Westside MMA - Ravenhall (VIC)

5 /5 Aaron Tran: In response to whoever is A, Im not sure what you are talking about. As such, you are only talking about muay thai and your experiences. My experience with this academy is revolutionary. it actually teaches me. and Im not sure when you train, do you train right? Maybe you were doing a kick that weaponises your foot, like the question mark kick as example. And Im not sure why you call the receptionist bad, I reckon Jenny is the best with the community, but maybe you havent got to know this academy yet like I have. I suggest to keep your suggestions to yourself before you speak publicly. And youre comparing this to a McDojo? Seriously? I have, Infact, researched it, because I know you were talking bullcrap. Its funny to me how your butt is jealous about how much crap comes out of your mouth. Abbas Ahmadi, The same guy who trains me, the same guy who pushes me to my limits, is infact a world champion, have YOU researched? all in all, this place is great, and I love it! a wonderful community indeed

5 /5 Sean M: Real friendly and supportive gym, people you train with are all good people. No egos in the gym at all! A great martial arts gym that’s actually a martial arts gym, not just kick bags and get sweaty like many others. You will learn the style. Extra +1 for the BJJ program here.

5 /5 G Fah: Ive been coming to Westside on and off for the last year now and I can honestly say I love it. I mainly do Muay Thai but I tried the BJJ and the guys on both mats are extremely friendly, and really driven, which I think is super important when starting a sport for the first time. The coaches here are incredible. Super passionate and attentive to detail. I think thats the gyms strongest point. But overall its a great atmosphere. Probably too old to compete now lol but I follow these guys on IG and theyre very active at all competitions in both BJJ and Muay Thai. One of the younger kids recently won a gold medal - is now a world champ in her weight and age for Muay Thai. When I first entered MT the coaches Abbas Callum and Michael were really friendly and informative, theyve built a strong Muay Thai fight team and we have fun in beginners while breaking a sweat. If you want good structure and technique as a person whos never done anything like this I really recommend this place. Ive been lazy lately but this is my gym of choice lately

5 /5 Z J (JZ): This gym is for you if you want a clean, spacious space that doesn’t smell like my kid’s school bag after a forgotten lunch marinates in there all weekend. Westside MMA has several coaches, but I’ve interacted with three of them the most, and they are all fantastic. Most of my classes have been with Michael, a fantastic coach, even though his taste in football teams is questionable. He is a man who somehow manages to be a fitness guru, motivational speaker, and part-time therapist. He’s insanely knowledgeable, super relatable, and so patient youd think he moonlights as a kindergarten teacher. He even remembers your name and checks in outside of class, which is very sweet or slightly magical. I’m not sure yet. Just don’t hit the bags without being told to.. I would tell you what would happen, but where is the fun in that? Then there’s Callum, an absolute gem of a coach. I’ve only had a few classes with him, but he brings this calm, encouraging energy that makes you feel like you can do anything. Outside of class, his voice still echoes in my ears when he is yelling/firmly telling me to keep my hands up while punching and kicking. My daughter also trains with him; honestly, the man has the patience of a saint. Watching him work with kids is like someone defusing a bomb with a smile. Unshakable, supportive, and always positive, he’s a rare find. I haven’t had the chance to be trained by Elijah; he trains my daughter. I’m seriously impressed. For someone so young, he has endless patience with the kids and a real gift for connecting with them. He breaks everything down step by step, making it easy to follow, and while he keeps things structured and firm, he’s always polite, respectful, and approachable. The kids love him, and it’s easy to see why. Of course, none of this would be possible without Jennie, and she loves the number 31. She’s incredibly approachable and outstanding with all the families. She is always making everyone feel welcome from the moment they walk in. Her energy and care set the tone for the entire gym.

1 /5 A: Posting on a different account so I don’t get doxxed. After I posted my initial review the gym had 5 people post reviews in response to mine…talk about a cult like gym. Tl;dr I recommend any other gym, ring gym, absolute mma, there’s plenty of good gyms in Melbourne but this is probably the worst. As a student you are putting your trust in trainers that should know better, and you are doing a combat sport so safety should be paramount. This gym is abusive and unsafe and they charge the same. There are better alternatives. Here is my original review below: One of the most important things about a gym is culture, and I’m not convinced this gym has a good culture. I’ve been to quite a few martial arts gym and this is probably the worst culture in Melbourne (I’m sure there are places that are even worst, but at least those ones you can tell a mile away from how they market and brand themselves). The gym is run a bit like a military camp, which I’m sure some people would perceive as a well oiled machine. However does the quality of coaching compensate for this? Unfortunately not. And sports science studies have shown you learn better without excessive stress anyhow. I’m sure if you do one trial lesson here, you’ll be able to immediately pick out the coach that sets this tone. One of the younger coaches, Michael has dubious credentials (he’s trained for a long time but I’m not so sure how good he actually is or if he even has any fights). I’ve been given many strange advice by him that is at detriment to my MMA skills. Such as telling me to relax my shoulders and stand up straight and look up for my stance (exposing my chin), or apparently I was kicking wrong and I was supposed to kick with the part of the foot that is covered by my sock (this is Muay Thai not taekwondo…you kick with the shin). His conduct is also strange. One time he threw a punch at me during padwork that rocked me…because I told him I was trying to avoid cte and be more defensive. And he said mockingly “this is what will give you cte”. It seems he chooses his targets too, with certain boys in the class he would spend time sucking up to them or trying to impress tjem. Similarly during demos Michael would actually punch students with force and it would be awkward…felt like a weird display of power and borderline abusive. A lot of your sparring partners here also don’t have your best interest, and once again, this likely is due to the tone from the top. This is probably one of the least friendly gyms I’ve ever been to. People don’t really socialise as openly and when they do, it’s hush hush, and people seem a lot more tense and in survival mode during the spars. There’s less play. I think the atmosphere is set straight away by the receptionist who is a with an abrasive and blunt way of communication. To the dimly lit, tightly packed dungeon you end up training in. (Lol at the guy who said this was like a day spa) By no means is this a serious fight gym - moreso a spot for parents to drop their kids off for something that doubles as day care. I would recommend other gyms if you have the option. Apparently this gym used to be good too - until it got bought by Michael’s mum and the owners changed. Unfortunately it is a McDojo today, a mere remnant of its past. One of the other red flags is they have a grading system where you must attend a certain amount of sessions before they progress you to other classes - no matter your skill level. As far as I understand Muay Thai does not have a grading system or belt system - nor have I ever witnessed this. Furthermore, one of the comments mentioned the coaches are world champion Muay Thai fighters. Feel free to do your own research and search up the names of these instructors. Any fighter that is world class in any meaningful way will have information of their record as long as they aren’t fighting in no name regulations…check out Absolute MMA for example. The majority of their coaches fight in well known organisations even the ufc.