Official Rock Steady Boxing® affiliatesRock Steady Boxing® in LA & Ventura County
Coach Dean Moskowitz leads four official Rock Steady Boxing® affiliate programs — Santa Monica, Lake Balboa, Woodland Hills, and Thousand Oaks — bringing the world's best-known Parkinson's boxing curriculum to members from all over Los Angeles and Ventura County.
First class free · Non-contact · All stages of Parkinson's welcome
The program
What Rock Steady Boxing® is
Rock Steady Boxing® was founded in 2006 in Indianapolis by Scott C. Newman, after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's at just 40 years old and decided to fight back — literally. The non-contact, boxing-based curriculum he helped build now runs in hundreds of affiliate gyms worldwide, operated under the nonprofit Rock Steady Boxing, Inc.
The idea is simple and backed by a growing body of research: the things boxers train — footwork, balance, rotation, power, rhythm, coordination — are precisely the things Parkinson's attacks. Training them fights back. Here's our honest look at what the research says.
Dean's four affiliate gyms run that curriculum with his own decade of Parkinson's coaching behind it — every class non-contact, every exercise modifiable, seated or standing. The Parkinson's Foundation recommends at least 2.5 hours of exercise per week for people with PD, and two to three classes here — plus simple practice at home — gets members there without it ever feeling like homework.
Official Affiliate Programs
Fighting back against Parkinson's since 2006 — now in your corner in LA & Ventura County.
Why it works
Why this training works
- 01Amplitude training — counters small, shuffling movements
- 02Rhythm & timing drills — improve motor planning
- 03Dual-task training — strengthens the brain-body connection
- 04Fast reaction work — improves responsiveness and coordination
This combination helps reinforce neuroplasticity and the functional movement patterns used in daily life. It is not a fighting program — it's a medically-informed fitness approach built on boxing movements adapted for safety and neurological benefit.
As seen on HBO
The story behind Rock Steady Boxing®
Before it reached our four gyms, this program was one man's experiment in an Indianapolis boxing gym. HBO's The Fight Game tells that story — founder Scott Newman on the six weeks of training that gave him back his signature and his keyboard, head coach Kristy Rose Follmar on why "forced intense exercise" works against Parkinson's, and boxers on the confidence the gym gives them that medication alone can't.
HBO Boxing visits Rock Steady Boxing headquarters in Indianapolis — the same curriculum taught at all four of Dean's affiliate gyms.
Four official affiliates
Rock Steady Boxing®
locations near you
Every location runs the official Rock Steady Boxing® curriculum with Coach Dean's team. Classes are kept small — call 747-234-1115 to find your nearest gym and claim your free first class.
Serving members from Santa Monica, Venice, West LA, and the Westside.
1828 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404
See this location → Rock Steady Boxing® Lake BalboaServing members from Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Encino, and the central San Fernando Valley.
17228 Saticoy St, Lake Balboa, CA 91406
See this location → Rock Steady Boxing® Woodland HillsServing members from Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Calabasas, and the West Valley.
ZOOZ Fitness, 20951 Burbank Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
See this location → Rock Steady Boxing® Thousand OaksServing members from Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, and the Conejo Valley.
1714 Newbury Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
See this location →The program, round by round
What a class actually includes
- Warm-up and mobility — nobody cold-starts with Parkinson's
- Balance and footwork drills — fall-prevention training in a boxing stance
- Non-contact boxing — big, loud combinations on mitts and bags
- Strength and conditioning — the get-up-from-a-chair, carry-the-groceries kind
- Cool-down — stretching, breathing, and more laughing than you'd expect
Every exercise can be modified or done seated — every stage of Parkinson's trains here, wheelchairs included. New to all of it? Here's exactly what your first class looks like.
Common-sense answers
Before you even have to ask
Cost: your first class is free at all four gyms, and ongoing pricing depends on location and how often you train — here's the honest breakdown of how Rock Steady Boxing® pricing works, including the insurance question.
Between classes: the "make it big, make it loud" training travels home — these are the boxing-style drills worth practicing between sessions, with the safety rules that aren't optional.
The deeper story: from a prosecutor's diagnosis in Indianapolis to hundreds of gyms worldwide — the full explanation of what Rock Steady Boxing® is, from a coach who teaches it every week.
Two names, one coach
Rock Steady Boxing® &
Boxing for Balance
Here's how the two fit together, plainly. The four gym locations above are official Rock Steady Boxing® affiliate programs — part of the worldwide network, running the official curriculum.
Boxing for Balance is Dean's own program — the online video program, assisted living classes, private training, and the coach certification course. Those are Boxing for Balance programs — not Rock Steady Boxing® programs. Same coach and philosophy either way; only the four gym locations carry the Rock Steady Boxing® name.
Coach Dean MoskowitzAffiliate Coach
Your coach
Meet Coach Dean Moskowitz
Coach Dean has done martial arts for 20 years, was an MMA fighter himself, and has worked with over 500 people with Parkinson's disease in the last decade. He leads the Rock Steady Boxing® classes at all four affiliate gyms — here's his full story.
"Movement is medicine. I want this program to be fun and engaging so you enjoy it. Fighting Parkinson's doesn't have to be done alone — here we are a team, and this team quickly becomes a family."
- Individualized modifications for all levels
- Safe, progression-based training
- Movement quality over intensity
- Motivation, accountability, consistency
From the members
Hear it from the room
If you are looking for a coach who's knowledgeable, dedicated, and truly cares about his Parkinson clients and quality of life, Dean is your guy. He's not just a coach, he's an inspiration.
Julian Jacobson · memberMy neurologist said I improved since starting the boxing. I now have control back over my Parkinson's.
John J. · memberAmazing equipment, environment, instructors and program. Positivity is the impetus to success! Highly recommend!!!
Edward Getz · memberThose are Dean's boxers. Here's the wider family — Rock Steady Boxing®'s own short film, where members tell the part doctors can't chart: the man who couldn't write his name at year three and is doing better at year fifteen, the husband who'd given up until this program changed his life, and the discovery every new boxer makes — you are not the only person in the world with Parkinson's, and you won't fight it alone.
Telling Well — from Rock Steady Boxing headquarters' own cameras.
Common questions
Rock Steady Boxing®, answered
What is Rock Steady Boxing®?
Is Boxing for Balance the same as Rock Steady Boxing®?
How much does Rock Steady Boxing® cost at these locations?
Do I need boxing experience to join?
Is Rock Steady Boxing® safe for Parkinson's?
How often should I attend?
What should I bring to class?
Is there Rock Steady Boxing® near me for Parkinson's?
Which location is closest to me?
Rock Steady Boxing® is a registered trademark of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Santa Monica, Lake Balboa, Woodland Hills, and Thousand Oaks programs above are licensed affiliates operated by Coach Dean Moskowitz's Boxing for Balance.