Martial Arts

An excellent studio on the Westside of Santa Cruz offering a wide array of fitness and martia arts classes.

Love this place

I have visited this dojo many times. Their head instructor is excellent. I would recommend this dojo for anyone interested in training karate.

Ive been going to Tao San for 6 months now and I highly recommended it. The Fit-Boxing classes use the heavy bags and are a kick-ass work out. The more you go, the harder you learn to hit, the harder the workout gets. I came here to learn self defense as much as to get in shape. Dioe has an amazing amount of real world experience that he brings to the class. The class goes through the basics of punching, kicking, how to deflect and move in ways that are applicable to the street while learning how to control yourself and a given situation. Good things to know in Santa Cruz. Lastly, the vibe at the gym is awesome with none of the agro bullshit you get at some MMA gyms. You want to find your inner kick-ass and do it with a smile? Go to Tao San.

From a highly qualified instructor to a good location, it was the right choice for my family. Highly recommended.

The instructors are very friendly, patient, and attentive. A great place to learn martial art and build confidence for my kid.

Great karate and kickboxing (no kicking and punching in the air here)

Welcoming and accessible for every skill level, age, and physical ability. Classes available every day of the week!

Been training here for roughly a year and I can say that this gym has seen exponential growth and will continue to see this same growth under the direction of coach Mark. The main thing that first attracted me to this gym was the presence coach Mark made through the use of social media. When first arriving to the Monterey area, Elite Team was the only gym I felt like had any real info that was up to date. I gave Mark a call and he let me know everything that I needed to know in regards to beginning classes, how much the cost was, times they trained, etc. Every class follows a structure of about 15-30 minutes of warm ups followed up by 30-45 minutes of technique instruction and drilling. Upon completing the drilling sequences we begin rolling (live sparring). The greatest thing about the live rolls at this gym is that everything is "free" in a sense. A lot of gyms will not teach the concepts of leg locks or other "dangerous" techniques to white belts. Coach Mark will demonstrate the concepts behind these techniques and show why they are considered "dangerous" and if you were to be caught by these techniques, how to escape or diffuse these positions. This group is very tight knit and extremely welcoming to anyone and everyone. Just about every training session I see a new face and me as well as other members of the gym are happy to see new members or those who are just dropping in. Great gym! If you have ever thought about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, stop thinking and call Mark. See you on the mats.

Chillin in the sun

Starting in the Adult Course

I teach at The Cave Academy and I can't be more grateful for my Cave Family! Come train and learn martial arts with a great group of people!