Book your free class and receive a special offer upon enrollment (up to a $100 value!)
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.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE WEEK OF 6/22/26 The paradox of combat sports is that it is intensely both a team and and individual sport. Individually, you must go out there and compete alone. No tag team partner to jump in when things go south. Just you and the training you’ve brought into the ring. But […]
WE ARE SILLY PUTTY WEEK OF 6/15/26 Short one for you this week. I truly believe that people (myself included, of course) are way more flexible and plastic than we believe we are. We tend to adopt the norms of whatever culture/community we spend time in, and the people around us have an incredible […]
FRUSTRATION IS YOUR GUIDE WEEK OF 6/8/26 Piggybacking off last week’s entry (“Don’t Let It Get Easier”)– How do we know if we’re going in the right direction? To what do we orient ourselves? If you’ve noticed a theme of exploration, travel, and direction here at the gym, you’re on the right track. We […]
DON’T LET IT GET EASIER WEEK OF 6/1/26 Don’t let it get easier. That’s it. That’s all of it, really. We spend so much time early in our martial arts journey just trying to get some sense of control and familiarity with the training. Every day is an uphill climb, but eventually we reach […]
MEMORIAL DAY WEEK OF 5/25/26 Much more than just a “three day weekend,” Memorial Day stands out in the national holidays as a sobering reminder of the cost of freedom, change, and prosperity. In many ways our paths through martial arts are no different. We must make profound sacrifices in order to achieve the […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF JUNE 24th, 2024 Happy Monday Team! We successfully survived the first heatwave of the year — hopefully everyone was able to stay hydrated, upbeat, and comfortable this past week. Moving forward, if you fail to prepare — […]
THE RED CORNER NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEEK OF JUNE 17th, 2024 Happy Monday Team! Not a super busy week off the mats — we are in full swing here at the academy for the Summer and just finished our first full week of morning classes. […]
MONDAY MINDSET: GIVE EXCUSES AN INCH, AND THEY’LL TAKE A MILE 03.18.24 Excuses are powerful. They are often appropriate–some of us have injuries, or restraints on our time or finances, that prohibit us from pursuing our goals. But these excuses often overstep their boundaries and trick us into thinking they absolve us of other […]
THE RED CORNER 01.29.24 NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY IN PHILADELPHIA Happy Monday Team! As always you can find the Monday Mindset and Junior Samurai articles linked at the bottom here (and make sure to follow us on Instagram as well, we post everything there as well). We are wrapping […]
Happy Monday Team! We are fresh off a successful weekend of competition, seeing striking coach Trevon “Beast Boy” Scales pick up a dominant decision win over a very game opponent at Freedom Fighting Championships’ first event here in Philadelphia. Trevon has consistently leveled up fight after fight and was able to put his hands together […]
PHILADELPHIA MMA — A BRIEF HISTORY The history of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Philadelphia is a rich one, dating back to the early 1980s. Although famously known for its extensive boxing legacy, Philadelphia has emerged as one of the “mightiest little cities” in the sport. The Early Years In 1979, Bill Viola, […]