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The Best Martial Arts School in Liverpool, Merseyside. See why hundreds of residents love Martial Arts Classes in Unity MA Liverpool .
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Reviews from Jiu-Jitsu Blog members who have trained at UNITY MARTIAL ARTS. Member recommendations raise an academy's Jiu-Jitsu Blog Score.
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I started at Unity in Liverpool back in 2013 at the age of 30. I had done previous martial arts before but never managed to stick them out. 13 years on and I am still loving every class, it’s helped me in my low times and kept me focused to battle through, it’s made me more confident in work and my personal life and helped me achieve my goals. Everyone there is friendly and welcoming. And if you want to learn a martial arts which focuses on real-life and modern self defence techniques, with respect and etiquette. If you want to get fit, learn a new skill, be more confident and grow as a person give Unity a try, you won’t regret it.
I started at Unity martial arts 2 years ago after being diagnosed with PTSD and depression. Both my sons attend and have done so for many years, however being 46 years of age I thought I was too old to start something new, but my eldest son persuaded me to give it a go and I have never looked back. Master Carl and his instructors are quite simply amazing, my fitness and more importantly my mental health has improved to the point were I am no longer on anti depressant medication. I can't recommend Unity martial arts highly enough, if you want to get fit improve your mental health and learn a new skill that will benefit you no matter how old you are, give Unity martial arts a try.
A Truly Outstanding Martial Arts School – Safe, Respectful, and Life Changing.
I’ve been training at Unity Martial Arts for around eight years now, and I can honestly say it’s the best martial arts environment I’ve ever been part of. I originally joined because I wanted a safe, structured place for my son to learn, so after doing some research with my wife we found Unity MA where I quickly realised this was exactly what I’d been looking for myself.
Over the years I’ve tried plenty of martial arts, yet none of them stuck. The atmosphere was often aggressive, too many people with something to prove, too much aggression, and sparring that felt more like a fight than a learning experience. Unity MA is the complete opposite. It’s positive, disciplined, family friendly, and genuinely focused on developing skilled martial artists and good people. The coaching is excellent, the culture is supportive, and the training is safe without ever losing its challenge.
From day one, both my son and I were welcomed with genuine respect. That’s one of the core principles here: respect runs through everything. Master Carl and the instructors set the tone, and it carries all the way down to the newest white belts. No ego, no aggression, just a supportive community where everyone helps each other improve.
The training is tough, disciplined, and highly effective, but always controlled. Safety is taken seriously, and that’s exactly why people of all ages can train confidently. As a middle aged man who originally joined to encourage my son, I’ve ended up gaining far more than I expected. I’ve always kept myself fit, but the stretching and conditioning at Unity have transformed my flexibility. I never realised how tight my hamstrings, back, and neck were until I started training here, now those old aches and pains have disappeared, and approaching 50, I’m performing jump spin kicks like someone half my age.
Recently, Master Carl has updated the curriculum, adding even more practical self defence training and a stronger emphasis on physical fitness. This has taken the experience to another level. The techniques we learn aren’t just for show or tournaments, they’re designed to work in real life situations, and the training reflects that.
If you’re looking for a martial arts school that is safe, respectful, welcoming, and genuinely transformative, Unity Martial Arts is the place.
I am 18 and I have been attending here for 10+ years now. It’s a welcoming place where you can meet new people or make new friends, and has help me in different ways like keeping fit, creating new relationships and being able to better express respect. Overall, it’s a great place to have fun with friends while also learning new things.
I started attending Kuk Sool Won just over a year ago in January of 2022. Coming from a martial arts background in my childhood I was amazed at how efficiently the school was run. I very quickly started to see improvements in my flexibility my confidence as a person and my overall physical performance and physique. The school has incredible facilities that are hard to find in modern day martial arts, a fantastic syllabus to learn from and an even better team of instructors to help you become the best individual you can be.
Whilst being at university I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and start a completely fresh style of martial arts, Kuk Sool Won has been worth every penny and I will continue to attend even after I finish my degree. Everyone is welcome at this school, there is a wide range of ages in all of their classes and completely gender inclusive. Kuk Sool Won family are growing closer and closer every class and anyone who attends would feel welcome and supported every step of the way.
