Donte’s Boxing Gym

Oftentimes reviews don’t mention precisely what it is we want and need to hear about a potential business as it concerns us as parents and or as another 3^rd party involvement. I am going to review DBG as a new parent as well as a former trainee and athlete at the gym under Donte’s tutelage.
Here is my review on DBG including the ‘tangible, intangibles’ that matter so much to us as parents and consumers:
Donte Brown, the sole proprietor and creator of DBG is a model citizen, a mentor, an educator, an inspiration, and one heck of a trainer, coach, and athlete.
To preface this correctly, I need to provide a quick background about how I found Donte, how his school benefited me, and why I have a life-​long friendship with Donte.
In 2008, as a former professional soccer player, avid athlete, and graduate student, I found Donte Brown in Rockville, MD. Little did I know Donte would become my ace, my friend, my educator; my rock. What you never see in reviews are things like I am about to mention. Fact: Donte never curses. Seems silly, but we all curse and he has the discipline and the wherewithal to know this is a concern of parents and if Donte is going to run a gym and a business that predominantly incorporates kids and moms as his target demographic, then one needs attention to such details.
Donte plays hip-​hop throughout the day. I love it, and I also love country music. Donte ONLY plays the clean versions of all songs. What many people also don’t understand about the ‘sweet science’ is that boxing is a rhythmic martial art. Footwork is imperative not just as a fighter but even when fitness is your goal.
What you will never hear from Donte personally is how he was one of two people that graduated with a scholarship from college. The remainder of the candidates either dropped out, went to prison, became pregnant. Donte grew up tough, had a tough life, and to this day has not allowed it to leave him jaded. Furthermore, Donte leads a monastic lifestyle. He dedicates his life to being a better person, to eating better, to not involve himself in anything that doesn’t improve him. He is a voracious reader and learner, never satisfied. You would never know that he taught DC youth in Washington’s public school system. That challenge alone speaks volumes so imagine the character that acts as a catalyst to such adversity.
Donte started training me firstly as a savior case, to get me back into shape and lose weight. After a year, I had my first ‘smoker’ as a Thai Boxer. I won. Confidence grew as my relationship with Donte did. What most people don’t realize is that the relationship between coach and pupil is sacred. Its not just a baby-​sitting job to Donte. It’s a commitment and a two way street. And if you can show just a fraction of the same gusto and passion to improving oneself in life (much less boxing), you will get 100 fold in return. Donte is perhaps the most honest, straight forward, and dedicated people I have ever had the priveledge to work with.
I went on to win 3 gold medals in grappling world championships in my division, I never lost a smoker or boxing formal competition. I feel wonderfully about those feats however, nothing compares to the inspiration, the direction, and the friendship I was able to develop over the years with Donte.
Donte saved money, self-​professed in business and real estate, and launched his own gym.
He continues to inspire men, women, and children. There is not ONE person I have networked with at the gym that has felt or said differently.
I live in CA now and cannot describe how much I miss this environment, his training physically, and more importantly, how much of a better human being he helped me to become.
Explore the DGB gym for your goals to lose weight, gain confidence, self-​defense. But more importantly, know that you will find one of the most loyal and frankly, skilled boxers and coaches I have encountered in the sport. I went on to train and compete at famous MMA schools and compete all over the country and I cannot help to keep coming back to reflect on how special and impactful Donte and the gym/​family culture he has created.
Donte is a diamond in the rough, a total gem. For such a small investment, your life could be changed in a multitude of ways. You won’t be wasting your time or money. Try it out as soon as you possibly can and I promise, it will not disappoint.
I only have a short space in which to write about DBG but if I could add more to my review, I could tell countless stories that exhibit his loyalty, honesty, quality as a coach and the product he is offering.
I have never experienced so much purity in truth of who I am and who I am dealing with than I have with my experience with DBG and Donte, specifically.

Went to Donte’s for the Unilocal workout and Donte was so personable. He taught us proper form and technique. I would recommend anyone looking for personable but effective workout to go there.

