My kids love this place and so do I!! Big fan of the come-as-you-are atmosphere. I appreciated how well the instructors adapted to a class full of many different personality types, appreciated my extremely energetic and outgoing daughter and also brought shy and hesitant students out of their shells. Its cool to watch the kids learn to work together and develop leadership skills at the same time. PLUS, the class and instructors are ACTUALLY diverse and in many different respects which means a lot to us. I like that the focus is on personal growth, respect, self discipline, in addition to learning how to keep themselves safe.

The worker owners of the coop have performed some impressive demonstrations at the Summit Credit Union Coop Connections event over the years. Great people - looking forward to training with them.

My 11 year old and her friends took a girl empowerment workshop. The girl empowerment public class that is offered wasnt going to work at the particular day and time with our schedule, so Trisha worked with me to set up a private workshop- which I really appreciated. The class was really great. The girls did a group discussion with the instructor at the beginning, and then went on to learn some self defense moves that they were able to practice at the end of class. I highly recommend Villaris to any parent looking for a self defense class for their child.

I took the womens SAFE course, and there is truly no one better to learn such an important lesson from. The staff were some of the most supportive, compassionate, and helpful people Ive ever met, and their continuous support that they gave to each and every girl who entered has had such an incredible impact on me. You go in a little shaky, maybe nervous, and come out feeling ready to take on the world. :) I truly cant speak highly enough of the people who work here, and cant recommend more highly that every girl takes this class.

My daughter and I recently attended the two day SAFE class and I am so glad that we did and it far exceeded my expectations. Each class started with approximately an hour of discussion with the rest of the time spent learning and practicing the techniques taught. The instructors were skilled and thorough in their teachings. We were also able to practice the techniques with men which provided a realistic view of difference in size and stature that we realistically need to be prepared for. I must mention however that these men were extremely calm, polite and respectful and never approached us without asking beforehand if it was alright. Thank you Villaris for doing such an excellent and effective service in helping keep us women SAFE. They are lifelong skills that I hope to never have to use however I will be more prepared if I do!

An amazing martial arts experience! Great kickboxing classes and martial arts classes for adults and kids! Excellent womens self-defense workshops. Great community!

I took the SAFE Women’s self defense class and loved it. The instructors, Ali and Trisha were knowledgeable, patient, made the class relatable, and provided so much good information. Our trained make attackers were great at helping us practice and learn what we were taught without intimidation. I would highly recommend taking this course to feel more empowered and prepared in the event something should happen.

I took the SAFE course here at Villaris and absolutely loved it! Its perfect for women of all experiences and skill level. If you know something about self defense: theres always something new to learn or a skill to hone. If youre new to self defense: you wont feel left behind in the class and you learn lots!The teachers, Ali and Trisha, are fantastic! They understand how our culture is and made sure that we all knew the myths as well as actual statistics throughout the course. Ali and Trisha taught in a very knowledgable and skillful way that made every minute a fantastic experience. There are a lot of hard topics that come up with womens self defense, but everything was taught in an understanding way that encouraged everyone to speak up and tell their story.This course uses trained attackers who are men that are trained for this course and also teach martial arts or kickboxing at Villaris. I think this was very important to be included in the course since this is the most realistic version of any self defense a woman would have to prepare. The attackers were very friendly and knowledgable and all-around fantastic guys!I absolutely loved this course and Im so glad I got the opportunity to take it! I would highly recommend this to any woman age 14+ and Villaris also offers a teen version for girls 14 and younger.

I have been taking classes at Villaris for well over a year now, and what started as the closest place to exercise near my house has now turned into a place I spend a hefty portion of my time at every week. I can honestly say the staff at Villaris is the most genuine and welcoming bunch of people I have ever dealt with at a business. Each instructor makes you feel at home and tailors each class to the needs of every student. Villaris has certainly changed my life for the better, not only in my physical fitness, but my self-confidence and discipline as well.

Conveniently located with a great atmosphere and friendly staff. I always get a great workout while improving my kickboxing technique.

The SAFE program they offer is taught by Ali. I highly recommend this program and Ali. It was a very empowering experience. I took the SAFE program with my cousin and daughter. We all want to go back for classes. I will also say that everyone on the staff that I’ve communicated with is professional and very friendly.

