Fantastic Institution. My son absolutely loves going to his lessons and views it as the highlight of his week. The staff is exceedingly professional and are great with kids. We have only been with the school a short while and have seen huge improvements in our sons day to day attitude and ability to follow step by step directions. Also helping him establish a higher level confidence and self esteem. The facilities are great and well maintained.

I went during my senior year of high school. I left cause I went to college but never forgot the time training here. Met some awesome people and loved the blended martial arts style. Each teacher has his/her own unique way of training their classes that helps engage their students. Though Im not training with them no longer, they help peaked my interested in the martial arts. I wish to return one day to continue learn and highly recommend attending here.

My son has learn a lot by taking classes here. Masters are excellent

Great curriculum and staff. The instructors are all extremely dedicated to their students. I cant say enough about them.

Spent two years here and dedicated myself because I didnt want to be weak anymore. Gave me the confidence I needed in life and helped me prepare for joining the Marines, now Im the one teaching other Marines how to box and grapple. Thanks for everything guys, I miss this place like you wouldnt believe.

Started at Degerberg nearly 6 years ago. It has been a wonderful place to learn and train and is always a welcoming environment and atmosphere for all. I started as an adult with no former experience and have never felt overwhelmed. Glad I joined this great school.

Todat was our first day! My daughter said she felt empowered and she learned a ton just on her first day

DAMA is running smooth during a safe reopening thanks to Danny and staff! Great people and my kids receive alot from the training classes.

The best for safety 👌

They are so wonderful with children. Expect respect and good work but also understanding and kind and seem to have a good sense of when to push kids to do better and when to be extra encouraging.

This is a top level training program. Theyre instructors have many years of experience. Everyone is very friendly and approachable. You learn a lot from your first day and as as you continue to progress. Their MMA program along with their speciality classes are excellent!

I am a father of three and we have all been students at Degerberg Academy for almost three years. It has been physically and mentally challenging, learning practical application of many different fighting styles that incorporate punching and striking to kicking and grappling, as well as stick and knife fighting and defense. There is a large staff with a wide variety of skills. There is emphasis on real world defense, as well as fulfilling workouts. Children especially are taught discipline and respect that carries well into school and home life.Dont let the old facility dissuade you. Your life will be enriched, if you put your mind and effort into your training.

Once upon a time I was actor who was looking to expand her tool box in the trade. Figuring that I loved to watch action on stage and screen that I may like doing it, I tentatively stepped in the doors at Degerberg Academy. 3+ years later I will claim to be a martial artist before claiming to be an actor.The Mixed Martial Arts classes are an easy entry point for anyone looking to get in shape or try something new. My other personal favorites are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. The instructors at Degerberg are outstanding and exemplify that training continues (most argue it begins) long after receiving a black belt.I have always been athletic so getting in shape wasnt my goal but martial arts changed my body in ways running and lifting never did, both physically and mentally. There is also a social aspect to Degerberg that would be remiss of me to not mention. Classmates become friends and friends turn into family. People, both classmates and instructors, who will push you to be better; cheer you on when you struggle; and support you in your training and life.For anyone contemplating a class, I invite you to take the leap! Stick with it and you wont regret it. I certainly dont!

I absorbed a variety of skills at degerberg, especially kali and dirty boxing. Then I passed those skills onto my children. Fred Degerberg truly is a great instructer who gathered other highly skilled teachers around him. Degerberg Academy also afforded me the opportunity to train with Daniel Inosanto and Bill Wallace.Truly a life changing experience

I have been a student at Degerberg Academy for many years. When I started, I was 38 years old and I earned my black belt in the Degerberg Mixed Martial Arts this year. Degerberg is a part of my family now and I cannot imagine a life without it. I am also ranked in Muay Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu through Degerberg. If anyone is interested in getting thorough, well-rounded martial arts training for a variety of disciplines where you are taught by masters in each art, this is the place for you. In addition to great classes that provide a fantastic work-out, the schools instructors, staff and students will become your best friends. My daughter attends the Kids Martial Arts classes and loves all of her instructors!

I’ve been a student at Degerberg Academy for more than nine years; my wife has also attended that entire time, and all three of our kids have been students (our youngest currently) so it’s been a real family affair.I can’t say enough about Degerberg – the teachers and level of instruction in the mixed martial arts classes are excellent; the specialty classes (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, etc) are excellent; the kids martial arts classes are excellent – it’s quality and excellence all around. The teachers are passionate, positive, and committed to helping you become your best, and there’s a real sense of community and pride – everyone’s in it together! – which is one of the things I love about the place. The training is intense and intensely rewarding; stick with it and you’ll know you’ve achieved something lasting and real.Degerberg Academy is the real deal – it has been a big part of our lives for going on ten years, and I’m very glad I found them.