TL; DR: Don’t even continue to read this. Why are you still reading this? Hurry and sign up!
I started taking boxing for two reasons: to get in shape and for the love of the sport. I have been pleasantly surprised with my experience at Donte’s Boxing Gym.
The Beginner’s Class: This class is a diamond in the rough. You will not find many of other gyms, dare I say any, in this area that will have a boxing beginner’s class. The class covers the fundamental punches and basic defensive maneuvers. You will also learn how to hit the heavy and speed bags, hold mitts, wrap your hands, and shadowbox. The beauty in this is that the whole class is the technique. Yes, there is some exercise, but that is not the primary focus. A nice segue into my next point…
The Regular Class: The regular classes are a stark contrast in comparison to the beginner’s class. They are faster paced and include a lot more exercises. It is mostly circuit training, and you will get an excellent workout. You will sweat. You will be sore. You will question why you signed up. You will cry yourself to sleep. And you will be crazy enough to do it all over again. Taking the beginner’s class helped me immensely here.
The Staff: Aside from the staff being friendly, approachable, helpful, and accommodating, I can also appreciate their love of the sport. When you talk to them, the smell of boxing just oozes off of them. I can and have learned so much from Donte, Jeremy, and Merissa. Just a few days ago, Donte talked to me about boxing shoes… BOXING SHOES! I never in my life though I would have that conversation. You will learn a lot from them even in just passing.
The People: There is a nice crop of people that go here. They are very nice and approachable. You can learn a lot from them as well. I laugh a lot here. No egos!
Gym: It’s clean. I don’t feel like I’m going to get a ringworm when I do my classes here.
My only wishes for this gym was that they have locker and water clubs (BYOB) and have a second part to the beginner’s class. Leaving the beginner’s class to go to the regular one kind of leaves things unsettled for me.
If you have made it this far into the review, congratulations. Hopefully this was enough to encourage to at least visit the gym. Now, I have officially done my good deed for the day.
See you soon!
— N. Daniels

Although I’ve done some martial arts in the past, I was brand new to boxing and was looking for a gym to join. I was torn between some of the local options, but after being at this gym for 3 months now, I have to say this gym is truly one of a kind. Here are the big points I think you should know:
#1. There is no yearly contract. You pay month to month which is a big change from other boxing gyms in the area that try to get you to lock in to 12 month contracts when you’re not even sure how long you want to really commit to it.
#2. Donte ensures that the environment is friendly and comfortable for everyone. There are a number of women who regularly attend classes, which goes to show that the kind of people that Donte lets join the gym are not unsavory or unpleasant people. So every time you come for a class, it feels a lot more like a small family or a group of friends getting together than a simple transaction between instructors and the students.
#3. Finally, while you might be getting one hell of a workout with every class, Donte and his instructors are also just as focused at teaching you actual boxing techniques that you can actually use in the ring (if you should choose to ever spar). This is different from what I’ve seen in other boxing gyms where their goal is the workout as opposed to growing the students as they workout. So to me, this makes it even more worthwhile.
If you ever have any additional questions, please be sure to let me know!

My 10 year old son is in Donte’s tues/​thurs class; he absolutely loves it! He’s learning to box, not just to do drills. Donte is a great coach, great attitude, keeps the kids motivated, can’t say enough.

I was really interested in joining a boxing gym, but I was not excited about LA Boxing. I was looking for something more authentic. I was more eager to do the training than actually jumping in the ring. I stumbled across Donte’s Boxing Gym and once I walked in and met Donte I knew this was the gym I’d been looking for. Donte was really down to earth and mentioned that he himself teaches a lot of the classes. I joined on the spot and started training. Being a beginner I was always curious if the more experienced boxers would «look down on you» or tease you for being a beginner. It was the opposite, people encourage you to keep training and consistently give you pointers. I highly recommend this gym to anyone who wants to learn how to fight, or just do it for the exercise.

