Reviews of West Vancouver Martial Arts (Gym)

Michael “haans” Lee

went to this place for about a year for both cardio and adult martial arts kboxing and this is my experience with them cardio classes: nothing special, very demanding, small class of maybe 3 people, overall pretty good actually if you want to lose fat adult martial arts on the other hand is very lackluster for what you pay, they give you 6 month or 1 year deals that cost around $33 per day (1 hour) for 2 day a week deal..this is already ridiculous, just to put this in comparison, there's a kboxing place on Denman with much smaller classes that you pay 30 dollars per month for a whole unlimited month training this is how a day in WVMA for adult martial art looks: regular same everyday warm up 10 mins, pad work (very mediocre combos), some kicks and punches 10 mins (you are actually frowned upon doing kicks and punches out of your belt level), belt specific combos 10 mins (gets very boring very fast over a period of time and overall way too easy), BJJ for like 15 mins (I don't understand this part, why is this part of kboxing?), conditioning (5 mins) then stretches + Master Blake's life lesson which he freestyles horribly or pretty good some days, i love this guy haha (5 mins). this happened everyday for almost over a year, the pace is INCREDIBLY slow and very boring for any decently fast learner, all the other advanced kicks and punches I had to learn by myself, these instructors also don't promote belts on skill level, it's how long you went here for, I would personally pay not even 10 dollars for these classes, it feels like a drop in kboxing rather than a 33 dollar 1 hour kboxing lesson (now I heard they are offering special promotionsof personal training, i wonder why...) the place itself is too small to include all 20 plus ppl so they even decided to put the lower level belts in a later time at 8 PM rather than 7 PM, they quickly reverted that in a week of trial, not sure what they were thinking... that being said the 1 star goes to the personality of Sensei Dean, Master Blake and the ppl there, they are all great ppl, I have actually nothing against them, they treated me perfectly fine as a person, it's just their kboxing business mindset and way of teaching are horrible, ppl go here because it's the only place in West Van that teaches kboxing kboxing skill level of ppl on average is obviously very low due to the slow-to-no teaching here, I know a few ppl who are good, but a majority higher than white belts couldn't even roundhouse kick in good form, this is not because the ppl are naturally bad, this is evident in the instructors' frowning upon ppl trying out of belt level kicks, combos, punches, and their completely ineffective and turtle speed coaching please save your money, go somewhere else

Stephanie Hacksel

Dean and Curtis are amazing instructors. My 7 year old son loves this class and has gained self confidence and motivation to strive for goals. He is always leaves class with a huge smile on his face. The extra activities they host are also super fun. I highly recommend WWMA!

Cea Person

I can't say enough good things about this place! My son has been with them for 5 years and he still loves going twice a week. My daughter has just joined and loves it too. The instructors are tireless in their efforts to teach fun classes while also teaching the students discipline and respect. Thanks WVMA!

Shahriar Afshar

Been working out here for 6 years I think. It has became a home to me.

Kimberley Knapp

WVMA has been a fixture in our lives for the better part of a decade. Both of our children have attended classes for many years and have benefited greatly from overall fitness, together with improved self-defense skills, self-confidence, leadership and life-skills. Master Blake, Sensei Dean and Sensei Curtis lead by example and bring the best out of our children.

Mike Mathers

These guys are the best! I have been taking my three kids there for over a year and it is like family. My kids benefit so much from the training. More importantly the instructors really connect and care about their welfare. I like having coffee with the parents in arms. All-around this is going to be a home for us as a place for my kids to learn and grow. ????????

Nicole Sjostedt

My now 13 year old has been at WVMA since he was around 7 years old. As a smaller kid we wanted to build our sons confidence as well as find training that could compliment his other sports like Tennis and Soccer. We noticed that not only was his confidence building but WVMA was giving him the self discipline tools he need to work through owning his sportsmanship behaviour on court and in the field. Working through defeat, being humble, having perseverance, being committed and coming ready with your tools and an open mind to train was a requirement, and you’ll be rewarded through earning your belts. These are proving to be some of the most valuable “life” skills he will ever learn and it shows more and more through every year with every belt/stripe earned.

Dave Tomlinson

WVMA does an outstanding job of training young kids to participate and learn about Mixed Martial Arts, while at the same time improving self-confidence, self-esteem and self-defence. We've enrolled both our kids, and if the same program was available when I was young, I would have wanted to be a part of it too.

Evan Knapp

I’ve been doing martial arts at WVMA for almost 7 years now, and have learned many important things from Master Blake, Sensei Dean and Sensei Curtis including respect, perseverance and humility. These skills, and others that I have learned at WVMA, have helped me in other areas of my life such as school and especially in cooperating effectively in groups.

Rajesh kumar

West Vancouver martial arts club has a unique way of training the kids. Initially, I was a bit cautious to put my kid to the club – considering he will become more belligerent. It is incorrect to say for my 7 year old boy Krishna. During his training in the club he is not only becoming more confident but also modest at the same time. Being almost two years with WVMA, there is never a day when Krishna doesn’t want to go. What surprises me more is that every time he gets a new strip or a belt he make sure that all of us as a family are present and share his achievements. Thanks WVMA for serving a good platform in his initial years to boost his self-confidence and physically, making him more stronger. I wish we should have more institutions like them and wish them all the success in the future.

Heidi De Lazzer

West Vancouver Martial Arts is unique in their approach. Skilled teachers, they streach students physically, building their skills and strengh in a way that is positive and fun. The program is excellent. To add to this they meet children wherever they are at emotionally. Kind, firm, encouraging... whatever students need they seem to know. Coaches take the time to understand where each student is coming from and build relationships in an authentic way. Now in his sixth year, our son still looks forward to going. They have worked to help him overcome anxieties and build attention and focus. He is proud of himself and is learning to set goals and work effectively with others.

Miss S

My youngest son Maxwell is a student here and has been for a few years now. There were times when Maxwell was in class and he was unfocused and not listening; however, with continued classes and coaching from each of his sensei, Maxwell is much more focused and engaged. Also, his self-assurance has grown substantially. My oldest son Wolf also attended here for many years and ultimately reached his junior black belt, was on the demo team and was part of the assistant coaching team. Although, Wolf does not attend at WVMA anymore, the life lessons, skills and self confidence that he learned while attending WVMA are everlasting. Not to mention, each of the instructors/sensei are fantastic and an extremely positive influence on the students. :)

Anon Moose

I created this account to write a completely honest review after 2 year experience. First: too expensive. Even if you sign up for 6 month deals they charge you around almost 30 dollars per day and you get to only go 2 days per week (1 hour each day). For cardio i think it is OK, but their martial arts lessons are incredibly boring and stale. Everyday same routine, kicks, punches, cardio. At best you will learn something new after 6 months and you start to wonder if you are in cardio. The instructors actually PREVENT people from LEARNING/DOING/TRYING techniques above their belts. The testing for belts is not strict at all and just moves everyone up even if they are not even remotely ready. If you want to learn kickboxing techniques and move up quickly based on your skill, NEVER EVER go here. Go to the north van one instead. You will actually learn more by watching 5 minute youtube clips than coming here and the worst part is that the instructors still make people do contraindicated exercises that put a ton of pressure on your spine and neck.