Ive always been hesitant to take a self defense class. I was worried about getting an instructor who perpetuated rape culture while attempting to be helpful. Ali, who led the self defense class I took at Villaris, was exactly the opposite. She was extremely knowledgeable, very aware of the myths around sexual assault and careful to avoid them, and also very sensitive to the needs and experiences of her students. She did a wonderful job of making sure that all of us were comfortable, even though the experience of physically defending ourselves against the male assistants (also really terrific instructors) could have been very daunting. All in all, it was a very empowering and educational experience. The opportunity to practice physical aggression was kind of a revelation! I left the class feeling reminded of the fact that yes, I have the ability physically fight back if necessary (how did I forget this?) but with the knowledge and skills to really make a hit count if I need it to. I feel more confident being on my own than I did before. Cant recommend enough!

Fun, friendly and knowledgeable staff. SAFE course was extremely valuable. Would highly recommend.

Staff is exceptionally professional, welcoming, and friendly. Im impressed by the way adults talk to the kids - very positive and encouraging. We highly recommend!

My husband, daughter and i were members of Villaris Martial Arts Cooperative for almost 4 years. During that time we were actively involved in kickboxing and SKK for both adults and kids. We initially joined on a bit of a whim, thinking it would be a fun, family activity that would maybe help us to get in better shape. We ended up staying because of the high calibre of instructors at the studio, the rigor of all the classes (you WILL get in better shape!), the welcoming atmosphere and the convenience of having a studio right in downtown Madison. My daughter, who was only 8 at the time, loved the kids SKK class. Shes not a natural athlete, but SKK helped her to grow in both her physical skills and her self-confidence. Since moving out of state, we found another dojo that follows a similar format to Villaris, so she was able to transfer her rank. We are happy that she was able to continue with her training, but Villaris will always be our first love.

Great, great place for people for all skill levels. Best of all in Madison! People are so nice and encouraging to each other.

I love Villaris and I miss it so much! I moved across the country and now I am searching frantically for a place to do kickboxing. They focus on getting an amazing workout and keeping your body safe at the same time. Everyone is super nice and no matter if you are big or small it is a safe and fun atmosphere :) Not to mention you feel like a bada**....

Master Brad was great with the kids and very welcoming.

I started searching for a workout that would keep me interested for longer than a month... I was interested in kickboxing because I heard that you can lose weight like nobodys business. I compared ~3 different kickboxing classes to Villaris, and ended up at Villaris. It was a no-brainer. Its not just a dance aerobics. They go at a pace that everyone can join in on. Every class is different. Their schedule is great for even the busiest of people... I HIGHLY recommend you go here!!I started working out at Villaris to get the beach body I had always wanted, for a trip to Brazil (you know what their bikinis look like!). I wanted to feel proud of my vacation photos. 6 months of cardio kickboxing at Villaris and eating healthy, and I was at my personal best, lost a pant size, had improved/high self-esteem, and I absolutely LOVE (for the first time ever) my beach vacation photos!Not only was kickboxing at Villaris a great workout to lose weight, but it also vastly improved my self-defense capabilities! In the past, I had no interest in karate, however, after they showed me what it was like in my Cardio workouts, I realized just how much fun it was to learn! Especially as a woman, I feel so much safer with this knowledge and muscle memory under my belt!Now, lets throw the cherry on top! Villaris is located in downtown Madison, a great convenience. Their people are incredibly helpful! Every class we do something different, and if youre interested, you learn something new and work on new skills every day! I love the way no two classes are EVER the same. It is by far the most fun workout of my life and something I know I can stick with.Respect. You dont have to be a pro. You dont have to be fit. You dont have to be good at it. The people who teach, as well as the students, are incredibly respectful. I have never felt uncomfortable in the atmosphere they have created. It is not an intimidating atmosphere what so ever. I am very impressed at the quality of people who go to Villaris. They also offer kids workshops! Some day when I have a kid, I hope they are interested in Karate too because it is great to have self-defense, but its also so wonderful to have such a structure for learning respect and being a good person.They are a co-op, so everything they do for improvements is because everyone cares so much about making the place better! They have made quite a few improvements over the past year to making it even nicer of a facility. There are loads of punching bags and new equipment. They sell some starter items for new kickboxers. Their schedule is great for a really REALLY busy person. I am able to fit it into my daily routine to keep in shape.You wont regret coming here!

Great place with really great people!

Best martial arts and kickboxing!

The best in all Wisconsin.👍👍👍

Just horrible