Imperial Combat Arts

Since joining this school several months ago, I’ve found myself growing stronger physically, mentally and spiritually. Each instructor has a wealth of knowledge alongside a unique approach to teaching the arts, providing both a breadth and depth of insight. You get out what you put in and it’s incredibly rewarding to witness yourself and those around you conquer fears, build confidence and discipline, and accomplish things you may not have thought possible. Being a female, this has had a particularly profound impact on me, and I have experienced nothing short of genuine support from the group throughout this entire process.

I love going to this school, it’s unlike any other martial arts I’ve looked into! The classes truly teach you how to defend yourself first and foremost. The training is tough but rewarding, you have to be willing to push yourself further than you thought you could. The teachers are amazing and help you to hone yourself. The classes are long but I always wanna spend more time there, the knowledge is so much more than a standard martial arts school. Thank you all for letting me train here! I hope to progress much farther.

Each class is an excellent opportunity to build strength, and understanding in traditional martial arts. The wealth of knowledge and overall passion from instructors is never ending. You are taught how to realistically prepare for many diverse situations, while learning combat as a true art form. My time here has been incredibly valuable.

I've trained in Martial Arts for 10 years. I think a large difference that I've noticed, in my time in this School, is that we Study more than we simply Train. Every class I walk out feeling the effects of the depth and length of study of the Martial Arts. The people here are amazing warriors who not only strive for their own personal best but they push you beyond what you think are your limitations. A sibling-hood I've never experienced in a decade of training in other schools. The instructors are high class with the knowledge and abilities they demonstrate and teach, each bringing their own methods and viewpoints to help broaden our own. The intensity of the training is much more lifelike and is geared towards real world encounters and possibilities; it's not limited to the ideas of the stereotypical "break the wrist and walk away" self defense schools. The mood is always light, the training is very serious, the work can be seen as grueling, but the results are worth it.

I was accepted into ICA back in August, and I have to say, I'm surprised to even read negative comments about them. I realize everyone has their own experiences, but this training group is full of very helpful, knowledgeable instructors who genuinely want you to advance. Many of them have been training for 20+ years in various martial arts. You will always leave class having learned something valuable, and you will always leave feeling incrementally improved. Additionally, leave your egos at home as this is not the environment for that. I encourage anyone who's interested in learning the true art of self-defense to apply. If you're accepted, rest assured that each class provides lessons in each discipline taught to you. We get to train knives, clubs, elbows, fists, kicks, grappling, and then some in each class. We get to learn about martial arts history and how ALL of the various martial arts have similarities and intertwine or can be used against each other. This is combat training for us to apply what we learn if necessary in the real world to keep ourselves and others safe. We do not do this for competition training because a lot of what we learn goes against tournament rules. What we train is effective at shutting down your opponent if someone tries to harm you. I've had previous experience in Tai Kwon Do and jiu-jitsu, but this training is different, and while there's emphasis on learning moves to hurt opponents, we spend a great deal of time keeping each other safe in our studies. You feel the comradery between warrior friends and grow to really appreciate and applaud each other through individual development. I'm forever grateful I was accepted into this training group.