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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.
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 1st, 2025 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Monday Team! Summer’s unofficially over! That means shorter days, cooler nights, and a return to routine. I, personally, […]
CLOSED MOUTHS DON’T GET FED WEEK OF 9/1/25 Nothing super pithy for you guys this week, just an observation I’ve made over my time in the martial arts. Closed mouths don’t get fed — that is to say, speak up and advocate for what you want and need. What is the Labor Day holiday […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: INITIATIVE WEEK OF 9/1/2025 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is BLUE for initiative! Students can earn their blue stripe by taking initiative on a project or homework task this week, as well as making themselves as helpful as possible to their new teachers and classmates!
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF AUGUST 25th, 2025 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Monday Team! Writing this newsletter to you from the Windy City of Chicago! Little known fact: I was […]
RIDE THE WAVE WEEK OF 8/25/25 If there’s one lesson I’ve taken from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it’s that you have to learn to ride the wave. Some waves are big and choppy. You may have to scratch and claw just to keep yourself above water. Some waves are smooth and low, and you can […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: TECHNIQUE WEEK OF 8/25/2025 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is GREEN for technique! Students can earn their green stripe by teaching the Mantis Guard (aka the De La Riva Guard) to a parent or sibling. Make sure to teach and emphasize the three specific points of control!
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF AUGUST 18th, 2025 Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom! Happy Monday Team! Now that our big move is behind us, it’s time to really focus on getting back […]
SIGH OR SHRUG WEEK OF 8/18/25 It’s always something, isn’t it? The other day, we had a few leaks pop up in our brand new roof here at the church. Little ones, but alarming nonetheless. Not cool! I’ve been down this road before. Screws come loose, a handle pops out of place, a leak […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: FITNESS WEEK OF 8/18/2025 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is RED for fitness! Students can earn a red stripe by completing the following workout 3 times: 50 pushups 50 squats 2 minute plank These exercises can be broken up into much smaller chunks!
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF AUGUST11th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! Two weeks in and it’s starting to feel like home! We have a number of improvements still on the horizon — in fact we just secured some mats for the basement area […]