Excel Martial Arts Coquitlam

I can’t say enough good things about this martial arts gym. The staff are highly skilled in what they do and really make this place a welcoming and fun environment. Both my sons have trained here for the last five years and it’s been amazing for them. A truly great sense of community, respect and discipline.

There is nothing to dislike about Excel Martial Arts Coquitlam. All the instructors here are so friendly and supportive and truly want you to succeed. I spent four years here and had to stop unfortunately, but this place will become your second home and you will grow another family. You learn many different things and can apply them to real life. Wonderful for any ages! If you are looking to start or continue martial arts, you will not regret coming here!

I’ve had nothing but great experiences here! The gym has such a positive atmosphere that motivates me to do my best. The instructors are very knowledgeable and have built such a supportive and inclusive community. They incorporate creative exercises and activities into classes that make workouts exciting. I always leave classes in a great mood with the motivation to stay fit and healthy. The staff also has many COVID-19 regulations in place to keep the gym clean and safe for their members. They make it obvious that safety is a big priority.

My son has been going to Excel for many years. The instructors are encouraging, supporting and very knowledgeable in martial arts. They have a great balance between teaching discipline and holding the kids accountable while still having fun. They have taught my son so much about martial arts, but also about self-control, responsibility and respect. Excel has helped improve his self-confidence and his anxiety. He loves everything about this gym.

My daughter began attending this gym a few years ago when she was only 4 years old. Since then (she is now 7), has loved EVERYTHING about Excel Martial Arts. Ms. Peligrino is amazing - she is great with children of all ages, as well as adults. She is extremely professional and her passion for Martial Arts shines through her teaching and her abilities. The other instructors are all amazing as well and truly want the best for all of their students. Would recommend this gym for anyone looking to learn Martial Arts or expand their knowledge of the sport. THE BEST!

Great staffs, my boys love this place. They have changed a lot in a positive way. This centre made them active and polite. I like this part the most; my kids go to bed early. LoL

Overall a good activity for kids but sadly not a good fit for my kid. I started taking my kid to EMA in Sept to keep him active during the cold season and because of all the benefits of Martial arts:discipline,respect,focus etc. He started well-ish.He refused to put his uniform but the teachers were understanding and encouraging.He start liking it maybe after 3 weeks but his attention was/is very short given he turned 4 in October.He got plenty of “star student” stickers and his confidence was getting better.As a background, my kid is a very cheerful and carefree kid;he was jumping,singing, not taking the classes too seriously-and although I wished him to do better-I always thought that teachers will guide him and I shouldn’t interfere too much. However,in January I sent him once with my sister and she came home saying that my kid was not paying attention and one of the teachers said that he was distrupting the class and unless we get him to listen and pay attention, he might get kicked out of the program. Honestly, I was shocked, my husband was like- OK, it looks like I need to step in.So he started taking him to classes to keep an eye on him-and yes,we realised the teachers were right-he wasn’t listening-and as embarrassing as it was;whenever he wouldn’t listen my husband would shout at him-hey kid….listen to your teachers-and he was getting better-not perfect but 90% listening.However, since January he never got a “star student” sticker.Now, almost everyone got a letter to participate in a test for a yellow belt-but apparently my kid is not good enough for it-even though there are other kids on similar level as him.So my questions are: Is he the only kid behaving like a kid in the class?If no, why was he the only one “threatened”to be kicked out? Is it not the teachers responsibility to teach the kids to listen/focus/be disciplined during the lesson? Are only new kids/small kids getting start student stickers for encouragement? Is it not the teachers responsibility to spend bit more time to get all kids to same level?How can it be that he is like the only one still with a white belt after 6 months eventhough he has clearly improved So much? Do teachers even know how sad it is for a parent to see the kid trying so so much and the effort not recognised? Why the lack of communication between teacher and parent?we are here to get our kid to learn something as well and give them the confidence they can achieve something… Anyway,overall thesw last few weeks have been very sad-so I have decided my kid needs something else-someone who can understand what works for him- because me, as a parent I’m so proud of my 4 year old and continuously telling him off in martial arts is not what I want to do. P.S: for other kids,this place works wonders! just for my kid,sadly is not the place to be.

This used to be a great gym, a really great gym. Now it's simply another smelly martial arts school that teaches a watered-down and impractical form of martial arts in the name of making money. This has officially become a McDojo. Sad to see it in this state.