Martial Arts Lessons in Kettering - TAMA Martial Arts

Great for the whole family. Very good curriculum for the bjj, muay thai, and karate. The instructors are fantastic. Started a few months back in the bjj and since have gotten my daughter and little brother into it. Great competition and self defense training. My daughter and I went to a competition and did very well. Love the people there. Everybodies friendly and are willing to help anytime. Becoming a second family to me. They offer free trials on anything you want to try. Highly recommend it!

I started Martial Arts in the 70's and in the 80's after getting my 5th Degree Black Belt in Hua Kenpo Kung Fu from Grand Master Tom Garriga, I moved to L.A. and worked out with Danny Inosanto, Eric Lee, Larry Hartsell, Benny Urquidez and others. I heard of Manny Taningco, but never met him until 2016 when I moved to Dayton to work at Wright Patterson. I found him while looking for an Instructor for my daughter. When we met, we went down Memory Lane talking about the old school days and the different Masters we trained with. While Manny continued, I dropped out. :(TAMA Martial Arts offers various disciplines: Kenpo, Tai Chi, Kali (stick fighting) Mixed Martial Arts, Jiu-Jitsu and others, while offering a great class for children. My daughter had her first 5-lessons with Manny and then went into the group class with other students from White belt to Black belt. The instructors are very patient and make sure the students understand the techniques being taught. The lesson plan and promotion requirements are published, so you know what they need for the next level. The lessons completed are signed off by the instructors. Unfortunately, work took me to N.C., but whenever we're in the area, I'll make sure my daughter has her uniform, so we can stop in for a couple lessons. Maybe one day, we'll both get our Black Belts from Grand Master Taningco. If you are in the Dayton area, I highly recommend TAMA Martial Arts Center.

I’ve been going to TAMA for over a year now to train bjj and Muay Thai and I love it. The rates are fair and the training is exceptional. Master Taningco and all the other instructors are world class, knowledgeable martial artists.

The class is actually real muay thai teachings and the training is impressive. & if shy or new they will gradually work with you to build your confidence not like most martial arts classes try to throw you in a fight. The atmosphere is perfect everyone is friendly & helpful the teacher actually focuses on each student to make sure you are using proper technic so you can grasp the full understanding. I implore all to try. They give 3 days free trial before signing up but I guarantee if you have an interest in martial arts you will definitely stay.

Very expensive. $300 annual fee+ $102 monthly+ $65 gi + $100 worth of sparring equipment + $20 shirt. Even the curriculum is $20. Just know you’ll be investing roughly $1800-$2200 a year here for 1Student.The tama ryu kempo (karate) is Great for kids, but for adults well if you do the kempo you will be the only adult. Also there is no lineage to be found. GM Tim Gasper is the said master that taught the kempo to Taningco. And GM Gasper learned from Grandmaster Fong, but you can’t find anything about them. Which is odd because all other arts know their lineage and base their curriculum off of it. Now I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s a family art created by grandmaster Taningco so he made up the curriculum. It’s just not an authentic karate, but it is a self defense program with karate as a blanket name to sell. (Remember people can pay to have certifications and or organizations recognize them. And to win a point style karate tournament you don’t even have to know karate you can use what you know. Hence why in the Miami valley Tournament Association they invite all martial arts schools and GM Taningco won a kata tourney using Kali sticks. Which are not found in any karate kata it’s FMA)The Muay Thai program is good, but I do believe there are better options in the area, with active fighters and coaches that have actually competed in full contact. GM Taningco does not have full contact pro or amateur experience. He claims he was a street fighter but that’s different. You can check to see on tapology or any news and they don’t produce many fighters. They do have a couple guys that are good though.The bjj they have a good instructor, but I wouldn’t say it’s as competitive as other local places and they only have 3 classes a week. Other gyms are cheaper by a lot and offer 20+ bjj classes a week. With multiple high level instructors. And open mat nights.The Kali I will say is legit it’s what master T trained in specifically and it’s their family art.Tai chi, Tien Shan psi kung fu, aikijutsu....if that’s your thing, they offer it.Overall it is a nice dojo, and they offer a load of classes it’s just too- kid centric for me. Which gives off Mcdojo vibes. If you enjoy traditional martial arts you will probably like it. It is good for kids I’d say it’s one of the best options for kids, but they should be upfront and say hey we do not usually train fighters. I will train somewhere where it’s all adults that want to compete and grow as fighters. As my goal is to compete in mma.The price is just also way higher than every school. There’s even a $15 fee if you pay for your belt test the day of the test.... very smart business tactics I just don’t like it. Best of luck Master T maybe I will end up competing with your students one of these days if they decide to compete in mma.Edit: the Master’s son decided to challenge me to a fight because of my review. So changed review from 3 star to a 1 star. Excellent customer service.

During my over 30-years of knowing Master T, he has maintained a consistency of discipline in himself and in his adult students in various arts taught including Muay Thai, BJJ, karate, and the Filipino martial arts. Many of his students move on to become excellent martial arts instructors, great fighters in the ring, and even healthier citizens. Master T is also a lifelong student who always seeks ways to improve himself, thus gaining more tools to uplift his students. He has my undying support!

Master T is a living legend. Vast knowledge in multiple disciplines Kenpo Karate, Muay Thai, BJJ, Kali to name a few and in the Black Belt Hall of Fame. I received my black belt from Master T in the 90’s. And I’m so excited that he is still at it and teaching my son. Highly recommended for the whole family.

Dennis GonzalezAge: 74 YearsMartial arts practice: 50 yearsRank: 5th Degree black belt TAMA Kempo JiuJitsuStudent of Grand Master Manuel TaningcoMartial arts have been an integral part of my life for many years. My study of martial arts began in 1970 and in 1976 I achieved 1st degree black belt. By 1982 I rose to 3rd degree black belt. My journey took me from Milwaukee Wisconsin to New Orleans Louisiana, and finally to Dayton Ohio.Upon arriving in Dayton I sought out a traditional martial arts school. After trying a number of schools I was still not satisfied. One day, while reading an old karate magazine from the 1980’s I saw a picture of “Dayton’s own Master Manuel Taningco”. Having never met him but being familiar with his reputation, I put my suit on, grabbed my resume, and went to meet him. That meeting took place in 2002, and I have been at TAMA ever since.In the 12 plus years of attending TAMA, something new is learned every time I attend class. TAMA is a traditional school where a number of martial arts disciplines are taught. Each discipline has dedicated black belts who are second to none. All are overseen by Grand Master Taningco.Many schools constantly try to sell the fact that their style is better, and everyone else’s is inferior. At TAMA this is not the culture. TAMA is a very unique school which is respectful to all martial artists. Grand Master Taningco is constantly in collaboration with various other martial arts systems, as well as their leaders making sure that his teachings are relevant. This is the reason why learning at TAMA never stops.Grand Master Taningco is a highly decorated multi discipline professional martial artist who never stops expanding his knowledge. He consistently strives to get the best out of all students. This is why I will have a life time connection with him.RespectfullyDennis Gonzalez

Master Taningco is a really talented martial artist and teacher. He uses a very organized curriculum that makes it easy to understand how to move forward. There are numerous styles to choose from. I usually practice karate but in the past I had a lot of fun training with individuals like Christian Toleque in kick boxing and mixed martial arts. Great place to learn and grow!

Master T helped me prepare for an amateur Muay Thai fight using traditional techniques he's perfected. Dayton is lucky to have a highly respected Grand Master and literal champion as a resource. Our kids have also engaged in competitive amateur bouts via TAMA. There is something for everyone at this dojo regardless of age or experience level.