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This place is awesome ! I trained with Jackson for years, he's the best trainer around. Extremely knowledgable about the sport, super encouraging! Jackson makes training fun, while pushing me to do my best. I highly recommend !
Coach Jackson is a great instructor who takes on friendly students who are eager to learn. At no point did I feel uncomfortable with the speed or the level of difficulty and the group of people who I am getting to know all seem to enjoy the workouts due to the positive atmosphere that Coach Jackson has created.
Starting with no martial arts experience at all, I've been training at North Star MMA for about 2 months now. It's become something i look forward to every week. Coach Jackson has a great way of describing the intricacies of muay thai in exceptionally easy to understand ways. Lots of personal instruction and the other people in the gym really help with training. I really like the skills I've picked up so far all while getting a good workout in.
North Star MMA is by far the best training I have received as well as the best MMA facility. Fantastic atmosphere to learn, try, fail and ultimately succeed.
Jackson Galka's expertise and technical instruction easily qualifies him as a "fight nerd." However Jackson's passion and wit will have you kicking, striking and probably laughing too.
Jackson does a great job of integrating all levels of training with all levels of fighters.
Doesn't matter what level you are, you will learn each and every training session.
Top notch instruction, astounding technical expertise, challenging sweat soaked training sessions and a wicked sense of humor make for an unbeatable training academy.
I moved to Philadelphia in October and did a lot of shopping around for a new gym. After checking out NorthStar MMA, I quickly knew it was a perfect fit! I didn’t have much Muay Thai or BJJ experience at the time, but I felt both programs were very welcoming for beginners. Coach Jackson and the rest of the coaching staff have been super helpful in helping me to develop my skills and reach my fitness goals. Coach Jackson has created a great sense of community within the gym and does a great job of keeping the classes interesting, fun and effective! I look forward to each class and I couldn’t be happier to call NorthStar MMA my gym home!
Me and my brother came to train at North Star MMA, and we love it. Very good exercise, really good for getting in shape. Classes are very personal and with very good instructions. I would recommend this place to anyone who is interested in learning Muy Thai, BJJ and looking to get in shape in one of the best ways. It is also a very fun environment with great people.
Jackson is a huge asset to the combat sports community with years of experience as a fighter and trainer under his belt.
STOWAWAYS WEEK OF 4/20/26 Originally posted 6.26.25 I do some of my best thinking in the garden. For many of you reading this, the gym is your escape. It’s where you do your best thinking. It’s my escape too, but it’s also my office! So I tend to find my escape in other areas […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: BLUE WEEK OF 04/20/2026 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is BLUE for INITIATIVE! Perform 3 acts of initiative/kindness over the week. Helping with a chore, opening a door, whatever! Be creative. They don’t need to be amazing feats of generosity or effort. Little things count!
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF APRIL 13th, 2026 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, Membership Updates, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Monday Team! Big week of transition for our grappling program. We had a solid showing this […]
YOU CAN’T DO IT WEEK OF 4/13/26 You can’t do it. That is to say, you right now are not the person who will achieve the goal you’ve set for yourself. That person is a different person. That person is molded by discipline, effort, and consistency. That person has run the gauntlet of preparation and […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: FITNESS WEEK OF 04/13/2026 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is RED for FITNESS! Perform the following workout 3 times this week: 50 Pushups, 50 Squats, 50 Jumping Jacks, and a 1 minute plank (just do the best you can). Can be done in one day, or spread out over […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF APRIL 6th, 2026 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, Membership Updates, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Monday Team! Couple new developments coming down the pipe this week. Don’t forget we have the […]
CATALYSTS WEEK OF 4/6/26 What is a catalyst? Basically, it’s a thing that causes another thing to happen. In chemistry the definition is significantly stricter, but commonly used it has a pretty loose meaning. Catalysts can often be boring, commonplace, and uninteresting things. But in the right circumstances, they can create massive chemical reactions or even […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: INITIATIVE WEEK OF 04/06/2026 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is GREEN for technique! Demonstrate your ability to tie your belt to the coaches. If a student has already earned this stripe, they can help two students tie their belt in class over the course of the week.
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 30th, 2026 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, Membership Updates, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Sunday Team! Apologies for the dated e-mail that got sent out this morning. I’m not going […]
THERE IS NO SUMMIT WEEK OF 3/30/26 I make an effort to keep these articles positive and encouraging, but every once in awhile I have to “keep it real” and speak my peace as a coach. I have spent half of my life 100% invested in the mixed martial arts community. This doesn’t necessarily […]