The Pit Austin

I have been bringing my son to The Pit Austin for a year now and it has made all the difference. They have provided him with a work ethic and sense of discipline that is rarely afforded in today’s children. The instructor Miguel is top notch and is a student and teacher at the school. We will continue to bring him for as long as he wants to be apart of he The Pit family.

I started going to The Pit due to a random Groupon purchase. I’m a runner, who was stuck in a rut. I was never one who enjoyed gyms or lifting weights. I tried yoga, and it just wasn’t doing it for me. The Pit had a $ 39 groupon for 10 kickboxing classes. I figured, why not?
I had no previous martial arts experience, so I was very intimidated by all the students dressed in all black with higher ranking belts. I was afraid I wouldn’t fit in and that I made a mistake. After the first class I was sore for 3 days, but I was hooked. By my 2^nd week, the office manager, Ralph, knew my name. It is a very welcoming environment, even if you’re inexperienced. I made it a point to go 2 times a week. Once my Groupon deal came close to ending I was offered pricing to join the school. OF COURSE I JOINED!
The instructors are very helpful and encourage you to work hard and have proper technique. They are all knowledgeable and skilled, which you can tell during their instruction. They make a point to individually help students, without making you feel embarrassed. Everyone there wants you to better yourself.
After going twice a week for just a few weeks, I could already tell I was getting stronger. Embarrassingly enough, I could barely do a push up before joining. I can successfully say I am way beyond 1 push up now. All their fitness/​strength exercises are functional and practical. I am the strongest I’ve ever been, and I didn’t have to lift a single weight. Even when I think a class is easier than normal, I wake up sore the next day, confirming I got in a good work out.
For those who are weary or don’t know what to expect in the kickboxing class, here’s how it typically goes: Warm up, bag work (my favorite), partner practice, and fitness/​cardio. Each class typically has a focus of a new skill or combination that you connect from each class. They offer other classes too, including a self defense class, which I attended and found very helpful. Every few weeks they have seminars you can sign up for too. (Ex. Nutrition, Kettle Bell, Boot camp etc…)
You can’t get a better work out from anywhere else. It’s an encouraging atmosphere where you learn the basics of Hawaiian Kempo kickboxing (skills and mentality). I always feel great after each class. It’s especially nice when you’re stressed or feel like letting out some anger in a positive way.

I went to my first class yesterday and I couldn’t been happier. I got a great workout in just 1 hour and everyone was so nice and made me feel comfortable. I would highly recommend you check it out !

This is a fantastic school and Master Hughes has helped me improve my life in many ways. Before I joined, I was a heavy smoker living on a diet of fried chicken and chocolate cake. Since I started taking classes here, I’ve lost 45 pounds, quit smoking for good and even though I’m 41 now, I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m also more confident, more patient and a lot more disciplined. The school is a friendly, welcoming environment for anyone who wants to improve themselves.

I love the pit! I only do the fitness classes and they’re awesome, it’s a full body work out (upper & lower body, core, etc) for both strength and endurance. This ain’t no meat market either, the guys are respectful and are there to work out, so don’t worry about getting cute before you come work out b/​c most of us are rocking some funky b.o. and our shirts are soaked w/​sweat ha ha You get the good kind of attention like from our teachers :) they all have a lot of experience and are so knowledgeable, classes are small to medium size so they help you tweak your form, and it’s positive energy. Although I’ve been here about 2 years I’m continually learning new things and still having fun while getting fit.

I visited AFMA for a different reason than to work out. I had my six year old’s son birthday party there, and it was the coolest party idea ever! I mean, what six year old doesn’t want to cut their birthday cake with a samurai sword (with the help of a trained martial artist of course)! These guys set up an awesome obstacle course and really wore out the kiddos. Then, fed them pizza, while giving them a show of their own skills, ant topped it off with an awesome cutting of the cake, and a few more games. It was the perfect amount of time, so much fun for the kids, and all at a really good price. He’s already insisting on having his next birthday there! The staff was great, and I will absolutely be recommending AFMA to friends and family.

I was a member for a while. It is a very vigorous training program and you can expect to see good results. The staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about martial arts. The only downside is the times they offer the classes I was interested in which was late evening and the cost. It is an expensive venture, but if you have the money I highly recommend their program.

I purposefully waited until I moved out of Austin to write this review. I really wanted to think about what to say and how to say it. So I’ll keep it short and simple.
AFMA totally changed my life. Even though I’d taken martial arts in middle school, and sporadically joined various gyms throughout college, AFMA is where I found my home. The people at the gym (both instructors and members) make it a home away from home. I spent a year taking Kickboxing and Crosspit, and now that I’ve moved I miss it everyday. Because of my experience there, I now look forward to going to the gym everyday, improving myself, and making new friends.
I highly recommend AFMA for both advanced students and newcomers. Sifu Hughes and Sifu Graham are qualified, responsible instructors who will work with you to meet your goals. Go try it! You might surprise yourself and love it.

i went there yesterday to try it out. i did the 30 min cross fit training. it gave me a good workout – had to stop and take breaks when everyone else was still working out. im not in shape by any means. then after the workout i spoke with someone about the prices and what my goals were. the price was too high for me.$ 125/​month for 3 workouts a week plus the downpayment and the cost of the equipment. if i made more money i would sign up for those classes but its just out of my budget right now. they offer alot of different classes at different times which was nice. my class started at 7:00 pm. there were a few kids on the mat next to their mom who was working out. one of them got in the way during my workout at one point. i thought it was kind of weird to have these kids running around bc it was kinda distracting. but besides that no complaints everyone there was really nice

I have not taken martial arts classes at any other Austin schools, but you know what, I don’t really want to. You definitely get out what you put in. So, at this school you can get an overall workout and just go when you can and that’s fine, you’ll still reap the fitness benefits. More dedicated students practially live there and have a chance to learn the art to a fine level of detail. If I had the time to spare I would absorb every single thing Sifu Hughes has to teach. He and his associates are extremely talented and experienced and this is a genuinely authentic place to train.