Martial Way Academy

Guro Larry is an amazingly rare breed, fun to talk to, always motivating, willing to jump right into anything that’s going on to show you a little more. He’s been doing this for a very long time and the skill shows.
I’ve been attending classes for about a year and half and I have been having a blast with every lesson. Additionally, I have training twice weekly with private lessons which have helped me reach a much better understanding of everything from fighting, fitness, health, and the history of the academy and the styles they teach. If you’re looking for a place to learn a variety of martial arts and good bit of history, this is the place for you. Classes will always leave you sweating and you can always be loud and excited.

Uh, no thanks.
Took kickboxing classes at Martial Way. My first mistake was to take it during the summer– no air conditioning in an enclosed class full of grown adults. In Texas heat? Not the best. It felt gross to take deep breaths of what smelled like years of accumulated sweat.
The classes themselves were decent– I did feel like I worked out and learned a little bit about kickboxing.
The people who run it, in my opinion, are irresponsible. Their daughter, who at the time couldn’t have been more than 6 years old, rode her tricycle IN THE MIDDLE of class, weaving in between students who were kicking and thrashing. I saw this little girl smack one of the students on the behind. I also saw her at one point run around the facility with nothing but underwear on. This made a huge negative impression on me because the situation made me feel uneasy. You never know what kind of weirdos the little girl might encounter or what harmful situation she might find herself in.
Not only that, but on my last day, when I was asked to come to the office so that they could convince me to join permanently, the little girl was completely unsupervised. She grabbed my purse, undid all the zippers, and managed to find an Ibuprofen bottle I had with me. This happened in front of her mother who did not stop her, so it was up to me to say something to get her to stop. I shouldn’t have to discipline other people’s children. No boundaries whatsoever– completely unprofessional.
I agree with previous reviewers who mentioned the odd and cultish vibe there as well. I completed the beginner course, but I knew that I’d never come back again.
Martial Way will also call and email you non-​stop once you leave.
Everything about this place is unappealing.

Just an update now that I’m out of the honeymoon period with Martial Way. I’ve been going close to a year now to their kickboxing classes and private lessons.
I’m still enjoying the energy and enthusiasm that Jamie, Shannon, and Larry bring to my training. They still care, and bring out the best in me.

Martial Way is one of the première martial art academy’s in Austin, Tx. The head instructor is a local and has been teaching JKD and other «martial arts» in Austin since well before the MMA — «know it all» craze started.
Now after reading the reviews it seems that anyone that has taken a «kickboxing» class at the YMCA or UT thinks they can formulate an opinion.
Rest assured, this school is an excellent place to learn martial arts. not just the flash in the pan MMA.
Take some time, meet the head instructor Larry St. Clair & see someone who truly cares about his school & his students. He is an instructor under Sifu Ron Balicki (
) as well as Dan Inosanto. So you know he’s been around.
Martial Way hosts multiple seminars ever years & brings in some of the worlds première instructors.
I have frequented the school when I’m in Austin and enjoy the people. Remember people, martial art schools aren’t Burger King. You don’t get it. «your way». You follow rules & learn at the pace they think you can handle. If not, maybe the arts aren’t for you… Try Double Daves on Duval.

Martial Way Academy is fantastic! Not only is the workout intense and the instruction solid, I love the encouragement from instructors and students alike. It’s rare now days that you feel right at home in a place regardless of your skill level. I am a brown belt and have been out of martial arts for a while but I am excited to be in a welcoming place, getting my edge back — even when I feel like i have a long way to go.
Keep up the great work Martial Way!!!

Why nobody can tell me a price?
I have been wanting to join a kickboxing class up north austin, and started browsing. Some other reviewers had already mentioned the not so clear price practices from this place
Agree. After several phone calls and emails, I still cannot have a price set for the beginner kickboxing class. I have to sit with a trainer or so and he will prepare me a package… I do not want a package! I just want to go to 1 class a day!
Is it that hard to tell me it costs 30, 50 or so per month?
Due to the above reason I am not even sure I want to give this place a try, I might just go continue searching…

I am currently taking my first class with martial way and I love it!
Having heard stories of bruised ribs and black eyes before getting started with Martial Way, I’ll admit to being nervous before classes started. As it turns out, I didn’t have anything to be scared of.
The workouts are INTENSE. I have never sweat so much in my life. And after I leave classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, I’m typically flooded with sweat and endorphins and go home grinning and giggling like a lunatic. It’s a fantastic feeling. AND as a bonus, I am (and my boyfriend is) now happier knowing I can cause a little damage if I need to, too. There’s something deeply, deeply gratifying about that.
The staff is VERY helpful and friendly. They’re even great about working around an injury if you happen to be a bit of a klutz, like yours truly.
I highly recommend Martial Way!

