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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 APRIL 14th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! We just wrapped up a huge week of testing and competition! On Thursday, we passed our latest class of Level 2 Striking students at the shorts test! Congrats to everyone who tested: […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF APRIL 7th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! On Saturday we had the privilege of hosting Jonathan Thomas, a world champion Jiu Jitsu athlete and highly sought after international coach. Jon spent nearly three hours going above and beyond with […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 31st, 2025 Happy Monday Team! Spring is in the air! Which means, time for my annual hygiene chat 🙂 We might think that armbars, slams, and overhands are the most dangerous things on the mats. In […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 24th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! Back at it after a successful week of training. Mats were packed, and it’s always extremely rewarding for me to see students making breakthroughs. Whether that’s a seasoned veteran adding a […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 17th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! We are doing double-duty today by celebrating both St Patrick as well as Nai Khanom Tom, a legendary Thai folk hero! Interestingly, these two figures share a common theme: snakes! St […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 10th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! This week is bittersweet for me — bitter in that the mornings are earlier, sweeter in that the sun is shining all day. But we are capping it with two awesome […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF MARCH 3rd, 2025 Happy Monday Team! Spring is just around the corner! Last week was a nice reminder that it won’t always be overcast, cold, and bitter. The cooler months of April and May are some of […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 24th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! This week we’re keeping it simple — no special events, no competitions, just good old fashioned training. March will see North Star return to action at the USA Muay Thai Nationals […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 17th, 2025 Happy Sunday Team! Wanted to send this out a day early in case there were any questions about our schedule tomorrow — we are open as normal! This includes our 9am and 10am striking […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 10th, 2025 Happy Monday Team! As you’re reading this I’ll probably be trying to shake off the jet lag from my red eye flight to Munich (by my estimation I will have just landed) — I […]
THE RED CORNER 5.20.24 NEWS AND EVENTS AT NORTH STAR MMA Happy Monday Team! We are heading into the unofficial start of Summer on the tail end of an incredibly busy Spring. The coming Holiday Weekend will be a welcome rest for the staff and students here as we regroup for what’s shaping up […]
Happy Monday Team! We just wrapped up an extremely successful weekend in NYC, and an extremely successful competitive Spring run. To say I am “woofed” is an understatement. What an incredible effort by the students, coaches, and competitors here at the academy! Gianna Vadino definitively defended her Warrior’s Cup championship this past Friday against “The […]
Happy Monday Team! We are fresh off another week of intense competition and right back into the fire again! Congratulations to Tim Green, the 2024 ISKA Kickboxing Champion! Tim Green put on a killer performance this weekend in the ring, blending heavy pressure with smart footwork and impeccable defense. Coach Trevon Scales came up short […]
THE RED CORNER: NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF 4.22.24 Happy Monday Team! Wow.. what a weekend. Three events over two back-to-back days and over a dozen competitors! On Saturday, Isis Toledo competed in the Place of Peace invitational BJJ event. She dropped a competitive decision […]
MONDAY MINDSET: DIALING IN WEEK OF 4.15.24 We’ve all heard the old expression, “practice makes perfect.” This really couldn’t be farther from the truth. We should really think of it more along the lines of “perfect practice, with perfect consistency and appropriate intensity, makes perfect.” There’s a lot to unpack there! When we step […]
THE RED CORNER || 01.15.24 || NEWS AND EVENTS AT THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY IN PHILADELPHIA Happy Monday Team! We are finally back to our regularly scheduled programming here every Monday! In October, we were told that our gym management software — which basically runs scheduling, tuition, e-mails, and everything in between — was literally […]
STRIKING 201 || 11.27.23 || PHILADELPHIA MUAY THAI HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR STRIKING 201 MUAY THAI KICKBOXING CLASS ON 11.27.23 Photos are free and available for use to students! Muay Thai kickboxing at North Star MMA in Philadelphia Here are some of the benefits of taking Muay Thai kickboxing classes at North Star MMA: […]
MONDAY MINDSET: GRATITUDE MENTAL TIPS, TRICKS, AND NEW PERSPECTIVES Short one for you today. I just want to share a moment I had earlier this month: I had just parked outside the venue in Hatfield for the Tap Cancer Out tournament. The weather was beautiful. I had just trained a bit earlier in […]
THE RED CORNER || 11.20.23 || MUAY THAI CLASSES NEWS AND EVENTS FROM NORTH STAR MIXED MARTIAL ARTS Happy Monday Team! Big props to coach Tre who put it on the line this past Saturday night, fighting for the Gut Check Championships 115lb belt. Tre came up short in a 5 round full […]
To be fair, it’s not a necessary requirement to be in elite shape to be successful in combat sports. Plenty examples exist of poorly conditioned athletes winning their fights due to disparities in skill, advantageous stylistic matchups, or just pure luck. With that said, good conditioning solves every problem that bad conditioning creates. One of the most […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND EVENTS HERE AT NORTH STAR MMA Happy Monday Team! Big congratulations to marquee fighter Gianna Vadino who went 6-0 with 3 stoppages en route to double gold in both the Muay Thai and K1 divisions at the ISKA World Championships in Munich, Germany. Gianna squared off against athletes from […]
THE RED CORNER News and events here at north star mma Happy Monday Team! Lots coming up this second half of October. Yeesh. Rather than drawl on and on about it, I’m going to organize everything into neat little bullet points below for your reference: Gianna Vadino heads to Germany to represent the USA […]
THE RED CORNER || 10.02.23 || UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR MMA ACADEMY IN PHILADELPHIA Happy Monday Team! Hard to believe we’re already in Spooky Season, aka October! It’s my favorite time of the month (largely due to Halloween and a much-needed break from the hot weather), and also one of my favorite times on the mats. People are […]
Monday Mindset: Discipline Bridges the Gap I feel like we all know what we should be doing.Eating better, sleeping more, exercising often. It’s not complicated. And yet, most of us are probably not at the level of health and fitness that we’d like to be. Simply put, discipline is the bridge between where we are, and where […]
Happy Monday Team! Back for another tough week on the mat. This weekend, The North Star Academy will be hosting athletes from all across the tri-state area for another PRO/AM Sparring meetup. This event draws amateur and professional MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai fighters from the top gyms in the region for a day of […]
Monday Mindset: Labor Day Today we’ll divert from the usual routine and instead take a moment to honor the members of our community here who are out there getting things done every day. The first responders, construction workers, truck drivers, and so on. The people who rarely get the spotlight but keep the wheels of […]
Happy Monday Team! We are CLOSED today for regular classes, but we’ll be hosting an open mat from 10am – 12pm (approximately). All students are welcome to attend and mess around on the mats! We’ll be running 5 minute rounds on the timer and the rest is up to you. Have any family or friends […]
PRO/AM SPARRING 06.29.24 @ THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY ALL IMAGES FREE TO USE FOR PERSONAL USE — PLEASE CREDIT @SCOTTJAMESCREATIVE ON INSTAGRAM