San Diego Combat Academy

Best gym in all of San Diego.
The people here are super friendly.

I love this place Liz is a great instructor I been healing my foot I hurt running and she personally called me to motivate me makes me want to get back as soon as possible, they are great and teaching basics and everything I feel more confident and in shape definitely start here.

Had the opportunity to take a free introductory class of Brazilian jujitsu with Richie. The instructor was super cool and so are the people there. I was even included in the group picture at the end which I thought was really friendly cool touch.

I had emailed them mentioning I was checking out different mma gyms to find a good fit for me. I show up take a poorly instructed class and at the end of class they took a group photo that I didn’t feel comfortable being in considering I didn’t sign up for the gym yet.
I asked about prices they were hesitant and took awhile just to write some numbers down and also refused to hand out a price sheet. They are very good at feeding you
. Their idea of customer service is also talking to you like a 2 year old. Not going back.

From the minute you walk in, you are treated like family. The staff is super sweet and make you feel comfortable. Manny was very helpful with my millions of questions. HIGHLY recommend this gym!

best decision i ever made was joining this place. great people, great trainers who push and motivate you.

If I had a choice between giving this gym my money or ISIS, I think I would prefer to give my money to ISIS.
The scrawny white guy named London was very rude when I walked in and inquired about membership. Very unprofessional.
Kinda felt like he was just wanting to see how deep my pockets were before he even talked to me. I said forget it. Not worth my time if I’m going to dump my money on a jerk. Just imagine how he would treat me after he gotten my money.

They seemed nice enough at first after I contacted them through their website. I love that they’re down the street and have children’s classes. Once I said I had triplets and I’m hoping to find something in my budget for all 3 (lots of places offer a sibling discount or work with you when you have 3 kids the same age). Anyway, Landon didn’t respond to my message which asked if there was an option to purchase individual classes for the kids, because the monthly price he gave me (times 3) was more than I was prepared to spend, especially because I’ll only be able to get the kids in 1 or 2 days per week.

Joining SDCA is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

This place is the Bomb! They make you feel like family. Manny Garcia is fucking Excellent. Sign up or die fat!!!

SDCA is an excellent facility with some top notch trainers. Whether you’re looking to get fit or train for the fight, look no further.

This place is totally awesome. I literally just got home from my trial workout. Yup I signed up and yup they are totally willing to work with you if you struggle with money as I do. Anyway back to the good stuff, so I took the Hour of Power class and totally got my ass kicked in the most awesome way possible. The instructor was positive, upbeat and will push you HARD. It was great. (P.S. It’s been years since I’ve actually worked out.) Next, I went to the Jiu Jitsu class. Learned some really awesome grappling techniques and tried them out and then was able to watch the other students grapple for the last ten minutes of class. I’m really excited to go back and learn more. Last I went to the Ab Class, after everything else I was dying but I really tried. The class was so much fun and the instructor had a really upbeat and fun mentality that you could tell really showed in all of the other students there. Not only was I getting in my Ab work I was laughing so much I was getting a second one in as well.
Check this place out. Seriously.
It’s fun AND you get to learn some bad ass stuff along the way.

People think that huge gyms with state of the art equipment are what make a gym great. I’ve been to those, and no it doesn’t. It truly does come down to the people and the trainers and the experience, and this place has it all. I’ve been to quite a few training facilities in the past, and I can say this is one of my favorites. #SanDiegoCombatAcademy #Boxing #MuayThai

I consider SDCA my second home. From the fabulous instructors to the awesome and friendly atmosphere you’ll find no gym better suited for your training needs.
I never trained in martial arts before I signed up and I was definitely nervous at first. But after taking classes with Landon, Walel, and Manolo you’ll feel like you definitely belong there. The people who attend classes are also extremely helpful. Don’t worry about sparring partners looking to fight instead of train or students in jiu jitsu rolling «too intensely», that rarely happens here. (Unless you want it to happen.) You’ll probably make a couple new friends along the way.

The place looked awesome, but we got such terrible customer service from one if the ladies who taught kickboxing. My friend I were so upset that the instructor did nothing to try and work with our schedule. We had purchased a 6 week trial from living social and she had just recommended we get a refund. I was surprised, you would think as a business owner you would want new clients, apparently not. So we did as she suggested and got our refund. She was not convincing or helpful at all.

