We're different
Look every school will tell you they are the "best" martial arts academy or the "premiere"school in central Florida. These are empty phrases however and don't really mean anything.
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While it is true every school offers similar programs in name, they are all very different. Each school has their vibe and business practices. Each has their own culture and teaching philosophies. Even the American Top Team schools here in Central Florida. We are not franchised like McDonalds or LA Fitness so we are all very different. Be sure to try them all and find one that fits your needs and where you'll feel comfortable to train
How are we different?
1. Our kick-ass
community
At it's core, we contribute the height of our success to our awesome community. Wether you're trying to fight in the UFC, lose 20 pounds, get off the couch, or just looking for an outlet to deal with the day to day stresses of modern life, everybody needs a a strong community. We believe that having a strong community is the key ingredient to having success, not just in marital arts and health.....but also in life.
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Our entire staff is passionate about introducing new students to the martial arts because we know the impact it can have on their lives. Even better is the amount of help we from our members to helping new clients. Like out trainers and staff, our students as a whole give a shit!
No Contracts
2. Contracts are bullshit
We don't believe in contracts. We guarantee our work and are certain you will enjoy training with us. If we are making good on our promises, you will stay with us. If not, we do not want to force you to give us your hard earned money. This approach is fair, keeps us sharp, and makes us continually strive to meet your needs. Schools that use contracts generally have a crappy product and a high drop out rate. That is why they force you to pay even when you stopped taking classes (or even worse when you financially cannot afford to pay for classes). That right, imagine losing your job and your martial arts instructor is taking you to collections. Never sign a contract for martial arts training. Unfortunately there are too many shucksters out there.
You will train in a safety first training environment. Our programs are designed to teach you self defense and get you in shape in the safest manner possible. You will never be forced to spar, in fact you won't be allowed when you first start training. When you do start sparring it is always supervised by an instructor and always structured to make live training more productive and safe. If you visit a school and they allow you to "go live" without knowing proper technique you are guaranteed an injury. Maybe not that day, but it's coming. Stay away from these schools, they give the rest of us a black eye.
Safety First
Principle
3.Safety first
principle
You will train in a "SAFETY FIRST"environment. Our programs are designed to teach you real self defense and get you in shape in the fastest manner possible. You will never be forced to spar. In fact, you won't be allowed much when you first start training. When you do start sparring it will always be supervised by an certified instructor. If you visit a school and they allow you to "spar" or "roll" without knowing much technique or having much conditioning, you are guaranteed to get injured. Maybe not that day, but it's coming. Stay away from these schools, they give the rest of us a back eye.
4.Our facility
Unfortunately many martial arts schools are operated out of small or dirty training facilities. Spaces that are much to small to conduct a class full of students. Even worse some are run out of industrial warehouses with no air conditioning. This is Central Florida not Northern California. This borders on dangerous in the height of summer. We have an all inclusive Mixed Martial Arts training facility including an MMA Cage, tons of mat space, heavy bags, weights, pads, conditioning tools, and much more! To see a video tour of gym and feel the vibe click HERE.
5. We give back
We believe in giving back to our communities we serve. We are a big supporter of the wounded Warrior Project. This is an organization devoted to helping our military veterans injured defending our freedoms. We also hold free quarterly bootcamps in exchange for donations to the Central Florida SPCA (we love dogs....and cats). We also have collected thousands of pounds of food for the second Harvest Food Bank here in Central Florida.
Our History
In 2003, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and legendary BJJ black belt Ricardo Liborio teamed up with executive Dan Lambert to form American Top Team. Dan, also a black belt in jiu-jitsu, provided the financial support and business expertise while Ricardo took on the role as head instructor. In just a couple of years ATT grew into a 20,000 square foot headquarters and one of the largest most active MMA teams in the world. The team has thousands of members who train and compete in MMA, boxing, muay Thai, submission grappling, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. American Top Team fighters regularly showcase their skills in some of the biggest promotions on the planet including: UFC, Bellator, WSOF, Titan FC just to name a few. The American Top Team brand of MMA and jiu-jitsu has now spread from South Florida to more than 60 martial arts academies, across 31 states, 3 countries and still growing.
In August of 2006 under the direct guidance of Paul Rodriguez, ATT first opened it's doors here in Orlando. Paul had an unshakeable commitment to uphold the standards set forth by American Top Team and is proud to continue its legacy of strength here in Central Florida.