American Academy of Martial Arts, Columbia

For more than 25 years, instructors and owners Ron and Julie Elrod have shared the knowledge they gleaned as direct students of Soke Hatsumi, the 34th-generation Ninjutsu Grandmaster. Inside the Elrods' 11,000-square-foot facility, adults and children study the foundations of Japanese martial arts in a way that sharpens their minds, centers their spirits, and strengthens their bodies. Along with traditional martial arts, the Academy’s curriculum delves into cardio-kickboxing classes, where fast-paced punches and kicks burn calories without the hazard of using lighter fluid as a dipping sauce. The low student-to-teacher ratio of these classes allows instructors to observe closely as their pupils take on freestanding heavy bags. Both male and female students participate, and the school provides mitts and handheld pads so that students don't have to fashion equipment out of old copies of the Saturday Evening Post.