I attended a single private lesson and one beginner’s class here. During the beginner’s class, a small child (belonging to one of the instructors) kept running into the area where we were working out, asking her mother questions. I’m all for creative childcare, but for safety’s sake, it doesn’t seem right to have me learning how to roundhouse kick while munchkins are running around.
During the first class I also seriously strained my neck trying to do a rapid-​fire series of pushups. While it’s my fault that I didn’t preserve correct form, I was disappointed at the lack of attention they had in demonstrating that form (I saw other students who were definitely asking for injury).
They also wouldn’t tell me how much the classes would be, even when I asked if it was the price listed on their website. From what I’ve seen here, it seems like they are on a pay-​what-​you-​can scale which is less of a sliding scale than it is a scale at the whim of the business owner. That doesn’t inspire confidence. They also kept talking about parties and events that they put together for the students, also for fees. It just struck me as a little odd.
I appreciate the fact that the instructors I worked with (who, from other reviews I’ve read, seem to be advanced students?) were energetic and supportive. But it wasn’t enough to inspire confidence in what I’d get from them after paying an undisclosed sum of money.

I had to comment here, because I saw Kimberly’s negative review (she gave my recently opened North Austin fitness studio one star, lol — guess she’s on a roll).
Anyway, I’ve been doing martial arts for 25 years and have trained kickboxing with professionals in gyms where pros trained. And, I can honestly say that Larry’s classes are great. I trained there for several months after selling my last studio, and had a great workout, every single time.
As for focusing on pad workouts, Kimberly should know that pad drills are a staple of most real boxing and kickboxing gyms.
Just because someone walks into a facility and doesn’t see what they expect, it doesn’t mean that gym is wrong for everyone. Try Martial Way and see for yourself if it’s for you — I’d bet most people will be pleasantly surprised.

I’ve been taking kickboxing classes for the last two years taught by professional fighters and competitors. I decided to give this place a try but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’ll start with the good points… everyone that worked there was really welcoming and helpful. The instructors seemed to know about technique. I think the good end about there.
The place was hot and smelly, I don’t think they had air conditioning in the main classroom upstairs. Not that gyms should smell like flowers but this one smelled like rank body odor. It wasn’t the kind of smell I wanted to be taking deep breaths of while working out.
None of the students I saw looked like they were reaping the benefits from the school’s workouts. In addition, the trainers who trained me did not look fit. From what they told me they were students themselves that achieved this ‘black belt ranking’ which seemed to me was only a ranking system their school used. The changing room they had was a locked bathroom outside you had to enter with a key. The training rooms for class were small, messy and unappealing.
The class structure that the trainers described to me was not what I was hoping for. They don’t use hanging bags, they focus mainly on Thai pads and during class you partner up with another student and they hold the pads for you. This is no bueno. If anyone should be holding the pads, it should be a trainer. Not a newbie to the class. Someone is going to wind up getting kicked in the face. Also, you only work on one combo per class. WHAT?! To me that is boring and repetitive. I would get bored doing ‘jab, cross, hook’, for a whole hour.
So…the search continues for another QUALITY kickboxing class!

I know this is a long review, just trying to be thorough and answer any possible questions. I’ve been attending Martial Way Academy for four months now. I’ve have taken many different styles of martial arts before, but nothing for more than a couple of years. I finally got myself settled in Austin and set out to find a school that would work for me.
Martial Way is NOT the academy for everyone, it can’t be. Martial way won’t fast-​track you to a black belt, and it won’t make you the next Brock Lesnar. Those aren’t the goals of the academy. Martial Way wants to help people get themselves into great shape, build a strong community amongst its students, and utilize a holistic approach to martial arts study
Some of what was written in previous reviews is true. The academy does have a very rah-​rah attitude about it, and it asks that students cheer each other on. That doesn’t mean that you have to be everyone’s best friend; but if you have a problem giving support to someone trying to better themselves, or you simply want to sweat in peace, then sign up for a gym, run on a treadmill and hit a heavy bag for your workout.
Furthermore, you are expected to complete twenty beginner’s kickboxing classes before you can join the intermediate students and learn the techniques of the five different styles taught at Martial Way. This may seem a terrible waste of one’s time if they’ve been studying martial arts their entire lives, but allow me to put it in some perspective. First, unlike many gyms that limit the number of classes you can take, Martial Way lets their students study up to fourteen hours a week with your membership. Each beginner class is one-​hour wherein you learn the basic techniques and terminology that the school uses for all of their classes (so you’re not lost when you make it to more advanced classes). There are nine beginner classes offered in the evenings of each week, and one on Saturday. Theoretically, you can finish these beginner classes in two weeks if you are, in fact, an experienced practitioner. Lastly, if you are committed to truly developing yourself as a martial artist, and not simply blazing through the belts, then there is NEVER any harm in drilling the fundamentals, if you pay attention to your technique, you’ll learn something new every lesson. I am presently studying at the intermediate level, but I still make it a point to go to every beginner class I can make because they are fantastic workouts (if you push yourself) and I am still developing and refining my technique every single class.
It is true that students teach classes. That is to say, intermediate level students who have been at the academy for years and are near their black belts will teach the beginner’s kickboxing classes. All of the classes of intermediate level or above are taught by black belts at the school. I have never felt as though the person conducting the class was incapable of doing so. What’s more is that by having a variety of different instructors for a variety of levels, student’s are able to receive more one on one attention. Anytime I’ve needed some help, there was always someone there to guide me through the techniques.
As per the belt system. Guro Larry St. Clair’s pedigree is quite reputable. He’s a student of Ron Balicki — student of Dan Inosanto — student of Bruce Lee. Not trying to drop names here, just explain that the instructors are competent and have proven credibility. Belt systems are established as a means for each individual school to determine and show to instructors, the respective experience level of each of their students. A black belt is something that takes years of dedication, and perhaps you may not be able to take the belt to another school (although i’ve never studied at a school where the belt does carry over) you can always take the skills and techniques you’ve learned everywhere you go.
In summation, this is a great school, but is not the ideal environment for everyone. They have a very positive environment, possibly too much for some people. They have intense, if somewhat simplistic to an experienced martial artist, beginner kickboxing classes. They have many enthusiastic and knowledgeable instructors. They teach five different styles in one location: this means you most likely won’t receive as much intensive study in one style, but you’ll also be exposed to many techniques you may not have experienced. The school isn’t designed to make you an MMA star, although they’d be glad to work with you if that’s what you are looking for. The pricing is on par with every other school in the Austin area. Unlike those schools, Martial Way provides it students many more classes per week for their membership. I think this is a great school but the bottom line is this: contact them, try out a few classes and see if Martial Way is right for you.