I signed up for this gym about two weeks ago for the sole purpose of learning Jiu Jitsu and getting in a workout aside from the hamster wheel or the fad of crossfit. I have a few friends that train here, and so that’s what made me want to try it out. In the past week I’ve attended 5 classes in Jiu Jitsu, taught by Walel Watson, and Manulo Hernandez, two guys who are very welcoming to everyone, but very dangerous men.
The only reason I pegged it a star down, is because I wish they had more classes at night, I work a 8 – 5 job, and can’t make it to the early classes, and at night I have to choose between Muy Thai, and Jiu Jitsu, and even though I love me some thai food (that’s not meant to be sexual I swear) I chose Jiu Jitsu.
I’ve had 2 quotes, one from the Gracie school in Eastlake, and one from Alliance in Chula Vista (both closer to my house than this place) and both were around the $ 150/​month area, with Alliance charging an initiation fee. FUCK that BS, $ 150/​m? I’m trying to learn Jiu Jitsu, not lease a fucking honda. The prices at this place are reasonable, and the training is supberb. And don’t feel bad if you don’t know anything, I new absolutely ZERO ground moves when I started, and the coaches do a very good job of teaching. Just don’t go in with an inflated ego, or you’ll be in for a rude awakening. Always stay humble, because if you’re not, what the hell are you doing Martial Arts for? I’d definitely reccomend this place to everyone, and if you have kids, get them the hell off the xbox and make them work for their chicken mcnuggets.
And while in Jiu Jitsu, always remember, it’s only gay if you make eye contact.

This place is awesome! I had trained elsewhere before and this place is just on a whole new level. The people are so welcoming, the coaches WANT you to succeed and get to where you want to be! They emphasize «family» a lot and believe me they show it. The coaches and students are friends and when they are training you they push you to your limits and help you surpass it.
My trial lesson was such a wake up call. I had been lazy for a few months before coming here and the Muay thai instructor pushed me to the point where I threw up (at home obviously) and that made realize how out of shape I was and see their dedication towards their students. After that I signed up because I knew they weren’t just after my money. They do want to train you!
This is a great place to train!

I travel a lot and was lucky to have 2 months to train here in San Diego. I’ve been to many many martial arts schools and have a background in a lot of martial arts, Asian and western. But I’ve never seen a school have so many GREAT instructors to form a balanced whole all under one roof (I trained at the Mission Gorge location). I’ve seen schools with one instructor teaching several martial arts, but having a specialist in each discipline is just something else. They even seem to have some Cross-​fit type functional exercises going on that I personally think is way more effective (and fun!) than a normal fitness gym.
I looked at a few other schools and knew this place was going to be special the moment I stepped in to visit. The first feeling you immediately get hit with is the sense of family from everyone. Everyone knows everyone and its just a great friendly and energetic vibe when you step in. I am a small guy, almost always the smallest in the room, but it was never an issue because everyone who trains here trains serious and trains hard, but there’s no ego flying around and so I never felt unsafe during the sparring sessions. And the folks are also just plain fun to be around. It’s a wonderful environment whether you’re an athlete looking to compete or a casual person off the street looking to get a great workout and learn some martial arts.
Due to my student budget and schedule I could only take the submission grappling class regularly (very reasonable prices, by the way) but I got to try out an MMA class and some conditioning classes. You get an insanely great workout from any one of them and even on the «slow» days, which were rare, I still loved it because I got to learn a lot more techniques. Really wish I could have attended the full-​on MMA class more.
On that note the instructors are AMAZING. Genuinely impressive. Each and every one has a wonderful attitude and make you feel welcomed but they’re all competing fighters and know their stuff and just as importantly, really know how to TEACH it. I was surprised how quickly I progressed and I know it wasn’t just me because I could see new students progress just as quickly. The other students more advanced than you can also be great resources to learn from. Everyone goes out of their way to help you out here because, you know, they’re just awesome like that.
I just had my last workout here as I will be leaving San Diego. This place will definitely be the memory highlight of my visit here. Again, if you are looking to compete OR you want a great workout that’s way more fun than a regular gym, I HIGHLY recommend you check out this school. They have a drop-​in for $ 15 for you to try out all the classes they offer for the entire day (they offer a lot, just check out the website). I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to join this school after the drop-​in trial, because I got hooked bad. CHECK THIS PLACE OUT.

