Official Rock Steady Boxing® affiliateRock Steady Boxing® Lake Balboa
In the central San Fernando Valley on Saticoy Street, this gym is the Valley's home for the official Rock Steady Boxing® curriculum — big enough for full footwork drills, close enough that half the Valley can be here in fifteen minutes.
17228 Saticoy St, Lake Balboa, CA 91406
Completely new to this? The 60-second version
Rock Steady Boxing® is a non-contact boxing fitness program built specifically for people with Parkinson's disease — nobody spars, nobody gets hit, and a growing body of research supports it. Here's the full plain-English explanation.
It fits every stage — newly diagnosed to advanced, standing or seated, no boxing experience expected. An honest look at who it's for, and exactly what a first class is like.
Your first class here is free. After that, here's how pricing honestly works. Just diagnosed and overwhelmed? Start with these guides — nothing has to happen today.
Who trains here
Your neighborhood gym for fighting Parkinson's
This is the most central of the four gyms for Valley families — an easy shot from the 405 or Balboa Blvd. Classes here draw a loyal core of regulars, and new members get absorbed into the group fast. If a care partner drives you, there's a comfortable spot to wait — though most end up joining the class instead.
Members regularly train here from:
- Lake Balboa
- Van Nuys
- Encino
- Sherman Oaks
- Reseda
- Northridge
- North Hills
What a class looks like
Real boxing training, zero contact
- Warm-up and mobility work to start every session
- Balance, footwork, and coordination drills
- Non-contact boxing combinations on pads and bags
- Strength, conditioning, and big-movement training
- Cool-down — and more laughing than you'd expect
Every exercise can be modified or done seated. All stages of Parkinson's are welcome, no boxing experience needed, and gloves are provided. Here's what a first day feels like.
Why this works
Boxing training, aimed straight at Parkinson's
The Valley runs on practicality: members here want to know the drive is short, the parking is simple, and the training actually works. Two out of three are geography — here's the science on the third.
Each part of the curriculum targets something Parkinson's attacks — and a 2025 systematic review of boxing exercise for Parkinson's found improvements in both motor and non-motor symptoms, with strong safety and notably high adherence.
- Amplitude training — big, exaggerated punches and steps counter the small, shuffling movements Parkinson's causes
- Footwork and stance drills — balance practice disguised as boxing, aimed at fall prevention
- Rhythm and timing work — combinations on pads train motor planning and coordination
- Dual-task training — moving while counting out loud strengthens the brain-body connection and the voice at once
- Community — a room that knows your name, which matters more with Parkinson's than most people realize
The Parkinson's Foundation recommends at least 2.5 hours of exercise per week for people with PD. Two or three classes here, plus simple practice at home, gets you there.
As seen on HBO
This is the program we teach in Lake Balboa
HBO's The Fight Game profiled Rock Steady Boxing® at its Indianapolis headquarters — founder Scott Newman's story, the science of "forced intense exercise," and boxers taking their fight back. It's the same curriculum Coach Dean teaches here in Lake Balboa.
Getting started
Four steps, one free class
- 01Clear it with your doctor. This is real exercise, and your medical team should know you're starting — nearly everyone gets an enthusiastic green light.
- 02Call or text 747-234-1115. We'll match you to the right class time — most members do best training during their medication "on" window.
- 03Show up in comfortable clothes and supportive shoes. Bring water. Gloves and equipment are provided for your first class — here's exactly what to expect.
- 04Take the free class. No cost, no commitment, no experience needed. Then decide with real information — here's how pricing works.
For care partners
Bring your corner with you
Care partners are welcome in every class at this location — to watch, to help, or to put gloves on and train alongside their fighter. More than a few of the best boxers in my gyms came in as "just the driver."
Every stage of Parkinson's trains here, seated or standing — here's my honest answer on who this fits — and seated boxing is a real workout, not a consolation prize.
If you're the one doing the caring, my Caregiver's Corner keeps a verified list of helplines, respite resources, and local services for exactly your side of this fight.
Good to know
Before your first visit
When should I schedule around my medication?
What if I'm having a bad day?
I'm in Sherman Oaks or Northridge — is this my closest gym?
I use a walker — can I still train here?
Notes from Coach Dean
Why members choose Lake Balboa
The Valley is where I've coached the longest, and this gym reflects it — multi-year members who've become genuine friends, birthday celebrations between rounds, and a wall of stories about numbers that moved the right direction at neurology appointments. If you've been driving over the hill for a specialized class — or skipping exercise entirely because nothing nearby fit — this location exists specifically to end that excuse.
Being the most central of the four gyms shapes this location's community. Members come from every corner of the Valley, which means the room mixes neighborhoods, generations, and stages of Parkinson's in a way that keeps it lively — and it means carpools form naturally. More than one pair of members discovered they live three streets apart in Van Nuys and have been sharing rides (and post-class breakfasts) ever since. If getting there is your barrier, say so when you call; someone may already be driving past your corner.
Have questions before you visit — about cost, stages, what to wear, whether it's safe for your situation? The honest answers live in my guides to how pricing works, who this program fits, and exactly what a first class looks like — or skip the reading and call 747-234-1115. A phone call with a coach beats an hour of googling every time.
You won't fight alone
What boxers say this program gave back
From Rock Steady Boxing®'s own cameras: members on the day the doctor said "no cure," the day they found the gym, and everything that changed after — "we are now a family. We really are a family."
So there's no confusion
What's Rock Steady Boxing® here — and what isn't
The in-gym classes at this location are the licensed Rock Steady Boxing® program — Rock Steady Boxing® Lake Balboa is an official affiliate of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc., running the official curriculum.
Coach Dean also runs Boxing for Balance, his own separate program — the online video program, assisted living classes, private training, and coach certification course. Those are Boxing for Balance programs, not Rock Steady Boxing® programs. Same coach and philosophy either way — but only the gym classes here carry the Rock Steady Boxing® name.
Rock Steady Boxing® is a registered trademark of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc. All four affiliate locations: Santa Monica · Lake Balboa · Woodland Hills · Thousand Oaks — or see the Rock Steady Boxing hub page.