The Academy MN
The Academy MN is a boxing gym located in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Specializing in Traditional Boxing. Rated 4.4 out of 5 by community members.
Specialties
Reviews
Gyms alright. For what they charge total for all classes($229 for 1 $269 for 2 in 2023/24 when I enrolled) you can do much better elsewhere(facility wise especially). They also dont have their prices posted online, anywhere in the gym or on any sort of document and what I got was just written down on the back of a schedule, weird. Includes access to facility, which has a basic weight lifting area with some calisthenics equipment, treadmills, 2 air bikes, dumbbells, bar, and a rock wall. There's 2 big open mat areas where they have the classes, and its hit or miss on whether or not there's mat space for you to use outside of when lessons are being taught, and the heavy bags are all set up in the area they seem to use the most for classes, the regulation sized MMA cage sort of helps this space issue(unless someones already using it). Starting out there they'll have you do a couple weeks(maybe less?) of intro classes to make sure you aren't 'completely' clueless, but they didnt really focus on defense or anything, and they don't really prepare you for the intensity of regular Muay Thai or boxing lessons in terms of being ready for what others will throw at you, or how important proper body mechanics really are. All they really did was have you throw some punches, knees, and elbows at the pads, some clinch work, and then off ya go. Coaches there were kinda weird, seemed more like you had to engage with them yourself as opposed to them being engaged with you(the person paying them) and any advice I was ever given was only when what I was doing was visibly improper or I was able to come up with how to ask about it. I understand the idea of commanding respect, but wouldn't it be better to be overly interested in your students development as a martial artist as opposed to not enough? Generally just felt like I had to go out of my way to insert myself into a community of closed off individuals, like if you dont match the criteria they aren't interested, or are just quick to make their own assumptions about somebody and leave it at that. Overall the gym is decent but for what they charge(over $250 for TWO classes) you're better off going somewhere like The Cellar(which has MUCH more space for recreation outside of classes on top of having a bigger fitness area), or even just finding a private instructor. Also be VERY aware of when you decide to cancel as they require a 30 day notice and will charge you 1-2 more times before the actual cancelation if not done in tandem with a membership hold. It seems like a big part of what you pay for here is the name, and the history. I was honestly hoping to be proven wrong about the feeling that they just wanted my money, but I can't say that they did. A lot of the reviews I see look like people who actively train there/know the people and these come off as disingenuous. However I understand that everyone's experience is different, that's why I left this review.
If you’re looking for the gym with the best coaches, best classes, best facility, best community, then The Academy MN is the right gym for you. I've trained at a variety of martial arts gyms in Minnesota and absolutely no gym will top The Academy MN. One thing that separates The Academy MN from other gyms is how qualified the coaches are and how the gym has a background of professional athletes which proves its reliability and credibility. Another thing that sets this place apart from other gyms is how the classes are scheduled. There’s many classes with different qualified instructors just about every convenient time of the day! In my experience, I’ve seen no other gym with this amount of effort to appease to their gym members’ needs when it comes to convenient class times throughout the day. Coaches and classes aside, the facility is top notch. There is plenty of mat space topped with a gym as well. The gym has everything you need to get stronger along with everything you need to get your cardio in! Finally, the community. The Academy MN is home to the best martial arts community in the state of Minnesota! Coaches and members are always willing to work with you and help out! You will definitely meet new people just about every single day that are all willing to train and have a good time! Best coaches, best classes, best facility, best community. 10/10.
I've been going to The Academy for almost 10 years now! I would still be there but I have opened a Muay Thai/kickboxing gym in another country. This is by far the best Martial arts gym I've been too! I'm a bit biased because they have such a strong community that I was a part of. Even today being a world away, the coaches still keep in contact with me. It doesn't matter if you are going for fitness, Martial arts and/or to be a fighter. You will learn proper technique from world class coaches! They are very supportive in whatever path you choose. The biggest reason I felt it was necessary to open my own martial arts gym, was to bring this community to other people. It's not easy to recreate what the academy has. They are definitely very special. Thanks for the years of training and teachings I could not have done this without all I learned at The Academy. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Dedicated, Honorable & Humble, these are my favorite words to describe this training facility. My now 16 yr old has been training at this top notch, top quality coaching studio for over a year and hands down they’ve never let us down & have impressed my son and I with their skilled training & dedicated coaching. I highly recommend & encourage people looking to level up their game to train here, you will not be disappointed. Keep up the excellent work!
I had the chance to train a nogi class here today, and I loved the place, the environment, the facility is super clean and confortable! you have a lot of different options in their schedule! and they have worked with many pro athletes! I had a great experience and recommend the place for sure! Also the level of the girls that train there is very good, bjj competitors with a lot of experience.