Rivera Family
My family has trained at three different academies. Essencia has been the best by leaps and bounds.
The facility is beautiful and clean with ample room for training or watching. Professor Marcello has a vast amount of knowledge and explains techniques thoroughly so you understand what to do, why you would do it and what to expect when you attempt a move. Furthermore, Marcello has a strong support group of knowledgeable upper belts who are always friendly and willing to help. If that is not enough, Marcello will also bring in other high ranking practitioners which allows us to see how others teach or to see their preferred techniques. This also allows me to point out to my kids the level of humility and respect the Professor has for the art.
Unfortunately, an academy cannot just thrive from a top notch instructor. You need good people to train with and I have not met a better group than the people at Essencia. There is a wide variety of ages and sizes, so everyone has a partner to work with. Following the footsteps of the instructor, they are all friendly and helpful.
Being friendly, helpful and humble is a key point to wanting to try this gym. However, the intensity, passion and dedication brought by the entire team will make you stay at this gym. I have been tested physically, always pushing myself harder, not because they are mean or demanding, but because this team or family atmosphere makes you want to be your best self. That is just my perspective from the adult classes.
Adult class size depends on the day, but there is always someone watching you to help improve your technique, so it never feels like you are lost in the crowd.
The children's classes tend to be smaller as the program is newer. As the kids' class size increases, the personal attention will not decline as proven in the adult classes. Professor Marcello explains things well and does so in a fun atmosphere, often ending class with a game or two. The competitive nature does not drop just because they are kids. My 10 yr old daughter has become a more technical practitioner and prefers Essencia as she is challenged more. Other places can have a mix of students from hard core athletic competitors to kids running around like they are in daycare. Not here. Every day she is constantly challenged by upper belts, but learns to be soft and work with the lower belts. Finally, as a parent, I am able to watch the kids' classes. There are other schools that do not allow this, which is a big turn off for me.
My 17 yr old daughter gets to take both the kids and adult classes. This allows her to practice for competition with people her size and skill level and larger, more skilled teammates for self defense purposes.
As the school is new, I have not seen many belt promotions yet, but I have seen one round. They were well deserved. My point here is that you earn your belt. Just showing up won't guarantee a promotion. But the way the school is setup, you will want to train to earn the promotion and be more proud when you do achieve that promotion.
The last thing I'm going to say about Essencia is Marcello's willingness to listen. I constantly ask him random questions that have nothing to do with his lesson plan and he is always willing to help. I told him about how my daughter lost her last competition. He asked if I had video, which I did, of course. He reviewed the video and at the end of the next kids class, he showed everyone the scenario and how to prevent getting into it, how to escape if you can't prevent, and how to counter if you are able to. Then, it was brought up again in an adult class a day or so later. As a lower rank, that makes me feel like I'm not only learning or my daughter is closing gaps in her game, but we are actually contributing to the entire team. It's a great feeling that we have not experienced anywhere else.
So if you are looking to increase your health, learn a new art, build confidence, or up your game for competition, Essencia provides a fun, welcoming atmosphere to do so.
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Posted 2 years ago
