Yorkdale Martial Arts Academy

Fantastic experience: Great place to introduce your kids to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The instructors are great with the kids. I have kids in 3 different age groups and they really enjoy attending. The classes run 5 days a week making it flexible for busy schedules. Although, the original goal was to get my kids into material arts. I found myself start attending the adult classes. I will admit it's not easy to jump into something like material arts if you have never done it before. It can be quite intimidating and overwhelming, but the instructors are patient and knowledgeable, and the folks that attend the classes are incredibly friendly creating a great community you can quickly become part of. So far it's been a great experience. The only down side is parking can sometimes be a bit of a pain. Over all, the key important points that make Yorkdale Academy a great place to start the journey are, a place that has enough classes so I can coordinate my schedule as needed, a price point I am comfortable with and a safe, fun and inviting place you enjoy attending.

Fantastic experience: Very supportive of the kids and professional. Nice environment good work

Fantastic experience: Been coming here for many years. Great facility, large mat area and comfy mats for BJJ. I like the Openmats on Sundays, lots of safe and high level people. I also like the noon classes.

Fantastic experience: Great place, environment and people.

Fantastic experience: Professor Marco, Ram and all the staff are wonderful! Very helpful for a beginner like me. Also the students are all great people too. I wish I started earlier!

Fantastic experience: Amazing academy. Professor Costa, Gabriel, and Ram are amazing instructors. Glad to be learning from them.

Fantastic experience: Ótimos professores e uma atmosfera maravilhosa

Fantastic experience: Great facility, great vibe, and excellent rolls!

Fantastic experience: All the coaches were incredible and made Jett feel right at home. We took the 2 hour travel to try out this top notch facility and Jett can’t wait to to return.

Fantastic experience: Professors Marco and Ram genuinely care about their students and have created a culture of teamwork and learning. Exceptional place to train BJJ.

Fantastic experience: A++ organization, fantastic kids program that is well organized and structured. Staff are great with kids.

Negative experience: Disappointed- I paid for a women’s only defence class to find its full of men with black belts. With no refund policy. Don’t waste your time. the website is also misleading.

Fantastic experience: Excellent, flexible, kind, and patient MA training. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: Great classes and training program geared to beginners led by some great professors! The community is extremely welcoming and supportive!

Fantastic experience: Fantastic gym I highly recommend.

Negative experience: Nice place. Very busy. I can see that people like it but I had a bad experience. Brought my 3.5 yr old for a class. He was the only new kid there. There were about 6-7 kids in the class. 2 teachers one assistant. Assistant was great and my son seemed to be following along as best as he could. Class was 30 mins and towards the end he was losing his focus. The teacher at the end of the class told me he was distracting the class ( mind you like 3 other boys were acting similar if not worse) and it’s best if we come back when he’s older and can listen. My issue here is … wouldn’t they be more understanding? I’m bringing a child somewhere new. His very first class they tell me not to bother coming back ? That completely turned me off from this sport.

Fantastic experience: Great community and great class. Coach Alejandro is a man who knows what he’s doing. He literally puts all of his 20+ years of kickboxing/Muay Thai to the floor and gives it to us. This has also changed my fitness to a new level. Would never change it. I love coming here.

Fantastic experience: Nice big facility and very welcoming staff and students

Fantastic experience: Great environment, top notch instruction and nice clean facility. Always a good time at Yorkdale Martial Arts Academy! Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: My son really enjoys going to his class! He started at 3 1/2 years old so maybe he could’ve waited until he turned 4 years old but the professors are really great with kids. They guide and encourage him but also let him practice at his own pace. He’s really enjoying the process of learning Ju Jitsu.

Fantastic experience: It’s a great place to do martial arts and have fun. Everyone is so nice. I would definitely recommend going for someone who wants to do martial arts.

Fantastic experience: I love my classes. Awesome trainers and great group of people to train with. Wish I could attend more often during the week

Fantastic experience: The place is incredible, first-class tatami and good fighting partners . Oss Cheers from Chile

Fantastic experience: Thank you Yorkdale Martial Arts! We thoroughly enjoy our lessons, professors and coach! Each session is a jam packed 30 minutes but the little one loves it! Sessions start and end on time, little area for parents to wait ... 30 minutes sounds short but with all the activity that happens 30 minutes is perfect for the kids. On paper it sounded like a commitments to make min. 3 sessions per week but in reality timing is great, 30 minutes and we're out still able to make dinner plans on the weekdays. Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: A welcoming school with multiple black belt instructors. They offer both beginner and advanced/competition BJJ classes so there is something for all levels.

