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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.
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: INITIATIVE WEEK OF 1/13/24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is Blue for Initiative! Students can earn their stripe this week by taking lead on cleaning up after dinner on two separate occasions. This includes all plates washed, surfaces cleaned, and food put away. Students: if you need help, just […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: FITNESS WEEK OF 1/6/24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is Green for Technique! Students can earn their stripe this week by learning all six methods of scoring points in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The scoring system (and a ton of other super useful stuff) is available inside our Parent’s Guide […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: INITIATIVE WEEK OF 11/25/24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is Blue for Initiative! Students can earn a blue stripe this week by simply being as helpful as possible during the Thanksgiving holiday. What that means is up to you, parents. If you need their help, just ask! Bonus points if […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: FITNESS WEEK OF 11/11/24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is Red for Fitness! Students can earn a red stripe by completing a cumulative total of 10 minutes in a plank position over the course of the week. Must be performed in increments no shorter than :60 in length. This […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: TECHNIQUE WEEK OF 11/04/24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is Blue for Initiative! Students can earn a blue stripe by hand writing a short note to a teacher or coach figure (BJJ coaches are exempt) in which they describe something they learned that they enjoyed. Easy peasy this week!
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: INITIATIVE WEEK OF 4.22.24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is blue for Initiative! Students can earn their blue stripe by comprehensively cleaning up after dinner for two nights in a row.
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: TECHNIQUE WEEK OF 4.15.24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is green for Technique! Students can earn their red stripe by successfully completing the following drills on a parent or sibling (under parental supervision): 10 Sweeps 10 Standups 10 Submissions/Guard Passes
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: FITNESS WEEK OF 4.08.24 This week’s Junior Samurai stripe challenge is red for Fitness! Students can earn their red stripe by successfully completing the following workout: 20 Sprawls + 20 Jumping Jacks (repeat x5 for a total of 100 repetitions for each exercise).
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE: KINDNESS WEEK OF 4.1.24 This week’s Stripe Challenge is Blue for Kindness! Students can earn their blue stripe by cleaning their room — and keeping it clean for at least three days.
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE 03.18.24 THIS WEEK’S STRIPE CHALLENGE IS RED FOR PHYSICAL FITNESS Students can earn a red stripe this week by completing 50 pushups each day for a total of five days!
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE 03.04.24 THE STRIPE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK IS green FOR technique Students can earn a green stripe this week by successfully drilling their favorite technique 25 times on a parent or sibling (with parental supervision). Students will be required to describe/name the technique being drilled and may be asked to […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE 02.26.24 THE STRIPE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK IS red FOR fitness Students can earn a blue stripe this week by successfully completing the following workout (in one session): 30 Jumping Jacks 30 Situps 1-Minute Plank (no knees touch the floor) Repeat 3 times through (a total of 90/90/3min)
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE 02.12.24 THE STRIPE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK IS greeN FOR technique Students: teach your parent the guard position (remember, “small is STRONG and big is WEAK”). Then, drill 20 guard passes on your parent’s guard. A guard pass is when we clear the legs and secure the side mount, knee on […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE 02.05.24 THE STRIPE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK IS RED FOR FITNESS Students can earn their red stripe this week by successfully completing 50 pushups a day for three days in a row. Must be consecutive!
