Progressive Martial Arts

I Highly recommend Progressive martial arts, family oriented facility that offers high level training for all ages. I trained here as a teenager with Sifu Nick in JKD, Muay Thai kickboxing and Kali, and been training consistently in Brazilian Jujitsu as adult. The place is friendly very clean but legit tutelage in many forms of martial arts.

I have been training at this school for about four years now. It’s a top-knotch academy in many respects. The space is large and clean. There is a small free-weight/gym area for students to use in between classes. The owner of the school, Sifu Nick, does a great job at making sure all of the martial arts equipment is replaced frequently. The rest of the staff is very friendly and professional without exception. There are usually posts on facebook or updates to the school’s mobile application for school holidays and events. You can count on a quality event/seminar at the school every few months or so.

But all else considered, the most important thing to consider in any martial arts school is the quality of instruction. Progressive Martial Arts offers a number of different classes with different instructors. Since I have been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu exclusively for the past few years, I can confidently attest to that program:

There is a beginner class which everyone takes for a few to six months taught by assistant instructors, good jiu jitsu guys in their own right who compete frequently. The beginner class is not intimidating in the least and the basic movements/escapes are very important for the advanced class. The advanced class is a great experience. The teacher, Professor Brandon, is a black belt under John Danaher at Renzo’s Gracie Academy in Manhattan. Since Professor Brandon actively trains himself on a regular basis, his students receive a nice flow of new techniques into the class. In addition, one of Professor Brandon’s many strengths as a teacher is that he will continue to go over new techniques and drills for quite some time. So rather than new techniques being introduced and abandoned just as fast, most students get a chance to adopt techniques and incorporate them into their own jiu jitsu game. Many of the advanced students also travel around the city and elsewhere, either taking classes under Progressive Martial Art’s affiliation with Renzo’s, or competing in tournaments. If you plan on competing, there are certainly many opportunities. But regardless, it is a benefit to have serious and diligent training partners. The advanced class generally has about a dozen students, so it is never over-crowded. The atmosphere is generally friendly and informal. Lastly, there are classes six days per week and sometimes, multiple times per day.

In short, I would easily recommend training at Progressive Martial Arts and especially in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program.

Although there are some great martial arts instructors here, it feels like a mcdojo. It's way too expensive and they suck you into a contract by luring you with the first month trial at 50$ then it skyrockets to 160 per month and 200 if you want to take it more serious, not to mention all the equipment that needs to be purchased. Not my style. It's very monotonous although they do try to help everyone the class is only an hour long and everyone seems to be very detached. Like go in and go out. Wouldn't recommend unless you have lots of money to burn.

While attending this school for Muay Thai, I had the Bronze package which is for 3 classes per week at $199 a month with a required contract of 48 months. If you terminate the contract early, you are forced to pay 50% of the tuition fee leftover. You are required to purchase and wear their school uniform. This school is more about making money than about the art.

Before I started training martial arts I was told not to settle for the first gym I went to and see what else was out there. I took a look at maybe 4 or 5 different gyms providing different programs, but once I took my first trial class at PMA and saw what they had to offer everything else went out the window. The coaches are great, and they pay very close attention to each individual to help you get the best out of whatever you're trying to accomplish. It's a great place for those who look to compete, the students are competitive and help you push yourself to get to where you want to be. Sifu Nick always keeps the gym updated with near gear, and new workout equipment. I highly recommend Progressive Martial Art's.