571 Holtzman Ave · Columbus, Ohio
A neighborhood gym on the east side where kids and adults learn to box, breathe, and hold themselves together. Head coach Jalen Hill Sr. runs every session himself — homework included.
4.9★
28 Google reviews
Medicaid
Accepted as payment
Kids & adults
Both welcome, seven days
One coach
Jalen Hill Sr., every session
501(c)(3)
King Over Clowns nonprofit
The coach
UpHill isn't a franchise and it isn't a studio with a front desk. It's Jalen's gym. He owns it, he coaches it, and if you walk in off Holtzman looking lost, he's the one who'll ask what you're trying to get out of it.
The program is built to work on the whole person, not just the hands. Stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and massage sit right alongside self-defense and boxing fundamentals — the same fundamentals he teaches to amateurs chasing their first bout and to pros keeping sharp between fights.
Some people come in to fight. Plenty come in because their doctor said move more, or because a kid needs somewhere to be at 5 PM. All of that counts here.
Who runs it
Owner & head coach
Jalen owns the gym and coaches every session in it — kids at 5 PM, adults late, corners on fight night. He teaches the same fundamentals to a first-timer as to a pro keeping sharp, and he's the one who asks what you're trying to get out of it.
Homework first
The kids' block runs 5 to 9 PM on weekdays, and part of that time is spent at the table, not on the floor. If a kid shows up with a worksheet or a test on Friday, we sit with them and get through it before they wrap up.
Parents ask for this more than anything else. School work is where a lot of kids lose their footing, and it's hard to tell a young fighter about discipline in the ring and then ignore what's happening in the classroom. Same lesson, different room.
Bring the backpack. There's a spot for it.
What we run
Monday–Friday · 5–9 PM
Footwork, guard, conditioning, and how to carry yourself. Homework help is built into the block. First-timers start on day one — no experience, no gear needed.
Kids boxing detailsMonday–Friday · 9 AM–12 AM
Rounds on the bags, mitts with Jalen, rope, and real conditioning. Work a third shift or a 9-to-5 — the doors are open early and late, and nobody cares what shape you walked in with.
Amateurs and pros train in the same room. Beginners are not put in with them.
Scheduled around the boxing blocks
Yoga, stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and massage. This is half the reason people stay. You can't throw straight punches with a locked-up back, and you can't think straight without learning how to breathe.
See the wellness programThe motto
1000 a day
A thousand reps. A thousand skips. Counted, not guessed at. Nobody gets good on the days they feel like it — you get good on the days you show up anyway.
King Over Clowns · 501(c)(3) nonprofit
King Over Clowns is a Central Ohio 501(c)(3) that works alongside the gym — wellness, mentorship, personal development, and connecting youth and families to resources they'd otherwise have to go looking for.
UpHill also sponsors and coaches a youth flag football team — purple and black uniforms, same colors as the gym walls. We put money into jerseys and banners and show up for the games.
Families are welcome to sit and watch. Bring the younger ones. This has always been a family gym as much as a boxing gym.
More of the gym day to day on Instagram: @uphill_boxing
Membership
$150
per month
One price, no tiers, no contract games. Medicaid is accepted as a payment method — if that's how you're covered, say so when you call and we'll sort it out.
Start this weekWhat's included
What people wrote
★★★★★
“Great energy, chill staff, kid friendly, good gym.”
★★★★★
“Good people, felt at home — got some work in.”
★★★★★
“My son comes home tired and does his homework without a fight. Coach Jalen stays on him.”
★★★★★
“Walked in with zero experience at 41. Nobody laughed. Third month now and I'm down two pants sizes.”
★★★★★
“Real boxing gym, not a fitness class. Jalen is in the corner every session.”
★★★★★
“The stretching and breathing work is the part I didn't know I needed.”
First class is on us
Leave your number and who it's for. Jalen calls people back himself — usually the same day. Rather just talk? (614) 670-4126.
Come by
Uphill Boxing is at 571 Holtzman Ave on the Near East Side of Columbus, minutes from King-Lincoln, Bexley and Whitehall. Walk-ins are welcome during open hours.
| Monday–Friday | 8 AM – 12 AM |
|---|---|
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | 9 AM – 5 PM |
Kids train weekdays, 5–9 PM. Everything else is open floor.