Fantastic experience: Our 5 year old has been attending the Zoo Jitsu classes for 6 weeks and loves them! Instructors are patient and kind and he has a blast with the other kids there. They do a great job of motivating kids to attend and participate (stripe days, earning stickers, etc). Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: My experience at Yorkdale Martial Arts has been incredible. It is my first time doing Brazilian Jiu Jutsu and I felt incredibly welcome from my very first day meeting Professors Gabriel, Ram and Marco. I have stuck with it for over a month now and am hooked. The classes build great community and is filled with kind people from all walks of life. I would highly recommend this gym, they also have Muay Thai and will be adding Judo and other classes shortly which I'm sure will be awesome.

Fantastic experience: Крута атмосфера, тренера майстри своєі справи, тут ти точно знайдете свій відпочинок від усього світу

Fantastic experience: I love the pace of the classes and the atmosphere in the gym. Coach Marco keeps a great feeling of flow, not too challenging to intimidate or not learn and not too easy where you are bored. Love coming to train, learn and get better.

Negative experience: This place is so unorganized and don't keep track of attendance properly resulting in kids not getting their stripes like they should . There is no parking there and the neighbors will cause problems with everyone who tries to park there . I will be taking my kids somewhere else as this place gave us nothing but issues and the teachers made it clear that they don't care about their customers

Fantastic experience: I have both my daughters enrolled in jiujitsu classes at Yorkdale Martial Arts Academy and believe it's the best jiujitsu club in Toronto. The quality of instruction is incredible from Professor Costa and Professor Ram. I was looking for a club with a fairly even split of boys and girls so that my daughters would feel comfortable and Yorkdale has a really great balance! I often sit and watch the classes and can see how much care the instructors have for their students. It's clear that both my girls get a lot of attention and focus from the instructors and are always given assistance and time when they're struggling. The kids are pushed to work hard but with a very gentle hand. Professors Costa and Ram are very communicative with parents and the classes are well organized. The cost of instruction is very fair and I feel we're getting incredible value. My kids love their jiujitsu classes and are pushing me to join the adult class, which I definitely plan on doing.

Fantastic experience: Yorkdale Martial Arts Academy is a great place to exercise your body and mind. I am very grateful for joining. The team is amazing!

Fantastic experience: Great welcoming environment. Awesome team with knowledgeable instructors. Clean training environment. Practitioners of all levels can find a challenge and a path to improvement.

Fantastic experience: My son loves the academy and the professor!

Fantastic experience: This gym is an awesome place to learn BJJ and Kickboxing. An inclusive environment, super knowledgeable coaches who are friendly and do a great job of making sure their students get the most out of every class. I once missed some training time due to work demands and getting sick... Professor Marco actually texted me personally to see if I was OK because he hadn't seen me in class in a while (even though he probably has 100s of youth and adult students)! These guys truly care about their students learning and success. They are also really organized and will help you one-on-one if you don't understand a drill, during group exercises. I feel completely comfortable being able to ask a question/admit if I don't know something, and the coaches or advanced students/higher belts will jump at the opportunity to answer in a non-judgmental way to make sure I understand the drills or the exercises and correct my technique/avoid students getting hurt. This is the place to learn martial arts and I'd recommend to anyone!

Fantastic experience: I really love Brazilian jiu jitsu classes! The gym itself is nice and clean, and professor Marco is a very nice instructor he teaches very well! Very recommended!!

Fantastic experience: So far we are having a great experience. Very organized classes.

Fantastic experience: Yorkdale MAA in my opinion is a pretty great place to learn to art of Jiu Jitsu. I've been doing it for a month now and it's a good time and I have learned so much in my first month, it really is an incredible experience when you're learning with people in the same skill level as you and then trying to apply the techniques you learned on more experienced Jiu Jitsu artists. Everyone here at the academy is super friendly and if you have no experience like I do most people will guide you and give you tips and pointers where needed. Professor Marco Costa is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met and is super knowledgeable in the art. His right hand man Ram is a very nice, super relaxed, and very knowledgeable as well in the art. It may seem overwhelming at first but I guarantee after the first couple of weeks you'll feel more comfortable. I appreciate the fact that not only am I learning a new skill, but I'm getting in shape and having fun doing it as well.

