N-Flux - Washington, District of Columbia

KT Beckman-Götrich

I just took Guerrera: DC’s Feminist Fight Club, their weekend intro with Colleen Daly! I loved the consent, the grounding, the skills, the comradery, and the timing. Nflux seems like a great community and I can’t wait to visit her gym, Underdog, in Asheville! I am so excited to learn more.

West Long

Traveling in from out of town I did a drop in of the beginners and intermediate no gi class. Although I am relatively experienced I was impressed by the way the instructor broke down the concepts for the class. The intermediate class was also well thought out and delivered. I’d recommend for beginners or intermediate as they focus on some of the core concepts and how they lead to the end goal of getting the tap. I am sure advanced classes would be of similar quality.

Katherine Daw

I took Colleen’s Women’s and Femme’s Self Defense Intensive and loved it.

First, Colleen is an amazing person and I want to be her best friend. Second, the self-defense weekend was incredible and I truly think I’m better for it.

Colleen has designed the curriculum with both practicality and thoughtfulness in mind. She made sure all of us felt safe, cared for, and heard throughout the experience, even as we were tackling difficult topics and potentially triggering exercises and drills. She and the ladies helping out were very knowledgeable and gave great pointers and individual attention to everyone in the class. The session on verbal deescalation was unlike any other self defense class I’ve taken, and in the best way— it’s pretty amazing to have a martial arts teacher be up front about the fact that martial arts is not always the ideal or best approach to self defense in some situations.

I’ve come out of the weekend very sore, but feeling empowered and much more confident in my ability to defend myself in an emergency. This class has also inspired me to continue training in martial arts at N-flux so that I continue to hone my self defense skills and increase my confidence. The N-Flux students that I met over the weekend could not have had more nice things to say about N-flux—they spoke about how wonderful Chris and the staff are and how inclusive and welcoming the gym is to women and marginalized people. I look forward to becoming part of this community.

Jenna Bernfeld

Colleen's self-defense workshop (Guerrera) completely exceeded my expectations. This course is trauma-informed and accessible to people of all athletic abilities. Colleen is a gifted instructor and creates a safe, fun, and inclusive experience. In addition to being physically challenging, the course includes a thorough de-escalation information session, which was extremely helpful and immediately actionable. I really can't recommend this class and this gym more, you will love it!

Alissa H

I will never stop recommending N-Flux to everyone who will listen. Finding this gym was life changing for me, I mean it. I was first introduced when I took the women and femmes guerrera self defense intensive. Colleen will never ever tell you that one weekend of training will guarantee your safety, but you will learn the basics of de-escalation, creating space, falling safely, and enough fighting that in a high stress moment your muscle memory will hopefully kick in at least a little (but it’s not your fault if it doesn’t). I left knowing that the workshop was just the beginning for me—2 classes a week became 3 became 4 became 5. It became my favorite part of my days. Over the next year and a bit I branched out, trying out and incorporating jiu jitsu, kickboxing, mobility, and strength training. As a very small woman in a major city, I became more confident walking through life. I am unbelievably grateful for Colleen, Tahira, Chris, Maicie, Gonz, and the entire community.

This is a truly beginner friendly space. The instructors are excellent at providing critique without it feeling like you’re being judged, at pushing without hurting. I can’t emphasize this enough. When I started at N-Flux, I couldn’t even do a single push up on my knees (a physical block) I was afraid to somersault (a mental block). Everyone I have met there is encouraging, supportive, and uplifting. I felt incredibly safe at N-Flux, especially because so many women train there. I celebrated so many small milestones. Show up and give it 100%, you will be absolutely amazed by what you can do. There’s some unlearning that may need to happen: the fear of being loud, over-apologizing, holding back when you weren’t asked to. This gym was transformative for my physical and mental health. It’s the first gym I never got sick of.

Although I haven’t been able to train there since the new year, it’s not for a lack of love or motivation. I truly hope that in due time I’ll be able to get right back at it. If you’re looking for an engaging, challenging, and fun workout where you will see real progress week by week, this is the place for you.

Emily Horowitz

I've been training at N-Flux for almost three years and cannot recommend it enough. The instructors work to create challenging but fun programs, and each class is different so I never get bored. Expect an intense but worthwhile workout! Chris, Colleen, and Victoria are great motivators who will work with you to progress at any fitness level. Class sizes are small so everyone receives individualized attention and feedback.

N-Flux also has a great community. More experienced students are welcoming towards beginners and offer feedback. It's a very inclusive and female friendly space.

Caroline Routh

The happiest I've been in a long time! Working out here provides me with an amazing community of peers who aim to uplift and support each other, and the staff instruction is unmatched anywhere in the city. As a beginner I have never felt overwhelmed or intimidated. I cannot recommend N-Flux highly enough!

Petra m

I have been going to N-flux for over a year now and it is one of the most impactful things I have done in my life. I think you can learn the physical skills taught at N-flux at a variety of gyms. But you probably won’t get instructors like Chris and Gonz who truly care about their students and value the experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of everyone. You’d have a hard time finding a more welcoming group of people who just want to have fun and hype each other up while challenging you in the best way.

That being said, I went from never having done MMA to now being obsessed with everything about it, competing in Jiu Jitsu tournaments for fun, and talking all my friends and family’s ears off about N-flux.

The classes at N-flux are a great workout, but they don’t feel like one; they’re not boring or repetitive and they’re always improving. Chris, Gonz, and all the other instructors value the functionality of self-defense and fighting and therefore are always learning about new teaching methods and techniques to make classes better.

If you are unsure or nervous about trying out N-flux, please be reassured that you will have a great time and maybe even unlock your new favorite thing like I did and experience a part of yourself that is stronger than you ever knew.