Kickboxing Gym Near Me in Tulse Hill: Sanda Kickboxing Academy's Throws

Sanda Kickboxing Academy teaches a kickboxing where you are allowed to catch a kick and throw your opponent to the floor. Classes run in the Old Gym at Oasis St Martins The Village, 155 Tulse Hill, London SW2 3UP, right next to Brockwell Park, and unlimited adult membership costs £70 a month. If your search for a kickboxing gym near me starts in Brixton, Herne Hill or Streatham, this is the one to try when plain pad work has started to feel repetitive.

The academy's FAQ explains that Sanda, also called Sanshou or Chinese kickboxing, combines wrestling with kickboxing. It describes Sanda as the only combat sport to come out of China, taking traditional Chinese wrestling systems and combining them with modern kickboxing. In practice that means punches and kicks as you would expect, plus catches, sweeps and throws when the distance closes, so the clinch becomes a chance to score rather than a moment to break apart.

The club does not make you choose. The timetable also runs K1 Kickboxing, a pure striking format, in mixed-ability sessions every weekday morning from 7am to 8am, at lunchtimes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12pm to 1pm, and on Monday evenings from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. Someone who wants only stand-up striking can train K1 here, while those curious about takedowns can add the Sanda sessions and the dedicated wrestling class.

Two coaches run the academy: Joshua and Kitty. The about page says Joshua is currently fifth in the world in the under 80kg category, while Kitty is a seasoned self-defence coach specialising in Sanda. One member review on the same page calls the club very friendly and welcoming and credits Josh and Kitty with breaking down the movements and teaching the practical applications, which is exactly what the throws require.

The competition team had a strong 2026. Joshua Villar wrote on 27 August that five athletes went to the 2026 Sanda Nationals and came home with three golds and two silvers. Matthew, aged 18, won gold on his adult full-contact debut. Harriet, weighing in at 63kg and unable to find an opponent at 65kg, stepped up to the 70kg division and still won gold. Shemmy took gold in semi-contact, while Ivor and Camron won silver.

Beginners have their own Sanda sessions: Tuesday and Thursday from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and Friday from 6pm to 7pm. Those are the classes to use for your free trial. Mixed-ability Sanda runs Monday 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Tuesday and Thursday 7.30pm to 8.30pm, plus lunchtimes on Tuesday and Thursday and a Saturday session from 11.30am to 12.30pm, which follows Tai Chi at 10.30am.

An honest tip: do not make the Tuesday or Thursday 8.30pm Sanda Kickboxing: Wrestling class your first night, even though it is listed as mixed ability. It is the most specialised session on the board and makes more sense once the beginner classes have taught you how to fall and how throws are set up. Friday's 7pm sparring class is labelled intermediate, and sparring only happens with instructor approval, so treat it as a goal for later.

The terms and conditions are stricter than at many fitness studios. You are asked to arrive five to ten minutes before class to warm up, and if you are late you will not be allowed to take part, with no refund. Sparring requires a mouthguard, 16oz gloves and shin guards, plus headguards for anyone under 18. You also have to tell the instructor about any injury or concussion within the last six months before training.

For the trial, the FAQ says to wear shorts and a t-shirt and remove jewellery before class starts, and suggests a water bottle and a spare t-shirt for the trip home. Classes typically last 60 to 90 minutes, covering warm-up, technique, partner drills, pad work, wrestling techniques, conditioning and a cool-down. Finding the room is part of the ritual: enter by the left-hand pedestrian gate, turn right in front of the main building, then left down the road to the Old Gym by a big evergreen tree with a low round wall.

Unlimited monthly membership is £70 for adults and £60 for concessions or under-16 classes. Eight classes a month cost £60 for adults. Self-defence-only and Tai Chi-only memberships are both £50 a month, and four Tai Chi classes a month cost £35. Everything is paid by Direct Debit on the 1st or 15th of the month, with your first payment pro-rated from your start date.

There is also an annual insurance fee of £20, provided through the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts, and fees are non-refundable except where the law requires. The value pick for most adults is the £70 unlimited plan if you can train at least three times a week: early K1 sessions before work plus an evening Sanda class add up quickly. If you can only manage two sessions a week, the £60 eight-class plan is the sensible choice.

The academy says it is a ten-minute walk from Tulse Hill station, which has Southern and Thameslink trains, or a ten-minute bus ride from Brixton high street. Oasis St Martins The Village is the site of the former St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls on Tulse Hill, and the club points out that the venue is right next to Brockwell Park.

That makes the after-class plan easy. On a Saturday, finish the 11.30am Sanda session and walk into Brockwell Park, with its hilltop views back towards central London. Brockwell Lido, on Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PA, sits on the park's north-east edge if you want to swim off the session. After weekday evening classes, Brixton is a short bus ride north for dinner in Brixton Village or along Atlantic Road.

Address: Sanda Kickboxing Academy, The Old Gym, Oasis St Martins The Village, 155 Tulse Hill, London SW2 3UP. Phone: 07920 056974. Nearest station: Tulse Hill, about a ten-minute walk. Beginner Sanda: Tuesday and Thursday 6.30pm, Friday 6pm. K1 Kickboxing: weekdays 7am. Free trial class booked online. Unlimited adults £70 a month, eight classes £60, plus £20 annual insurance. Sparring kit: mouthguard, 16oz gloves, shin guards. Arrive five to ten minutes early, because latecomers are not allowed to join.