Underground Self-Defense

My kids love this place and so do I!! Big fan of the come-as-you-are atmosphere. I appreciated how well the instructors adapted to a class full of many different personality types, appreciated my extremely energetic and outgoing daughter and also brought shy and hesitant students out of their shells. It's cool to watch the kids learn to work together and develop leadership skills at the same time. PLUS, the class and instructors are ACTUALLY diverse and in many different respects which means a lot to us. I like that the focus is on personal growth, respect, self discipline, in addition to learning how to keep themselves safe.

My husband, daughter and i were members of Villari's Martial Arts Cooperative for almost 4 years. During that time we were actively involved in kickboxing and SKK for both adults and kids. We initially joined on a bit of a whim, thinking it would be a fun, family activity that would maybe help us to get in better shape. We ended up staying because of the high calibre of instructors at the studio, the rigor of all the classes (you WILL get in better shape!), the welcoming atmosphere and the convenience of having a studio right in downtown Madison. My daughter, who was only 8 at the time, loved the kids SKK class. She's not a natural athlete, but SKK helped her to grow in both her physical skills and her self-confidence. Since moving out of state, we found another dojo that follows a similar format to Villari's, so she was able to transfer her rank. We are happy that she was able to continue with her training, but Villari's will always be our first love.

My 11 year old and her friends took a girl empowerment workshop. The girl empowerment public class that is offered wasn't going to work at the particular day and time with our schedule, so Trisha worked with me to set up a private workshop- which I really appreciated. The class was really great. The girls did a group discussion with the instructor at the beginning, and then went on to learn some self defense moves that they were able to practice at the end of class. I highly recommend Villari's to any parent looking for a self defense class for their child.

Staff is exceptionally professional, welcoming, and friendly. I'm impressed by the way adults talk to the kids - very positive and encouraging. We highly recommend!

Master Brad was great with the kids and very welcoming.

The SAFE program they offer is taught by Ali. I highly recommend this program and Ali. It was a very empowering experience. I took the SAFE program with my cousin and daughter. We all want to go back for classes. I will also say that everyone on the staff that I’ve communicated with is professional and very friendly.

I took the SAFE course here at Villari's and absolutely loved it! It's perfect for women of all experiences and skill level. If you know something about self defense: there's always something new to learn or a skill to hone. If you're new to self defense: you won't feel left behind in the class and you learn lots!The teachers, Ali and Trisha, are fantastic! They understand how our culture is and made sure that we all knew the myths as well as actual statistics throughout the course. Ali and Trisha taught in a very knowledgable and skillful way that made every minute a fantastic experience. There are a lot of hard topics that come up with women's self defense, but everything was taught in an understanding way that encouraged everyone to speak up and tell their story.This course uses trained "attackers" who are men that are trained for this course and also teach martial arts or kickboxing at Villari's. I think this was very important to be included in the course since this is the most "realistic" version of any self defense a woman would have to prepare. The "attackers" were very friendly and knowledgable and all-around fantastic guys!I absolutely loved this course and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to take it! I would highly recommend this to any woman age 14+ and Villari's also offers a teen version for girls 14 and younger.

I took the SAFE Women’s self defense class and loved it. The instructors, Ali and Trisha were knowledgeable, patient, made the class relatable, and provided so much good information. Our trained make attackers were great at helping us practice and learn what we were taught without intimidation. I would highly recommend taking this course to feel more empowered and prepared in the event something should happen.

My daughter and I recently attended the two day SAFE class and I am so glad that we did and it far exceeded my expectations. Each class started with approximately an hour of discussion with the rest of the time spent learning and practicing the techniques taught. The instructors were skilled and thorough in their teachings. We were also able to practice the techniques with men which provided a realistic view of difference in size and stature that we realistically need to be prepared for. I must mention however that these men were extremely calm, polite and respectful and never approached us without asking beforehand if it was alright. Thank you Villari's for doing such an excellent and effective service in helping keep us women SAFE. They are lifelong skills that I hope to never have to use however I will be more prepared if I do!

Just horrible