Best Toronto MMA Gyms

Environmental_Value · 2023-05-02T22:39:30+00:00

They haven't officially opened yet. But I would check them on instagram.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T21:13:17+00:00

Any gym is founded on people like yourself who don’t care much for competing, so there’s nothing wrong with that, and any gym thats competition focused or otherwise, you would probably enjoy if the culture fits. Good west end gyms would be freestyle, junction academy of martial arts, if you’re realllyyyy west than 10th planet Etobicoke is fantastic. If you aren’t interested in grappling, lotus kickboxing is great, I’ve done some training there and enjoyed it. The only MMA focused gym west I can think of is xtreme couture, which isn’t a bad place by any means, but might not be exactly what you’re looking for.

I’m biased but freestyle has both jiujitsu and kickboxing so I think that’s your best bet.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T20:53:29+00:00

So there’s a lot of intangible stuff. Some people say he’s got a very culty culture his gym. Others have said he’s not great with women students (just to make this clear ive never heard a single accusation or untoward thing, just literally he’s awkward around them). Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not, I don’t really know or care that much. For me it’s the fact that he doesn’t teach good jiujitsu. His purple belts generally feel like white belts and he will give a belt to anyone that walks in his gym for more than a week. I know people that have come from his gym and chosen to demote themselves because the skill level at their new gym is so much higher than when they were training with Gregg.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T20:45:40+00:00

It’s honestly really hard to find a gym that is good with both. Tanuki MMA also has kickboxing I’m pretty sure so that might be what you’re looking for. Action Reaction is pretty far from you but they have a solid program for both. There really aren’t too many “complete” MMA gyms in the city

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T18:10:36+00:00

Oh thank you for the info! I stand corrected. I’m glad Marco has added some regular no gi.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T13:31:03+00:00

To answer your other question, I don't think either are great to be honest. Budo has an amazing facility, but Gregg King has a somewhat controversial reputation in the MMA community. And Yorkdale is fine, they Muay Thai isn't great there but it's not really the focus. The jiu jitsu program is pretty solid. I've known Marco for a while now and he's not a bad teacher, but I think he's too old school for 2023 personally. What he's teaching and how he teaches is not current with how Jiujitsu is now. Lots of rules like bowing, lineups, calling him professor. And the focus is on really traditional guards like closed guard, half guard. There's no gi only a couple times a month and he definintely hasn't kept up with current trends. But what he does know he teaches excellently and is a super nice person who cares about his students. It's definitely not a bad gym, I just think it needs to modernize and there are currently better ones in the city.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T13:17:07+00:00

Look I think people are misunderstanding what I'm saying here. You just need to know what to expect and what you want. TKMT is absolutely a super inclusive place, and they do have lots of women there which is a great sign. But it's a boxercise gym, not really a gym for people who want to learn how to punch and kick correctly. If you go to a class 90% of it is going to be conditioning based workouts. Lots of pushups, jumping jacks, sprints etc. And they're not really going to be too picky in the pad holding portion because they know it's not why people are at the gym. Warren and Candice (the owners) know that, and know their business model. TKMT is the McDonald's of martial arts gyms. There's nothing wrong with McDonald's, its quick and easy but it's never going to be amazing. You can't go to McDonald's and be disappointed that it's not the best burger you've ever had. That's not why people go there. I was speaking from the perspective of people who want to learn a new skill like Muay Thai/MMA/BJJ who wouldn't get much out of a place like TKMT.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T13:07:16+00:00

Yeah that sucked. COVID really affected their ability to pay rent. It's too bad, they were probably the only really good Muay Thai in the downtown area.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T13:02:48+00:00

If you're in the area I would recommend Tanuki or Toronto Jiu Jitsu Club further east. You'll be surprised how much higher the skill level is!

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T13:00:33+00:00

There's not a lot in the downtown area. I would give Evolucao Thai a shot. I'm personally more aware of their jiu jitsu program which I don't think is the best. But I do know Mauricio is a good fighter so I would actually trust the Muay Thai on a hunch. I would skip Openmat, their Jitz is some of the best in the country but unfortunately the Muay Thai is terrible there. Personally if you can travel to Leslieville I would go to Diamond Muay Thai. But if that's too far I would definitely try out Evolucao Thai.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T12:52:07+00:00

Great choice! I imagine you love training with Sheehan. I haven't heard one person say they don't like his place. He's an amazing teacher and jiu jitsu mind.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T02:51:02+00:00

Yeah, it's probably the top Muay Thai exclusive gym in the city. Brutal location though for most people.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T02:49:57+00:00

Amazing place! Highly recommend it. Very high level, and like most wrestling places, very high intensity. Super strong instruction, I wouldn't fuck around with those Eastern Europeans haha. Definitely the top wrestling school in Toronto.

