teach Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu…read moreJitsu, and Full-Contact fighting.

"Boom! Elite Martial Arts" has one of the city's finest martial arts instructors at the helm. Greg…read moreMoench has over 10 years experience in the martial arts, and I can't think of a better role model for the students than him. He is attentive and caring, believing in and lifting up his students' abilities, but he doesn't coddle them; he treats them with respect, and they reciprocate. Greg is raising the bar for instructors everywhere to be more in tune with their students. This is more than a business, its a martial arts family.

Boom Elite Martial Arts and Mr Greg Moench are an absolute asset to the Bellingham/Whatcom County…read moreCommunity. His ability to relate and teach not just sets, forms and techniques but life lessons like personal accountability and positive self worth are second to none. He and his school are a class act.

Do you love the smell of sweat in the morning? This place reeks of hard work…read more There is an entry room with shirts and boxing gloves for sale. No one was behind the counter when I entered. I waited for awhile in hopes of being greeted, especially since there was a large sign on the door that said all visitors must sign in. When it was apparent no one knew or cared that I was there, I wandered into the gym. The big room was covered with a spongy mat and surrounded by mirrors. A female instructor was leading two men through a martial arts lesson. Around the corner was another large room divided into two workout areas by a short wall. One side had several free standing punching bags. The other side had kettle balls and several blobs that looked like the torso of a corpse. This was the kickboxing area. A female instructor led three students, 2 women and 1 man through a combination of calisthenics and kickboxing (heavy on the calisthenics). The warm-up included running laps, high steps, bear walk, soldier kicks, lunges, etc. The workout alternated between short bouts of punching and kicking the bag and longer torturous sessions of pushups, situps, planks, burpees and plenty of other punishing exercises. The last few minutes were reserved for the cool down stretches. Fast, techno music played rather quietly in the background. The instructor and students didn't really workout to the beat. There wasn't any choreography. Throughout the workout, students modified exercises as necessary to prevent exacerbating injuries; or if they weren't strong enough to do an exercise, the instructor gave them suggested modifications. No one really seemed thrilled to be there. I came to watch, but quickly lost interest and motivation for signing up for such grueling pain. I thought that more time would be spent doing kickboxing combos in synch with the music, which would have been fun, but that was not the case at all. The facility has a special offer. For $19.99, you get free boxing gloves and three classes. After that, you pay approximately $130 a month and can take as many classes as you can tolerate. Some people don't feel like they are getting a good workout unless they are dripping with sweat, and unable to lift their arms and too weak to walk afterwards. If this applies to you, you might actually like this. I was TKO the moment I walked in the door.

This is one greedy business. Signed my children up pre pandemic and have been charged monthly as if…read moremy children are going. My children got to go to one class...ONE!! I asked for them to please not charge me cause well we're not going because the country is shut down....I think that's fair. I was told that I would not be charged during the shut down, but now that they are able to open they decided to retroactively charge me several months in one month for services we couldn't use (BECAUSE THE COUNTRY WAS SHUT DOWN...). I've emailed several times and called, without ever getting a call back. Finally got someone today a lady who was incredibly rude and had no compassion for a mother who is not comfortable sending my children to a gym where the risk is high for catching COVID. The gym cares more about filling there pockets than they care about the safety of children. After posting on Facebook both owners finally decided to talk to me but only to try argue with me on my post only. Still haven't received a call or email. Or even a polite fake apology for not getting back to me yet...but the owner called me a bully for not wanting to be taken advantage of. For not wanting money for children to be taken when they haven't been able to provide the service we originally signed up for. I've been more than transparent about my requests that have gone unanswered.

Mr Darrow training you is the equivalent of Michael Jordan teaching you how to shoot a basketball…read more So methodical, and so technical. My wife and children all attend and we are so honored to have found this place, that's why it's booked full.

I've been training at Rockpile Dojo for almost a year and I've got to say its a great place to…read moretrain. I attend the Personal Combative classes on a regular basis. The main emphasis of the class is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but we work on a lot of other martial arts as well. I was nervous the first time I went but that feeling was gone after the first class. The environment is very positive. Everybody in class is friendly and very helpful when your having trouble learning a new technique. Mr. Darrow is very patient and friendly. He breaks down every technique to the point that anybody can understand the mechanics. All in all its a great gym with a very positive environment. I would recommend this gym to anybody that is interested in learning martial arts or anybody that is looking for a fun productive way to work out.

Great place. I've been training here for 7 years, and I can say with 100% certainty that it was…read moreworth every penny. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to join a friendly community and learn some martial arts.

Got to work out at this dojo tonight as a guest and it was an amazing experience. Sensei was great…read morewith a calm and focused teaching style. Students were friendly and passionate. Wish I lived closer so I could spend more time here and very thankful for the opportunity to train with them for the evening. If you live in Bellingham you should check it out!

If you're looking for a traditional karate dojo, this is the place to go in Bellingham. No mixed…read moremartial arts, no upselling expensive packages or "karate birthday parties": just real, formal karate in the shito-ryu style. Be prepared to work hard on the basics rather than advance quickly through the ranks... this is not a McDojo-style outfit. General classes include: warmups (with lots of stretching and core strengthening); standing basics; moving basics; kata; partner drills; and sparring (several forms). Classes are offered three days a week: Tuesday evening; Thursday evening; and Saturday morning. Additional seminars are occasionally offered so advanced students can focus on their work. This means that beginning students get a lot of attention from Sensei and senior students, rather than the focus being on advanced practitioners' work. There isn't a lot of safety gear used (just fistpads and mouthguards), so you'll learn how to take targeted punches in a relatively safe environment. Younger students (12 or so and under) need to have a parent willing to train with them; they're expected to develop the same discipline as adult students. This curriculum has been excellent for developing discipline and self-control in my son and me. There are several families that train together here. Sensei Bellingar is an excellent instructor. He maintains the rigor of this martial art while at the same time understanding the individual needs of each practitioner. He pushes each student to deliver his or her best, but without berating anyone or comparing us to each other--which is as it should be, because each person's abilities and challenges are unique. I'm a female practitioner and really appreciate that I'm held to the same high standard as the men I train with. Stepping onto the dojo floor transports students into a culture very different from the mainstream culture, which offers a much-needed contrast. The focus is on our work, not on our egos... and many of the lessons learned in the dojo are valuable in other aspects of our daily lives. Traditional Karate of Bellingham is a great place to discover one's true mettle and to develop one's best qualities.