Disappointing business practices. after getting military orders for another city they continued to charge me and would not respond to my emails. I think that is a very spineless way to run a business.
The beginner classes are way basic and a waste of a person’s time who has prior experience. the requirement to attend beginner first is a turn off to any person with a lot of training and an insult. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone with sense. I would go somewhere else to get a real workout without paying extra for classes when you are already paying a high amount monthly. All in all very disappointed

Signed up for classes a year and 4 months ago and gotta say best martial arts school I’ve trained at. Keeps me involved and interested in improving myself and helping others improve. Love the energy — once you get over the initial shock of a school that actually promotes everyone contributing — it can be quite addicting. Don’t be put off by the other review — as long as you can put a little effort into pushing yourself and are not looking for a school with regimented «do as I say» hierarchy — you will love it. Also if you are looking for lineage, Larry trained under Inosanto, Bruce Lee’s chosen student to carry on his teachings.

I should preface this review by admitting that I attended exactly two classes at Martial Way through UT’s Informal Classes last year. I’ve trained in boxing and kickboxing for a few years at places in Austin and San Antonio, though, so I think I experienced enough there to form an opinion about this place.
The good part is that the workout had me sweating and gasping for air within minutes. Instructors were all energetic and helpful, and had the class moving almost non-​stop. The drills were simple enough for a basic class, and they would correct but not obsess over your technique. Both teachers and current students went out of their ways to be nice to us Informal Class outsiders and offered tons of encouragement. Maybe too much encouragement… In my opinion, the level of encouragement was one step above creepy and approaching that of cult-​like encouragement.
Everyone in the class was rah-​rahing everything that everybody did, and to me it just went overboard. «Yeah, Mike! Yeah!!! Woooooo!!!» or «Get it Amber — go!!! Yeahhhh!!!» or «Come on everyone, make some noise! Ah, that’s terrible – MAKE SOME NOISE!!!» Ugh.
To be fair to Martial Way, I am an introverted person as opposed to a rah-​rah, attaboy, outgoing kind of guy. I just prefer to go somewhere, get my punch-​and-​kick on, and drip sweat in peace without being accosted over the lack of noise I am producing. I don’t want to have to bow to walls* or tell Ashley that she murdered that roundhouse kick. So this place was not for me. If you are extroverted and friendly and loooove oodles of positive reinforcement, then Martial Way might be a great place for you.
Also: if you are the type of person who lurks a gym before going there, never give Martial Way your e-​mail or phone #. They WILL go overboard with the e-​mails, call you repeatedly, and they will find you on Facebook as well.
*If you forget to bow to the wall upon entering, you get punished with pushups or some other physical task. The kids like to hang out near the door and tattle on people who do not bow.

A few months ago, I was pathetic. Ok, I was doing some exercise at home, but I had gained 60 pounds in 2 years and felt like a hairless baboon when naked. In the battle of the stairs vs. me, the stairs won every time. Sometimes defeating me by just knowing they were there. I decided to try kickboxing because I had enjoyed tae-​bo very much and I didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself into.
Martial Way is the ONLY time I have ever felt comfortable in the gym. They work you hard, but friendly. I always feel like a person and not some automated number, and even though I am heavy, I never feel like folks are judgmental. I feel very supported by the staff and clients. I love how the attitude is ‘anyone can do this’.
In my time here, I have not only become a fitter person, but a lover of working out. I find myself at work counting the minutes to my class so I can sweat and burn off steam.
That’s better than counting down the minutes to happy hour!
*edited to add that I took away stars because I’ve moved to Oregon and they still call and email me.

I’ve been going here for several years. It’s an excellent, friendly MA academy offering a healthy variety of programs. I’d recommend for anyone seeking a no-​nonsense martial arts school without the meathead attitude that some can attract.