I normally don’t write reviews on Unilocal but felt compelled to do so for DBG. I’ve taken classes with Donte when he was at another gym, and I knew there was something special and unique about his teaching style. I was super excited when he told me he was going out on his own to start DBG. Once weekly private sessions have become a normal part of my routine now. I call it my «therapy» sessions. Donte will give you what you need whether it’s physical fitness training or learning the true sweet science of boxing. I would recommend him to anyone who is looking for an exciting workout that is fun, challenging and most definitely a learning experience each time you step into the gym. There are many trainers our there, but few are like Donte who has an innate ability to see what a client wants and needs and knows how to get them there. All it takes is one visit and you will easily see what it’s all about.

Donte’s is awesome, period. This was the first boxing gym I had ever been to. When I first walked in the door I had zero boxing knowledge, bad overall fitness, couldn’t even jump rope, but I never once felt discouraged when I was there. The instructors and your fellow classmates are awesome, overall the environment is very motivating. The gym usually isn’t that busy outside of class time and the people there are there to work, so it’s easy to stay focused on your training.
Classes are dynamic but usually consist of bodyweight exercises, heavy bag, lots of focus mitt work with partners, and jumping rope. Sometimes you do a circuit workout with different stations set up which is a lot of fun. It’s a great workout and I really felt like I gained something each time I went to the gym.
I really miss this place a lot, the boxing gym in my new town is totally different, much more LA boxing-​style cardio with very little technique emphasis. If you want to learn how to BOX and get in shape in the process in a great atmosphere, go to Donte’s.

I’d been itching to join a boxing gym for quite some time but had huge reservations about joining a chain like LA Boxing. I worried that the classes might be too large (therefore, not as much attention) or worse, that I’d get locked into a membership that I’d never be able to get out of. I’d heard nightmares from friends about trying to cancel memberships at places like that. So after several co-​workers had recommended Donte’s Boxing Gym, I decided to check it out.
I dropped in on a class ($ 30) to see if it was actually what I was looking for. The class was a moderate size and we did a range of activities — including cardio, mitt work, heavy bag, etc. To sum it up, it was exactly what I was looking for– plus you get to pay month to month for your membership and aren’t signing any 6-​month or 12-​month contracts. Oh and that $ 30 I paid for the individual class went toward the cost of my first month’s membership (which includes classes and open gym days).
I’ll admit I was quite nervous at how painfully obvious it was that I was one of the less experienced boxers in the gym. But everyone — Donte and even the more advanced boxers/​members couldn’t have been more welcoming and friendly. No one is looking down on you because you’re not as good. Instead, they are encouraging and pushing you to become better.
When I joined, I was mostly joining for the fitness aspect of boxing (and the glorious stress relief of hitting a heavy bag) and not so much the fighting. I had no intention of ever getting in the ring and sparring. But on my own inclination and with no pressure from anyone, I decided to get in and spar. Three minutes in the ring felt like having run a 10K! It was this crazy rush of adrenaline and I can’t even remember what it felt like getting hit. Hah. I’m glad I did it… (and I’m sure I’ll do it again). I had just been taking the regular classes for about 3 months but felt that I needed to step it up. And everyone was right– after you go in the ring, it really changes how you work it in the regular class.
Donte /​Donte’s Boxing Gym was everything my co-​workers said it would be. It’s a gym filled with other hard working individuals who motivate the hell outta you to do more than you ever thought you could. And Donte is a great instructor. He will teach you to box the right way and make sure you have a little fun too. I highly recommend.
Oh and the last added bonus: your friends/​co-​workers will think you’re a badass that you box/​spar and will think twice about swiping your (fill_​_​in_​_​the_​_​blank) from the fridge ever again.

If you want to learn boxing technique the most effective way, go to Donte. You get more focus, attention and training at this place than any other place in MoCo. Plus everybody there is very friendly and looks out for each other, it’s a collaborative environment. Most importantly, there is never any pressure to join or no pushy sales pitches on your first day. But you will want to come back for more.