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK OF 01.22.24 Students can earn a green stripe for Technique this week by teaching a parent one technique from the following list, and drilling it 10 times each. For the Junior Samurai students: Mata Leon rear choke defense Block a punch into the body lock and take the back […]
JUNIOR SAMURAI STRIPE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK OF 01.15.24 Students can earn a red stripe for Physical Fitness this week by successfully completing the following workout: 25 pushups 25 monkey crawls 25 squats Repeat 4 times in a row. This workout must be completed from start to finish in one session and cannot be broken down […]
Happy Monday Team! We are back with another week of hard training on the menu. As this is the first week of a new month, you’ll notice major curriculum shifts in each program. Going to be some really good stuff shown so make sure you get in often! Let’s give a big […]
Happy Monday Team! It’s HOT outside so this is my annual reminder to stay hydrated. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated! Make sure to drink a ton of water throughout the day, and especially before (and during) training. If you are doubling up on sessions at the gym, take a hydration break in […]
We are often way harder on ourselves than we are on others, don’t you think? Our inner voice can speak to us in ways we’d never tolerate from someone else. So this week I have a little tip for you — the next time you have a problem, write it down on paper (or, ya […]
Happy Monday Team! Big thank you to everyone who made it out for our 6 Year Anniversary Party! I promised everyone I’d go for an Irish Goodbye at some point, but when I attempted to escape it still took me 45 minutes I guess that’s how you know it was a good […]
Happy Monday Team! Congratulations to all our competitors from this past weekend at Grappling Industries! Both Dashaun Kimp and Joe Angelo placed first in their respective divisions with clean sweeps of their opponents throughout. Grant Boyd, Garret Powers, David Cross, Angus Perfect, Kevin Koch, and and Tenzin Wangdak also had strong performances […]
Happy Monday Team! I hope you all had an awesome weekend! Make sure to mark your calendars for the Six Year Anniversary Party rescheduled for Saturday, July 15th, from 2-5pm! More details to come but it’s a pretty simple affair 🙂 By the way, yes — we are open as normal today […]
Quick one for you today! The word “passion” has taken on a lot of romantic, intimate, and otherwise lovey-dovey connotations. But originally, passion comes from the Latin root of pati and means, literally, suffering. When we are passionate about something, we suffer for it (and anyone who’s been training Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu will tell you […]
Happy Monday Team! We are fresh off a great week of training and competition, with six of our athletes participating in a sparring meetup at one of our sister schools. Joe, Nicole, Chris, Makhi, Dom, and Sam all performed excellently and demonstrated solid technique, good composure, and great sportsmanship! We have Trevon […]
You may notice that this Monday Mindset section is being delivered on a Tuesday. Well, I gave myself a break over the weekend to enjoy some much needed family time — and whenever possible, you should too. The goal of training in any martial art is not necessarily going to be a belt […]
Happy Monday Team! We’re only one week away from the unofficial start of Summer and it’s crazy how fast this year has been going by! But looking back on it, we’ve accomplished so much and really improved the overall level on the mats. I’m excited about what the next half of the year […]
We all have a why — the reason and driving force that motivates us to work hard, be consistent, and work towards our goals. For some, it might just be to improve our self-confidence and feel safer in our own skin. For others, to be a competitive athlete. Whatever your why is, it’s a powerful motivator that […]
Happy Monday Team! We had an incredibly successful and busy weekend here, split between two big competitive events. First, we are proud to introduce the NEW Warrior’s Cup Super Featherweight champion Gianna Vadino! Friday night in Queens, NY, Gianna won an extremely tough and close fight against a 5x champ en […]
Happy Monday Team! We are back for another hard week of training on the mats! Thank you to everyone who observed the slight adjustment in class scheduling this past weekend. Any time we operate on an adjusted schedule and we don’t have a student walking in for a cancelled class means we […]
Procrastination is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere. And, unfortunately, it is anemic to development — especially in the martial arts. There really is no “tomorrow.” In many ways, the future is an illusion. Yes, the future will come, but no, conditions will […]
Happy Monday Team! Big thank you to everyone who came out Saturday evening to support Gianna en route to her championship win. Gianna won all five rounds to secure the title with a dominant score of 50-45, making a big statement in the regional scene. Although Gianna did the heavy lifting, proper preparation […]
Happy Monday Team! We had a great time at the MOC Sparring event at 8 Limbs Academy yesterday in West Philadelphia. Ken, Tre, and Ade all stepped into the ring and put on a fine showing. Fighting is a team sport, even though you go out there alone. Without a strong support […]
There is just so much information to learn in martial arts. Angles, posture, footwork, strikes, positions, you name it. And especially in the grappling arts! Developing some literacy in your art will give you a massive boost in your learning speed. However, literacy isn’t just some emergent ability that comes with time. You have to work […]
Happy New Year and New Monday team! 2022 was an amazing year for the academy. After taking a serious beating over the two worst years of the pandemic, we were able to regain our footing and move forward again. I personally want to thank all the staff and students here for your […]
Happy Monday Team! I hope everyone was able to spend some time with their families this week, or at least get a little bit of R&R in. I definitely needed the downtime after an intense open mat on Xmas eve 🙂 We are running an adjusted schedule this week. Please make sure to […]
