Akagi Jiu-Jitsu

Reviews

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  Jimmy Stillerman

  Great spot

  Atmosphere

  Posted 1 year ago
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  Anna Davis

  I love this gym, great people, and a super welcoming atmosphere. It's a really nice place to train.

  Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 1 year ago
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  Steven Tran

  Amazing facility and place to train and learn Jiu Jitsu.

  Facility

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Emily

  Our kids (9 & 11) started learning Jiu Jitsu here about two months ago. I can’t emphasize enough what a welcoming, encouraging gym this is! They have learned so much about what their bodies can do, and all along the way, have had a group of adults there encouraging them, gently instructing them, and making them regularly feel a part of the group. Pricing is super fair, and you can go as much or as little as works in your schedule if you go with the unlimited class route. I have no experience with adult training here , but can promise your kids will have a positive, empowering experience.

  Instructors Facility Classes Pricing Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Jason Scully

  I visited Akagi last year during their Sunday open mat and it was a lot of fun. The owner Topher was very welcoming and it was great training with so many people in the area. If I’m back in the Minneapolis area, I’ll do my best to stop in again!

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Big #9

  Wow! What an amazing bunch of guys, great teachers, patience, and knowledge...every time I travel it's always tough to get into a gym for some work, these guys gave me a green light and felt like they were happy to have me! Great jiu-jitsu family!

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Peter Meimban

  This school can more than accommodate the curious first timer, the hobbyist, all the way to hardcore competitor. Very family and kid friendly. The culture fostered by the coaches and every member goes a long way to training safely for a lifetime. Love this place!

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Hunter Babcock

  Topher is a phenomenal instructor with such an awesome space for BJJ.

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Ikrima AlJaljuli

  Great coaches, great atmosphere. 100% recommend.

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Kaisar Saulebayev

  I'm a black belt 2nd degree. this school has a very healthy and friendly environment. this is very rare within the BJJ community, thus I personally value it a lot. Sunday open mat is where you find rolls that will match every possible purpose whether you're 35+ years old blue belt having fun rolls or a young athletic no gi grappler preparing for sub only competition. highly recommend

  Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Jose Gonzalez

  I go to the Sunday open mats. It's a really wonderful thing they do for the Jiu-Jitsu community.

  Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Abdi Abdullahi

  The best bjj place I’ve been to in the twin-cities area. I dropped in a few times and I was impressed. Very welcoming and friendly instructors. I recommend this place 100%

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Lynnae McClure

  I traveled in for work for a week and attended this gym. I felt very welcome here and everyone was super nice! Technique was emphasized and I have some really fun things to take back and try on some others at my gym. I am thankful for the experience! It's a good gym to join or stop in to learn. Thank you! I appreciate you all!

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 2 years ago
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  Trevor Larson

  I have relatives in the area and this is always where I come to train when we are visiting. Awesome owner, clean facilities and friendly people training at a variety of levels. The Sunday open mat is poppin’.

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 3 years ago
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  Seth Ficke

  Positive and authentic, affordable, no long term contract, this is a good gym

  Facility Pricing Atmosphere

  Posted 3 years ago
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  Andrew Arhelger

  Outstanding facility, instructors and training quality. Open mats on Sunday are always a blast! Thanks Topher!

  Instructors Facility

  Posted 3 years ago
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  Noah Hauser

  This gym is awesome! Great culture, amazing coaches, and one of the coolest gyms I’ve trained at. Definitely check them out.

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 3 years ago
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  Erik Allen

  Awesome place to train jiu jitsu, would reccomend it to anyone.

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 4 years ago
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  Sara McAtee

  Kind, instructive, positive and productive environment, instructors and students.

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 4 years ago
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  Kyle Christenson

  I started training Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu in 2010 and it immediately became a big part of my life. In 2020 I was in search of a new gym to start training again (was training consistently till about 2019) I heard about Akagi and even knew one of the coaches who taught there. After my first time being there I knew I wanted to stay and make this my new gym. I expected the coaching to be amazing (it is) but what caught me by surprise was how quickly I’d been accepted into the community of people and how friendly everyone was right off the bat. This gym has been nothing but incredible to me and I strongly encourage you to reach out to them to try a free class! Or even come in and watch a class! No you don’t have to have prior training to come in to be successful, you just have to walk through the door 🙂

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 4 years ago
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  Alex Grubish

  Solid coaching. Solid group of people, I was sad I had to leave after training there for about a year to pursue an internship.