We absolutely love this place. Our son, has been training here for more than 4 years and still can’t wait for every next class. He has gained so much confidence and life skills as well as martial arts self defence skills
The instructors are all amazing and patient and you can see how much they love teaching.
There is a real sense of camaraderie between the kids in the class. William has made lots of lovely friends who all practice together and support each other.
The school offers competition opportunities and encourages students to compete both locally and nationally but their ‘no pressure’ attitude leaves the decisions to enter with the students.
We can’t thank Master Carl, PSBN Natalie and their team enough and I would recommend Kuk Sool Won Liverpool to anyone looking for a new challenge
Whilst this school may have left the KSW umbrella, and are claiming to be victims of what can only be described as a cult, this does not negate the past behaviour of its owner and proprietor "Master" Carl Barrie.
I along with many other students at this facility, (I won't call it a gym, because it's not one) we're subjected to various threats when we had decided we no longer wanted to participate in the school. These ranged from phone calls saying Carl knows where we live, to threats that if seen in the vicinity there would be confrontation.
Since Carl has declared he no longer is under the KSW umbrella, me and others have called out his past behaviour and asked for apologies to be given to people who's martial arts journey he may have damaged irreparably. This was met with silence and being blocked from his page. "Master" Carl may be very very good at teaching you how to stretch, and bow, and show blinkered enthusiasm for his brand of martial arts. But in his 37 years of practicing, he has never sparred physically, never had any of his techniques resisted, and never once had to test himself against an actual non compliant adversary. There are many better schools where actual martial artists train in the area. Coaches who's skills have been sought out by some of the best in the world. (See John Gillies and 4 Corner Combat not much further up the road)
Any parents wanting to teach their child confidence in actual proven ability to defend yourself, go elsewhere. If you want to be taught be a cos player who knows how to do a really good deep horse stance, then come to Unity Martial Arts, and be filled with a level of over confidence that will get you hurt in a real scenario.
EDIT: Replying to the reply.
First of all, just because I live somewhere doesn't mean I'm from there. Born and raised in Walton, and moved to Australia and now NZ approximately a decade ago. After I "studied" at your "gym".
Secondly, this passive aggressive reply further shows my point. "Master" Carl, though by the long run on sentences it could have been "Ma'am" Natalie (never you met you though, have I?), still shows no accountability for his failures or the bullying practices he used against myself and others to continue with his pyramid scheme, ahem, school. My review isn't as someone trying to discredit you from KSW, it's from someone who learned nothing under your tutelage, warning others that you arent skilled enough to be teaching, and to spend their money elsewhere. Your reasoning of I was never taught so it's not my fault is the rationale of a child, and should be exposed as such. I was never taught to not murder, yet here I am, murderless in life. Crazy thought, right?
And if you wish to reach out and apologise for your behaviour, both past and present, you can reach out to me on Facebook. I'm on your block list, which I'm sure is very long from people who've called out your behaviour, under Daniel Cropper. I hope you enjoy your life taking money for useless skill transferral. I hope we never meet again, because we have, many times. And none of them were very pleasant experiences. Good to see your son Theo is being raised well though, I will give you that.
Do recommend!
I found the atmosphere very very very strict and far from friendly.
During this summer holidays, my daughter came in plain black sports clothes instead of her uniform and I explained the situation to the female owner Natalie and asked permission to my daughter to train without uniform that day, but she did not allow her to take part in the class.
I accepted that rules are rules, but I explained that the school approach and style was too rigid for us and said we would not continue after the notice month (place charges £79 monthly + £160 joining fee). My daughter was by my side and we agreed with that and left the place.
For my surprise, the next morning day, I received a phone call from the male owner who accused me of being “aggressive” whit his wife Natalie and even threatened police involvement if I step on the premises again.
He was not even there when I gave the cancellation notice and me and my little boy have never met him.
If you are looking for an almost military-style environment, this school may suit you. If you value warmth and open communication, you may find it less welcoming.