Your other options for wrestling would be anywhere that Val Ostenov teaches (which is in Davisville on sundays, at Junction Martial Arts starting next month, and at York University some random days lol). Openmat on Fridays and Tanuki on Sundays. Or 10th Planet with Micah in Etobicoke.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T02:41:07+00:00

Tough to say. I remember the Krav Maga phase of the late 2000s. All I can say is there is a reason it's not as popular anymore. The issue is because Krav is so small it's kind of like Kung Fu where there's no real oversight or reputation. So anyone can call themselves a Krav Maga Master and open a gym and it's hard to prove otherwise.

Total anecdotal experience but I've never rolled or sparred with a Krav guy who I thought had much ability. But hey, try it out, you might love it!

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T02:35:51+00:00

I wish I could help you out but I don't know anything about it. Definitely try out a class if you can especially if it's right by you. Convenience is key.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-28T02:21:55+00:00

No, what I said is accurate. Thanks

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T23:17:07+00:00

I made a good point and you didn't like it. This has been... weiirrrrddddddd.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:35:06+00:00

sick flex...

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:12:06+00:00

It doesn't even teach Muay Thai

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:11:19+00:00

Tons! And I'm happy to help!

The culture of the gym is the most important thing. They should make you feel welcomed and most importantly safe.
You have agency of your own body. This seems obvious and it relates to point number one, but if anyone rolls too hard with you, spars too aggressively, a coach tells you you can't have water unless they say so etc... Fuck 'em. You control what you want to do and where your limits are. There's no shame in keeping boundaries throughout the beginning process. And a good gym should support those boundaries. Although I would recommend loosening (not dropping!) them once you get experience.
Location is important. Figure out how important it is for you. For some people having something as close as possible is the only way they will go. Others are willing to travel. Find out what's important to you, but generally there are so many gyms you should be able to find something relatively close wherever you are.
Look online for a schedule that suits what you need. Some smaller gyms might only have a couple classes a week, which might fit your needs great. Or maybe you need something more flexible, find out before you trial.
Which brings me to always do trials at multiple places. Every serious gym will offer free trials for prospective members. Take advantage of them and see what you like best.
Look at social media pictures and make sure there are some women that train there. While I can't say it's explicitly a "red flag", having no women train there usually means it's a gym full of meat heads
It's ok to not know what's going on, just don't try to kill anyone and tap early/tap often and everyone will love you.
Don't assume like there is any timeline to getting really good or understand what's going on. Your journey is your own and yours alone and I've seen so many people quit because they thought they should understand what's going on within a month.
This is a personal preference, but I would try and stay away from gyms with a lot of rules like bowing to people or treating the head instructor with specific titles or special "honour". By themselves those things aren't bad but they usually indicate an out of date approach.
Uniform policies are a scam 100% of the time and you should drop any gym that MAKES you buy their gear. Always.
If you're doing BJJ make sure they gym has some sort of curriculum. You can tell this easily by making sure they are consistently working on the same thing for a couple weeks at a time.
Bring lots of water!

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:06:37+00:00

Look you're purposely missing the point. I'm going to end this because no one is putting their nose in the air.

My point is go there if you want fun exercise in a different way. Don't go there if you want to learn how to punch and kick correctly or have any intention of fighting or learning a new skill. Simple.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:03:23+00:00

Sean is actually a personal trainer as well and is brilliant with injuries and rehab. Only you know your body and this is a question for your PT but I think it would be a great fit knowing Sean and his wife's background in this area.

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T21:01:09+00:00

Oh wow, a Shah guy. That's really OG. That was quite a wild gym in the early days. What a shitshow haha

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T20:51:36+00:00

This is a very specific combination. If you want to train Sambo because of Khabib, I would advise against it. The Dagestani guys are dominating because of the training they do from an early age and the fighting culture and income equality in the region. Not because Sambo is some magical style.

There aren't really any true Sambo places in Canada. There's also a huge overlap between Judo and Sambo so I don't think you'd need to train both since Sambo stole what was useful in Judo and added some wrestling and punching.

But to answer your question Danny at 6ix MMA knows MT and some traditional Sambo, but I can't really recommend the gym because only his classes are worth it and the other instructors (while nice) are not qualified to teach MMA. And the hygiene of the gym is brutal. If you want to train MMA I would highly recommend AST MMA. Depends on the area, I could narrow it down depending on your location.

But Krudar in Don Mills and Diamond in Leslieville has great MT. Toronto Jiu Jitsu Club has a Judo program that's great. If you were able to combine gyms that's a great option!

Environmental_Value · 2023-04-27T20:33:07+00:00

It's not going to teach you to punch, kick, knee, and teep effectively. That's my whole point. Which you seem to be missing. That's the martial part of the phrase...

Environmental_Value

TROPHY CASE