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 4 years ago
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  Jes Gilman

  After one session I’m hooked. Very friendly team atmosphere. Topher seems to know his stuff, and everyone I drilled with was helpful in teaching and explaining technique. I never knew having my spine twisted like a pretzel could be so much fun. In my opinion, this is a perfect environment for someone brand new to BJJ to thrive.

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 6 years ago
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  Jessica Lagoo

  Hella woman friendly for being so male dominated! Took a Wednesday class on impulse about 3 weeks ago. Walked in super intimidated by all the men but Andrew (instructor) made it abundantly clear that everyone on the mat would always respect my limits, be friendly af, and were there to help me learn. By the end of the class and I lost count of the number of times I was welcomed and told that they were excited to see me there, and hoped I'd come back. Signed up immediately after my week long trial ended. Great community, clean mats, everyone is happy to act as a teacher no matter how silly your question is or how many times you ask how to tie a belt.

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 6 years ago
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  Steven Benhardt

  Great people and extremely positive environment. Everyone, coaches and students, wants to help and has been very supportive. Highly recommend.

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 6 years ago
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  Mike Metalson

  Awesome school. Super clean and just simply amazing.

  Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 6 years ago
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  Matthew St Claire

  Awesome people. They let me train with them while I was traveling through town for a few days. Super knowledgable and friendly instructors. Literally everyone in the class introduced themselves to me. Anyone looking to get into BJJ or more advanced grapplers will find good things here.

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 7 years ago
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  Tim Phillips

  4 month old white belt in Minneapolis on business and went to open mat. Very welcoming and willing to answer questions. Great group of guys, good rolls. No GI, no factor.. willing to be flexible. Thanks for the time guys! Happy Birthday, Joe!

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 7 years ago
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  Justin Maroney

  Great place to train! The instructors are very knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. The gym and rest rooms are very neat and clean. As a BJJ Black belt, I highly recommend this gym no matter your skill level. You leave the gym feeling accomplished and a part of a family. This will be the gym I train at when I am in the Bloomington, MN area. See you on the mats. Osssss

  Instructors Facility Location Atmosphere

  Posted 7 years ago
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  Matthew Towns

  I have wanted to learn Jiu Jitsu for a long time. A very long time. So in March I started researching gyms. I have zero experience in any form of fighting system. I sent out a very specific email, addressing the fact that I am 6'7" and 460+ pounds and 48 years old. None of them took the time and addressed the concerns I had. Should I try this and if so, how are we going to make sure I don't hurt someone or more importantly, myself! I was becoming discouraged. And then I noticed in my Google search a new gym that opened in Bloomington in March. So, I sent my email. Topher Braddock (let me help you out right now, it's not Toe Fer, it's Topper. Ask him for the story it's really interesting) emailed me back the next day. He took the time to address what I said and asked that I come in on a Sunday when they were doing some open rolling and to watch and then try a couple of things. We talked it over and he took the time to talk with the other coaches about what they would be working with and they all agreed they could help. April 9th 2018 I started my first class. 7pm at night. I didn’t know what to expect and how I was going to be perceived. There isn’t one person student or coach, who isn’t willing to help and work with you. Ask questions! It’s incumbent on you as the student to ask if you don’t understand something or if you need more instruction. Not once have I been turned away for saying “I don’t get it.” Every coach is willing to work with you during open mat time to help understand things better. Moving onto instructors/coaches. Head Coach Fabio Morescalchi (black belt). Very knowledgeable, very friendly and loves cats, anime and Jiu Jitsu (not necessarily in that order). Fabio finds different ways for me to do things due to my size. And pushes me to do the actual technique when I can. As with any gym, the goal is so that no one gets hurt. Go at your own pace, but make sure you’re pushing yourself. Joe Swore (brown belt). Joe is really my speed. He’s very upfront, very direct. Shows you how to do it and wants you to go and do it after. Guess what? I fail a lot of the times afterwards. This is where the class size comes in. You have a big class you have to move fast. However, if you stop and ask Joe a question he will work with you until you either understand it or he’ll grab one of the other coaches to help you understand. He’s a big believer of “slow is smooth and smooth is fast”. Andrew Bendzick (brown belt). Andrew is very quiet and always watching you. You might think he doesn’t have the time of day for you or he’s arrogant/cocky. Having a chance to work with him at an event another gym put on, I was completely wrong. Andrew took the time to make sure I understood what I was doing how to correct the things I did wrong and let me get a majority of the reps in. Topher Braddock (brown belt). Topher started it all for me. Talked to me, got to understand me. Listened to me when I said “I quit things a lot” and makes sure I don’t quit on myself. Arguably the hardest working coach at Akagi (and that is a bold statement as all of the coaches work super hard). Topher works a lot of the open mat times and works with the students who are looking to compete and helping them with their training. With everything I said already, it’s not hard to see why Topher is awesome. Should you sign up for Akagi? I can’t make that decision for you. You are the only one who can answer that. But let me offer the following tips and suggestions. - You get a free week. USE IT! Go to as many of the classes as you can. - Need more time? Buy a drop in pass (10 classes) or pay for a couple extra - Don’t sign up at a gym that pressures you to sign a contract right away, make sure you’re comfortable. - BE OPEN - Ask questions - Drinking from a firehose is hard, it’s OK, we all started somewhere. Where ever you end up, I wish you the best. It’s going to be hard and there are going to be days you don’t want to go. Fight through it. You won’t regret it.