Fantastic experience: Such a fun bjj class

Fantastic experience: Uma academia nota mil … o mestre super atencioso com as crianças e com os adultos … Ele realmente ama o que faz . BJJ

Fantastic experience: Amazing instructors, great community and fun classes. Everyone is very welcoming of beginners.

Fantastic experience: Great teachers and people. Many BJJ classes for beginners and competitors. I feel very safe to train yet I can get so many skills and gain a lot of experience here. Highly recommend it if you want to start the BJJ journey!!

Fantastic experience: Such a great atmosphere bring your cold Here …. Thank you

Fantastic experience: This is a safe place where u can learn to protect your self or just lose weight. My kids are enjoying to do exercise because the Coaches are highly trained,educated and friendly. I'm training here to. The prices are very good compared to other muay thai and Bjj dojo. My kids are learning here discipline and to stand up to bullies in the future and most importantly to never give up doesn't matter how hard is. I do recommend to all parents,kids and adults..

Fantastic experience: Ive been attending for a few months as a beginner, and I always look forward for the classes! It is an amazing place to learn and grow. The environment is welcoming and very friendly. The instructors (Prof Costa, Ram) are supportive and very knowledgeable and the other students are always willing to share their knowledge. The classes are well structured for beginners and any level. Overall, highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Very good environment to training

Fantastic experience: One of the best places to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the city. Professor Costa is a master instructor who covers every detail. Great atmosphere and friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Great gym!! The members are friendly and the professors are very knowledgeable. You will learn a lot and have fun doing it too.

Fantastic experience: Super high level instruction, friendly atmosphere with a place for those who want to compete as well. Professor Costa was very welcoming as well.

Fantastic experience: Good place! Great staff!

Fantastic experience: I started learning jiu jitsu at Yorkdale Martial Arts Academy in September 2020 after the COVID restrictions were temporarily lifted for gyms and martial arts studios. Professor Marco and the other students have definitely created a positive and challenging culture and I was able to work hard and push my boundaries from the first class even though I had never trained before. We're currently in another lockdown, but I'm looking forward to getting back to work as soon as it is safe to reopen. I hope to bring my kids too!

Fantastic experience: Started back training in September after being at home for 3 months. Professor Marco was great in how he made me feel comfortable coming back. The facility is very clean and organized.

Fantastic experience: amazing place... love the people

Fantastic experience: I recently started attending with my wife and our two kids. Its a great environment and everyone is friendly and welcoming. Our kids love it. On her first day training, my 7 year old was a little nervous. One of the kids in her class ran up to her, took her by the hand and excitedly told her how great it was that she was coming tonight, etc. Great experiences for all of us. I see us training here for as long as we live in Toronto.

Fantastic experience: I've been going here for the last 5 years. This is a great environment for beginners to start because they really take care of their students and ensure proper technique , that sparring is under control and that anyone with any limitations can still participate. It's such an inclusive environment with great people and I've made many friends here as well as enjoyed awesome training. On the bonus side I've learned to defend myself.

Fantastic experience: Best place to train in the city. The academy is very friendly towards the beginners as well as well seasoned competitors. The professor and his associates always look for new ways to engage their students and take the academy to new heights thus keeping it interesting for everyone involved.

Fantastic experience: Gi and no gi programs are both top notch and taught by excellent instructors. Facilities are large and clean. The environment is very friendly, perfect for beginners and serious competitors

Fantastic experience: awesome place! staff are very friendly

Fantastic experience: Been going here for almost 2 years. Great place all around. Amazing and highly detailed instruction from people who really love what they do.

Fantastic experience: Extremely supportive and friendly community of people. Beautiful new facility and skilled, encouraging teachers. I've trained at three places in Toronto and Yorkdale is by far my favourite.

Fantastic experience: Great gym, great people, very skilled instruction and also really found it possible to get into it successfully as a new person as novice classes are taught. Traditional yet modern teaching making you feel current but lots of stress on fundamentals which is GREAT.Would highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: I have been training with Professor Costa for more than 2 years now. I can say with complete confidence that he is one of the best instructors around. He explains and breaks down complex principles in a way that make sense to even a beginner. If you want to learn real Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then Yorkdale Martial Arts is the club. The team of black belts right down to the veteran white belts make you feel welcome from your first day. The club is spotless and run extremely well. The kids program is excellent and run by great teachers as well.