Happy Monday Team! We’re back for another busy week of training here at the academy. Please note that the academy will be fully closed on Saturday, December 24th. We will be open as normal on New Year’s Eve (12/31). Also, for the remainder of the year, all friends and family are welcome […]
If you are training long enough, at some point you will have to take some time off. This is inevitable. Work, family, friends, relationships, injuries — these can all demand significant amounts of your time (and, rightly so) and pull you out of a comfortable training routine. Coming back from a long layoff […]
Happy Monday Team! It’s crazy to think we are already at the end of October, 2022 — and yet, here we are! We have a bunch of SPOOKY events coming up in the next week, so make sure to come out and get in the spirit with us. First up, we […]
Happy Monday Team! We are back after an arduous but fun and successful outing at Grappling Industries on Saturday. The team picked up 5 Gold, 1 Silver, and 3 Bronze medals in some highly competitive divisions. We are back competitively this Saturday with Isis Toledo in a grappling superfight! This week also brings some […]
Often I give a brief, lighthearted anecdote in this column, and discuss a perspective that can give you an edge to your training. But today I am going to be a little more direct, and address something I see way too often as a coach. In fact, I see it a lot, and as […]
Happy Monday Team! We have a rare break in the action this month with not much confirmed on our calendar. So let’s double down in training and really focus on the basics! I have some fun and important news for everyone as well: we have made some changes to our Jiu Jitsu […]
One of the most important concepts in becoming a successful martial artist (regardless of how you define “success”) is that of ownership. We could spend hours talking about all the different ways ownership is important: owning your excuses, owning your responsibilities, owning your emotional state, etc. All of these could even be the […]
Happy Monday Team! Back to work after a packed weekend! Our Path to Blue Belt workshop was packed — I hope you all got something out of it. When we go over a comprehensive and exhaustive set of ideas and concepts, it’s unrealistic to absorb everything. Many of these concepts require multiple […]
Happy Monday Team! Got a scorcher of a week on deck, so make sure you are setting yourselves up for success by hydrating like crazy throughout the day! We have a busy Saturday coming up as well, so we’ve made some small adjustments to our weekend schedule to accommodate it all. Please […]
Happy Monday Team! We are heading into an important week here at the academy, with the return of our Striking 101 Review Test on Wednesday! This test is for any student that has completed more than 4 consistent weeks of training in our fundamentals program. Participation is free, but you will need […]
Simple one for you this week. Just show up. Feeling tired? Just show up. Sore? Just show up. Hungry? Just show up. I’ve been training for nearly two decades, and I can tell you the hardest — and most important daily step in your training regimen — is just to show […]
Happy Monday Team! Fresh off another competitive weekend in which we saw a number of our grapplers make some noise at Grappling Industries this Saturday. Big congrats to the veteran competitors Paul, Madison, Isis, and Gianna for their predictably strong performances. Jason and Joe both competed for the second time, which […]
Ultimately, what you put in, you’ll get out. That’s the beauty of what we do in these combat sports. The process is simple, but you have to look at it from a wide vantage point. Week to week you may not see results. Even month to month it’s not guaranteed. Year over year? Ok, […]
Happy Monday Team! I want to start out by saying a giant, huge, humongous, gargantuan thank you to everyone who came out for our anniversary shindig. A good measure of whether a party is fun can often be how few pictures there are — I was personally too engrossed in hanging out that […]
Be careful with your excuses. They expose your values. When an athlete or student tells me they want to take their training to the next levell, but then makes an excuse for skipping practice, or not focusing on the drill, or whatever really–there is always something written between the lines. Truly, I do not […]
In one of my earlier emails, I told you that persistence is one of the five core tenets of martial arts. It’s a must for kids to learn to fulfill their obligations and stick to their commitments – but what makes them want to do that? In martial arts, we attribute it to one small […]
You know how good it feels to set your sights on a goal and then achieve it. It’s empowering and invigorating – and it’s not just a matter of chance. Goal-setting is an important life skill. The good news is that studying the martial arts can help your child learn: The importance of setting goals How to […]
There are a lot of emotional benefits available to kids who study the martial arts. We’ve talked about some of them already, but today I’m going to talk about one that sometimes gets overlooked: Martial arts classes are a great place to make friends! Think about how most of us make friends. Friendships often start with commonalities, […]
As adults, we think a lot about stress. Modern life is difficult. We worry about paying the bills, doing our jobs well – and we worry about our kids. That’s part of our jobs as parents, but we don’t want our kids to be affected by stress. It’s not good for them physically or emotionally. Still, […]
It’s time to talk about the emotional benefits of studying martial arts. Let’s face it – kids have a hard time managing their emotions. You’d be hard-pressed to find a parent who hasn’t had to deal with their share of temper tantrums. It’s exhausting. Also, consider the other side of the coin: it’s exhausting for […]
It’s time to talk about the fifth and final core tenet of martial arts. In many ways, this tenet brings all the other tenets together – and it explains why kids who study martial arts have a light in their eyes that other kids don’t. We call it Indomitable Spirit. What does it mean to have an indomitable […]
In the last couple of blog articles, we’ve been talking about the core tenets of martial arts instruction, and today’s tenet is one that a lot of kids need to learn. I’m talking about self-control. Control is something that’s hard for kids. Their brains and bodies aren’t fully developed, and from the time they’re babies, […]