If you’re looking for a gym for the entire family to go to, then this is the place… it’s your one stop shop. well sorta. cause they have two locations, Convoy and Mission Gorge… so more like a two stop shop? You get the picture. Their class schedules are not the same, however. The Mission Gorge location has more classes for the kids (Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, Jiu Jitsu), the Convoy location currently only has boxing & wrestling for kids. But other than that, if you’re an adult, both locations are great.
I really don’t know much about Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA or Jiu Jitsu… but it’s something my kids wanted to start doing. My version of self-​defense is similar to the 5 D’s of Dodge-​ball (Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, Dodge) — but I don’t see that panning out so well for my kids if they needed to defend themselves. So being the awesome Mom that I am, we went on adventure searching for the perfect place for them to get started. Name any gym in San Diego that has combat classes for kids, we’ve tried them all. Ultimately the kids chose SDCA. SDCA has the most affordable price in town, variety of classes for the entire family, awesome instructors, two locations, and a friendly staff.
For the kids jiu jitsu class it’s no gi, which is great! I didn’t have to spend more money for something they don’t really need. In real life, if they were to get bullied… there’s 100% chance the person bullying them will not be wearing a gi. So… score! And Coach Manny is really great with the kids. Hopefully they give him more room for his classes cause his class does get kinda big on some days.
My youngest was a bit hesitant to do boxing, but once he got a taste of it. he turned into a little Tasmanian devil. Coach Prince teaches the kids boxing and is great with the kids. My little mini me looks up to Coach Prince and looks forward to his classes all the time.
The kids Muay Thai and MMA class is taught by Liz Carmouche, she keeps the atmosphere upbeat and fun for the kids so they don’t lose interest. My son tells me «She’s crazy! But like awesome at the same time. Make sure you get me three bottles of water mom»
If you’re used to fancy expensive gyms like 24 Hour Fitness or LA Fitness, reprogram your brain and get ready for the real deal when you enter any SDCA location… and just like Jean Claude Van Damme said in Double Impact «Take your fancy clothes, black silk underwear, and go back to Disneyland!» (
)
After my kids leave the gym, they get home, look in the mirror and say «You’re Welcome»

A little preface… I never really write reviews, so writing this one is pretty significant for me.
I’m a lifelong workout junkie, gym rat, whatever you want to call it. I’ve been a fitness instructor at big gyms since graduating from college. I teach to this day at two big corp gyms in San Diego that are not LA Fitness — you can figure out which two gyms that are not LA Fitness.
A perk of being an instructor is free access to the gyms. Big corp gyms are great and serve the needs of many, however, I was looking for a challenge and started researching MMA gyms. A friend introduced me to San Diego Combat Academy. I’ve never paid for a gym membership, but was hooked after my first muay thai and combat conditioning session with Frank Salgado and signed up right away. Yes, it’s that awesome.
I agree with what everyone has said so far about SDCA in their reviews. It’s hard to explain or understand the unique brand of training you’ll get from SDCA unless you experience it yourself. You hear the term «treat you like family» thrown around all the time when getting a sales pitch. You WON’T get the sales pitch at SDCA, but you WILL get the «you are family» treatment.
I live in north county San Diego. Is SDCA the most convenient for me to get to? NO. Do I make that drive? YES. I happily make that drive because it gives me my «happiest place on earth playground» with trainers who put their heart into coaching us to push ourselves beyond what we think we’re capable of and to be the best we can be. Reviewer Dan P says SDCA is his mental therapy. I agree. SDCA is my house of mental and physical worship, especially on Sunday Fundays with Frank’s muay thai and combat conditioning classes. Sessions have me saying «FML» but in a good way. I know I got worked and I always look forward to coming back for more.
Boxing, muay thai, jiu jitsu, wrestling, MMA, combat conditioning, kettlebells… anything and everything for full body cardio, strength, leaves-​new-​areas-​sore-​that-​you-​never-​thought-​you-​had-​before workouts. There are many options to choose from on schedule (
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Swing by. Check it out. I highly recommend it. Being a part of SDCA gives you access to the best of the best, without all the B.S.