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759 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn NY

Testimonials

John Henry S.
I began training at MAUSA Health & Fitness Center in the summer of 2008. I joined the school just before moving to Brooklyn and I had some previous martial arts experience. My main goal in moving to Brooklyn was to expand my understanding of martial arts by studying with Professor McCloud, who is the head instructor. I got lucky and found my first apartment next door to the school. That happy accident has dramatically shaped my entire experience in New York since then.

The workouts were rigorous and I felt challenged right from the start, but I was encouraged by the patience and positivity of my teachers and fellow students. I was also impressed and motivated by observing the level of mastery demonstrated by the Professor and his senior students. Here, training is regarded as a constant process of learning and personal cultivation that is best approached with a humble and open mind.

I feel that I’ve received a serious and invaluable education that has challenged me to grow intellectually, physically and spiritually in ways that I never thought were possible. I have come to more clearly see the value of self-reliance and cooperation, as well as the fact that the two share a lively, organic relationship. Living in a place as intense and dynamic as New York, I’ve found it necessary to have a place where I can go to ground myself and feel at home. I’ve found that here and I plan to stay.

Kimberly S.
As a devoted student of yoga, I was initially drawn to Professor Bill McCloud’s urban jitsu classes because of his deep knowledge of the spiritual aspects of martial arts. It is rare and beautiful to find a teacher who has mastered the body, mind and spirit, and even rarer to find a teacher who has that mastery but is humble and patient in teaching beginners.

Professor Bill has the ability to simultaneously teach skill at the detail level, the real-world/ self-defense level, the artistic level, the humor level, and the spiritual level. I have never met a teacher who was so clearly born to teach. After just a few months of training, I feel stronger, more confident on the street, more aware of my surroundings, and infinitely mentally stimulated by Professor Bill’s multi-dimensional approach to the martial arts. He often drops knowledge on us in class that I will still be thinking about days later.

I cannot recommend his classes highly enough! It is a privilege and blessing to be able to study with a teacher of this level right here in the neighborhood.

Liese S.
This is a great place. The minute you walk in you feel like you are part of a deep community led by amazing teachers. I wanted to write a review of the Yoga classes as they are a highlight for me.

Katie is a wonderful teacher. She cares about each of her students, her classes are for everyone from beginner to advanced. I’m sick of competitive Vinyasa classes where the goal is to see how many sun-salutations you can do in a hour. Katie teaches Yoga, in it’s purest incarnation (you may call it Hatha) and I always feel wonderful after her classes.

Go to this studio and take the Yoga classes, you won’t be disappointed!

Steve D.

I was looking for a place to learn martial arts for self-defense and also a way to lower my stress. I found MAUSA Health & Fitness Center taught me self-defense, but along the way I learned a lot on how to lower my stress, better health, spirituality, all from our instructor Professor Bill and the other teachers. The training is challenging but it allows you to push yourself and learn how not to quit even when you want to. I have witnessed Prof. Bill teaching the kids classes and he has a great deal of passion, knowledge and skills and patience. Watching the kids learn and cultivate themselves at such a young age is inspiring.

My future goal is to continue training to also cultivate myself as I have learned things about me that I never thought I could do.Learning never stop so teachers like Prof. Bill and the school should continue and keep up the good work. I also thought that yoga and meditation was not for me, but it goes well with and compliments martial arts. Yoga I found helped me controlled my breathing and give me balance. Yoga is also taught at the school and I enjoy it more that I thought I would. I have also found new friends in the martial arts family. If I can encourage anyone to do something positive in life is to learn martials arts as it has a lot more to offer.

Evagelia P.
This studio is a martial artists’ sanctuary. I initially studied kickboxing but I was encouraged to take on jujitsu and I have found it to be an incredibly powerful self defense form. The instructors are extremely knowledgable, and just as importantly, are well versed to teach many different kinds of learners. All the folks who train there, younger and older, female and male, across many different kinds of martial arts styles and rank, have created an atmosphere where you feel taken care of while you learn to take greater care and notice of your self.
Anna S.
I started taking their Muay Thai boxing class with Gerry last month after hearing about it from one of the parent’s at my son’s school. I am pretty athletic and I have tried kickboxing before, but this class is fantastic and really challenging –(in a very good way). I seriously never thought of taking Muay Thai boxing. Honestly, I had no idea what it was, but I made a New Year’s resolution to try something completely new on the fitness front. Gerry, the instructor, is so obviously a pro athlete or something. He breaks down all of the techniques step by step. So, now after a full month of classes, I really feel like I am learning a real martial art form and not just kicking and punching at thin air. We even work with training pads and (try to) spar with another person in class who is on pretty even footing. And even though many of the people in class are guys, I do not feel intimidated because there are always beginners and a bunch of women there too. The good part is that I have lost 8 lbs in one month and I can feel my legs getting stronger.

I would recommend this school and Gerry’s Muay Thai class to anyone, especially women, who want to try a combat martial art form that really gets you in shape fast, but is not intimidating or too close contact. The students are really friendly and the price is pretty good compared to other schools in the area. I bring a girlfriend of mine and we seriously enjoy it. I highly recommend this class (and school) to women who want to try something new outside of the traditional gym or kickboxing experience. Great fun and super challenging workout!

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