Fantastic experience: great Gym, Professor Marco is a great knowledgeable teacher who cares for the gym and his students on and off the mats.

Fantastic experience: Best place if you want to start your BJJ journey beginner friendly, super great staff, awesome facilities, very accessible.

Fantastic experience: Amazing facility to train in, family friendly atmosphere

Fantastic experience: I'm a white belt (three stripes) from Chile, visiting Toronto for four weeks. After three weeks of been training here almost every day all I can say it's I was fortunate to land in this academy. Besides the typical factors that matter when you choose a place to train, like the infrastructure and the location, I would stress two aspects: First, the culture and environment of this academy. You can roll safely here. The higher belts are supportive and gentle when rolling with novices, letting you play your game and grow in the process before they gentle smash you :D. During my stay, I had the chance to roll with five black belts; that's a fantastic opportunity for a white belt like me! Second, the structure of the novice classes: every class you practice self-defense and takedowns. For example, it's my first time doing drills to defend myself against punches with someone in closed guard. This systematic approach gives a strong foundation to novices like myself, developing a more integral BJJ. I think this is an essential aspect that other academies left less attended, focusing more on a sportive BJJ. I leave this place very grateful. I've learned valuable things, details about techniques I usually try to apply when rolling. It's incredible how a couple of centimeters or a subtle change in angle make the difference in BJJ.

Fantastic experience: One of the best places to learn jiu-jitsu in the city. Professor Marco Costa and his team are extremely professional and excited to impart their knowledge for anyone to grow. This especially evident in the novice classes, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has very high attrition rate and Prof. Costa takes the time to teach you the fundamentals that you need to grow at your pace. There is a saying in Jiu-jitsu that you should trust the journey no matter how long. This is a place where you see it embodied, they prepare you for that journey the right way. Tip as a white belt just relax it will all come with time.

Fantastic experience: I was recommended to this academy and thought I would give it a try. That was almost 2 years ago and I haven't left. The atmosphere is disciplined yet fun. The professor is highly skilled and empathic. He responds to the needs of all level of students. The facility is clean, highly organized and well maintained. There are numerous levels of teaching and many cool teacher so that you can find your groove. Joining this academy is one of the best decisions I have made in my life! Make it yours!

Fantastic experience: I really enjoy how they slow down the learning process making sure you are not thrown into the fire before you are ready. professor Costa is really good at breaking down the details and explaining why and how the techniques work. their kids program is amazing to the point that my son gets so sad when we cant make class. highly recommend this gym!

Fantastic experience: The outline for the class is thorough and informative. I highly recommend this school for both beginners and advanced students.

Fantastic experience: I joined the Body of Four family in 2016 and am constantly impressed with the culture Marco Costa has cultivated. I've been doing Brazilian Jiujitsu for 8 years now and am very pleased with the academy atmosphere The academy does an amazing job of giving you options in regards to how you want to train. Are you looking to try a new sport? The beginner program will build you up from the basics you'll have fun doing it. Are you an established jiujitsu practitioner who is trying to address some technical nuances? The academy's Advanced/Competition training will solve that problem for you. Join the Bo4 team and you'll have the tools to become a technical, wellrounded, bonafide martial artist.

Fantastic experience: Amazing place. Great location. All the instructors are amazing and very welcoming to beginners. Come train!!

Fantastic experience: Met a lot of good people at my time at Bo4. Marco is amazing with beginners. I learned a lot of my defense from him. He really takes the time which each student. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is all about you get what you put in to it. He is a wonderful coach who really teaches to the students level. Beginner and advanced friendly. Good gym to train at. If your close to this location this is an excellent place to start your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. journey.

Fantastic experience: An awesome place to learn and train BJJ! Very clean facility with 3 mat areas for different classes for all skill levels. Instructors and students treat you like family and the culture is safe and inviting. Kids classes are amazing! Try it, you won't regret it!!

Fantastic experience: If you live in Toronto this is the place you want to go to. Great instructors and great people. Always a pleasure when I get the chance to go there and roll

Fantastic experience: Great place to train! From Brazilian jiujitsu, to self defense to the amazing KBX / circuit training.

Fantastic experience: Stellar professor and great environment for both new students and experienced students. Highly recommend trying out a class if you might be interested.

