Coach Kola supports his athletes, and runs an exceptional program.

Tldr: Our family is happy at Kola's and as a parent I think it is an amazing program with a great community. However, this gym is not for everyone. Review below is for the kid's program since that is what we have experience with.

My kids have been going to Kola's for almost two years now. My kids were at a different gym for several years, but we started looking for a new gym, because our original gym was very cautiously and slowly coming back post covid, and my kids were ready to start training seriously again.

Pros:

Coach Kola supports his athletes, and runs an exceptional program. He freely and generously shares his time and knowledge with the kids. He cares for each of them and develops each of them to their potential. He cares about them as people as well as athletes. When my kid broke her ankle (totally not Jiu Jitsu related!) he and other coaches were checking in and making sure she was doing okay. I have a kid that rarely competes, but he puts in time to develop her as much as he does for the kids that compete all the time. Coach Kola pushes the kids to work hard with conditioning and reps, but is always developing their Jiu Jitsu brain. How do things work? What questions do you have? He shares a lot of his time answering questions the kids have. 

The community is a huge plus. Kids are polite and kind. They truly support each other and make Jiu Jitsu a team sport. The parents help each other out and work together to form a lovely group of people that I enjoy spending time with. They are welcoming to new people. As a mom with girls, I appreciate that there is a strong community of women/girls that support each other. 

Cons: 

Coach puts in a lot of his time and effort and expects the same from the kids. If the kids are talking at inappropriate times or are putting in mid effort he will call them out on it. If your kid needs to be gently nurtured and to learn the joy of Jiu Jitsu through fun games, or if you as a parent can't stand to see them struggling or upset when called out on their behavior then this will not be a good fit for you. I've seen kids cry when called out on behavior like talking or walking off during a lesson. It's strict. I've seen kids cry because they are at the end of their physical abilities. However, the kids all feel like Coach cares for them, has their back and respects them. He will always go to bat for them. Criticisms are aimed at the kid's behavior, not at the kid. The kids see and know that they get results from the hard training, and often ask to go for long training days. Coach has said that it's fine for the kids to cry because he understands that this is serious for them, and it is serious work for him as well. I have a kid who loves strict classroom management and thrives on the focused training. She interprets games as dumbing down and can't stand chaos. 

Facilities:

The gym is not fancy. It is basic. It is clean, but it is not shiny. Parking is always available. 

~ Naomi Yamasaki