Degerberg Academy has been a tremendous experience for me since I’ve joined. The school has provided me with the avenues for staying fit, increasing my self-awareness, my self-discipline, and helping me in my personal and professional growth.When I first heard about Degerberg Academy, I was immediately intrigued about the blend of Mixed Martial Arts systems taught at the school and joined without hesitation because I knew this system would be the best for me. Utilizing this blend of Mixed Martial Arts, Degerberg Academy provides you with a tool box of self-defense to choose from if ever confronted in the streets so one is not limited to one style. Self-defense is emphasized to all the students in the Blend classes. It really is comforting to have that confidence walking on the streets of Chicago or any environment that you just might have an extra edge to defend yourself, avoid it, get away, and save your life. Individual arts can also be focused on and are encouraged to take at the school as well and there are excellent instructors in kickboxing, boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Kali Silat to name a few.Developing great friendships and camaraderie with other instructors, students and teammates is an additional benefit. We go through a lot on the black belt journey and having instructors teammates willing to sacrifice time and effort and help you achieve your goals is tremendous.

I have been a student at Degerberg Academy for 5 years and an instructor in the Kids Martial Arts program for over 3 years. This school and the training Ive received here have drastically changed my life and confidence levels. I started taking classes after an assault and I knew that I needed to learn how to protect myself. A friend helped me take the first difficult steps into the school, and once I did, I found that I was accepted into an incredible family of martial artists and started training Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu almost immediately. Since I started training here, I have become physically and mentally fit in ways I never was before, I have a positive outlet, and I have the confidence that I can protect myself if need be. The Academy has given me an opportunity to teach mixed martial arts to kids, too, and that is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my journey as a martial artist!One thing you wont notice right off the bat is that there are so many world class instructors at the school who specialize in different martial arts: Kali, Savate, BJJ, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, etc... You will NOT get specialized training like that anywhere else in Chicago. Period.

I have been a member of the Degerberg Academy since 2005. In that time, I have never once been bored. That may not sound like a stellar review, but that’s what people who go to one-system schools often say about their experience: “It was ok for a while, but then I got bored”.No way at D.A.M.A. The core classes called Blend or MMA have more than a dozen arts combined into them. You train in stand-up techniques as well as grappling, weapons and invaluable Krav Maga self-defense. Then there are the specialty classes that you can also get ranked in: Savate (French Kickboxing), Muay Thai, Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do, Kali or Filipino weapons and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.Whatever class you go to, you are sure to get a great workout, have fun, and learn some serious skills. The Degerberg Academy changed my life. I am now in shape, I feel confident that I can defend myself or that I can even just get up and speak in front of a crowd of people, and I know that I always have a class that I can go to, and goals to set.

Don’t be fooled-this is not some Lincoln Park kickboxing gym. While the place is a dive, it is the real deal; where mixed martial arts was born in Chicago. While it is lacking in some the comforts of a franchise gym, it more than makes up for it in the breadth of it’s curriculum, the quality and dediction of it’s teacher’s and the very real community it provides. .Obviously, with the popularity of BJJ in mixed martial arts, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes at Degerberg are very popular, with top-tier, nationally recognized instructors. However, it is important to note that the Fred Degerberg (Degerberg Academy) is one of THE original sources of mixed martial arts, going back more than 30 years. That said, the school offers a large variety of martial arts ranging from real-world self defense/ street fighting techniques to more esoteric arts such as Kali, Silat, and Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. While I originally joined this gym for fitness, for better or worse, it has changed my life.

Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts is an outstanding school and a flagship of the Chicago martial arts scene. I have been in and out of classes since I was 17 years old. My son has been a student in the kids martial arts program for 3 years as well. The lineage of the Degerberg mixed martial arts system is deep and rich. A brief tour of the school and the hundreds of photos, newspaper articles, and martial arts magazines showing the legendary masters, grandmasters, instructors, champions, celebrities, and students that have been a part of the Degerberg story is truly a who’s who tour of martial arts history.Developed alongside the principles and philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, the Degerberg Blend includes advanced knowledge of many of the worlds top striking, grappling, weapons, and self-defense styles and offers official ranking systems in multiple specialties (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Savate, Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Kali Silat, and Wing Chun). Since its beginnings in Karate, western boxing, catch wresting, Kali Escrima, and Silat, it has never stopped evolving - even top level Krav Maga was added to the black belt curriculum in the last decade. Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts has offered mixed martial arts since before the term MMA even existed.As a kids martial arts school, it continues to stand out. Having seen the kids karate and kids martial arts classes since I was a teenager, I knew that one day my own children would train here. While teaching all of the necessary martial arts skills, the focus is on developing respect, discipline, confidence and self-esteem. The bonus is that your child learns real world self-defense, high level martial arts technique, and commitment. It has changed my son’s life and offered him a diverse network of friends outside of his everyday neighborhood and school circles. For both of us, it has become an extended family and community that we are proud to be a part of and invite others to join. I could not recommend it more highly.

The Practice of Martial arts in here is outstanding!

Excellent services