  Instructors Facility Classes Location Pricing Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Jake Nicol

  Extremely knowledgeable and passionate instructors. A welcoming environment which allows for individual and team growth. I'm here to stay : )

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Michael Pallo

  Awesome instructors, first rate facilities, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere!!

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Marc Baker

  I'm really impressed with this gym. The classes are well run, the coaching is high quality, and the facilities are clean. Very happy to have a solid jiu-jitsu gym here in Bloomington.

  Instructors Facility Classes Location

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Liam Dale

  I love this gym. Solid group of coaches and easy to get on the mat and learning as a new guy.

  Instructors Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Jake Hackl

  Akagi is a great environment to practice and learn jiu jitsu. They have a great community of mixed abilities and they are very welcoming to noobs like me.

  Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Robert Powers

  This is the perfect school if you're looking for top-level jiu-jitsu instruction combined with an ultra-friendly team atmosphere. Each coach brings their own style and approach to the classes they teach. The school's location is easy to get to, with plenty of parking, and they have multiple class options during the week. You'd be hard-pressed to find nicer instructors or teammates. I love my home away from home at Akagi!

  Instructors Facility Classes Location Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Jesse Sawyer

  This gym best gym. I think it's the most welcoming gym in the state, encourages collaboration and openness and has a non-threatening culture that tolerates all learners but does not tolerate jerks. High-level instruction from a set of fantastic black and brown belt instructors, nice clean mats, good sound, some of the best-dressed blue belts in town. Everyone smells nice. 10/10 would get choked again.

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Steve Norwick

  I started training with these instructors 2 years ago. Since then, my life has transformed. The reason why, is because of the lack of judgement and the openness to collaboration. They treat the gym as if it's everyone's gym. A good environment for those looking to better themselves in life, not only on the mat. I highly recommend this gym for jiu jitsu. The people that train here are good friends now. We all look to help and improve.

  Instructors Facility Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Andrew Carson

  Fabio, Topher, Joe, and Andrew are some of the best in the business. I can't say enough amazing things about this place and these martial arts instructors. World class training and people. 👍🏽

  Instructors

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Pete Gaffney

  Fun, friendly, creative jiutjitsu school. I started training with these guys a year ago after having trained to purple belt at another gym. It's been a very welcoming and productive environment.

  Instructors Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago
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  Corey Mcclellan

  Akagi has knowledgeable instructors who create a good environment for experienced Jiu-Jitsu members. I do not recommend them for people beginning with Jiu-Jitsu. I mentioned to the owners how the teaching style is difficult for someone starting in their method. I was surprised and disappointed with the level of apathy regarding my feedback. Unless something changes, I do not recommend them for anyone with less than 6 months of Jiu-Jitsu experience.

  Instructors Facility Classes Atmosphere

  Posted 8 years ago