SBG East Coast

My family has been part of SBG for seven years! WOW, seven years. When you are part of an organization for seven years you see alot. You get to see how the leaders react to all the things that happen over time. This organization has served as a positive model for digging in and putting in the work. KIDS PROGRAM. My youngest started when he was three years old. He is now 10. We signed him up because he is a....... VERY ACTIVE BOY. He needed structure and instruction and a way to focus all that energy. We joined SBG and have never turned back. The youth program's attention to each kid and the strengths and challenges each kid faces is phenomenal. Coach Mike knows us and makes a special effort to acknowledge us on a personal level. Coach Branden goes out of his way to make sure each kid is acknowledged. Each coach has taken the time to foster life lessons through the practice of the sport as well as character building talks, both on the mat and in sideline after class chats. Each kid is taught to take responsibility for the effort they bring and the consequences of those efforts. My son has developed a sense of himself that is based on a very supportive community. Being accountable to coaches my kids can admire has been a blessing to us in raising a VERY ACTIVE BOY. He takes pride in himself and alot of that comes from the coaches at SBG. TEEN/ADULT program: My 15 year old grew into the Teen/Adult program at SBG and he explains his experience this way "The easiest thing I can think of is that it is 'welcoming'. Like it doesn't matter if you've never met any of the people, they don't look at you strange, they just start talking to you. There isn't any kind of awkward stage. Brand new people are treated just like the long time people." My son is often the youngest person on the mat and he is ALWAYS treated with respect and given lessons that honor him as a student. There is this lesson that comes up in classes that really emphasizes the importance of being a good training partner. That each student brings value to the mat and each should be treated respectfully and encouraged to be a part of the process. My son has placed first in several competitions, but he has also lost. And in each loss he was wholly supported by the coaches to learn from those experiences. He takes part in the special events the gym puts on that expose him to successful fighters and trainers. The lessons he takes away from this exposure informs his value system. Most significantly, the Matt Thornton seminars that exposes him to an ideology of life through training. What I like to see is that the leaders of this organization like Coach Steve Whittier and Matt Thornton are well read intelligent individuals who have a purpose they want to share. Such focus and passion is a great example for my teenager as he grows into an adult. WOMEN'S FITNESS: I have been taking the Women's Boot Camp class for several years. I work a very stressful job and I commute two hours to work, yes, two hours one way. I was grumpy and tired ALL THE TIME. My husband got me a membership to the Boot Camp for Christmas one year and it has changed my life. I didn't know how I was going to be able to fit in an hour of exercise three times a week after my long day. It didn't take long to get addicted to the changes this class made in my life. Coach James makes it challenging and fun and it is never the same thing twice. I love to show up and be challenged and leave spent and fulfilled. I never would have thought that it was possible to have energy at the end of the day, but now my Boot Camp class is a priority in my life. I am strong and capable and more willing to try new challenges like running and obstacle courses and things I never would have done before this class. The women in the class are a phenomenal asset as well. The group is welcoming and supportive and the dedication we have to the class is unanimous. You'd have to make a strong argument to think I'm going to skip a Boot Camp class, 'cause that just aint gonna happen ;-)

My kids trained at a different gym for almost a year before leaving to attend SBG East Coast, We felt that the training they were receiving was not keeping our girls attention and  the promotions they were given not earned. So we went to check out SGB. The gym was clean, the coaches and staff are warm and friendly, and welcoming. My girls had a private lesson and from that day on we have been part of the SBG Tribe. My girls started in the second level classes (Spider Monkeys) within 2 month the girls were invited into the leadership program. My girls were then moved up the following month. My children are thriving, and have to honor of bring assistant coaches in the younger classes. My children have competed and have done well. Not only do my kids take Classes at the gym they also attend the after school program, the coaches provide tutoring and any other help needed with homework, and school projects. My kids also attend the summer program as well. At the summer program the kids go on educational field trips as well as fun trips. The BJJ classes are phenomenal for children and adults. Myself along with my husband have joined the gym. The coaches are positive kind caring individuals who care. Our 3 year old son. Even loves the gym. The coach and assistant coaches take a little time after classes to work with him until he can join in the classes. SBG lives by their moto One Tribe One Vibe. We as a family are proud to be part of the Tribe,

SBG started off great, I'll be honest. I signed my son up and he loved it. He loved the coaches, the other students, and the program. The facility was clean. They were thorough about cleaning up bodily fluids and keeping the other children safe by having them use mouth guards. Pricing was a bit high but anything for our kids, right? Class was 2x a week and we lived about 40 mins away. After almost a year of being there, I realized we had been scammed. I had been paying for him to learn almost nothing compared to other gyms. There was only 1 coach and maybe 1 or 2 Jr coaches each class and were not able to control some of the students who could not keep focus (not blaming the kids -blaming lack of coaches). The coach wanted him to go up to the next level, which would give him rolling experience as the intro level had little to no rolling time, and a "special" blue Gi for a higher price/month and a 2 year contract. What 5 year old can commit to something for 2 years? The cancellation fee was over a thousand dollars and would slowly decrease as time went on but it still felt like a lot to me. I couldn't commit and it broke my sons heart that he couldn't move forward. How could he compete without any rolling experience? They pretty much pushed me into a corner because there was no way for my son to excel without paying more and signing a 2 year contract. I feel as though SBG isn't about the kids as much as they are about the money. I moved my son to another gym, closer to home, owned and ran by a small family, with at least 4 coaches per class (no Jr coaches -only adult coaches), and they were shocked at how little he knew after being at SBG for 11 months. Other kids with that much time in at their gym had more skills, more rolling experience, and were already competing. For a lower price/month (and no contract!) he was able to pick any Gi color he wanted, no "special" Gis, no one was left out, roll at EVERY class, had class 3x/week, kept his belt rank, and learned at a faster pace than at SBG. Though the new gym only focuses on BJJ whereas SBG focued on BJJ with some muay thai, I feel as though the family run business cares about their students a whole lot more. My son has bonded with his new coach in such a way I never thought possible. He is truly a great mentor for my son. Their gym is a brand new facility and is also 100% clean all the time with real rolling mats. We've been here for 3 months now and will never go back to SBG. Ever.. I am not endorsing the new gym, even though I want to so badly! ..so I won't even put the name of it in this review... but just so you know if you're reading this, do your kid a favor..... go somewhere else.

A few years ago, I was just looking for a place nearby that had some fitness classes, maybe kickboxing, or something other than every other gym. I came across SBG (it was called Nexus at the time) and started taking some Muay Thai classes. I was blown away. Everyone was so positive and encouraging. No one at SBG will ever make you feel like you 'don't belong' in a class. No matter your skill level or age, you will be welcomed into the tribe! I stuck with it for a few months but had to stop in order to go back to college for my senior year. Everyone was so genuinely invested in my progress, and encouraged me to come back when I graduated. I promised I would be back, and..because of how SBG treated me as one of their own..I came back after graduating. I have been training now for about a year and half and could not be happier with my experience. SBG has become my second home, and there's no better feeling than being a part of the tribe. One Tribe, One Vibe! Give SBG a try, I promise you will not be disappointed.

I started out at SBG a couple of months ago after my little boy had been going for over a year. He loves it and i needed to lose some weight so i joined the foundation muay thai class. In the beginning i just wanted to lose weight and I'm proud to say that after a few months i met my first goal to lose 10lbs ! Surprisingly what started out as just a way to lose weight has now become a real interest and i look forward more and more to learning more skills and technique. I'm currently going twice a week and scheduling private classes as well. Thanks guys for the great classes, looking forward to more ! :)