Watson Martial Arts, St. Louis

Self-defense, a new hobby, a future career in MMA competition—there are many reasons a person might set foot into Watson Martial Arts for the first time. But chances are the decision has something to do with the studio's talented team of instructors, who boast a resume that other martial artists can only hope to punch apart in envy.

Take head jiu-jitsu and MMA instructor Kyle Watson for instance. A veteran of UFC competitions, Kyle has traveled the globe to train and enter competitions, picking up numerous medals for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu along the way. He even made it to the semi-finals on season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Things start much simpler than all that, of course. Watson Martial Arts' programs begin with fundamental classes, and students of any skill level should be able to find an appropriate class on the schedule. But whether for beginners or advanced students, each class tends to follow roughly the same pattern: a brief warm-up period, an instructor demonstration, some guided drills, and, finally, a period of intense practice, perhaps even with opponent resistance.