Fantastic experience: Excellent instructors, best gym in the city for BJJ. Sport, self defence, or recreation, this gym will suit your needs. Also the headquarters of many other affiliate gyms across Ontario. Very happy that I'm a part of the BO4 family

Fantastic experience: Great school, fantastic teachers!

Fantastic experience: Professor Costa is literally an Encyclopedia of Martial Arts. His vast knowledge and skills show as an instructor. He's very passionate about his students and the community he has built at Body of Four is always growing. Great instruction, great people, nothing but but good vibes!

Fantastic experience: I tried their Sunday open mat and had a great time. Clean and spacious with lots of welcoming and friendly people to roll with.

Fantastic experience: Overall, I only have great things to say about Body of Four. My son and I have been members now for a couple of months. From a parent’s perspective, the kid’s classes are phenomenal. This is by far my son’s favorite activity. It is very clear from watching both of the kid’s classes that their respective teachers are engaged and understand how to work with children/teenagers. Not coincidentally, both Matt and Josh are professional teachers/tutors. The cost for kids is also very reasonable, especially given there are 3 classes per week. The adult classes are also great. Classes have a very diverse make up of students. The environment is very professional, while relaxed enough for beginners to properly learn. There is usually an even mix of white and colored belts in the classes, which really helps facilitate learning as a beginner. Colored belts take the time to help white belts understand the nuances of moves and display no ego when rolling . For those new to the sport, BJJ is a great total body workout with a lot of strategic thinking. A nice change to the facility is they added a shower. This makes life a lot easier given you always leave class drenched in sweat. The only issue I have had so far, which is likely a positive for most people, is that the adult class schedule tends to change often. This is due to professor tweaking classes/schedule for betterment of academy. There are classes basically every day Monday-Friday, so it still very easy to find time to attend multiple classes during the week.

Fantastic experience: Beginner and female friendly! Supportive and fun environment with amazing people! Highly recommend it to all levels :)

Fantastic experience: Came to do a seminar here once and the instructors were all amazing. I can't say enough good things about this place.

Fantastic experience: An extremely supportive environment for all levels to learn BJJ. A caring community and amazing instruction by Professor Marco Costa along with the higher belts at the academy. Highly recommended. More then just a place to train.

Fantastic experience: Best environment to learn BJJ period. The head instructor is humble and a vault of information. The students are down to earth and friendly you become one of the family pretty quickly. There are many experienced martial artists here as well as complete beginners to the sport. The level of technique here is top notch and you are constantly reminded of that which is good. It keeps your mind healthy. Come out and learn with an open mind; you'll be happy you did.

Fantastic experience: This is more than a gym or a martial arts academy. Becoming a member here is like gaining a new family. Everyone is so willing to help each other learn and progress. Professor Marco Costa is an incredible professor who has helped this family grow into one of the most successful academies in the GTA. Whether you come to compete, want to learn self-defense, or just get in shape Body of Four will give you everything you need to achieve your goals. Come in for the one week trial, you won't regret it!

Fantastic experience: Been training with Professor Costa for over 7 years. He is a highly knowledgeable teacher with a wealth of experience teaching self-defence, grappling, striking and sport jiu-jitsu. You want to learn a real art? Come to Body of Four BJJ Academy!

Fantastic experience: This is a fantastic place for anyone who's ever considered training martial arts. It's a very welcoming atmosphere filled to the brim with amazing people with positive attitudes. The training itself is great - you can simply train the art as you wish, or if you are looking to compete then Professor Marco Costa (whose wealth of knowledge about Martial Arts as a whole surpasses many, many others) is more than good enough at pushing you to your limit and helping you train the way you should be training. Whether you want to make your first steps, or take your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the next level, this is THE PLACE to go. HIGHLY recommended.

Fantastic experience: Amazing! Whether you're completely new to jiu jitsu and looking to find a welcoming environment to start your journey or more experienced and looking to elevate your game, Professor Marco Costa and the crew at Body Of Four will push you to be the best you can be. Great friends on and off the mats and no inflated ego's to speak of. Get yourself over there and you'll see, the training speaks for itself.

Fantastic experience: Incredible! From beginner to black belt, child to senior, Professor Marco Costa has something for everyone. The classes are run to cover all aspects of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sport BJJ, Judo/Takedowns, Self Defense and MMA. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and the instruction is the best in the city. Everyday I walk in to class, I walk away with something new and a smile on my face.