URSA Academy

not a good place. went, didn't feel welcome. place was too crowded and i bashed my knee on a nearly invisible table because you couldn't navigate the place. constant stream of people or kids getting into things. hectic, chaotic environment. it s not as clean as they act like it is, saw crumbs all over the place and sugar packets.

wolf in sheep clothes!

Incredible place of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu («BJJ») learning and respect. Professor Kris has established an instructional and positive BJJ environment that accommodates all skill levels.
Initially, I was unsure about BJJ as I am not UFC/​MMA enthusiast, and my interest was limited to cross-​training (I primarily play basketball and lift weights) and self defense. Yet to my delight it was an incredible work-​out, and my classmates — despite tremendous ability and occasionally size — were supportive, friendly and deeply respectful of my training and pace. It doesn’t hurt that the leadership from Professor Kris Magers is world-​class (go ahead and google him).
Outstanding community of students ranging in all skill/​interest levels and the Jiu Jitsu way.

I trained with Professor Kris and team for about a year and it was an amazing experience. Both Kris and Amy are extremely professional and helpful and the academy has a very friendly atmosphere. The classes are really well structured and have flexible schedules. Professor Kris has a very sharp and helpful teaching style that makes you progress really quickly; I felt really motivated to go training even with extremely low temperatures of Michigan. I am Brazilian and trained in the famous Alliance academy in Sao Paulo with Fabio Gurgel, so I have some good references of what a good jiu-​jitsu academy should be. Moreover, there were several workshops with the legend Xande Ribeiro (co-​founder of the Ribeiro Jiu-​Jitsu academy) and current world champion. I just left the academy because I moved to California; otherwise I would keep training with them for sure. It is definitely a family-​run academy: when I was missing classes because I was studying a lot (was attending MBA at U-​Michigan) Professor Kris called me a couple of times and asked me why I was not going, if I needed to change my scheduled, etc. That really motivated me to keep training and felt well regarded by the team. 5 stars!

I attended one free lesson at URSA and then signed up for the classes. Before my first class, however, I had to move out of the country, and they refused to give my money back. In fact, while I was out of the country, they charged my account for one month of classes (even though I proved that I was volunteering abroad). They gave me an excuse that didn’t make sense about this charge, and when I asked for my money back, they said there is a termination fee that this unexplained charge can cover. So, I pretty much just paid $ 300 for what was supposed to be a «free» lesson.

Great and serious jiu jitsu. Classes were excellent and Kris, the head instructor, was a great teacher. I would have trained here if I had more time for it.
The tuition is higher than I’m used to in California, but it’s probably competitive with other jiu jitsu schools in Ann Arbor.

If you want to get your children started in Jiu-​Jitsu, I’d try here. The instructors are wonderful with the kids and they offer a free 30 day trial and include a uniform.
A family plan is the only thing missing from this club but otherwise it’s perfect.