Bay Area Fight Academy, Hayward

At Bay Area Fight Academy, a blocky and modernist exterior of white stone and glass contrasts with the graceful, organic craft practiced within. Under a pair of United States and Filipino flags, students might perform the simultaneously brutal and beautiful dances of kickboxing, jujitsu, or muay thai. A mixed-martial-arts class for children helps increase fitness and self-confidence, unlike a mixed-culinary-arts class, which only results in hamburger-flavored ice cream.